This easy cocoa banana peanut butter smoothie tastes as rich as a milkshake (a vegan milkshake, that is) and will keep you full and satisfied for hours. Delicious as a breakfast smoothie, it’s yummy enough to serve as dessert.
Use your favorite kind of plant-based milk (oat, cashew, almond, hemp, etc.) and sweeten to your liking with maple syrup or agave nectar.
Peanut butter or a choice of other nut butters: As far as nut butter, peanut butter is the kind most commonly found in the pantry, but if you prefer another kind of nut butter, like cashew almond, hazelnut (all delicious though much pricier), go for it!
Is peanut butter a good-for-you food?
Nutritionally, peanut butter has all the goodness of peanuts in concentrated form. It is high in fat and calories, so use in moderation.
A 2-tablespoon serving of peanut butter provides 9 grams of protein, 190 calories, and 16 grams of fat. It provides the same nutrients as peanuts — peanut butter is a good source of B vitamins and many minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. Here’s the complete nutritional profile of peanut butter.
How about making your own peanut butter?
Making nut butter at home is surprisingly easy, and a fun project for kids (who aren’t allergic to peanuts, of course).
1 Start with 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts in a food processor.
2 Process until the peanuts are finely ground and begin to hold together as a mass. Add a tablespoon of agave or maple syrup and continue to process, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides from time to time, until smooth. Add a pinch of salt, if you’d like.
3 Transfer to a tightly lidded jar. Keep at room temperature for about a month; if the homemade peanut butter is to be stored for a longer time, refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.
Here’s a more detailed how-to for homemade peanut butter from Broke Bank Vegan.
Explore more …
- Apple and Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Vegan Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter
- Sweet and Savory Peanut Butter Recipes
Cocoa Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
This easy cocoa banana peanut butter smoothie tastes as rich as a milkshake (a vegan milkshake, that is) and will keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Ingredients
- 1 large banana, broken into several pieces
- 1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla plant-based milk (oat, cashew, almond), or as needed
- 2 heaping teaspoons good-quality cocoa powder (preferably fair trade)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave, or to taste
- A few ice cubes, optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smoothly pureed. If too thick, add a little more plant-based milk.
- Taste and see if you’d like a little more sweeter, then process for a few seconds.
- Serve at once in tall glasses or tumblers. Garnish with a sprinkling of cocoa powder, if you'd like.
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