Chocolate Smoothie
This creamy chocolate smoothie tastes like a treat. The recipe calls for simple, healthy ingredients and offers delicious chocolate flavor!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 11, 2025
How about a creamy chocolate smoothie? This classic recipe is one of my favorite easy frozen treats. It’s like a nutritionally redeeming, grown-up chocolate frosty. I love it and my toddler daughter does, too.
This smoothie is made with a few simple ingredients that you might have in your kitchen: your milk of choice, frozen banana, chocolate chips and cocoa powder, and nut butter. You can add a small splash of maple syrup to make it sweeter, although I rarely do.
The end result tastes balanced and not overwhelmingly of banana or nut butter, allowing the chocolate flavor to shine through. You’ll find some fun flavor variations below so you can customize it to suit your preferences.
Chocolate Smoothie Ingredients
You’ll need just a few basic ingredients to make this luscious smoothie. The full recipe is provided further down in the post. Here’s what you’ll need and why:
Milk
Any milk will do—it forms the necessary cold, liquid base of this drink. I’m partial to plain, unsweetened plant-based milks, like cashew milk, almond milk or coconut milk. Cashew milk is the most neutral of the options.
Frozen banana
Frozen banana naturally sweetens this smoothie, making it super creamy and cold. I prefer to use perfectly ripe yellow bananas for smoothies, since I don’t enjoy the flavor of overripe bananas or the overt sweetness that they impart.
Tip: Freeze your banana in one-inch chunks before using (this is a great way to preserve extra bananas). A room-temperature banana won’t be as creamy and will warm up your smoothie.
Chocolate chips and cocoa powder
The combination makes the best chocolate-flavored smoothie! Cocoa powder offers an intense chocolate flavor that is enough to overpower the bananas, and the addition of chocolate chips makes it taste like a decadent treat. This combination is a key element in my Favorite Hot Chocolate recipe, too.
Tip: If you love dark chocolate, choose your chocolate accordingly. Try chocolate chips with 60 percent cacao or higher, and a rich cocoa powder like Droste or Guittard.
Nut butter
Nut butter, like peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter, thickens the smoothie and makes it taste richer, smoother and more like a milkshake. I recommend it!
Tip: Your nut butter will influence the flavor of your smoothie; you’ll be able to taste and choose whether to add another tablespoon for a more prominent flavor. For the most neutral flavor, use cashew butter. Choose peanut butter for a chocolate peanut butter smoothie, or combine coconut milk and almond butter for an Almond Joy-inspired smoothie.
Watch How to Make Chocolate Smoothies
Recipe Variations
Make it taste like a milkshake: Use the full amount of cashew butter for maximum creaminess. Take a sip, and consider adding the optional maple syrup to make it sweeter. Or, you could add vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder to make it sweeter and even creamier.
Make it a protein smoothie: Add up to 1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder. Whey-based protein powders make this smoothie even more creamy (I like Puori). Unfortunately, I’ve never met a plant-based powder that tastes good.
Reduce the carbohydrates: This is challenging because you can’t achieve a proper smoothie texture without the banana, which contributes bulk and creaminess along with its carbs. The best option I’ve found is to use half the amount of frozen banana and substitute frozen slices of zucchini for the rest (don’t bother trying frozen cauliflower—I couldn’t take more than one sip).
Make it dairy free and vegan: Use your favorite non-dairy milk, like cashew or almond milk, and non-dairy chocolate chips, like those from Enjoy Life brand.
Make the raw version: Substitute cacao nibs for the chocolate chips and raw cacao powder for the cocoa powder. You can add one teaspoon of maca powder for a nutritious malted flavor.
Make it spicy: Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper for a flavor profile reminiscent of spiced Mexican chocolate. This version was inspired by a vegan restaurant where I worked over a decade ago; they called it the Oaxaca Chocolate Smoothie, and they used the raw ingredients listed above.
More Smoothies to Enjoy
If you love this smoothie, here are a few more of my top smoothie recipes:
- Banana Almond Smoothie
- Basic Blueberry Smoothie
- Clementine Sunshine Smoothie
- Pineapple Avocado Smoothie
- Simple Strawberry Smoothie
Please let me know how your drink turns out in the comments! I hope it becomes your new favorite cold treat.
Creamy Chocolate Smoothie
This chocolate banana smoothie recipe tastes like a treat. Slice peeled ripe bananas into 1-inch chunks and keep them in the freezer so you can make this smoothie whenever your sweet tooth craves it. Recipe yields about 1 ⅓ cups; you can multiply the recipe to make two to three at once, depending on the size of your blender.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashew milk, almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 large frozen banana (break your bananas into one-inch chunks before freezing)
- 1 tablespoon semisweet to dark chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter
- Optional sweetener: ½ teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the milk, banana, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of the nut butter. Securely fasten the lid.
- Blend on low until the blender gains traction, then ramp up to the highest speed as soon as possible. Blend until the mixture is creamy and super smooth (or if your blender has a smoothie function, use that).
- Taste, and add another tablespoon of nut butter for a creamier texture, or maple syrup for more sweetness, then blend again. Enjoy while it’s cold.
Notes
Make it a protein smoothie: Add up to 1 scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Use your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy chocolate chips. Vegans, if you add sweetener, make it maple syrup.
Make it spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper, if you love spice.
2025 recipe edits: I revisited this recipe and removed the spices, which you’ll find in the “make it spicy” variation. I increased the amount of cocoa powder by 1 teaspoon to make it more chocolatey and added nut butter for a creamier and richer texture.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I have a birthday coming up in July and cannot stop thinking about how weird it is getting older…! So bizarre. BTW – I am all over making this smoothie. It’s perfect! xx
I shopped for comfortable shoes last night! Like, old lady sandals. You know, the ones with lots of cushion and that awkwardly shaped heel? Curse that heel! Every day I feel like I start to see my mother in myself which is all good but I refused to buy the shoes. I walked out discouraged with a pair of only slightly comfy heeled boots.
Grace! WHY are comfortable sandals so impossible to find?! All I want are cute, not-chunky sandals with a bit of cushion and arch support. We should go into business as sandal designers.
I hear ya! It shouldn’t have to be this hard! As long as you can draw better than I can I think this business partnership has great potential.
This sounds like a freaking dream!
Love this smoothie!
yes! this is fantastic! i cannot wait to make it ;)
I heart when I see a fantastic recipe that I already have all of the ingredients for in my pantry! My Vitamix and I are tight these days, so I’ll be making this over the weekend!
I am running down to the kitchen now to freeze a banana for this smoothie. It’s super humid in the woods today, and between that and the bugs, a chocolate banana mini-vacation is just what I need around here!
Hope the smoothie mini-vacation works wonders, Amy!
You got it right girl! Getting old is hard, you mean I can’t wear these cute heels and drink more than I should and feel ok?? What is this business?!
Right?! Whyyyy?
YUM! Can’t wait to make this! I have a protein shake every morning for breakfast so I’ll just use my unsweetened vanilla almond milk, add Plant Fushion vanilla protein powder, take your advice on adding Maca powder as well since I love it and I know it will be delish! :)
BTW – getting older isn’t so bad :) My 30’s have been great so far, just enjoy the ride…. even if I’d rather not have the fine lines that have formed. hehe
Loving this smoothie, especially the spice!
I love adding spices to smoothies. I have a similar version of this in vanilla, but adding the cayenne pepper is a really interesting idea. I bet it goes just perfectly with the chocolate. I so know what you mean about comfortable shoes- if my feet aren’t happy I’m not happy!
never would have thought to add cayenne! i love how even a smoothie can have spice. looking forward to making this.
Hope you love it, Lindsey!
Oh I hear ya on the getting older thing! It’s not easy at all! I look at women who have children and families and wonder how they do it because I am busy enough just trying to look after myself! As for this smoothie, every bit about it sounds wonderful. I have some overripe bananas that would be perfect for the job!
I have no idea how mothers do it all! Hope you enjoy the smoothie, Angela.
On the rare occasion I have a smoothie chocolate and banana is my flavour of choice, however I love the spices you’ve added to this.
I know what you mean about getting older, but one thing I won’t relent on is comfortable shoes. I love my heels :) I’ll probably be crippled with arthritis when I’m older, but I just can’t give them up.
Can’t wait until my bananas ripen a bit more- and why have I never put chocolate in a smoothie before? Thanks for the idea!
I LOVE smoothies! Pinning this one and can’t wait to try it!
Getting older is scary and I am only going to be turning 20! But I am still NOT looking forward to it. I want to stay young forever! Don’t we all?!?
Love this smoothie and I have everything need to make it ASAP!
I love having permission to add chocolate to smoothies!
I had a birthday recently and have been noticing some of the same things — namely the greys (no, the WHITES) infiltrating my almost-black hair… and a lower tolerance for bullshit.
Love the look of this smoothie. I often make smoothies when I can’t face a meal. Next banana smoothie is going to have a bit of spice!
ummm yes getting older is a bit sucky but the getting wiser thing is cool too. Plus i feel more confident than i ever did in my 20s. I was so insecure then. And that milkshake – wow, that milkshake. I thought i was doing good last night with a malted chocolate one.
Nice job putting one foot in front of the other, Kate! Besides gaining wisdom and all, you’ve also been able to pass on this delicious sounding grown-up frosty other folks – and we appreciate it! Have a great weekend, thanks for another nice post :-)
I just love chocolate smoothies/shakes with that light brown hue! It makes me think of the chocolate malts I used to drink prior to going dairy-free. Yours looks delicious and beautiful! :-)
Love the idea of this recipe!! Getting older does have its benefits as we think less of what others think and don’t take things as personal. This was and still is hard for me a times but also very freeing! Hope you are doing well and escaping any tornados :)
Oooo I am soooo looking forward to trying this one! :-)
I find that the older I get, the less I put up with. If I don’t like it, I’m not doing it! Life’s too short. Your post was well-put! Love the sound of this smoothie.
You are wise beyond your years, Kathryne. I love your approach to getting older – ‘out she goes.’ Indeed. xo
Looks great, can’t wait to try this…. did you use unsweetened cocoa powder?
Yes, unsweetened!
Just gorgeous, Katherine! Your audacity + honest keeps me coming back! Yay you!
Kate, I love your recipes. I think our taste buds are twins. I love the same flavor combinations that you do, from the sweet to the savory. Your photography is tantalizing and beautiful. The short tidbits of insight you share with your recipes + taste bud twins + gorgeous food art = one of the very best food blogs I have come across, in my opinion. So glad I subscribed. Much love to you and much appreciation for sharing your blog with us.
Gina, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I’m really delighted that you enjoy my blog and my recipes. Sure sounds like we are taste bud twins! Wishing you many happy, healthy meals ahead.
Kate, I must tell you, your blog has turned into one of my two favourite blogs, the other one being the Detixinista blog. Your recipes win every contest though as every single one I’ve tried out so far have been fabulous!
Your photographs are also beautiful and when I’m tired or down I just browse through some of your recipes and they actually help my mood (yes I know, I’m a weird one)
Anyways, I hear you on the getting older thing. I realized I was older the day I just could not bear the thought of climbing into another pair of sky high heeled shoes. Getting older is somewhat depressing at times, but looking at the youth struggling to find themselves, I realize that growing older and somewhat more grounded has its perks too.
I’ll celebrate by having a spicy banana chocolate smoothie :-)
Gunhild, I’m sorry for my delayed response, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate your comment! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy my blog. It makes my work worthwhile. :)
oooh I will definitely be making this!
I was so excited to see this and even more excited that I had all the ingredients just lying around! As a broke college student this made me feel super fancy and like I slightly had my life together (although we all know that’s a lie.) Being actually Mexican, I added a bit more cocoa powder and extra cayenne to make it taste more like what I remember from my childhood, but it was delish and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
DELICIOUS!! It is the perfect consistency and the chocolate flavor is spot on and nicely balanced by the banana.
this looks delicious! as we get older, it’s funny how much we can learn and learn to live with/without. things happen, people come and go, but the learning from it is what matters. love your blog
Just made this and it is so delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe and love your blog!
I mean really, what is it about getting older, hangovers, and shoes!? It’s really the worst. but sometimes…the perspective IS nice, I will concede.
Loving this smoothie! Possible good as an old-age hangover cure?
I’m always looking for new smoothie recipes…especially ones with chocolate. :) This looks delicious.
I’ve been obsessed lately with chocolate milk and healthy smoothies lately, but I really like the extra kick of heat you’ve added to yours! Will be trying soon! p.s. I’ve been catching gray hairs in my dark hair for a couple years now; I debate if I’m going to color my hair or let it go natural every time I see one, ha!
Kate I have been doing the same lately, trying not to wear heels because I feel so uncomfortable and cushioned shoes sound sooo good!!! Gosh my bday is coming soon and I feel older!
I wish I didnt have to head out the door to work so that I could make this smoothie RIGHT NOW! It looks delicious (and easy). Thanks for the recipe.
Any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast is perfect with me, but this is especially wholesome, so I can feel great about it! The addition of cayenne and cinnamon sounds wonderful and warming. I’m going to freeze up some bananas right now!
Kathryne, So true. Being able to move on from bad friends, jobs, situations is one of the great benefits of growing older.
And your smoothie looks delish!
Hope you are well,
xoxo
E
This looks so tasty, I never think to whip up a smoothie but this looks gorgeous!
This makes a really nice smoothie.
Ooh I’m going to try this in my blendtec (which is up to 180 blends by the way)!!
Hope you love it! I think I’m around 130, so you still have me beat!
I’ve made this smoothie twice in the past 3 days.. seriously addictive! Fixes my sweet tooth perfectly and I love the kick :) So tasty! Thanks for the great recipe!
I love this so much! Along with a million of your other recipes (peanut soup, strawberry quinoa salad, Belize kale salad, falafel). Thanks for doing what you do!
Thank you, Kim! :)
I am thinking about making this into a popsicle. Has anyone tried that? Are there any ingredients that need to be added?
Hey Ana, I haven’t heard from anyone who has tried. Good idea. I suspect they will turn out a little icy—bananas have a lot of moisture in them. Using coconut milk instead of a lower fat nut milk might help make them more creamy.
Looks absolutely amazing! Make a green cocoa smoothie every morning- but have never tried adding cayenne.. YUM!
I love this smoothie. I am currently trying to gain weight, so I add some additions to this including PB and more sugar and it is lovely. Recommend!!
Oh, I bet it is delicious with peanut butter! Glad you are enjoying it!