Healthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie You Can Eat Everyday

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This healthy chocolate banana smoothie is filled with wholesome ingredients that will satisfy your chocolate craving without guilt. As a fellow chocolate-addict, I've been on a mission to develop a healthy chocolate protein shake recipe that tastes good and is good for me too. So, grab your blender and let's get blending.

A mason jar filled with a healthy chocolate banana smoothie on a white countertop. — The finished healthy chocolate banana smoothie.

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Ingredients
Nutritional Benefits
Instructions
Cooking Tips
Recipe Video
Recipe Variations
Equipment
Similar Recipes
Healthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to create this recipe for chocolate banana smoothies.

Almond milk: This is a great option for smoothies because it helps provide a creamy texture. You can swap for other nut or dairy milks if that's all you have in your fridge.
Cocoa powder: Because chocolate. That's it.
Ground flaxseed: Be sure you're using ground flaxseed not whole flaxseed. Ground flaxseeds are easier to digest, meaning you'll get more nutrients out of them. If all you have is whole flaxseeds, you can turn these into ground flaxseeds with a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor.
Chocolate protein powder: The important part here is to use a clean protein powder. Many protein powders are filled with additives and artificial sweeteners. These powders will do your body more harm than good. If you want to learn more about what makes a quality protein powder, check out my list of 7 things to consider when buying your next protein powder in this post.
Frozen spinach: I use three handfuls of frozen spinach, but feel free to use less or more. Just adjust to your taste. If you stay under three handfuls, I guarantee that you won't taste the spinach in this shake. So, pack it in for maximum health benefits.
Frozen banana: Get these ready in advance. Sometimes I buy bananas to freeze. But, often I just freeze overly ripe bananas that don't get eaten during the week. To prepare, peel the banana, cut it in half horizontally, and place in a ziplock bag in the freezer. That way the halves are ready for you anytime you need them in a smoothie recipe.
Frozen avocado: This is going to thicken the consistency of the smoothie, giving it milkshake vibes. Much like the bananas, you can buy fresh avocados especially for freezing. I, however, prefer to buy a bag of chopped frozen avocados. This makes life easier. Plus, frozen fruit and vegetables are often healthier.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Nutritional Benefits

This healthy chocolate banana smoothie recipe has secured a place in my weekly meal plan. I usually sip it as an afternoon snack when I'm craving something sweet. But, it's also a great way to start the day thanks to the nourishing ingredients listed below.

What makes this chocolate protein smoothie healthier?

A clean protein powder: It's key that you use a good quality protein powder. I've shared 7 things that you'll find in a good protein powder in my vanilla smoothie recipe. Have a read and be sure you follow these guidelines when you're shopping for your next bucket of protein powder.
Spinach: You might hate spinach on its own, but I promise you won't even taste it this recipe for chocolate banana smoothies. And, that's great because spinach is a health powerhouse. It's low in calories, but high in all sorts of things that are good for you like fibre, folate, calcium, and vitamins A, C, and K. If you want to know more about the health benefits of spinach, I suggest reading this article from Healthline.
Less sugar: The key to keeping this smoothie healthy is limiting the use of sweeteners. In this creamy chocolate smoothie recipe, I stick to natural sugars, and even limit these. How? The trick is to use super ripe bananas. These are sweeter, which means a little goes a long way.
Avocado: We could just as easily call this recipe an avocado chocolate smoothie because it's full of this healthy fruit too. And yes, avocado is a fruit. Avocados are a good source of healthy fat, which can help protect your heart.

Instructions

Let’s break it down step by step to take any guesswork out of this recipe. Here's how to make a chocolate smoothie:

Overhead shot of a blender on a wooden placemat and white countertop. It is filled with frozen greens. — All of the ingredients added to the blender.

Add nut milk to the blender, since you always add liquids first.
Layer on cocoa powder, ground flaxseed, and protein powder.
Next add frozen greens.
Finally top with frozen ingredients, the avocado and banana.
Place the lid on the blender and blend on the highest for 30 - 60 seconds.

Overhead shot of avocado chocolate smoothie in mason jar with wooden straw. — Thick and creamy chocolate avocado smoothie ready to be sipped.

Recipe Notes

Use the brownest bananas you can: Ripe bananas are naturally sweet, which means you’ll require less added sugar.
Order of ingredients matters: Here's the order from the bottom to the top: liquids, protein powders and sweeteners, leafy greens, yogurts and nut butters, fruits and nuts/seeds, and finally frozen ingredients.

For the full ingredient list and step-by-step directions, scroll down to view the recipe card.

Cooking Tips

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about this avocado chocolate smoothie recipe.

What thickens up a smoothie?

This recipe is designed to create a thick and creamy chocolate smoothie. But, if you're looking to create an even thicker texture, there are a number of ingredients you can add into the blender.

The most common ingredients used to thicken a smoothie are: nut butter, tahini, cooked oatmeal, frozen cauliflower, yogurt, coconut oil, avocado, pureed pumpkin, butternut squash and sweet potato.

As you can see, you have a lot of options. But, in this healthy banana chocolate smoothie recipe, I'd suggest adding more frozen avocado or ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt. That would keep the flavour most similar to the original recipe.

What are the healthiest things to put in a smoothie?

I've shared some suggested variations to this recipe with you below. But, the trick to making any healthy smoothie is to ensure you have nutritious inputs.

If you're feeling creative and want to come up with your own healthy chocolate smoothie, here are some ingredients you should consider adding: dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, frozen fruits, nuts and seeds, yogurts and nut milks, frozen fruits, spirulina and collagen powder.

When to drink protein shakes for weight loss?

There isn't a perfect time to drink a smoothie. But, many people have a shake for breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack or post-workout recovery meal.

That said, for those of you trying to lose weight, it can be helpful to drink this healthy chocolate protein smoothie first thing in the morning. This will help you fuel your body with protein and healthy fats. These not only nourish you, but will keep you feeling full through the morning. That means you're less likely to reach for carb and sugar loaded options like a pastry or sugary granola.

Recipe Video

Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below!

Recipe Variations

The beauty of smoothie recipes is they are very adaptable. You can add, swap and remove, and usually have a pretty good result. Here are some of my favourite swaps and variations for this recipe.

Make it sweeter: While I think this is plenty sweet with ripe banana, you can add more natural, unrefined sweetener. A few that would taste good in this recipe are honey, pitted Medjool dates or maple syrup. Or even add more banana.
Swap the liquid base: Feel free to exchange the almond milk for any other nut milk or regular dairy milk. You can also swap in kefir, which has the advantage of giving you a probiotic boost.
Make it creamier: A scoop of yogurt, frozen cauliflower, or more frozen avocado. These will all help you develop a thicker consistency in your shake.
Swap your protein source: Replace protein powder with natural protein sources like almond butter, greek yogurt, or nuts and seeds.
Mix in collagen: Adding collagen peptides to protein shakes is pretty common. While they won't add any flavour, they can add froth. But, what they're really doing is delivering health benefits. Collagen is known for its positive effect on the skin, hair, nails, joints, ligaments, and is even tied to improved gut health. My favourite collagen is TruMarine by WithinUs.
Add in other superfoods for an extra nutrient boost: My favourite is to add a few tablespoons of seeds. In addition to flaxseed - that's already in this recipe - I like to rotate in chia and hemp seeds.

Equipment

Here's what you need to make this avocado chocolate smoothie.

Vitamix or another blender of your choice. I have the Vitamix now, but used the Ninja for years successfully.

Similar Recipes

Still hungry? If you enjoyed this recipe for chocolate banana smoothies, I invite you to check out my collection of other easy, healthy shakes or check out the ones that I hand selected for you below.