Sweet and juicy cherries blended with your favourite milk, cocoa powder and bananas to thicken make a rich and delicious Chocolate Cherry Smoothie that the whole family will love. It tastes like a milkshake, but it's much healthier and naturally sweetened. Lots of ways you can adapt it too.
Chocolate and cherry is a classic flavour combination. Waking up and having something chocolatey for breakfast seems so indulgent, but this chocolate cherry smoothie tastes more indulgent than it actually is, as it is pretty healthy and you could easily sneak in some greens too.
If you are looking for some other ways to enjoy cherries, then why not try our Apple and Cherry Crumble.
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Ingredients needed
- Bananas - This is what makes the smoothie nice and thick. It doesn't have an overly banana flavour, but if you really don't like banana then you can swap it for avocado instead, which will make it extra creamy. You will need to add some extra sweetness though, as avocados aren't sweet like banana.
- Cherries - The star of the smoothie. Ue the ripest cherries you can, for the best flavour.
- Cocoa powder - We used unsweetened cocoa powder. Try to use the best quality you can.
- Maple syrup - You can use honey if you prefer, but maple syrup will keep it vegan.
- Milk - We used almond milk to keep it vegan, but any milk will work. Add some coconut milk to make it extra thick and creamy.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make a chocolate cherry smoothie - Step by step
One: Pit the cherries and slice the banana. Put into a blender.
Two: Top up with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Why should you try it?
- Chocolate and cherry are a delicious combination - The flavours just work so well together.
- A healthier way to have chocolate for breakfast - Who doesn't want to have chocolate first thing in the morning? This is a great way to start the day!
- An easy way to introduce kids to smoothies - If you want your kids to drink more smoothies, then they will love this.
- Low in calories - Just 250 calories a smoothie, but we have given some ways that you can bulk it out too.
Health benefits
I always feel energised after a chocolate smoothie. It's those endorphins kicking in when you have something that tastes that good, but you don't get the sugar crash after like you might do with something else chocolatey.
Plus, cherries are so good for you - a good source of vitamins A and B, as well as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Cherries are great for heart health and help make our bones strong and skin glow. Sounds good to me!
How to thicken a smoothie
During the warmer months we usually use frozen cherries and bananas, and that really helps to thicken the smoothie. It is fairly thick anyway, but you can add oats or avocado to make it thicker, or if you aren't a fan of banana. Using frozen banana makes it taste more like a thick and creamy milkshake too.
Variations
There are so many different ways you can adapt this smoothie and these are just some of our favourite. Add some extra protein and make it thicker and creamier by blending in some Greek yogurt. You could also add nut butter (cashew is our favourite) for a protein boost.
If you want to sneak some greens in to this smoothie, then go with either avocado, spinach or kale. If you are using leafy greens then make sure you are using a high powered blender so everything is nice and smooth.
FAQs
You can really use any milk you like. We went with almond milk to make it a vegan option, but dairy milk or another plant based milk will work too. If you want to make this smoothie feel extra indulgent, then swap some of the milk for coconut milk and it will make it extra thick and creamy.
This is such a quick and easy recipe, so it's always best to make it fresh. However, if you have made too much or you want to make it ready for an easy breakfast the next day, then you can store it in the fridge. It will be fine for 24 hours - just make sure to give it a really good stir before serving.
There are 251 calories in this smoothie.
More smoothie recipes
If you’ve tried this chocolate cherry smoothie, hen let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 200 g cherries - pitted
- 4 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 350 ml almond milk
Instructions
- Pit the cherries and slice the banana. Put into a blender.
- Top up with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Notes
- If you bananas are really ripe, then you might find that you don't need to add any extra sweetener. It depends on your taste.
- Use frozen bananas to make it extra creamy.
- Add some extra protein this smoothie with either some Greek yoghurt or nut butter.
- Give the smoothie a green boost by blending in some avocado, kale or spinach.
- To make the smoothie thicker, use frozen fruit or adding some oats.
- Add some ground flax seeds or chia seeds for extra nutrition.
- A little cinnamon adds some warmth and extra nutrition too.
- To make this a little more indulgent, top the smoothie with some chopped up dark chocolate.
- When adding ingredients to a blender, always add liquids first. This will help your blender run easily and will help stop any lumps in your smoothie.
- Use a high powdered blender to make sure everything is really smooth.
- Make this extra thick and serve it as a smoothie bowl loaded with toppings.
allan
its so chocolatey yum yum yum
Pepper
Delicious! I used a little more maple syrup.
So convenient that there's a US version! I can eat this without my parents saying " Stop eating Dessert in the middle of the day!" Sooo good!
Janis
First time I tried this it’s yummy and feels indulgent
Doma
Wish I found this site earlier. All of the smoothies featured here are beyond delicious.
Pepper
So True!
jovaan
We need more of these recipes! Balanced, micronutrient heavy, healthy eating allowed me to achieve my fitness goals. Dare I say...Sugar is NOT the enemy.
Mariel
So good! I cut everything in half, except for the milk. I used unsweetened coconut milk because that's what I had, and I did 1 cup of it, because, despite cutting everything else in half, I just like my smoothies a little thinner. It made the perfect amount for one! I also used a sugar free maple syrup, and added 1.5 teaspoons of a chia, flax, and hemp mix. It came out to 5 points on the WW green plan, and it was a really good start to the day. Although I altered the receipt a bit, this was a great base for a delicious smoothie to make your own way! Thank you for sharing!
tanzeela fawad
I have been wanting to make this for couple of weeks before but I have not found the right recipe. After trying this my whole family fell in love. I’m so glad i made it and i can really rely on site’s recipes thanks
Toni
My kids loved this! Such a great day starter!
Beth
This looks fabulous! I am always down for chocolate in the morning! It will be a good morning with this delicious shake!
Cookilicious
Now I could totally serve this as dessert! Love it
Erica Schwarz
This smoothie is so delicious and I especially love that it uses almond milk. Cherries are YUMMM.
Kira
Yep
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I made your recipe for a gathering the other day and everyone kept asking for the recipe. It was totally a hit!
Aislinn
How ripe do the bananas need to be before you freeze them? Is it okay to use fresh ones or do they need to be a little over ripe, like in comparison to using them for banana bread
Dannii
They need to be somewhere inbetween just bought and banana bread ripe ideally.
Aislinn
Perfect thank you! Is there a correlation between the ripeness and the intensity of the banana flavor? Like for your "chocolate ice cream" recipe I don't want it to taste like banana so would I want those to be less ripe or does it matter?
Dannii
Yes, the riper it is the more full of flavour it is. But if it is not ripe, it is harder which means it doesn't blend as well and isn't as sweet (the reason for using it).
Zsanett
Mine is banana strawberry :) but this looks very delicious too :) I want to try it. :) honestly I'm really happy I found your blog. :) I found a lot of interesting post. :) thank you. :)
Kira
First time used to much cocoa But next i will not