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When my sweet tooth hits I want to eat something right away. But I also know if I fill up on cookies I’ll be shaky and hangry in no time. Instead, I like to whip up a smoothie that can both satisfy my sweet tooth and give me lasting energy without the crash. Enter this Mint Chocolate Smoothie.
Dessert smoothies bring up the sweetness level in a smoothie, yet do it in a strategic way. They use the power of natural sugar in fruit like bananas so you still get the fiber. Plus, by adding a natural energy ingredient like cacao powder (which contains natural caffeine), you’ve got an energy booster in a cup!
Don’t let the spinach in this keep you from blending the ultimate minty dessert smoothie today.
Table of Contents
Mint Chocolate Smoothie Ingredients
Even my dessert-like smoothies use whole food, plant-based ingredients. I love getting creative with food and figuring out just the right combos of unique ingredients to bring the flavor and texture I want.
- Almond milk: I use almond milk since it’s widely available in most grocery stores today.
- Spinach: This superpower green is full of protein, vitamins and minerals that will naturally energize you.
- Mint leaves: A little mint goes a long way! Plus herbs like mint naturally help your body detox.
- Banana: A creamy, naturally sweetened way to add thickness and lightly sweeten your smoothie.
- Avocado: My fav way to add healthy fat to smoothies. Add them in fresh or frozen!
- Medjool dates: I love the way this fruit adds sweetness to a smoothie as well as fiber.
- Cacao powder: A chocolate-lovers dream ingredient! 1 tablespoon will turn any creation into a chocolate-y heaven.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Before running off to the store for some new-to-you ingredients, check your kitchen! You may have some easy swaps on hand that will work great in this treat. 100% unsweetened cocoa powder can be used in place of cacao powder with little to no flavor change.
No need to use almond milk if you’ve got another kind of dairy-free milk on hand. Cashew milk or oat milk would work great in this recipe. While fresh mint leaves really elevate the flavor in this mint shake, mint extract can be used in a pinch.
How to Make a Minty Chocolate Dessert Smoothie
Since this smoothie has leafy greens, I like to use my two-blend method for the smoothest finish possible. First, blend the spinach, mint leaves and almond milk until smooth. Make sure no leafy chunks remain (the gaps between your teeth will thank you!).
Second, add the remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. This gives your blender the chance to really break down the leaves before blending everything else and is really a no-fail way to avoid leafy smoothie chunks.
Pro Tip: Dates are rather sticky, and can be tricky to blend completely. I like to add them in the 2nd step and slowly get my blender speed to medium. Leave it blending on medium until you don’t hear the dates whipping around in chunks, then turn it up to high to finish off the blend.
Blending a Mint Chocolate Protein Shake
If you want to get the most out of this chocolate creation then add a plant-based protein powder to turn this into the ultimate mint chocolate protein shake. Most of us don’t need bodybuilder amounts of protein and the other weird ingredients in many commercial protein powders, so stick to a plant-based protein powder like my protein powder recipe for a super clean, super fine powder.
It will boost this mint chocolate smoothie by 10g of protein and add in healthy fat and fiber to help your body get full and stay full.
Mint Chocolate Smoothie FAQs
I use spinach, fresh mint, almond milk, banana, avocado and cacao powder to make my chocolate mint smoothie. These ingredients might sound a bit odd together yet once blended, they create the perfect shake-like texture and rich chocolate flavor you’re looking for.
Use cacao or cocoa powder for that chocolate flavor you desire. 1-2 tablespoons per serving is more than enough. Use plant-based milk instead of water as the liquid base to keep the creamy-nutty combo you want in a chocolate smoothie. Then add in ingredients like banana and avocado to thicken the smoothie to perfection.
They can be! My mint chocolate smoothie is full of whole food, plant-based ingredients that deliver the sweetness, chocolate flavor and creaminess you want yet without any weird junk in them. And bonus, it’s super easy to blend!
More Dessert Smoothie Recipes
Love when a smoothie can double as a dessert? So do I! Save these recipes for your next dessert night or to use as a great afternoon energy boost:
- Red Velvet Smoothie: Seriously brings the red velvet flavor in a glass.
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie: Another rich, chocolate and fruit smoothie for all those chocolate covered fruit lovers.
- Cinnamon Bun Smoothie: Breakfast vibes whenever you want with this warming cinnamon smoothie.
- Strawberry Milkshake: All the love of a milkshake without any of the dairy in this fresh strawberry shake!
Love this recipe? Please leave a rating in the recipe card below & if you loved it, leave a comment further down. Thanks for visiting!
Healthy and Quick Mint Chocolate Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cups almond milk unsweetened
- ¾ cup spinach
- ¼ cup mint leaves fresh
- 1 banana
- ¼ avocado
- 2 medjool dates
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- cacao nibs optional
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach, mint and almond milk until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold. Bananas are easy to freeze and toss into any smoothie.
- Add plant-based protein powder like homemade protein powder to quickly turn this into a protein-packed shake.
- Swap cacao powder with 100% unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Swap almond milk with the plant milk of your choice.
I grow my own mint in a strawberry planter outside. Right now everything is frost bitten but as soon as it starts growing again you can be sure that I’ll be using very fresh leaves.
Sounds great but what can I substitute for banana (allergy) Thanks, would love to make this!
Hey Carol – I would add swap an extra half of an avocado for the banana. So, your recipe would have 3/4 of an avocado. I would maybe add in an additional date, to replace the sweetness from the banana, too. So, 3 dates.
Your modified recipe would look like this:
Mint Chocolate Smoothie –
1 cups almond milk unsweetened
3/4 cup spinach
1/4 cup mint leaves fresh
3/4 avocado
3 medjool dates
1 tbsp cacao powder
cacao nibs optional
This is very similar to a smoothie we “reverse engineered” from a vegan smoothie/salad/wrap place in Maui.
Try swapping the spinach for kale, and adding a few TBS of both unsalted macadamia nuts (or raw almonds), and cacao nibs at the very end, and then just “buzz” your blender briefly. The resulting tiny, chewable pieces of chocolate + nuts will satisfy, not only your Thin Mint craving, but a McFlurry/Blizzard hankering, as well!!!
Great suggestion, Abbie! That sounds amazing!
I just ordered some cacao nibs after trying them at a local smoothie shop, can’t wait to try them in this!
Fabulous!!
When you talk about medjool dates in recipes, are you referring to the big ones (3-4 inches) or the 1 inch ones? We have both here (in the UK) and I’m just wanting to get my proportions right!
Nice use of my fresh mint! Even with a frozen banana, it needed something cold. Ice cubes watered it down a bit. But it was still good.
This one is so tasty! I recommend using both frozen banana and frozen avocado. I do that and along with the spinach, mint, and almond milk (all refrigerated), my smoothie isn’t freezing but it is nice and cold.
I love Girl Scout cookies, yet am trying to watch my weight and truly did enjoy this recipe. It has a very similar taste to the cookie, yet is even more satisfying. Plus, it actually is nourishing so my body will thank me for it!
This is a good one!!
I love to eat avocados, but can’t seem to put them in my smoothies…crazy, I know 🙂
What can I use in place of avocado, in smoothies?
Thanks.
Hi Grace,
Swap in another healthy fat you love. My go-to substitute is a tablespoon of coconut oil or almond butter.
I am allergic to bananas, and I see a lot of smoothies with recipes that involve banana. Can I substitute an avocado in place of a banana? Or is there anything else texturally that will be equivalent? Thank you!
Hi Amanda,
Allergic to bananas? I’ve got you covered! Avocado is a great choice + one of my favorite swaps. They make smoothies super creamy, but you may be missing out on some of the sweetness. If you need extra sweetness, add in a natural sweetener like Medjool dates, honey, or maple syrup.
Other great banana swaps are – mango, papaya, chia seeds, unsweetened applesauce, pears, medjool dates, and nut butters.
Learn more about yummy-banana free recipes + substitutes here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/peach-spinach-smoothie
Would dried mint be okay? I have tons from my garden from summer!
Hi Kayla,
It’s definitely worth a try! Just follow the 3 to 1, fresh to dry ratio.
Hi, am Sandra
I have been trying your smoothie recepies for a week and a half and I really love them. Never thought I would really like them since I never cared for spinach and kale. I have to say they are really a boost. I can feel a difference in my energy level. Thank you for sharing all those delicious recepies.
Hi Sandra,
Thank you so much for reaching out + taking the time to share your green smoothie love!
Cheers to health, happiness + leafy greens!
YUMMY!! My attempt came out quite thick & creamy. I subbed 75g cashew butter + 2 cups water since I don’t have any almond milk on hand — so glad I bought a bundle of mint. A 1 ounce bundle, if you exclude the stems: leaves only is a *jam-packed* 1/2 cup =) Next time I will try 1 whole avocado + 1 banana.
Cheers Joanna!
Hi!
I recently purchased your 7 day reset cleanse… We are on day 3 and enjoying the recipes. I noticed for tomorrow one of our snacks is popsicles… That got me thinking that this is more of a summer/warm weather cleanse? We are in Toronto Canada, it’s still winter here… unfortunately ha!
Do you have any snack suggestions to replace this recipe? We’ve been rotating the tamari almonds and apple almond butter… Might be over doing them 😉
Thanks for your help!
Hi Michelle,
Too cold for popsicles? No worries! Swap in a different snack from the meal plan. My favorite is our “donuts”! Maybe switch it up and use peaches instead of apples!
Cheers!
My daughter hates bananas (and dislikes fruit in general)…what is a good substitute for bananas in this recipe?
I went without dates (just didn’t Have them), and it was still sweet enough…. nothing else added ;). Oh, I used dark cocoa powder too but a teaspoon less than you guys suggested.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for sharing! We love hearing different adjustments to our recipes, and love hearing without dates you still enjoyed the sweetness of our Skinny Mint Green Smoothie!
Cheers 🙂
I love your web site and your smoothie recipes and info. THANKS! I would love your recipe cards, but i don’t use paper. I would love it if i could buy a digital version. Any intention to make them digital for sale????
=)
Thanks for these great pages!
Barbara
~inspired girl
Hi Barbara,
Thank you so much for reaching out! And you’re in luck! We just launched our mobile recipe cards this week!! They’re beautifully formatted recipe cards for quick + easy blending. Check them out here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/recipes
I agree with Barbara! This website is one of my favorites! I am so happy to be a Rawstar! 🙂 This skinny mint green smoothie is fabulous! I used spearmint. I was not sure if I should do peppermint. Is there a favored ‘mint’ for the smoothies? It was very good with the spearmint. I also cut back on the dates and bananas – I do not do many carbs. It was, nonetheless, very YUMMY! Thank you so much Jen and Jadah, for all your hard work and for the time you spend to help us all be healthy and fit in a delicious way!!!
Hi Barbie,
Thanks for blending with us! Reach for any mint herb you enjoy whether that’s peppermint, spearmint, etc…
Cheers 🙂