Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Sometimes, breakfast is all about finding something your kiddos will eat…and fast!. Enter stage right this chocolate banana smoothie - the one my middle asks for 3-4 times a week (the rest of the week she’s a mango banana smoothie kind of girl). This smoothie is creamy, chocolatey, and packed with sneaky goodness with oats and riced cauliflower (shh, they’ll never know). 

As a busy mom of three, I’m all about making smoothies that are easy to throw together.  I rely on a stocked freezer and pantry so that I can whip them up in minutes.  Just blend, pour, and enjoy!

The frozen banana and cauliflower help create that creamy, dreamy texture without needing any ice.  It’s like a milkshake for breakfast. And if your kiddos are chocolate lovers, try putting this chocolate peanut butter smoothie into the rotation sometime soon. And seriously, don’t let the cauliflower scare you off! The riced cauliflower blends in seamlessly and gives a little extra veggie boost to help keep you energized all day long. 

Ingredients

• Frozen Banana:   I keep peeled frozen bananas stored in my freezer at all times, but you can use any ripe banana you have laying around.
• Old Fashioned Oats: You can use regular rolled oats or instant oats, but I would stay away from steel cut oats.
• Riced Cauliflower: I like to buy already riced cauliflower, but if you have a high powered blender, any frozen cauliflower florets will work.
• Milk: Regular milk, almond milk and oat milk all work well.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Prep Your Ingredients: Gather everything and make sure your blender is ready to go.
2. Add to Blender: Start with the oats and cauliflower, followed by the banana and Greek yogurt and lastly, the milk.
3. Blend Until Smooth: Start on a lower setting and work up to high. It usually takes about 45 seconds to get that perfect, creamy consistency.
4. Pour and Serve: And that’s it! Grab a glass (or two) and enjoy a breakfast treat that feels like dessert.

For a thicker smoothie: Make smoothie packs and keep everything frozen before blending.  You can also decrease the amount of milk you add.  Note that the smoothie will thicken as the oats absorb any excess liquid.

For a thinner smoothie: Add additional liquid to your smoothie.  Additional milk or yogurt will do the trick!

Substitutions 

• To make a dairy free smoothie: Swap the Greek yogurt for a plant-based alternative, like almond or coconut yogurt.
• Swap the riced cauliflower with frozen avocado chunks or frozen avocado puree, frozen spinach or frozen sweet potato (be sure it’s not seasoned).

Be sure not to grab a seasoned variety.  My poor kiddo got served garlic flavored chocolate smoothie two days in a row because I didn’t realize that I had added garlic riced cauliflower to the blender 🫣.

Delicious Add-Ins

Want to make this simple chocolate smoothie more decadent?  Try adding in these pantry staples and mix things up a bit!

• Coffee: Makes for an all in one breakfast coffee combo.  Add coffee instead of the milk to the ingredients and blend. Put it all in a big old insulated cup and enjoy!
• Vanilla: a splash of vanilla makes this taste even more decadent
• Nut Butter: You can add in any nut butter you like an even creamier texture.
• Extra Chocolatey: Add a spoonful of cocoa powder or a few dark chocolate chips.
• Protein Boost: Add a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder to make this smoothie a true meal replacement.

Make a Smoothie Bowl

If you want to switch things up, you can easily turn this into a chocolate banana smoothie bowl.

1. Simply reduce the amount of liquid you add in so you have a VERY thick smoothie.  
2. Pour it into a small bowl and then top with any of the following: sliced almonds, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries.
3. Drizzle with warm nut butter or chocolate syrup.  
4. Optionally sprinkle with cocoa nibs, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds or mini chocolate chips.  

Serving Suggestions

This chocolate banana smoothie is a great standalone breakfast but also pairs well with a few simple sides to make it even more satisfying:

• Toast with Nut Butter: Spread almond or peanut butter on toast.
• Fruit Bowl: Serve a bowl of fresh strawberries, raspberries, or sliced apples since they all pair well with with chocolate.
• Breakfast Burritos: For really great start to the day, serve alongside breakfast burritos.  Wrap the burritos in foil, grab your mason jar smoothie and you’ve got breakfast to-go.

Freezing the Leftovers

I typically like to freeze our leftover smoothies directly in mason jars.  This makes it super simple to serve when we want to use it. 

• Pour the leftovers directly into the jar leaving a little space at the top.  Place the lid on top, tighten, but not too much and pop it into the freezer.
• To defrost, take off the metal lid and microwave for 1 minute. 
• Give the smoothie a stir, pop on a silicone lid and enjoy.
• Alternatively, you can let the frozen smoothie defrost on the counter or in a lunchbox.

Other delicious Smoothies you’ll love

📖 Recipe