Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
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This Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie tastes like a chocolate shake (seriously!) but is chock full of antioxidants and protein thanks to spinach, dark cherries, almond butter, cocoa powder, and more. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and we teach you how to make it into a freezer smoothie pack for later.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We love packing in as much nutrition to every bite we can. Probably why we love recipes like our Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins and Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.
Here are a few more reasons you’ll love this Cherry Smoothie:
- Flavor – This fruit smoothie tastes like a chocolate shake.
- Reader-favorite – Besides being Rachel’s favorite, many of our readers keep coming back to this one again and again. Serve with some Cinnamon Toast made in the Oven for a divine meal!
- It can be prepped as a smoothie pack – Scale it up and freeze the smoothie packs.
- More fruits and veggies – Like our other recipes that sneak in vegetables and fruits, smoothies are an easy and tasty way to eat more produce at breakfast.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- Almond milk – I use plain, unsweetened. You can substitute your favorite milk of choice.
- Frozen dark sweet cherries – NOT tart red cherries.
- Almond butter – Peanut butter does NOT work as a great substitution for almond butter. It’s got too much salt and throws the taste off.
Make It a Freezer Smoothie Pack
What are freezer smoothie packs?
A freezer smoothie pack is a pre-prepared mixture of ingredients for making smoothies that is portioned, packed, and stored in the freezer until you’re ready to blend it into a smoothie.
To Prep the Smoothie Pack:
Layer ingredients in small freezer bags (or reusable silicone bags) in this order:
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 cup baby spinach (preferably organic)
- 1 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder or cacao powder
Seal tightly, squeezing out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Make the Smoothie:
Pour the liquid in your blender, dump in the frozen smoothie pack, and blend.
More Smoothie Recipes
We worked hard to develop 7 delicious smoothie recipes and teach you how to prep them as freezer smoothie packs. Here are the other flavors available:
FAQs
It’s important to note that you really can’t substitute dark, sweet cherries. I tested this with the tart red version, as well as strawberries, and it just wasn’t the same. Neither of those fruits was as sweet.
You may have to hunt a bit to find which store carries them. They can also be pricey so try to buy in bulk when on sale if possible!
Yes! If you don’t drink all of your smoothie, pour it into an ice cube tray (or something to help portion it out) and freeze. Then pop out the small portions of smoothie to toss in your blender the next time you make a smoothie.
Sure! Feel free to add in a sugar-free, unflavored protein powder or collagen powder. I like Vital Protein Collagen Peptides. You may need to add a little more liquid if you include this ingredient.
We have written a post with all our tips for freezing bananas. The main takeaway is to freeze the banana slices on a baking sheet for a few hours and THEN transfer to a freezer-safe container.
7 Must Have Smoothie Recipes
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More Chocolate Breakfast Recipes
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Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
This Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie tastes like dessert but is chock full of antioxidants and protein thanks to spinach, dark cherries, almond butter, cocoa powder, and more. Easy, single serving smoothie that can be made into a smoothie pack, too.
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- 1/2 banana, sliced (preferably frozen for best smoothie texture)
- 1 cup frozen sweet dark cherries (NOT red tart cherries)
- 1 cup baby spinach (preferably organic)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder or cacao powder
- dollop of honey (optional)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
1. Start by adding 1 cup almond milk to a high-powered blender. Then, add all the other ingredients.
2. Blend until smooth. You may need to stop and stir/shake the blender or add up to 1/2 cup more of almond milk, as needed, to make sure it gets smooth.
3. Taste and add a dollop of honey, if preferred.
Make Freezer Smoothie Packs for Later:
1. Layer ingredients in small freezer bags in this order:
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 cup baby spinach (preferably organic)
- 1 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder or cacao powder
2. Seal tightly, squeezing out the air, and freeze for up to 3 months.
3. To Blend: Pour 1 cup almond milk into a high-powered blender first. Break up the ingredients in the bag by hitting it on the counter or crunching it with your hands. Dump the ingredients from the bag in and follow blending instructions above.
Notes/Tips
- It’s important to note that you really can’t substitute dark, sweet cherries. I tested this with the tart red version, as well as strawberries, and it just wasn’t the same. Neither of those fruits was as sweet.
- Check out all 7 smoothie packs and download a recipe cheat sheet and shopping list.
- If you’d like to add in more protein, feel free to add in a sugar-free, unflavored protein powder or collagen powder. I like Vital Protein Collagen Peptides. You may need to add a little more liquid.
Really yummy. I skipped the honey and added vanilla protein powder. Nice for a sweet, chocolate-y yet healthy treat
★★★★★
Hi Liz. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and let others know of your changes. This is one of the favorites around Thriving Home for sure!
Like Rachel, this is my favorite smoothie. It’s like dessert!
★★★★★
We made extras and turned a set into Popsicles like you suggested in the kids video such a good choice!
★★★★★
This smoothie is MAGICAL! Oh my goodness!
★★★★★
I’m glad you feel that way, too! I literally had it for breakfast for 2 years straight. (I’ve recently moved on to a version of the Blueberry Muffin Smoothie on our site.)