Raw Chocolate Banana Shake (Printer-friendly)
Creamy blend of raw cacao and frozen bananas with plant milk, naturally sweetened for a rich, energizing beverage.
# What You'll Need:
→ Base
01 - 2 large ripe bananas, preferably frozen, peeled and sliced
02 - 1½ cups plant-based milk (almond, oat, or coconut)
→ Chocolate Flavor
03 - 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
04 - 1–2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave, to taste
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Texture & Extras
06 - 4–6 ice cubes, optional for thickness
07 - Pinch of sea salt
08 - 1 tablespoon chia seeds or flaxseeds, optional for added nutrition
# How To Make It:
01 - Place the banana slices, plant-based milk, raw cacao powder, maple syrup (start with the lesser amount), vanilla extract, and sea salt into the blender jar.
02 - Add ice cubes and chia or flaxseeds if using, for extra creaminess and nutritional boost.
03 - Blend on high speed for 30 to 60 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth and frothy.
04 - Taste the shake and adjust sweetness by adding more maple syrup or agave as needed.
05 - Pour into two glasses and serve right away for the best texture and flavor.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It genuinely tastes like a chocolate milkshake but takes five minutes and zero cooking skill to pull off.
- Frozen bananas do all the heavy lifting for creaminess, so you never need dairy or weird thickeners.
- The cacao gives you a gentle energy boost that feels cleaner than coffee but equally motivating on sluggish mornings.
02 -
- Freezing your bananas ahead of time is the single most important step, because fresh bananas will give you a thin, unappealing liquid no matter how long you blend.
- Raw cacao powder clumps stubbornly if dumped all at once, so I hold a small sieve over the blender and tap it through for a smoother result.
03 -
- The sweet spot for bananas is heavily speckled with brown spots but not fully black, because that is when they are at peak sweetness without developing off flavors.
- If you want this to function as a complete breakfast, add a scoop of plant based protein powder and a tablespoon of nut butter to keep you full until noon.