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This weight loss shake recipe uses whole food, plant-based ingredients that will give you the nutrients you need to conquer your day. I use this recipe as an alternative to my vanilla protein shake when I’m craving chocolate smoothies. It’s high in protein and healthy fat, so I start the day full and satisfied. Cacao powder also gives this weight loss protein shake natural caffeine to wake me up, a bonus on busy mornings.
Table of Contents
Chocolate Weight Loss Shake Ingredients
Unlike most “weight loss shakes”—which are often filled with cheap proteins, artificial ingredients, and leave you with a chalky taste and hunger—this one is the complete opposite. Together, these ingredients create a chocolate weight loss shake that’s rich, satisfying, and balanced—without relying on added sugars or fillers.
- Almond milk: Rich in vitamin E and magnesium, this plant-based milk is low in sugars and carbs. Its mild, slightly nutty flavor pairs perfectly with the other ingredients. You can make your own almond milk or buy one of my recommended almond milk brands.
- Spinach: This leafy green vegetable is a staple in a lot of my shakes since spinach contains fiber, protein, iron, calcium and so much more. Bonus—you don’t even know it’s there!
- Frozen cauliflower: Thickens the shake and adds nutrients without changing the chocolate flavor.
- Frozen banana: Just enough natural sweetness and creaminess without spiking sugar.
- Cacao powder: Deep chocolate flavor plus antioxidants, making this feel like a treat.
- Almond butter: Full of healthy fat and adds a lovely nutty flavor to this shake.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and may help support balanced blood sugar.
- Cayenne pepper: A small pinch brings gentle heat and supports metabolism.
- Protein powder: The key to turning this into a filling, protein-rich shake.
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How to Make a Weight Loss Shake
The beauty of a shake is that you can “eat and run.” I call it the world’s healthiest fast food because you can get a delicious, fast meal in five minutes! Blending this chocolate weight loss shake is super easy, yet I like to do it in two steps to ensure I always get the smoothest result.
- Blend the almond milk and spinach together until there are no leafy chunks left. If you need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides to achieve this then go for it.
- Add the banana, cocoa powder, almond butter, cinnamon, hemp hearts, and cayenne pepper. Then blend again until smooth.
How to chill a Shake
Freeze banana to cool down this chocolate weight loss shake, or pour over ice after blending for a refreshingly cool drink. This will last up to 24 hours in the fridge, so feel free to make two servings and save one for tomorrow.
Ingredient Swaps
If you read through the ingredient list and got caught on one or two ingredients then let’s fix it to make this weight loss protein shake work for you.
- Almond butter can be swapped with the nut butter of your choice.
- Swap spinach with your preferred leafy green vegetables.
- Can’t find cacao powder? Then use unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Don’t like almond milk? Use the non-dairy milk of your choice. Each kind can offer different nutrients and even a bit more protein than the almond milk used in this protein shake recipe for weight loss.
More Weight Loss Shake Recipes
If you’re loving this weight loss shake, there are plenty more protein-packed smoothies to keep things fresh and satisfying. For a lighter, refreshing sip, the banana chocolate protein shake blends creamy and fruity flavors, while the salted caramel protein shake tastes like a treat yet delivers staying power with healthy fats and protein. The meal replacement smoothie is a balanced option when you need something filling that can stand in for a meal.
If you make this chocolate weight loss shake recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Chocolate Weight Loss Shake
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- ½ cup spinach fresh
- ½ banana frozen
- ½ cup cauliflower florets frozen
- 3 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ground
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 serving protein powder
Instructions
- Add spinach and almond milk to blender. Blend until all chunks are gone.
- Add in remaining ingredients (except protein powder) and blend on high until smooth.
- Add in protein powder and blend on low to mix in. Pour into glass and enjoy immediately.
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Notes
- If you prefer your shakes extra cold, feel free to pour your shake over a glass of ice.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
- Swap almond milk with the unsweetened plant-based milk of your choice.
- Swap almond butter with nut or seed butter of your choice.
- Swap spinach with any leafy greens you want.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
They can be, but make sure your protein shake recipes are full of some key things: healthy fat, protein, and whole food ingredients. Ditch the weird powders and fancy supplements and stick to healthy weight loss shakes made with only real ingredients. I make sure every protein shake I drink has healthy fats, protein from plant-based sources, and only natural sugar from fruits and vegetables.
If you are using a protein shake as a meal replacement, or really anytime, make sure it has a good balance of carbs, fat, and protein. Your body needs healthy fat to function fully and surprise, it actually helps you stay full longer! A good amount of protein in each meal will also help fill you up, and help process the natural carbs.
If two shakes a day works for you, go for it. Make sure you focus on a variety of ingredients in those drinks so you get the most nutrients you can. I like swapping up my leafy greens on a regular basis as well as using a wide variety of produce. This way, my body gets all the vitamins, minerals, and more that it needs to thrive.
You suggested some ingredient swaps, but not one for the one thing I would need to swap out of this smoothie: the banana. I am trying to eat as close to keto as I can, since I am pre-diabetic. Any suggestions? Thanks for your ideas.
Hi Susan! I’d suggest using avocado in place of the banana!
What can we use instead of the cayenne pepper? Or can we only use half?
Hi Jessica! You can omit the cayenne if that works better for you.
Hi Jessica! Yes! You can use half or even omit it completely.
Thank you for these smoothies. It gives me a lot of ideas. My friend hates bananas so I am trying to create some smoothies for her.
Yuck
While I don’t make this for “weight loss” purposes, I make this on repeat! It’s super filling and a nice little kick of caffeine without having coffee.
Hi Liv! This is one of my faves too, sooo filling! If you like this one, check out our other smoothie recipes as well!
Me encantan tus licuados!!! Haces mucho bien compartiendo tus conocimientos.
Gracias!!!
So glad that you love our smoothies, Ana Maria! You’re so welcome! Be sure to check out our other smoothie recipes!
I really love your smoothies and I enjoy all the emails. How do you calculate 17 grams of protien in that chocolate smoothie.?
Most of the protein in this one comes from the hemp hearts, cacao powder and almond butter!
Loved the rich chocolate-y flavor of this, not too sweet. Added 1/2 cup cauliflower and used homemade protein powder instead of just hemp hearts. Super filling.
Hey Erin- So glad you loved this one! I’ll have to try your suggestion next time I make one!
I tried this and love it! Hemp seed isn’t readily available here so I subbed with ground flax seeds. It was a bit too chocolatey for me so I would lessen the cocoa next time. I also lessened the cinnamon to 1/3 tsp since i thought it might overpower the drink. Best tip I guess is to use a ripe/very ripe banana if you’re after that sweet taste without additional sweetener.
That was disgusting. Sorry.
Aww! So sorry to hear that Denny. Most of the ingredients are not sweet (except the 1/2 banana) and cacao can be bitter to many people, so I get it! This recipe is designed to boost your metabolism and help curb cravings later on by not spiking your blood sugar. However, if you’re looking to make this smoothie sweeter, using Medjool dates is a great way to add that sweetness without using refined sugar.
You may want to try our Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie or our Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie if you’re looking for something a bit more decadent. Thanks for the honest feedback!
it’s not supposed to be delicious
Great recipe! Really didn’t think I would like the cayenne, but it has a great taste! Can you tell how well they taste if made before hand? How does it take if it was frozen? I am thinking about making more than one since thr recipe calls for 1/2 a banana – so making more than 1 at a time and freezing it or saving it for the next day. Thanks!
Hi Wendy,
That’s a really great question! My recommendation for smoothie prep is to make smoothie packs.
So, rather than blend the smoothies and then freeze (you can lose some of the amazing plant-based nutrients and benefits), I would put your smoothie ingredients (minus the liquid base and pantry items) into a freezer bag, mason jar or other air-tight storage container of your choice and stick those packs in your freezer.
Then, whenever you’re ready for them, dump it into your blend, add the liquid base and blend away!
Still saves you lots of time and the leftover smoothie ingredients won’t go to waste!
If you’d like, we have a whole article about prepping smoothies that you can check out —> How to Meal Prep Smoothies
I really enjoy this smoothie! I’m trying it as a meal replacement once a day, so we’ll see how that goes! I’ve had a hard time losing the extra baby weight since my daughter has never been a good sleeper, so I’m always tired. My diet is very alkaline and I go on hiking trails with her at least twice a week, but I’m hoping this smoothie will give me the extra boost I need to lose some weight.
Will it give me the same results if I don’t do spinach and the cayenne pepper?
Cheyenne, that’s a great question. While the spinach is full of phytonutrients and fiber to minimize any blood sugar spikes from the natural sugars in the smoothie you can also get some of the same benefits from other greens such as kale, arugula, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, beet greens, carrot tops, collard greens, or celery to name a few. As for the cayenne pepper it helps curb your appetite and boost you metabolism naturally. Some swaps you could try would be matcha powder, chia seeds, or even avocado.
I have diverticulitis and have to be careful eating things that have seeds. What can I exchange for the hemp hearts?
Hey Cindy,
That’s a great question! Lots of the suggested substitutions for hemp hearts are other seeds, so I def wouldn’t recommend that to you. You could absolutely omit the hemp hearts in this recipe. I bet it would still be every bit as delicious! Maybe add a different nut butter to add a little extra nutty flavor – my second favorite nut better is sunflower seed butter or Sun Butter (brand).
Hulled hemp hearts are an option…same benefits, easily digested without running the risk of them getting hung up in the intestinal tract.
Gross and watery.
Loved this smoothie. The recipe didn’t indicate how much cayenne pepper to use so I took a wild guess and used the same amount as the cinnamon 1 tsp. Probably a little too much but it wasn’t so strong that I couldn’t stomach it! Maybe you could add the amount to the recipe for future smoothie fans:) Thanks for this smoothie… delicious!
Wow, Robin I’m glad it wasn’t too spicy for you. Yes, we’ll def add that information. For most recipes calling for cayenne pepper we recommend to taste as everyone can handle a different level of spice.
I’d love to try these but they all have almond butter or almond milk in them and I’m highly allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, cashews ect. I know I can replace the almond milk with oat but what can I use to replace the almond butter that would have the same effect and mix well into the smoothie I’m not much of a cooker but I’m trying to get healthier and loose weight
mashed avocado, mashed banana, Greek yogurt, or unsalted butter
You might try sun butter.
1,000% YES! Great suggestion, Kim! Sunbutter is incredible! Great recommendation.
Maybe sunflower seed butter?
Hey Kay – great suggestion! Sunflower seed butter totally works for this recipe. Feel free to swap sunflower seed butter any time a different nut butter is used. 🙂
Hi I really REALLY do not like banana, how can I replace these in my drinks.
My daughter is 51 and she is struggling to lose weight.she hates the feeling of hunger pains her weight is now again 200 and her height is 5.6.
She has her own business and does not have much time for hourly workout outs.she also has bad knees and just had Bunyan surgery done. She is so disgusted with her weight.I am trying to help her,this way,by doing research. THANK YOU SO VERY FROM FRO. MY WHOLE ❤. sincerely Monika Burmann
Hi I’m in Australian just wondering if I can use hemp powder and what would you use to sweeten choc weight loss smoothie.
Delicious! I did not expect this to taste so good, it was nicely filling too – perfect for lunch 🙂
I didn’t have any hemp hearts though so I swapped with chia seeds, is that ok nutrition-wise? I think it made my shake a bit lumpy as it soaked over night, but that’s ok.
Thank you for this great recipe!
My wife and I discovered this recipe while determining what we could do with a massive amount of organic hemp hearts what was mistakenly shipped to me (it was supposed to be erythritol). I am a Type 2 diabetic, so I have to be very careful of what I consume in the way of carbs and sugar. That said, we both really liked this smoothie! It has everything we could want and need for a breakfast or midday treat. I don’t typically want either, but now we just whip up a batch and put it in the refrigerator. Problem solved.
THANK YOU!
So awesome Les!!! Way to be resourceful with that accidental shipment. 🙂