Chocolate Banana Oat Smoothie

Chocolate banana oat smoothies are thick, rich, and delicious making it the perfect healthy breakfast smoothie or on-the-go post workout snack. Satisfy any chocolate craving with this healthy chocolate oatmeal smoothie that tastes like a milkshake. Super easy to make and loaded with wholesome ingredients, you could be sipping this smoothie in 5 minutes or less.

Why you will love this smoothie recipe

• Nutritious – this chocolate oat smoothie is packed with nutritious ingredients such as bananas which are rich in potassium, oats for good dietary fiber, chia seeds for added protein.
• Quick and easy to make – smoothies are a great way to get in a filling meal when you are short on time. All you have to do is measure the ingredients and blend. You can even eat your smoothies on the go, making them perfect for busy mornings.
• Extra filling – The banana and oats pack this smoothie full of fiber that can work as a complete meal on-the-go and keep you going until your next meal.
• Thick and Creamy – the combination of banana and oats make this smoothie drink like a thick creamy chocolate milkshake.

Ingredients

• Banana – The banana will naturally sweeten this smoothie The riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie will be. Note: Using frozen banana really helps to create a thick, creamy smoothie. If you don’t have frozen, add in about 1/4 cup of ice to create the same texture.
• Oats – to use rolled oats or quick oats in this smoothie recipe. Oats also add fiber and protein which can make the smoothie more filling. Note: I do not recommend steel cut oats, they will make the smoothie gritty.
• Cacao powder – cacao powder adds the chocolate flavor to the smoothie. The cacao powder is less bitter than cocoa powder and perfect in smoothies.
• Dairy free milk – use whatever dairy free milk you have on hand or cows’ milk if you are not dairy free. Almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, coconut milk (in the carton or in the can), flax milk, etc. You could also use water + a tablespoon of your favorite nut or seed butter in place of dairy free milk.
• Chocolate protein powder – use whatever protein powder you have on hand. I recommend using vegan protein powder because it will help to make the smoothie super thick and creamy while also adding protein.
• Almond butter – almond butter helps to add healthy fats and also make the smoothie creamy and filling. If you don’t have almond butter, you could also use peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini or sunbutter in place of the almond butter.

How to make a chocolate oatmeal smoothie

• Measure the ingredients into a high speed blender in the order listed.
• Blend on high until smooth. Enjoy immediately.

Top tips

• This recipe was written using a high speed bullet style blender. If you have an older blender or your blender isn’t very high powered, I recommend that you add the oats to the blender first and pulse them to break them down into flour before adding the other ingredients.
• Use frozen bananas for the best texture and taste. Frozen bananas helps to chill the smoothie while making it thick and creamy. If you only have fresh banana, add about 1/4-1/2 cup of ice and reduce the liquid by 1/4 cup.
• Add more or less liquid to make the smoothie thicker or thinner, depending on your preference.
• The protein powder helps to sweeten the smoothie and also adds protein to make it more filling. If you don’t have protein powder on hand, be sure to add some maple syrup, honey, or 1-2 pitted medjool dates to help sweeten the smoothie as needed.

Other additions

• Crunch: Cacao nibs, coconut flakes
• Creaminess: Avocado, cashews, canned coconut milk, or greek style yogurt
• Sweetness: Honey or maple syrup, or add pitted dates, dried figs or a more ripe banana
• Veggies: 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower, frozen spinach, frozen kale or zucchini (fresh or frozen)
• Other: Bee Pollen, maca powder

Topping ideas

• Fresh fruit – blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries
• Cereal or granola for crunch
• Chopped nuts or seeds
• Nut butter – almond butter, cashew butter, tahini, peanut butter, sunbutter
• Coconut flakes (regular or toasted)

Common questions

Is this a healthy chocolate banana smoothie?

This banana chocolate oat smoothie is packed with fiber, protein and healthy fats. It’s also a great way to get in a serving of fruit to your day. Banana is a great source of potassium and magnesium and the almond butter is a good source of fiber, healthy fats, calcium, iron and Vitamin E. This smoothie is much more well balanced than most of the smoothies you would buy premade or from your favorite smoothie shop or coffee shop.

Typically, smoothies get a bad rap because they can be loaded with added sugar from fruit juice as the base of the smoothie. Using dairy free milk instead of juice helps to keep the sugars in check and the added protein, fiber and healthy fats also help to make this chocolate banana oat smoothie more filling.

Why put oats in a smoothie?

Oats are a great source of protein and fiber help to make this smoothie extra thick, creamy and delicious. I recommend using rolled oats or quick oats. I do not recommend using steel cut oats as they still have the oat hull which could make your smoothie gritty.

Can you use fresh bananas in this recipe?

Frozen bananas help to make this smoothie thick and creamy, but you can use fresh berries if that is all you have on hand. If you are using fresh berries, add 1/4-1/2 cup of ice to get the same creamy consistency and reduce the liquid in this recipe by 1/4 cup. 

How to freeze bananas for smoothies?

Slice the banana into coins then place the banana coins on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet to freeze the banana. Once the banana coins are frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container.

Can you make this chocolate smoothie without bananas?

Yes, you can substitute the banana with an additional 1/4 cup of oats or a half of an avocado to help keep the creamy consistency. If you omit the banana, I would recommend adding some additional sweetness from maple syrup, honey or dates. You can also use cooked sweet potato. Additionally, you can use other fruits.

Other fruit you can add to chocolate banana oats smoothie

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Dark sweet cherries
• Mango

How to make this smoothie more filling

Smoothies tend to be the most filling when they are a good mix of protein, healthy fats and fiber. In this recipe, the oats provide some fiber and protein, almond butter provides healthy fats and the banana and the protein powder provides protein. To make this smoothie even more filling, add more protein, fat or fiber (or all three).

• Protein – adding protein to a smoothie is a great way to make it more filling. Some great additions to this chocolate oatmeal smoothie would be greek style yogurt, hemp hearts or collagen peptides. Learn some of the ways I add additional protein to my smoothies.
• Healthy fats – healthy fats are such a wonderful way to make smoothies more satisfying. Some great options for this smoothie would be canned coconut milk, nuts, seeds, hemp hearts, coconut flakes.
• Fiber – some great ways to add more fiber is to add more oats, chia seeds, ground flax, vegetables (like cauliflower rice or spinach) or even some white beans or black beans.

Need additional help with protein powder? Be sure to check out my article on adding protein powder to smoothies.

How to Prep Ahead

You can make this smoothie a few hours in advance and store it in the fridge. I find that anything longer than 24 hours and the smoothie starts to separate and the flavors are just not the same.

Making this chocolate banana oat smoothie more than 24 hours in advance, I would recommend a make-ahead smoothie bag with all the ingredients combined (except the dairy free milk) premeasured in a freezer safe bag and store it in the freezer. I recommend Stasher Bags. When you are ready to make the smoothie, simply dump the contents of the freezer safe bag into the blender, add the milk, and blend.

What to do with leftover smoothie

This chocolate banana oat smoothie can be made up to 24 hours in advance if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

If you have leftover smoothie, you know you won’t be enjoying in 24 hours, pour the smoothie into ice cube trays and freeze for later! When you are ready to serve, just add some extra dairy free milk to the cubes and blend until creamy. You can also use these smoothie cubes in other smoothies to add more flavor.

Leftover banana chocolate oat smoothie would also taste amazing in popsicle form so be sure to try pouring leftover smoothie in popsicle molds for later.

Substitutions

• Banana – avocado, mango, sweet potatoes, canned coconut milk or Greek style yogurt.
• Cacao powder – cocoa powder (you may want to add just a touch of maple syrup or honey as it’s more bitter than cacao)
• Dairy free milk – use 1 cup of water + 1 tablespoon of your favorite nut or seed butter (almond butter, sunbutter, tahini, cashew butter). You could also use regular dairy milk if you can tolerate dairy. 
• Oats – use rolled oats or quick cooking oats in this recipe. If you don’t have oats on hand, you could add Greek style yogurt, banana or frozen cauliflower rice or frozen spinach/kale in place of the oats to get a similar texture in the smoothie.
• Protein powder – use whatever protein powder you have on hand – vanilla, chocolate or even peanut butter would be great.
  • If you don’t have protein powder, you can add an additional ¼ cup of oats + 1-2 tablespoons of honey, maple syrup or dates for sweetness. You could also add some Greek yogurt, hemp hearts or other form of protein.
• Almond butter – cashew butter, peanut butter, sunbutter, tahini or you can add in a handful of almonds, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

If you love chocolate smoothies, you should try

• Tahini Chocolate Smoothie
• Chocolate Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Chocolate Mango Smoothie