Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake

Start your day off right with this Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake. This creamy protein smoothie recipe will keep you satisfied for hours! And you can ditch that expensive protein powder, thanks to the naturally occurring protein in soymilk, Greek-style yogurt and peanut butter. The good news doesn’t end there! We’ve included more protein smoothie recipes for you to try as well as some tips on customizing your shake to fit your flavor and nutrition preferences. Enjoy!

How to Make a Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake

1. Make Sure Your Milk Is Cold

Some plant-based milks can be purchased in unrefrigerated aseptic containers. If you have an unopened container, we suggest refrigerating it before using it in this recipe. It will ensure your smoothie comes out creamy and cold!

2. Use a Fully Ripened Banana

For a naturally sweet smoothie, make sure you wait until your banana peel is dark yellow and speckled brown. Slice, place the slices in a freezer bag and freeze; wait until they’re fully frozen before adding to the smoothie. See more detailed instructions for how to freeze bananas below.

3. Choose Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Most cocoa powders are unsweetened, but it’s always a good idea to check labels. Since cocoa powder often shares shelf space with hot cocoa mix, it’s easy to confuse the two, so double-check that packaging!

4. Blend It Up!

This smoothie recipe makes 1 serving, which ends up being about 2 cups. A regular blender will work just fine, or opt for using a smaller, personal-size blender. If you are serving more than one, you can double the recipe!

Variations to Try

If you like this chocolate-peanut butter protein shake, here are a few more delicious protein smoothie recipes to try:

1. Spinach, Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

This protein-rich smoothie is the perfect way to use up any extra plain kefir kicking around in your refrigerator. The spinach means you’ll get a little boost of iron and vitamin C too.

2. Blackberry Smoothie

This smoothie gets its 15 grams of protein from creamy whole-milk Greek yogurt. Plus you’ll get three full servings of fruit, not to mention all of the nutrients that come with them!

3. Almond Butter & Banana Protein Smoothie

Almonds are an excellent source of plant-based protein. You’ll get a delicious taste of them in this smoothie, thanks to the use of almond milk and almond butter. While this smoothie includes protein powder, it’s an ingredient that can easily be left out, if desired.

4. Strawberry-Banana Protein Smoothie

The pairing of strawberries and bananas is nothing short of perfection. Add some mango, though, and get ready for the creamiest, dreamiest way to get 19 grams of protein. While Greek yogurt provides the bulk of the protein, a bit of nut butter and flaxseed adds a little boost too.

Ingredient Swaps to Try

• Try any plant-based or dairy milk. Any milk will work for this smoothie, so feel free to swap the soymilk for almond, cashew or other plant-based milk. Dairy milk is also a great swap, but whichever milk you choose, make sure it’s unsweetened.
• Use plain yogurt or plain plant-based yogurt. Greek yogurt will make the smoothie ultra-creamy and also packs plenty of protein. However, if you prefer regular yogurt, that will work too, or you can skip dairy yogurt altogether and opt for a plant-based yogurt instead.  
• Swap in another nut butter. The peanut butter in this recipe can be subbed out for any other nut or seed butter. Choose a “natural” style nut or seed butter so that you’re getting just the nut or seed, without any added trans fats, oils or added sugar.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• For best results, add the ingredients to the blender in the order they’re listed in the recipe. This will make it easier for your blender to whip up the smoothie to the ultra-smooth consistency you’re after!
• This smoothie is best blended and enjoyed right away, but you can buy yourself a little time if you prep it correctly. To make it in advance, pour the shake into Mason jars or an insulated container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep it cool in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes and drink as soon as possible. 
• If you like your smoothies very cold, consider adding a few ice cubes before blending. A small handful should do the trick. If that’s not enough, you can always add more!

Nutrition Notes

• Peanut butter is simply ground-up peanuts. Natural peanut butter typically contains just peanuts and a little bit of salt. You can also get it with added sugar. Peanuts are a great source of plant protein, heart-healthy fats and fiber, and provide vitamins and minerals, including folate and magnesium. They’re also packed with antioxidants and altogether are heart-healthy and can help balance blood sugar.
• Bananas provide complex carbs, as well as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Bananas are a good source of potassium, which can help maintain healthy blood pressure.
• Unsweetened soymilk is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk and one of the few nondairy milks that has a similar nutritional profile to cow’s milk. Soymilk delivers protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and potassium. If it’s fortified, it will also provide vitamin D. Unlike cow’s milk, soymilk also provides a small amount of fiber. It’s also lower in carbs than cow’s milk—unless it’s a flavored variety, in which case, the amount of carbs and added sugars will go up.