Chocolate Smoothie Bowl

A dessert bowl with a few unique ingredients that tastes like pudding?! Yes please. I love cacao powder recipes and it shines in this decadent chocolate smoothie bowl. Whether you need a chocolate fix, or a great dinner party dessert, this recipe is a winner.

Cacao vs Cocoa

Let me start by saying always read your labels. ALWAYS. The main difference between cacao and cocoa in the grocery store is often the additives added to cocoa powder (sugar, gums, etc). Cacao powder often looks like the healthier option, because companies market it as such. So no matter which one you buy, make sure it only has 1 ingredient in it.

Now, there is a lot of debate on using the term cacao vs cocoa, and most of it comes from how cacao seeds are processed. Experts often refer to the pod of this seed as cacao, and then the powder left after the bean has been processed as cocoa. Companies aren’t consistent on this distinction, so that’s why reading labels is important.

For this chocolate smoothie bowl, I use Mountain Rose Herbs Roasted Cacao Powder, because it is super clean and also produces the best taste.

Types of Cacao Powder

• Cacao powder comes in a variety of forms: left raw, further processed, heated, or sometimes treated with alkaline. There are several types and grades of cocoa powder; below are the names you might see in your grocery store of choice:
• Raw cacao: (the traditional process described above) made from cold pressing the un-roasted beans (or nibs) which removes the cacao butter.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder: darker in color and processed with an alkalinized solution to decrease acidity and produce a richer flavor. This process is done at high heat, which also most likely results in a loss of some antioxidants.
• Natural cocoa powder: is lighter in color and higher in acidity, but has still been roasted.

The different cacao and cocoa powders aren’t always interchangeable in baking, but for this chocolate smoothie bowl, any of the above kinds can be used. If you want to get a smooth, creamy chocolate bowl every time, check out my guide on how to make a smoothie.

Ingredients

• In addition to the avocado, coconut milk and cacao powder, I’ve added a little natural sweetener, vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt to round things out.
• Make this smoothie bowl either a blender or food processor. Because it is so thick and creamy, it can be a little harder to scrape it out of a blender jar. If you use cold coconut milk and frozen avocados, the texture ends up being like soft serve ice cream…and what could be wrong about that?
• To add some extra texture and natural sweetness, serve with fresh berries. I like to garnish with cacao nibs. They add a crunchy + nutty feel with a deep chocolate flavor (plus, they are my fav topping in most of my smoothie bowl recipes!).

More Chocolate Smoothie Recipes

Now that you know just how to buy cacao powder, let’s put it to good use! I’ve got several chocolate smoothies that can be used as dessert, a post workout protein boost, a fun date-night snack, you name it!

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie
• Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie
• Banana Chocolate Smoothie
• Chocolate Protein Shake
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie