This Chocolate Smoothie Bowl is made with all-natural vegan ingredients and topped with sliced banana, chocolate shavings, nuts, and chia seeds. It’s a healthy yet decadent sugar-free breakfast, snack, or dessert!
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Smoothies have become my go-to morning breakfast! I love making my broccoli smoothie when I’m in the mood for something green! It’s packed with vitamins, nutrients, and protein, and it doesn’t hurt that it also tastes delicious!
But sometimes I’m in the mood for something with chocolate! My coconut smoothie topped with chocolate shavings is pretty decadent, but this chocolate smoothie bowl is packed with chocolate flavor from start to finish!
This smoothie bowl is for those days when I have an extra five minutes to eat with a spoon! I can even make it the night before, then throw on my favorite toppings for a bowl full of deliciousness! It also makes a healthy sweet treat or snack!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
- Limited Ingredients: It only takes four simple ingredients to make this delicious recipe.
- Easy: Blend and enjoy. It doesn’t get much easier!
- Healthy: This chocolate smoothie bowl is naturally gluten-free, whole food and plant-based, free of refined sugars, and packed with vitamins, nutrients, and protein.
- Dessert for Breakfast: Who doesn’t love dessert for breakfast? Especially when it’s healthy!
Ingredients
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk Yogurt: Coconut milk yogurt gives the smoothie a rich, creamy texture and adds a touch of tropical flavor.
- Frozen banana: This gives the smoothie a thicker texture.
- Cacao powder: A superfood full of antioxidants that makes this rich and chocolatey!
- Chia seeds: When blended, chia seeds create a pudding-like texture.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a complete list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of using frozen bananas, you can opt for frozen strawberries, mango, peaches, or cherries.
- If you don’t have cacao powder, it can easily be substituted with cocoa powder.
- If you don’t have chia seeds, use ground flax seeds instead.
- Amp up the protein by adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder. I like Orgain Organic Chocolate Protein Powder or a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter or almond butter.
- Try topping your smoothie bowl with more bananas, chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, and chia seeds.
How to Make a Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
- Add all the ingredients to your blender.
- Blend the ingredients until rich, smooth, and creamy.
- Pour the smoothie into a bowl and garnish with banana slices, chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, chia seeds, or any of your other favorite toppings.
FAQ
A smoothie bowl is only as healthy as the foods you add. For example, if you add all-natural, nutrient-rich ingredients, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and low-calorie milk or yogurt, your smoothie bowl will be high in nutrients and low in calories. However, if you add lots of high-sugar ingredients and ice cream to thicken your smoothie, it will be very high in sugar, calories, and fat. Use all-natural, wholesome ingredients to prepare your smoothie bowls, and they will be full of protein, vitamins, and minerals to keep you feeling full and satisfied without all the added sugar.
There are a few ways to thicken your smoothie. If you don’t want to add any more bulk in the form of frozen fruit, then adding ice cubes will help to thicken the smoothie. However, I prefer to thicken my smoothie with frozen fruit. Using less liquid and more frozen fruit or vegetables will make your smoothie thicker without adding too many additional calories. My rule is to use double the amount of frozen fruit compared to liquid. If you use a half cup of almond milk, use a full cup of frozen fruit.
If your smoothie is too watery, you likely added too much ice that has melted, creating a watered-down smoothie. One way to fix this is to add all of the contents back to the blender and then add more bulk in the form of something creamy and frozen. I like to do this with frozen bananas, strawberries, or mango.
The main difference between the two is their level of procession. Cacao is the raw, unprocessed cacao bean for the cacao tree. It’s often only slightly roasted and minimally processed. Conversely, cocoa is often roasted at a higher temperature and combined with additives to reduce its bitterness.
Some flavorful, healthy smoothie bowl toppings include coconut flakes, chopped nuts, chia or flax seeds, fresh fruit, chocolate chips or shavings, nut butter, and granola.
Expert Tips
- Freeze your bananas into slices the night before to add them to your smoothie bowl in the morning.
- If possible, use a high-speed blender. While not necessary, it makes the process easier because its more powerful motor allows it to blend frozen fruits or chunky ingredients more easily.
- Keep your frozen fruits in the freezer and your yogurt in the refrigerator until just before you make the smoothie. This ensures the best possible texture.
Serving Suggestions
This smoothie bowl is delicious when topped with your favorite fruits and a hint of dark chocolate. I also enjoy it topped with sugar-free granola.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store for up to 24 hours in an airtight container.
Freezer: Pour the smoothie into an ice cube tray and store it for up to a month.
Defrost: Add the smoothie ice cubes to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds and stir.
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Recipe
Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
Equipment
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Ingredients
Smoothie
- 1 cup coconut milk yogurt unsweetened
- 1 frozen banana cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
Toppings
- ½ banana sliced
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate shavings
- 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts or other nut
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Add coconut milk yogurt, frozen banana (cut into chunks), cacao powder, and chia seeds to blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy and all ingredients have been combined.
- Pour into bowl. Garnish with banana slices, chocolate shavings, chopped nuts, and chia seeds.
Notes
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- Coconut flakes
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- Chopped pecans, walnuts, or cashews
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- Chia or flax seeds for added fiber and omega-3s
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- Fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
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- Chocolate chips or chocolate shavings
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- A swirl of nut butter
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- Granola
Lisa Huff
OMG that looks like a gorgeous decadent dessert! LOVE that is actually good for you!
Jordin
Yum!! This chocolate smoothie bowl is screaming my name, I can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Jamie
I love having this smoothie bowl for breakfast. It’s healthy, satisfying, and keeps me full all morning. I love that it tastes like dessert but it’s actually good for me.
Romina
Smoothie bowls are my new obsession and this one does not disappoint. love the little crunch from the chia topping.
Emily Liao
This smoothie was bowl was the perfect chocolate treat! Loved the texture of it and the toppings added just the right amount of texture and flavors.