This healthy chocolate banana smoothie recipe with flax is a delicious breakfast or pre-workout snack. It’s vegan, plant-based, and so easy to make.
My name is Shane, I’m a chocolate addict and I freely admit it. If you can identify just wait until you try this amazing chocolate banana smoothie.
Just for the record, I am not a fan of using smoothies as a meal replacement. But, we all know life just gets busy sometimes. So, it’s always good to have a backup plan that nourishes your body and gives you a little boost until lunch.
This chocolate smoothie recipe is perfect. It’s so delicious and healthy. Yes, healthy! There’s absolutely no crap in it and naturally sweetened. It’s made with bananas, raw cacao powder, dates, and ground flax seeds.
Nothing is more decadent than dark chocolate and this smoothie recipe is filled with amazing chocolate flavor while filling you with nutrients, antioxidants, and good fats.
If you want more chocolate flavor, sprinkle some cacao nibs or shaved dark chocolate on top. It’ll bring you one sip closer to heaven.
Table of Contents
Are Flax Seeds Healthy
Yes, yes, and yes! The health benefits of adding flax to your diet can’t be denied. Flax is full of nutrients, high in fiber, and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats).
It’s a much healthier option for your smoothies than protein powder. You can also add ground flax to your oatmeal, use it as an egg replacement for baking, or even mix it into your favorite spread when making a veggie sandwich.
Be sure and use ground flax or grind it up before adding it to your food. It’s much easier for your body to digest it.
Chocolate Banana Smoothie Ingredients
This healthy chocolate banana smoothie is so easy to make and uses simple everyday ingredients. You’ll get a good dose of nutrients with a little chocolate treat to boot.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: this is my personal choice because it’s great for creamy recipes like this one. But, you can use whatever non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Bananas: you want your bananas to be fairly ripe. They’ll be sweeter, have a much better flavor, and add the right amount of creaminess.
- Raw cacao powder: regular cocoa powder works as well.
- Dates: I prefer Medjool dates, but you may use any dates that are available, just make sure they are pitted.
- Ground flax seed: a great source of omega-3s and fiber.
- Ice cubes: if you don’t like cold smoothies you can leave these out. But, it’s much more enjoyable as a chilled drink.
How To Make Chocolate Banana Smoothie
You can prepare this smoothie in minutes which makes it perfect for a quick, out-the-door snack.
Here’s how simple it is to make this recipe:
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into an 8-ounce glass and enjoy!
That’s it!
Recipe Notes, Tips, and Substitutions
- Frozen Bananas: use frozen bananas instead of ice cubes for your smoothies. Once the bananas are ripe simply peel them, slice them roughly the size of ice cubes, and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Dairy-free Milk Choices: try using my homemade cashew milk or oat milk for this recipe.
- Chia Seeds: if you don’t have flax chia seeds are excellent.
- Nut Butters: add a scoop of almond butter or peanut butter to make this your post-workout shake.
- Sweeteners: if you don’t have dates you could use 1-2 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. Please keep in mind that honey is not vegan, but some who are plant-based do use it as a replacement for sugar.
- Greens: toss in some chopped kale or spinach for some added nutrition.
I hope you enjoy this healthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie with flax. Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And, be sure and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
PrintHealthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie with Flax
- Prep Time: 4 minutes
- Blend: 1 minute
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Vegan Breakfast Recipes
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy chocolate banana smoothie recipe with flax is a delicious breakfast or pre-workout snack. Vegan, plant-based, and so easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 ½ Tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 4 medjool dates, pitted
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 6–7 ice cubes
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into an 8-ounce glass and enjoy.
Notes
Frozen Bananas: use frozen bananas instead of ice cubes for your smoothies. Once the bananas are ripe simply peel them, slice them roughly the size of ice cubes, and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Dairy-free Milk Choices: try using my homemade cashew milk or oat milk for this recipe.
Chia Seeds: if you don’t have flax chia seeds are excellent.
Nut Butters: add a scoop of almond butter or peanut butter to make this your post-workout shake.
Sweeteners: if you don’t have dates you could use 1-2 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. Please keep in mind that honey is not vegan, but some who are plant-based do use it as a replacement for sugar.
Greens: toss in some chopped kale or spinach for some added nutrition.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 505
- Sugar: 80.6 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 4.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 109.2 g
- Fiber: 17 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: chocolate banana smoothie, chocolate banana flax smoothie, vegan smoothie, plant-based smoothie, easy vegan recipes
For those concerned about calories, I omit the dates (for me, it is plenty sweet with the banana), use 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp flax. You can also try 1/2 cup plant milk and 1/2 cup water, but it is definitely better with all plant milk. I use frozen bananas and add a handful of frozen spinach or kale. It is also good with peanut butter powder, such as PB2 in place of the cocoa powder.
★★★★
This smoothie is fantastic. I made it as written and doubled it for the two of us. We inhaled it. 🙂 So good. Next time I may add some nut butter. Thanks, Shane.
★★★★★
This was awesome! But as a treat I am worried of the 500 calories. Seems like a lot for a snack. I’m trying to lose weight and while I don’t count calories on a WFPB diet, I am aware of them. I’ll save this recipe for when I’m really craving chocolate.
Hi, Mel! I would use this as a quick breakfast or post-workout smoothie. I wouldn’t make it my everyday snack item.
Wow!!! This made my tastebuds dance & my sweet tooth do the cha-cha!! I used 1 T maple syrup but didn’t quite need it because I used a really ripe banana that was already super sweet. I added 1/2 T peanut butter too. My goodness, I was on my way to work drinking this and thinking the whole time I was drinking a rich chocolate shake! It was amazing and will become a solid addition to my life! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
That’s awesome, Tiffany! I’m so glad you enjoyed and thank you for taking the time to reach out and tell me:)
This healthy chocolate banana smoothie recipe with flax is a delicious breakfast or pre-workout snack. It’s vegan, plant-based, and so easy to make.
★★★★★
hey, Shane,
i was in need of an afternoon boost when I saw this post, having missed lunch. It’s a keeper! My soy milk sieve is being soaked, so I cheated, used water and cashews, and it was delicious. I’ll try it again with my homemade soy milk in a few days, but I don’t know how it can get any better!
★★★★★