Healthy Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

This healthy chocolate strawberry smoothie is a perfect mid-afternoon snack or dessert—learn how to make it in just 5 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients. Vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free.

Why You’ll Love This Smoothie

• Tastes like a dessert
• Rich in antioxidants
• Leaves you feeling light

This chocolate strawberry smoothie is a dessert-for-breakfast type of deal, while still being super healthy! With such a yummy taste and amazing health benefits there’s no reason not to enjoy it every day. Have it in the evening to satisfy chocolate cravings and avoid the bloating and heaviness of traditional desserts.

The rich chocolate flavour in this smoothie comes from raw cacao powder. Raw cacao powder is similar to cocoa powder, but it is processed without heat. That means more of the antioxidant properties are left in tact, making it healthier to consume. It’s important to have an antioxidant rich diet because they protect our cells from oxidative stress, which is what leads to chronic diseases over time. Fruits like berries and bananas are rich in protective antioxidants, so combining them with ingredients like cacao powder creates an extra protective treat.

Strawberries are packed with vitamin C, an essential for a strong immune system and healthy skin. Getting enough vitamin C can help encourage collagen production in the skin, which slows sagging and wrinkle formation.

Ingredients Needed

These are all of the ingredients needed to make this healthy chocolate strawberry smoothie.

Himalayan salt: Balances out the sweetness and brings depth to the other ingredients.

Raw cacao powder: Gives the smoothie its rich chocolate flavour. Cocoa powder can be used instead if preferred.

Agave syrup: Adds sweetness.

Frozen strawberries & bananas: Creates the thick, cold base of the smoothie.

Oat milk: The liquid that brings all of the other ingredients together to blend smoothly and adds a creamy consistency.

For ingredient amounts and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Benefits

High fibre

Easily get more fibre in your every day diet! In addition to being generally healthy, getting enough fibre can be extremely helpful for weight loss as it helps keep you feeling full for longer, without adding calories. Fibre also helps improve our gut health.

Nutrient dense

Vegan smoothies are a great way to get more nutrient rich foods in each day. By blending them into a single meal, it’s super quick, easy and fun! Choose ingredients like dark leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds and fruits to make your smoothies nutrient rich.

Hydrating

Staying properly hydrated is a basic requirement for optimal health. By incorporating daily smoothies you can maintain your ideal hydration level more easily. Start each morning with a smoothie for easy hydration!

Variations

Raw cacao powder substitutions

Regular cocoa powder can be used if you don’t have cacao powder. Cocoa powder is still rich in antioxidants, it’s just a bit more processed than raw cacao powder. Another healthy alternative to cacao powder without the caffeine content is raw carob powder. It has a similar, almost-chocolate kind of taste that goes great with berries.

Make it creamier

For an even more dessert like consistency try using light coconut cream in place of the oat milk. If using a standard blender it may be necessary to pause blending and scrape down the sides due to the thicker texture.

Switch base ingredients

If you don’t like bananas then try something else as the base! Mango usually substitutes banana well. If you’re allergic to or simply dislike a suggested ingredient then try to find something with a similar texture that you enjoy the flavour of. There is no wrong way to make a smoothie, and you can always omit any ingredients you don’t have on hand.

Instructions 

• Add all ingredients to blender.

• Start blending at low speed for 5-10 seconds. Increase to high speed and blend for 1-2 minutes. Use the blender tamper to push ingredients down towards the blades.

• Pour into a glass and serve your chocolate strawberry smoothie.

Prep & Blending

Add ingredients in the correct order

Always add liquid ingredients to your blender first. Then add powders, nut butters, nuts and seeds. Then add fresh greens and fresh fruit. Finally add your solid ingredients like frozen fruit. If using a small blender container with a twist on lid, reverse the order so that when you turn the container over to blend the frozen ingredients are farthest away from the blades.

Use a tamper

Push ingredients down towards the blades while blending using the tamper that comes with your blender. This helps to avoid thick smoothies from getting stuck, so you don’t have to stop blending and scrape down the sides of the container.

Don’t over blend

Try to blend your smoothie for less than a couple of minutes. If blended for too long, even thick smoothies will become thin. This is because the heat generated by the blades and motor of the blender heat up your ingredients while they are being blended.

Use a high power blender

For smoothies that have a perfectly smooth and creamy texture use a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. It can break down any ingredients to much finer particles than standard blenders, and more nutrients are released. A high speed blender also reduces the time you need to blend your recipe, which helps keep it nice and cold.

Chill your glass

By placing your smoothie glass in the freezer for a few moments you can help your smoothie stay cool for longer. This way it won’t start melting instantly while you are eating it. This is especially helpful if you’re in a hot climate. Pop it into the freezer while you are prepping and blending, then take it out when it’s time to pour your finished smoothie!

FAQ’s

Can I use fresh strawberries instead of frozen?

Yes, fresh strawberries can be used as long as the bananas are still frozen. By keeping half of the fruit frozen the smoothie will still be nice and cold when it’s finished blending.

Can I lose weight with smoothies?

Smoothies are an excellent weight loss food! This is because they are generally lower calorie and higher in fibre and nutrients. Due to high water content, the large volume of a smoothie helps your stomach to feel satiated. And the fibre keeps you feeling full for longer, without feeling weighed down or tired like a huge meal would.

Can smoothies be refrigerated?

Smoothies are best enjoyed immediately after blending, while they are freshest. However you can refrigerate most smoothies for 1-2 days in an airtight container such as a jar.

Can I make smoothies without a high speed blender?

Yes, you can still make smoothies with a regular blender. It might take more patience depending on the recipe, but it can work. Turn off the blender to scrape down the sides of the container, and secure the lid before continuing to blend. Repeat as needed. Alternatively you can add a small amount of additional liquid to the recipe, which should help.

How can I increase the protein?

If you wish for your smoothie to have a higher protein content, you can simply add (more) protein powder to the recipe. Plain unsweetened plant based protein will work in any smoothie. Alternatively you can try adding hemp seeds or even silken tofu.

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