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If you’re a fan of chocolate covered strawberries, then this chocolate strawberry smoothie is for you. A naturally sweet, indulgent dessert.
I love mixing flavors and coming up with new combos for delicious smoothies. Don’t let the leafy greens in this one scare you. This chocolate strawberry smoothie has the texture of a milkshake and will satisfy all those sweet chocolate cravings.
Smoothies with a milkshake texture are my jam, but dairy is not my friend. Most of my smoothie recipes use plant-based ingredients, yet still blend together into a creamy treat.
Table of Contents
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie Ingredients
- Kale: A leafy green in a dessert?! Kale YEAH. Massage the kale and de-stem before adding to the blender to cut down on the bite. Tip: Baby kale is a milder kale option.
- Almond Milk: Unsweetened plant milk is a great way to thicken a smoothie. Almond milk provides a bit of protein and a mild, nutty flavor that compliments both the fruit and cacao.
- Strawberries: During strawberry season, use fresh for the sweetest taste. If you’re blending this smoothie during the winter months, frozen strawberries will give you the best flavor.
- Banana: I love freezing bananas to have on hand for tasty treats. Bananas provide natural sweetness as well as the milkshake flavor I want.
- Cacao Powder: Unsweetened cacao powder is a chocolate-lovers paradise. No need for extra sweetener since you’re using other fruity ingredients. Surprisingly, cacao also helps balance the bite from the kale.
Simple Ingredient Swaps
This dreamy chocolate smoothie will stay dreamy, even with a few easy swaps. Use the dairy-free milk of your choice in place of almond milk. Strawberries can be swapped with any berry you choose. Use unsweetened cocoa powder in place of cacao powder.
Cut back on natural sugar by using 1/2 the banana and adding 1/4 an avocado. Boost protein, healthy fat and fiber by adding in this homemade protein powder.
Why I Add Leafy Greens to Smoothies
Surprisingly, this dessert-like chocolate strawberry smoothie only has 15 grams of natural sugar. It also boasts 9 grams of fiber, helping to process that natural sugar into a smooth energy boost that won’t leave you jittery.
This comes from the mighty kale leaves. Adding leafy greens to smoothies provides protein and fiber to break down the sugar from the fruit into useable energy for your body.
Pro Tip: Add 1 cup of leafy greens to any fruit smoothie to help cut down on the natural sugar. If you’re new to leafy greens, start with a small amount! Then as you get used to adding them, start increasing the amount to a healthy giant handful (one cup).
Tips for Blending
Smoothies can sometimes get a little thin, which is harder to enjoy (in my opinion). I always make sure to blend an ingredient that naturally thickens my smoothie. This chocolate strawberry smoothie uses almond milk as the base (thicker than water) and banana.
Other easy thickeners include vegan yogurt, cauliflower or avocado. You can also swap out almond milk for cashew milk, oat milk or coconut milk for a creamier liquid base.
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie FAQs
Yes! While this might be an opinion, chocolate typically goes well with most berries. Strawberries provide a sweet balance to the bitterness of cacao powder.
My version of a chocolate strawberry milkshake uses a banana as a natural sweetener and thickener and cacao powder for a less processed, yet still chocolatey flavor. Plant milk makes this delightfully dairy free.
Yes! Just make sure the cocoa powder is 100% unsweetened and the only ingredient listed is cocoa powder.
More Dessert Smoothie Recipes
I love the idea of a dessert that gives my body a natural energy boost instead of putting me to sleep. Smoothies like my chocolate strawberry smoothie taste like a sweet treat yet use plant-based ingredients. Here are a few more favorite ‘desserts’.
- Strawberry ‘Milk’shake
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
- Raspberry Smoothie
- Shamrock Shake
- Skinny Mint Smoothie
- Strawberry Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake
- Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
I’d love to know how this smoothie turned out for you; will you leave a rating + review once you’ve tried it?
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup strawberries frozen
- ½ banana
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Place kale and almond milk in blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add fruit and cacao, and blend again.
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold.
- Swap in unsweetened cocoa powder for cacao powder.
- To lower the natural sugar, use 1/4 banana and 1/4 avocado.
- Use the plant milk of your choice in place of the almond milk.
- Use the leafy greens of your choice in place of the kale.
Oh, yes! My $1 yard sale blender works wonderfully for this recipe. I used frozen strawberries and half a fresh banana for the fruit. It looks dark green-ish and I’ll have to get accustomed to the color. The taste is fabulous! Thank you. I’m convinced these smoothies will help me stay on task to lose 30 pounds.
Way to rawk that yard sale find, Sherry!!! Happy blending. 🙂
I’m so thankful I found this website! I truly enjoy making and drinking every single smoothie I make thanks to you! These smoothie recipes are the BOMB. Each and every one of them! I still need to try other recipes for meals. I’m positive they will be delicious too. 🙂
Yeah!!!! I’m so glad you’ve found us too! Make sure to join our January 10-Day Smoothie Challenge— it’s free and a really fun way to dive deeper into the Rawkstar Life. I can totally tell you are one already 🙂
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/challenge
This is by far my 2nd favorite smoothie….. It is so yummy – so chocolatey and pairs awesome with the strawberries. It feels like eating chocolate covered strawberries. Heaven!
I like this. 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder is definitely enough. I cannot imagine using 2 !
It is definitely a treat smoothie though. Once a week maximum as it is very rich.
Hey Neal,
That is awesome you were able to adjust the recipe to make it your own.
This smoothie is so rich I feel guilty drinking it =P
Cheers!
Delicious! I can’t imagine anyone not liking this but everyone has their own tastes! It tastes like chocolate ice cream. I’ve been using mixed greens (just what i have on hand) and i always use an extremely ripe frozen! Banana. Make sure it’s overripe. That’s what is going to make the cocoa sweet. I only use about 1.5tbsp cocoa (Hershey’s dark).
This was really gross. The first one I didn’t like. It tasted pretty bitter and bland. I think 1 tablespoon of cocoa would’ve been better maybe. I tired to make it better by adding honey, but I think it made it worse. I couldn’t finish it.
Hey Bethany,
Make sure your strawberries are ripe enough before you add them to your smoothie. If they are not ripe then they can taste bitter and you might need to add some extra sweeteners to make your smoothie more enjoyable. You can check out our natural sweeteners here:
I loved this one. I think because I don’t live in the states so there is much less sugar in everything in general, plus I’m a big dark chocolate fan. The only downside was that it was so think my blender was having trouble and I had to add more almond milk. Three thumbs up on all the recipes from the Thomas’ household
This is my least favorite so far. I kept doctoring it to make it taste a bit better – a little more chocolatey, a tad sweeter. I think there are certain expectations our (my?) taste buds have with chocolate, unfortunately.
Hey Dawn,
Make sure your strawberries are ripe enough before you add them to your smoothie. If they are not ripe then they can taste bitter and you might need to add some extra sweeteners to make your smoothie more enjoyable. You can check out our natural sweeteners here:
It’s like having a milkshake for breakfast!
I think maybe I drank too much of this over the weekend… had a little trouble sleeping! I would add a disclaimer recommending not to take before bedtime 🙂
Added some dates for extra sweetness…couldn’t even tell there was any spinach in it
SUPER!
I made it for me and my littles. I doubled the recipe and added 2 dates and flaxseed meal. Everyone loved it.
Yay!! SO happy to hear that you and your little ones love this recipe.
Cheers!!