Mint Chocolate Smoothie
In just minutes, you can enjoy a creamy Chocolate Mint Smoothie. It’s packed with rich chocolate flavor and a refreshing hint of mint, making it a lighter way to crush those sweet tooth cravings any time of the day. Better than a mint milkshake and made even tastier with cocoa, this treat is a delicious and easy way to enjoy a little something sweet!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Blender
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
I love ice cream and could eat it every night. But, I know I probably shouldn’t eat ice cream every night, especially since it’s so hard to stop at the recommended half-cup serving. Instead, I opt for smoothies to get that cold, creamy goodness I crave. Luckily it’s easy to infuse indulgent flavors into smoothies, like a Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie or Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie. And then there’s this minty version that I love for these reasons and more…
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Mint Smoothie Recipe
- Better than a milkshake. While I do enjoy a trip to the drive-thru or even my lighter copycat Shamrock Shake Smoothie, we all know chocolate makes everything better. And adding a little cocoa powder to a minty smoothie adds a little extra indulgent flavor.
- Allergy-friendly. Smoothies are naturally gluten free, and by using your favorite non-dairy milk and yogurt, you can make a dairy-free smoothie too. And unlike many other smoothies, this one doesn’t contain any peanuts or tree nuts.
- Easy to customize. I give you the base recipe here, but you can always blend in extras like greens, seeds, and protein. Or dress it up with decadent toppings to make it feel like dessert. I share more ideas further down in the post.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this Chocolate Mint Smoothie, as well as substitutions. And don’t forget the add-ins and toppings ideas detailed below. You can add extra nutritional benefits or make your smoothie feel more like a special treat. The full amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Milk. I prefer unsweetened vanilla almondmilk. Feel free to substitute your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt. I actually prefer cottage cheese. It blends up into a perfectly creamy and silky smooth texture and the salt enhances the sweetness. I think it lends itself better to certain flavor combinations, like how it mellows out the mint flavor compared to the tartness of Greek yogurt. But either will work. Nondairy yogurt is also a great alternative.
- Mint extract. You can use peppermint extract, but it does change the flavor slightly, so it depends on your preference. Peppermint would make it a festive Christmas smoothie!
- Vanilla extract. Enhances the chocolate flavor and the overall creamy sensation. You can omit it if you like.
- Honey, sugar, or equivalent sweetener of choice. Optional, and depends on how sweet your banana is and how sweet you like your smoothies.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. You may find you want it more or less chocolaty so use 1-2 Tablespoons depending on your preference and whether you use regular or dark cocoa powder.
- Frozen banana. See my article on how to freeze bananas. I always keep some on hand, so I’m ready anytime I want a smoothie. I like to use overripe bananas for the natural sweetness so I do not have to add any additional sweetener.
- Ice cubes. Adjust the amount you add based on your desired texture and thickness.
Just add everything to the blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Feel free to adjust the flavor, sweetness, and texture with more cocoa powder, extract, sweetener, or ice, as needed.
Variations
From blend-ins to toppings, there are lots of ways to change up your mint chocolate smoothie:
- Add some greens. I like to use baby spinach, but any other dark leafy green is a great option.
- More items to mix in. Depending on your needs, chia, flax, or hemp seeds are great to blend into a smoothie. Or use your favorite protein or collagen powder – I use this one!
- Change the chocolate. I usually just use basic Hershey’s cocoa powder, but you can use dark cocoa for a richer flavor, omit it to just make a mint smoothie, or use cacao powder.
- Dress it up. I sometimes like a little texture with cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips blended in slightly or sprinkles on top. A drizzle of fudge sauce and some whipped cream make it like a dessert.
- Make it Christmasy. Use peppermint extract instead of mint, then add some chopped candy canes on top.
More Mint Recipes
Chocolate Mint Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened Almondmilk or your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1-2 teaspoons honey , sugar, or equivalent sweetener of choice, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large frozen banana, cut into chunks
- 3-5 ice cubes , based on your desired texture
- 1 Tablespoon cacao nibs or chocolate chips , optional
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup unsweetened Almondmilk (or your preferred milk), 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1-2 teaspoons honey (or your preferred sweetener), 1/4 teaspoon mint extract, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large frozen banana, cut into chunks, and 3-5 ice cubes in a blender in the order listed and puree until smooth, adjusting to desired sweetness and texture with sugar or other sweetener and ice.
- Add 1 Tablespoon cacao nibs or chocolate chips, if using, and blend for another few seconds to break up slightly. Or pour into a glass first and garnish with the cacao nibs or chocolate chips on top.
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I love the jars/glasses you used!
Thank you, I love them too!
deeeelicious smoothies!! so much better than those mickey d’s shakes! and the cocoa nibs are the best!
This sounds amazing Brianne! Why is there no cottage cheese in my fridge??
I really love the creaminess it adds to smoothies, but yogurt works too!