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This Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie tastes just like a chocolate almond butter cup! It’s loaded with healthy fats, protein, and tons of delicious flavor.
Easy Chocolate Protein Smoothie
I love smoothies. I think they are such a great way to pack your meal or snack full of nutrients. Plus, there are so many different varieties. Tropical, berry, peanut butter, green, chocolate…and the list goes on.
This Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie is one of my favorites. It tastes like sea salted dark chocolate almond butter cups, except you can just have it for breakfast. Although, if you want to just have almond butter cups for breakfast, there’s no judgement from me! 😉
This delicious smoothie is quick, healthy, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, and so tasty!
Ingredients Needed
- Milk: I use almond milk, but feel free to use regular whole milk, nonfat milk, or any non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Protein Powder: Look for a chocolate, grass-fed, whey protein powder. Or any you’d like! Alternatively, to keep your smoothie dairy-free, use a vegan variety of chocolate protein powder.
- Banana: Frozen banana is key! You can freeze your own banana or buy pre-frozen banana at the store.
- Chocolate: A little bit of chopped chocolate gives the smoothie a richer, more chocolatey flavor. It’s optional, but worth it!
- Almond Butter: I use creamy almond butter. Feel free to use whatever brand is your favorite.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: For a little bit of natural sweetness.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon gives the smoothie a subtle sweet spice and an extra layer of flavor.
How to Make a Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie
This delicious chocolate smoothie recipe comes together in a total of 5 minutes!
- Combine and blend: In a high-speed blender, combine all of the smoothie ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Garnish and serve: Pour the smoothie into the serving glass of your choice, garnish with sliced banana and a dollop of almond butter if desired, and serve immediately.
Substitutions
Want To Omit Protein Powder?
Get the chocolate-y taste with a tablespoon of cocoa powder!
Want To Use a Different Nut Butter?
Go for it! Any will do!
Do the Bananas Need to be Frozen?
As annoying as that is, we’re going with a yes for using frozen bananas. Frozen bananas add such a creamy element to this smoothie. Without it, the smoothie isn’t as thick and creamy.
You can freeze bananas whole (they last longer this way) or in slices. If slicing, you’ll likely want to use them up within a few days.
Is Almond Butter Good for Protein Shakes or Smoothies?
Totally! Almond butter not only adds to the overall flavor of the protein shake, but it also adds a good amount of protein on its own.
Aside from the protein, almond butter also provides a boost of antioxidants and healthy fats.
Will Almond Butter Thicken a Smoothie?
Yes. Almond butter adds a rich nuttiness to a smoothie, gives it a boost of nutrition, and contributes to its thick, creamy texture.
There really are no downsides!
Tips and Variations
- Use frozen banana. The frozen banana is the key to a thick, creamy chocolate banana smoothie. Fresh banana just won’t yield the same texture.
- If you’re freezing your own bananas for smoothies, freeze them when they’re nice and ripe for ultimate sweetness.
- Serve immediately. Smoothies are best fresh out of the blender!
- Don’t want to use protein powder? Try swapping it out for 1 scoop of collagen peptides and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
- If you prefer a thicker smoothie, add less milk or blend in avocado or frozen cauliflower.
- For a thinner smoothie, simply add more milk.
- For an extra boost of nutrition, blend in a handful of flax, chia, or hemp seeds.
- Make a peanut butter chocolate smoothie. Swap the almond butter for peanut butter if that’s what you prefer. I can attest that this does taste remarkably similar to a peanut butter cup.
Serving Suggestions
This chocolate banana smoothie is delicious on its own or topped with additional banana slices and a dollop of almond butter!
You can also make it a little bit thicker and make it into a smoothie bowl topped with fresh berries, banana, granola, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, you name it.
Serving as part of a larger breakfast spread? Here are a few favorites:
More Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
- Coffee Banana Smoothie
- Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- Green Summer Smoothie
Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1 tablespoon creamy almond butter additional for garnish
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup optional
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- pinch cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chopped chocolate optional but recommended!
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Garnish with additional almond butter, and enjoy.
Notes
- Cocoa powder for protein powder
- Omit sweetener (honey)
So simple, quick, and yummy! Will definitely remake. I added cacao nibs, and may add frozen steamed cauliflower next time for extra nutrients and thickness. 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Delicious! Easy and protein packed!
I love the chocolate almond butter smoothie & it is so creamy & delicious.
Lexi, your recipe sounds awesome! I’m all about grass-fed dairy; which protein powder are you using? I’ve searched for grass-fed whey protein powders and have found that many of them are whey concentrates. One grass-fed whey source had 90mg of cholesterol per serving! That is an insane amount, especially because the type of cholesterol in whey is OXIDIZED cholesterol – the absolute worst, most harmful type for the heart and for your health. It doesn’t matter how well-fed the cows were when the cholesterol is that high. Please check the label on your whey protein powder. You’re always better off getting a whey isolate as opposed to concentrate because of this cholesterol issue. And, if you are using a grass-fed whey isolate, which one is it! Thanks for your help, and hopefully you find my advice helpful as well!
Hi Lexi made this delicious shake today…..I am so excited to have found you again and your fabulous blog!
I used coconut protein powder and added cocoa powder. Loved it…making pancakes in the am!
What can you use instead of banana? Thank you!
Just made this and it was so good! Took 2 minutes to make and was really filling. Thanks for the great recipes!
So happy you liked it Sarah! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Tried this the second I saw it on Lexi’s blog! It was divine and so easy to whip up. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the delicious recipe!