If you grew up dipping crispy french fries into your cold, creamy Wendy’s frosty, wow do I have a surprise for you. This epic chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie literally tastes JUST like a frosty but is naturally sweetened with fruit and made with five simple ingredients.
I made this last summer on repeat and absolutely had to share it again! Enjoy this chocolatey goodness for breakfast, a filling snack or even a healthy dessert any day of the week. French fries optional but recommended.
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5-ingredient chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie
That’s right, you’ll just need 5 simple ingredients to make the creamiest, most delicious chocolate banana smoothie recipe ever. It seriously tastes just like ice cream but is packed with sneaky protein! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Banana: I like to use a frozen ripe banana to keep the smoothie nice and cold and give it a natural sweetness.
- Cacao powder: that rich, chocolate-y flavor comes from iron-packed cacao powder!
- Peanut butter: a couple tablespoons of natural, creamy peanut butter make the chocolate banana smoothie so delicious. I linked my favorite brand and you can use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ for 15% off!
- Vanilla extract: for a little extra flavor boost.
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like. I prefer unsweetened almond milk.
Easy ingredient swaps
This vegan chocolate banana smoothie is easy to customize with your taste preferences and what you might have on hand.
- Choose your milk. Feel free to use any milk you’d like in this recipe. Almond milk tends to have a neutral taste in smoothies, coconut milk will add a subtle sweetness and creamy flavor, and regular milk will add a boost of protein.
- Swap the nut butter. I love the flavor that peanut butter gives to this smoothie recipe, but feel free to swap it for almond or cashew butter.
- Use cocoa powder. Out of cacao powder? Unsweetened cocoa powder will also work well.
Our favorite nutritional boosters
This easy chocolate peanut butter smoothie is great for adding your go-to nutritional boosters. Here are some of our favorites to add:
- Flaxseed meal: this is one of my favorite ingredients to add to smoothies for a little boost of fiber and minerals, and is especially great for nursing mamas as flaxseed can help increase milk supply. Usually, a tablespoon is plenty! Here’s a brand I love.
- Hemp seeds: feel free to throw a tablespoon of hemp seeds into your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats, omegas and minerals.
- More veggies: you could also try adding some frozen cauliflower for an extra boost, or adding a handful of spinach or kale. You’ll never be able to taste them!
- Protein: Easily add more protein to a smoothie by adding some greek yogurt or 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder. I recommend Vital Protein collagen peptides or Four Sigmatic Plant-Based Protein Powder.
How to make the creamiest chocolate banana smoothie
With a few tips & tricks you’ll have the best creamy chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie every time:
- Use frozen fruit. This helps keeps the smoothie cold and thick. Sometimes ice doesn’t blend as well, so it’s best to skip unless absolutely necessary.
- Add more liquid as needed. Don’t be afraid to add more liquid if your smoothie is too thick or won’t fully blend. High powered blenders tend to blend frozen fruit much better, so if you have a regular or personal size blender, you may need to add more milk.
- Start at low speed. You’ll want to start blending low and then gradually increase to high to help blend all ingredients. Finally end with the blender on low speed.
- Sweeten to taste. If your chocolate banana smoothie doesn’t taste sweet enough for your liking, you can add a 1/2 tablespoon of honey, pure maple syrup or 1 pitted Medjool date. Be sure to use a super ripe frozen banana for the right amount of sweetness to start.
How to meal prep this smoothie
Feel free to make the smoothie as-is or double it for later and check out my three amazing ways to prep and store smoothies right in your freezer. Perfect for busy weeks!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Deliciously creamy chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie that seriously tastes like a Wendy’s frosty! This healthy chocolate banana smoothie recipe is made with just five ingredients and is easy to customize with your favorite nutritional boosters. The perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert!
-
1
large frozen ripe banana -
1-2
tablespoons
cacao powder (or use unsweetened cocoa powder) -
2
tablespoons
creamy natural peanut butter -
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract -
½
cup
unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice), plus more to thin as necessary
In a large high-powered blender, add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined. Start with 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, but feel free to add another if you like it extra chocolatey. If necessary, add in more almond milk to thin the smoothie. Makes 1 smoothie. Feel free to double the recipe to serve 2.
Feel free to add 1-2 cups of spinach in this smoothie for bonus nutrition. Trust me, you won’t even be able to taste it!
Meal prep this smoothie: make it as-is or even double it and then try one of my three amazing ways to prep and store smoothies right in your freezer.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 smoothie
Calories: 338kcal
Fat: 18.5g
Saturated fat: 2.2g
Carbohydrates: 40.6g
Fiber: 9g
Sugar: 18.7g
Protein: 11g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 16th, 2021, and republished on June 7th, 2022.