Black Forest Smoothie
A sweet and creamy Chocolate Cherry Smoothie hits all the right notes with its combination of chocolaty goodness and frozen cherries. Toss a few simple ingredients in a blender, and you have a rich but light treat. This smoothie recipe makes a great breakfast or snack, and can even satisfy your sweet tooth like a slice of Black Forest cake for dessert.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Blender
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
I am a total smoothie girl. Literally, I have one every day, and I used to have two. And while some people may switch up their smoothies on a daily or weekly basis, alternating from blueberry smoothies to banana smoothies to strawberry smoothies, I tend to stick with one fruit for weeks, months, oh maybe even years at a time.
This chocolate cherry smoothie came out of my Frozen Cherries Era. I would go to Costco and literally buy three of the giant bags of frozen cherries at a time. Then, I would layer them in parfaits, eat them as a snack, and of course, use them in cherry smoothies. Since this one is based on a classic Black Forest cake (or, ahem, Black Forest Cupcakes), it seems like a special treat with its chocolate and cherry flavors and creamy texture.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
- Simple ingredients. Cherries, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, and your preferred type of milk–nothing crazy here. And, of course, chocolate from a small scoop of cocoa powder, plus a few other things to make it taste even better.
- Great flavor. Speaking of how it tastes, the kids will think you are a super-mom for basically giving them what tastes like dessert first thing in the morning.
- Customizable. It’s easy to make swaps for a dairy free smoothie, but you can also add or subtract other items to meet your needs that day. That could mean more protein, adjusting the sweetness, and even sneaking in those leafy greens or different seeds.
Recipe Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this chocolate cherry smoothie recipe, plus substitutions you can make and notes about optional ingredients. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with amounts.
- Spinach or other dark leafy greens – This is always an optional addition, but if you use greens, add them to the blender first so that they get broken down completely. I prefer to use baby spinach since it has a milder flavor and basically disappears once you blend it. But feel free to use kale or your favorite dark leafy green.
- Milk – I like to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk in my smoothies, but you can use any dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese – both options add creaminess and protein. Many prefer Greek yogurt, but I like cottage cheese because it blends up super smooth, without that bit of tartness from the yogurt. And the salt in the cottage cheese enhances the sweetness of the fruit. Non-dairy yogurt is fine to substitute.
- Cocoa powder – I use unsweetened Hershey’s. Cacao powder is also a good option.
- Frozen cherries – freeze your own (see the Tips section below), or grab a big bag from Costco or the grocery store.
- Ice – adjust based on how thick or frosty you like your smoothies.
- Optional mix-ins – I like to add a bit of vanilla extract and salt to make the chocolate and sweetness stand out more, and give it that Black Forest cake flavor. You can add a bit of honey, maple syrup, Stevia, Swerve, or your favorite sweetener if needed, depending on how sweet your cherries are. And you can always blend in protein powder, collagen, creatine, or whatever will help you meet your needs.
- Optional garnishes – not necessary, but it’s always fun to dress up a smoothie with more frozen cherries or even a maraschino cherry, mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs, and even a little whipped cream.
Tips and Variations
- Add in the right order. I recommend adding leafy greens are added first, if you choose to use them, followed by the milk, so that they get fully submerged and then broken down. Soft ingredients like the cottage cheese or yogurt and cocoa powder go next so that they get evenly distributed in the liquid. Then the frozen ingredients, in this case, the cherries and ice, are last so that they blend just enough to keep a thick texture and don’t melt completely. The small amounts of vanilla, salt, and sweetener are listed last but can be added at any time, even stirred in after blending if you need to adjust the taste or sweetness.
- Freeze your own cherries. If you have a lot of fresh cherries in the summer, you can use a cherry pitter to remove the pits from the cherries, then freeze them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Once frozen, you can then transfer them to a zip-top freezer storage bag.
- Another dairy free option. If you don’t want to use a plant-based yogurt, you can use a frozen banana in place of the Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
- Change the flavor. Skip the cocoa powder and try cream cheese for a Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie. Omit the cocoa powder or use a bit of almond butter instead for a basic Cherry Smoothie.
More Smoothies That Taste Like Dessert
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup baby spinach or other dark, leafy greens (optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or another dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract , optional
- 1 pinch salt
- honey, sugar, stevia, or other sweetener, to taste, if needed
- several ice cubes (add more ice for a thicker, shake-like consistency and less for a thinner consistency)
- cherries, cacao nibs, mini chocolate chips, or whipped cream for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Add 1 cup baby spinach (if using), 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup frozen cherries, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt, honey, sugar, stevia, or other sweetener, if needed, and several ice cubes to the blender in the order listed. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass and serve immediately. Add more cherries, cacao nibs, mini chocolate chips, or whipped cream for garnish, if desired.
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oh my a black forest smoothie, it’s so great to see so many new options in milk products, I’ve never had cashew milk… this looks delicious.
You have to try the cashewmilk, it’s so good!