The Best Vegan Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipe

I can’t believe it had been that long since I’d last had a smoothie. In fact, for some strange reason, I’d almost forgotten that they even existed. I don’t think that I’ve ever had one since going vegan at the beginning of this year. 

But then eventually, I inevitably got a craving for one, and of course, had to go with one of my favorite flavor combos in the world: peanut butter and chocolate. 

If you know me, then you’re no stranger to the fact that I like to add all kinds of “unexpected” ingredients to my smoothies, in an effort to make them more nutritious, give them a boost of flavor and lots of texture: I love my smoothies to be thick and to offer my teeth a little bit of something to chew on. 

This time, I decided to throw in a whole half cup of chickpeas to my Peanut Butter and Chocolate Smoothie. You read that one right: chickpeas. I figured their nutty flavor would serve to emphasize that of the peanuts, that they would also do a tremendous job as a thickener and would help a great deal in boosting the protein content. 

I’m happy to report that they did a superb job on all 3 accounts! Try it for yourself, you’ll see…  

Smoothies are super easy to make: simply prep all your ingredients and place them in the container of your blender. The use of a high-speed blender is highly recommended to achieve a super smooth and silky consistency, but really, any blender would work. 

Likewise, I chose to use a frozen banana, because I like the way they behave in smoothies, giving them a bit of a frosty “edge”, but if you didn’t have any of those lying around in your freezer, a good plain old ripe, room temperature banana would work just as well. 

Also too, this smoothie isn’t really sweet at all — I totally prefer them like that — but if you want to add a tad more sweetness to yours, go ahead and throw in a tablespoon or two of pure maple syrup, or another sweetener of your choice. Smoothies: they are SO not an exact science, you know! 

As you can see in the pictures, I like my smoothies real nice and thick! If you prefer yours to be a bit on the thinner side, by all means, simply throw in a little bit more milk, until you have reached your preferred, desired consistency. 

Then, simply transfer your finished smoothie to a fancy drinking glass — or your favorite portable container if you are going to take this baby with you somewhere — and enjoy as you see fit! 

I chose to give mine a little bit of an added crunch by garnishing it with a handful of chopped peanuts, which later got mixed in with the rest. I totally recommend doing that if, like me, you enjoy your smoothies to have a bit of “chewability” factor to them. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie

This Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie is a quick, easy, simple, nutritious and delicious way to start your day... or to keep your tummy satisfied when you're on the go!  

 Prep Time 5 minutes

 Total Time 5 minutes

 Servings 1

 Calories 420 kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 ripe banana preferably frozen but fresh will work
• 1-1/4 cups oat milk or other non-dairy milk of your choice
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas or canned
• 3 tbsp pea protein powder or your favorite vegan protein powder
• 2 tbsp organic cacao powder
• 2 tbsp powdered peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chia seeds 
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional but recommended!)
• pinch salt (recommend Himalayan Salt)

Optional garnish

• chopped peanuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in the container of your blender and process on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired.
2. Serve immediately.

Source: The Healthy Foodie