I’m not quite sure how it happened. But somewhere along the lines of the last 2 years of self-employment, after years of a late-to-bed-late-to-rise musician schedule, I have now officially become a morning show person.
Still working on the morning person thing. My body seems bent on the whole nightowl thing. But the blogging world and Twittersphere are up early, so about a year ago I turned on a morning show for the first time in about a decade to help wake me up. And now I basically can’t go a morning without tuning in to at least say a quick hello to Josh, Lara, Robin, George and the gang.
Oh yeah, it’s GMA all the way at my place. Yes, yes, I know that 90% of it is fluff news. But apparently their advertising has worked because they are now totally a “part of my morning”. And I kind of wish Lara Spencer would be my best friend. :)
Anyway, the other main part of my morning nowadays is smoothie-making. I shared last week about how I’m back on the smoothie kick, so I have a backlog of recipes photographed that I need to share with you. And this chocolate chia smoothie is one of ’em. You could arguably call it a “shake”, since it tastes so darn decadent and delicious. But don’t let that chocolate fool you. This is basically a healthy green smoothie hiding behind a bit of naturally-sweetened cocoa.
And it’s super easy to make. Here’s the skinny…
Chocolate Chia Smoothie Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Basically, this is your classic chocolate green smoothie with a bunch of extra chia seeds added into the mix. I had some fresh spinach on hand, so added that in for my greens. Then I just added in a banana, some milk (I used almond milk), unsweetened cocoa powder, a hint of vanilla and lots of chia seeds.
Oh, and I forgot to add ice before I snapped this photo. Be sure to throw in about a cup full of cubes. (Or if you’re using a frozen banana, you may not need them.)
Then just pulse in a blender until it’s nice and smooth! If you feel like it needs a little sweetening, you can add in some honey or your choice of sweetener. But I loved it just as-is.
Such a rich and delicious treat, made all the more so knowing that it’s actually good for you. I’d call it a perfect way to start the day. (And I kind of think Lara would love it, don’t you??)
Chocolate Chia Smoothie
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: About 2 servings
Description
This chocolate chia smoothie recipe tastes decadent, but is actually easy to make and great for you!
Ingredients
- 1 banana, peeled
- 1 cup tightly-packed fresh spinach
- 1 cup ice
- 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- (optional: 1 tablespoon honey, if needed to sweeten)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth. Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra chia seeds if desired.
Notes
About 3.5 cups
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I made this, but I could still taste a little spinach, so I decided to experiment. Being a chocoholic and coffee addict, I decided to add two teaspoons of coffee powder concentrate, and one tablespoon of Torani suger free syrup. I’m drinking this right now, this is dessert in my book. NO taste of spinach, NO bitterness. Perfect chocolate fix, I can’t even tell that it’s healthy.
Thanks for sharing Amelia — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Just made this smoothie and loved it! I added one little addition with a handful of fresh mint from my little herb garden. If you like chocolate mint it’s amazing!
We’re so glad to hear that Natassia — and wow, fresh mint would be amazing in this — good call! :)
Absolutely loved this smoothie! I was having a Late night chocolate craving and this hit the spot and was actually good for me! (I shared with my husband and he loved it too) I drank it too quick to snap a photo though, sorry, perhaps next time.
Thanks Audrey, we’re glad you and your husband enjoyed it! :D
Just tried this as a midday snack, and it hit the spot! This is the first time I’ve ever used chia seeds…but definitely not the last :) Thanks so much for a great smoothie recipe!
Awesome Whitney, we’re happy to hear that! Aren’t chia seeds cool? :D
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze?
Hi there, we haven’t tried that, but it might work! You probably don’t want to leave it frozen for too long though, probably no more than a day. We hope you enjoy, and let us know if you end up trying this.
I didn’t care for this either, the spinach doesn’t really work with the rest of the ingredients for my personal taste.
We’re sorry to hear you didn’t care for this Katie, thank you for sharing!
I had a late night sweet tooth and was looking through some smoothie recipes off pinterest. I saw this one and thought “craving chocolate?- yup! Craving smoothie?- yup! Do I have all of the ingredients?- yup!” So I blended it all in my blender and that’s when I realized “NOPE! Never again!” It tasted awful! I even forced myself to drink more to see if my tastebuds were being tricky. Still, nope! This recipe might taste great to others… But my husband and I (who both love healthy recipes) would have to give it two thumbs down.
Oh no, we’re sorry to hear you didn’t like it Katie! :( This is a favorite of ours, we’ve each made it many times, and truly love it because we can never taste the spinach. Did you measure everything exactly? What kind of cocoa powder did you use?
I keep swearing off green smoothies, but I’m going to try this one and see how it goes. I usually get enough vegetables at other meals, but the chocolate and chia call to me…
We think you’ll like it, Susan! The cocoa and the banana really mask the green. It ends up tasting much more like a chocolate shake than a healthy green drink. : )
Thanks for the advice to use avocado instead of banana in smoothies as I am on an anti fungal /a restricted sugar diet which does not allow bananas as they are high in sugar. Looking forward to making this smoothie.
No problem, Emma, we hope you enjoy it! : )
So we FINALLY got a good blender AND I bought some chia seeds, so I looked up recipes and came across yours which looks amazing and I so want to try it!! My questions is…..I read somewhere that chia seeds should be soaked before using them in recipes but most recipes I’ve seen don’t say to do this. What are your thoughts?
That’s awesome Suzette, I hope you enjoy this! I actually don’t bother soaking my chia seeds. They start to change in texture after being in the smoothie awhile anyway. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it’s totally your call! : ) Enjoy!