This smooth and creamy Chocolate Banana Smoothie is a delicious treat any time of year - you won't even realize there's spinach in it!
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Why You'll Love This Smoothie
I love starting my mornings with a healthy and nourishing smoothie before tackling my day. It can be tough to squeeze in my daily servings of fruits and veggies especially when I'm busy, but one of the best things about smoothies is how easy they are to sneak in a large serving of veggies and greens without tasting them.
Why do I love this Chocolate Banana smoothie so much?
- Kid-friendly - this smoothie is incredibly popular with kids! It's a great way to get them to eat their spinach (without even knowing it!).
- Nutrient-dense - loaded with vitamins and nutrients. You can also add in any boosters you like based on your specific nutritional needs.
- Minimal added sugars - just a splash of honey is all we're adding to this recipe for some sweetness. Unlike many store-bought smoothies, you won't find a ton of added sugar in this one.
- Sneaks in my veggies - I always try to sneak in a big serving of vegetables in my smoothies, and the chocolate and banana flavours do a great job of masking the taste of leafy greens.
My Easy Smoothie Formula
I make all my smoothies following my easy-to-follow 5-step formula that yields consistent results every time - producing healthy, tasty, and balanced smoothies. If you want to learn how to adapt this method to easily build your own smoothies at home (and which I've used for this Chocolate Banana Smoothie recipe), check out my 5-step smoothie formula here.
Ingredients
Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities.
- Unsweetened almond milk - I use this as a base for most of my smoothies - it's creamy, low in calories with no added sugar, making it super versatile in many flavour combinations.
- Bananas - I recommend using frozen ripe bananas - they're amazing at thickening up your smoothies for a sweet and creamy taste.
- Spinach - one of my favourite leafy greens to add to smoothies for the many nutrients, vitamins, and health benefits it provides.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - the backbone of our rich, creamy, chocolatey taste! Cacao powder works great here as well.
- Honey - just a splash of natural sweetness to give balance to the flavour.
- Chia seeds - a great source of protein, fibre, and essential nutrients, and one of my favourite superfoods.
Instructions
STEP 1: Prepare any ingredients as needed, and then add ingredients into the blender.
STEP 2: Blend ingredients thoroughly until smooth. Pour and enjoy!
Toasty's Tips
- Use frozen bananas - use frozen ripe bananas instead of fresh bananas for their amazing ability to thicken smoothies, and add sweetness and creaminess when blended. They're also great for making homemade ice cream!
- Add nutritional boosters - I'm using chia seeds for a nutritional boost, but use whatever you like! Smoothies are so customizable - so throw in your favourite types of seeds, supplement powders, superfoods, etc.
- When adding ingredients, make sure the wet ingredients are added so they're closest to the blender blade. This will ensure a smooth and even blending process.
- Skip the wimpy blender! I recommend using a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix or NutriBullet) to avoid ending up with chunky ingredients that don't fully blend. This helps ensure smooth, consistent results every time.
What Type of Blender Should I Use?
When it comes to homemade smoothies, I strongly recommend investing in a high-powered blender. When I first started making smoothies, I used an older, low-powered blender that often produced inconsistent, chunky results with ingredients that were often only partially blended. Upgrading my blender made all the difference in the world in crushing frozen fruits and vegetables with ease.
There are many affordable options out there (such as a Nutribullet Pro 900, which was my first high-powered blender) as well as more premium options (such as a Vitamix A3500, which I currently use everyday). Regardless of which brand you buy, a high-powered blender will make sure your smoothies turn out smooth, creamy, and consistent every time.
Can I Refrigerate My Smoothie?
I recommend drinking your smoothies right after blending them for optimal freshness, flavour, texture and nutrition. Unfortunately, smoothies don't last very long in the fridge before they start degrading, and can only store refrigerated for 1-2 days max. If you end up with any leftovers that you'd like to save for later, or would like to meal prep your smoothies in advance, you can freeze them instead for a longer shelf-life (of up to a month or longer).
Meal Prep Tips for Smoothies
Instead of refrigerating, you can try freezing your smoothies - which make them fantastic for meal prep! Here are a few helpful tips on how to meal prep in advance with smoothies:
- Ice cube tray - blend and freeze your smoothie in an ice cube tray. This makes them easy to pop out and either thaw or blend quickly whenever you're ready to enjoy them!
- Freezer jars - Freeze your smoothie in a mason jar (or other air-tight container), and then thaw it in the fridge for 2-3 hours whenever you're ready to enjoy it.
- Portion and freeze ingredients - chop up the fruits and vegetables and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. This allows you to quickly throw the frozen ingredients into a blender along with the liquids and boosters whenever you're ready to enjoy it.
Other Smoothie Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 bananas - frozen and ripened
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Prepare any ingredients as needed, and then add ingredients into the blender.
- Blend ingredients thoroughly until smooth. Pour and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Video: Watch the step-by-step video tutorial here.
- Use frozen bananas - use frozen ripe bananas instead of fresh bananas for their amazing ability to thicken smoothies, and add sweetness and creaminess when blended. They're also great for making homemade ice cream!
- Add nutritional boosters - I'm using chia seeds for a nutritional boost, but use whatever you like! Smoothies are so customizable - so throw in your favourite types of seeds, supplement powders, superfoods, etc.
- When adding ingredients, make sure the wet ingredients are added so they're closest to the blender blade. This will ensure a smooth and even blending process.
- Skip the wimpy blender! I recommend using a high-powered blender to avoid ending up with chunky ingredients that don't fully blend. This helps ensure smooth, consistent results every time.
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO
You can find step-by-step video tutorials for all of my recipes on my YouTube Channel. There you'll find many more tips and tricks to help you along!
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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