If you grew up dipping crispy french fries into your cold, creamy Wendy’s frosty, wow do I have a surprise for you. This epic chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie literally tastes JUST like a frosty but is naturally sweetened with fruit and made with five simple ingredients.
I made this last summer on repeat and absolutely had to share it again! Enjoy this chocolatey goodness for breakfast, a filling snack or even a healthy dessert any day of the week. French fries optional but recommended.
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5-ingredient chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie
That’s right, you’ll just need 5 simple ingredients to make the creamiest, most delicious chocolate banana smoothie recipe ever. It seriously tastes just like ice cream but is packed with sneaky protein! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Banana: I like to use a frozen ripe banana to keep the smoothie nice and cold and give it a natural sweetness.
- Cacao powder: that rich, chocolate-y flavor comes from iron-packed cacao powder!
- Peanut butter: a couple tablespoons of natural, creamy peanut butter make the chocolate banana smoothie so delicious. I linked my favorite brand and you can use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ for 15% off!
- Vanilla extract: for a little extra flavor boost.
- Milk: feel free to use any milk you’d like. I prefer unsweetened almond milk.
Easy ingredient swaps
This vegan chocolate banana smoothie is easy to customize with your taste preferences and what you might have on hand.
- Choose your milk. Feel free to use any milk you’d like in this recipe. Almond milk tends to have a neutral taste in smoothies, coconut milk will add a subtle sweetness and creamy flavor, and regular milk will add a boost of protein.
- Swap the nut butter. I love the flavor that peanut butter gives to this smoothie recipe, but feel free to swap it for almond or cashew butter.
- Use cocoa powder. Out of cacao powder? Unsweetened cocoa powder will also work well.
Our favorite nutritional boosters
This easy chocolate peanut butter smoothie is great for adding your go-to nutritional boosters. Here are some of our favorites to add:
- Flaxseed meal: this is one of my favorite ingredients to add to smoothies for a little boost of fiber and minerals, and is especially great for nursing mamas as flaxseed can help increase milk supply. Usually, a tablespoon is plenty! Here’s a brand I love.
- Hemp seeds: feel free to throw a tablespoon of hemp seeds into your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats, omegas and minerals.
- More veggies: you could also try adding some frozen cauliflower for an extra boost, or adding a handful of spinach or kale. You’ll never be able to taste them!
- Protein: Easily add more protein to a smoothie by adding some greek yogurt or 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder. I recommend Vital Protein collagen peptides or Four Sigmatic Plant-Based Protein Powder.
How to make the creamiest chocolate banana smoothie
With a few tips & tricks you’ll have the best creamy chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie every time:
- Use frozen fruit. This helps keeps the smoothie cold and thick. Sometimes ice doesn’t blend as well, so it’s best to skip unless absolutely necessary.
- Add more liquid as needed. Don’t be afraid to add more liquid if your smoothie is too thick or won’t fully blend. High powered blenders tend to blend frozen fruit much better, so if you have a regular or personal size blender, you may need to add more milk.
- Start at low speed. You’ll want to start blending low and then gradually increase to high to help blend all ingredients. Finally end with the blender on low speed.
- Sweeten to taste. If your chocolate banana smoothie doesn’t taste sweet enough for your liking, you can add a 1/2 tablespoon of honey, pure maple syrup or 1 pitted Medjool date. Be sure to use a super ripe frozen banana for the right amount of sweetness to start.
How to meal prep this smoothie
Feel free to make the smoothie as-is or double it for later and check out my three amazing ways to prep and store smoothies right in your freezer. Perfect for busy weeks!
The best smoothie tools
Check out more of our favorite go-to kitchen essentials here.
More smoothie recipes to try
- Good Morning Coffee Lover’s Smoothie
- Coconut Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie (with sneaky veggies)
- Peanut Butter Blueberry Banana Smoothie
- Snickerdoodle Tahini Date Smoothie
- Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
Get all of our delicious smoothie recipes here!
I hope you love this chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 large frozen ripe banana
- 1-2 tablespoons cacao powder (or use unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 2 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice), plus more to thin as necessary
Instructions
- In a large high-powered blender, add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined. Start with 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, but feel free to add another if you like it extra chocolatey. If necessary, add in more almond milk to thin the smoothie. Makes 1 smoothie. Feel free to double the recipe to serve 2.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 16th, 2021, and republished on June 7th, 2022.
145 comments
5 stars!!! I added chia, flax and hemp seeds and it was sooooo yummy. Will be making frequently 🙂
The best smoothie everrrr🤤
Haha YAY, glad you loved it!!
So you just put all the ingredients in a blender and blended for a couple minutes, put it in the glass and it turned out looking like that?
Yep, you can see the step-by-step photos above. Did you try the recipe and not have great luck?
This was amazing making this
This was so good! I love all your smoothies I’ve made but this one hit the spot differently! So creamy and delicious but not too heavy for breakfast. I will definitely be making it again soon.
Yay! I’m so happy you loved this one, Marilyn!
This is almost dangerously good. I just made it (with oat milk because that’s what I had) and split it with my husband and we could both easily drink several more. It tastes like chocolate cake batter. Yum! I need to put bananas on my grocery list again, and I think next time I’ll try adding flax seeds.
It’s my new fav smoothie, so happy you’re loving it, too! And you’re so right that it tastes like cake batter 🙂
This recipe was so delicious and perfect as is! An excellent healthy treat.
Wonderful! I’m happy that you enjoyed it, Kathryn!
I love the receipe i tried it and it is very yummy😊
I’m so happy to hear that, Leni! 🙂
Yooooo. I froze a banana yesterday so I could make this today. I’ll throw spinach in next time! I have not had a frosty in years, but I’m sure it’s “thinner” (less thick/creamy) than this and has a fake chocolate flavor. This is probably tastier than a real frosty! Simple but ya killed it, Mo.
*I used Fairlife milk for a protein boost.
Aw YAY!! So happy you loved it ❤️
You had me at the words peanut butter! Thank you 🙂
MY FAV INGREDIENT!! Hope you can try this one soon!
This is one of the best smoothies I’ve ever made! I devoured it. Highly recommend 💗
YAY!! So happy you loved it!
I made this and added about a cup of ice to make thicker. Absolutely delicious and mouthwatering! Thank you for this great recipe!
Great idea! So happy you loved it 🙂
This smoothie is the best I’ve made in a long time! The taste is rich, not too sweet. The texture is thick and creamy. DELICIOUS!
I’m SO happy you’re loving it, Courtney! Yay!
WOW!! It tastes just like a frosty and I was licking the cup it was so good! Shocked at how simple the ingredients list is for this perfect summer chocolatey treat! Yum!!!
Woohooo! So happy you loved it, Haley!
Oh how I love this smoothie/shake so much! But I had to giggle when I had my first sip of it and said to my husband, “I don’t think she’s been to Wendy’s in a long time!” 🤣 I, too, am a big fan of the frosty, and while I do love this shake, I don’t really think it taste like air, in all it’s chocolatey-banana goodness. Knowing these ingredients are actually good for me, though makes it better.
Oops. Not “tastes like air.” Haha “tastes like it” as in a frosty.
Hahaha that’s ok, glad to hear you’re loving it though!!
Loved this! Taste like a chocolate milk shake!
Right?! So glad you think so, too! 🙂
So delish!
Yay! Glad to hear you love it!
This smoothie is 🔥🔥🔥. I add spinach for some greens but it’s on rotation weekly. Tastes like dessert!
Yay! So happy to hear. And great idea to add spinach!
My absolute favorite chocolate/peanut butter smoothie, and I’ve tried a lot of them. Because really, chocolate and PB should be it’s own food group! LOL It is even good made with almond butter.
Looking for something sweet but you don’t enjoy anything super sweet? This is for you! This smoothie hit the spot even my kiddo approved!
This is the best treat everrrrrr!!! When I crave something sweet this is my go to smoothie.
Oh yay!! So glad to hear you’re loving it, Marina 🙂
Love this smoothie! We make it for a treat many nights!
Such a good one, right?! Glad you guys are loving it!
I just bought a Vitamix and made this smoothie!! Omg…delish!!!!
Ooh congrats on the purchase! And happy to hear you loved this one!
This is amazing! I added 1 scoop of Promix Whey Chocolate Protein which I was afraid would make it chalky but it didn’t, SO delicious!
So glad it worked out and that you loved it, Renee!
Can’t wait to see it
Sooooo good! Your smoothies (and recipes) never disapppint, but this one is particularly delicious. I made it with my little one, and they were literally licking the last drops off of the blender. Even better: we already had all of the ingredients at home. Thank you!!
Thank you!! So happy you both loved it and that you already had everything you needed to make them 🙂
Loved this rich, creamy chocolate peanut butter smoothie. I’m abstaining from sugar and dairy and so this was such delicious treat. Thank you!
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a review, Becky!
I loved this recipe it was so awsome!I just don’t have more words.
Hahaha I’m so glad to hear that!! Thank you!
I used my chocolate protein powder instead of cocoa powder to make this a post-workout shake and I didn’t have a frozen banana so I added some ice to make it colder and thicker. As usual, it was fantastic! Can’t go wrong with this flavor combo!
Love your smoothie recipes and I make a lot of them. This one is totally awesome and SO delish! I usually add some protein powder and yogurt for a big protein boost. Some of my other special favorites are the Chai-spiced butternut squash smoothie (to which I add cold chai tea instead of all the listed spices and the almond milk) , and the cinnamon sweet potato pie smoothie. Please keep those smoothie recipes coming!!
Aw thanks so much, Leslie — happy you’re a fan of my smoothies! We’ve recently published a bunch more which you can find here 🙂
Could you substitute powdered peanut butter in this recipe
I haven’t personally tried it but I don’t see why not! 🙂
A great easy to make recipe.
Thanks for sharing.
SO glad you enjoyed it!
This is the best banana smoothie I’ve ever had. My friend brough me a dozen of ripe bananas and I didn’t want it to go to waste. I’m glad I found this recipe and the best thing about it is the bananas are best when frozen. So I cut it all up and, bagged each cut-up bananas, and freeze it for future use. The peanut butter gave it a nutty taste and the unsweetened cocoa neutralized the ripe bananas sweetness. I highly recommend.
The perfect use for all those bananas! SO happy you love it 🙂 I have a bunch of other recipes to use up ripe bananas here, too!
I’ve literally made this every day this week!! So so soooo good!
I have literally made this every day this week!! So so sooooo good!
I normally don’t enjoy smoothies that much but this was so good! Will definitely make this again soon.
Sooo delicious and goes down so smooth! I find doubling the recipe is easier for blending (more for me or split with hubs?). Monique is right, added spinach for a healthy boost and while it turned it a slightly different color, couldn’t even taste it! I also add a bit more almond milk to thin it out a bit. Such a tasty smoothie and will definitely be making it all.the.time.
Thank you so much for the review, Leah!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I have been trying many of the smoothie recipes on this site. This is the best so far. So good!
This recipe is incredible! I was in the mood for this specific type of smoothie & the amounts of the ingredients listed were perfect.
Tastes soooo good 😋😋😋
So glad you love!!
This is the best smoothie I’ve ever had. It pairs 3 of my favorite things, chocolate, banana and peanut butter. I use 1% milk and the vanilla. I even added 5 chocolate covered frozen raspberries for an extra treat. Sooooooooo delicious! Thank you. 🙂
Really good! Easy and quick to make and the perfect consistency. Not too thick, also not too runny.
So happy you enjoyed it, Liane!!
This is so delicious. I had just come from driving my dog around and thought “ohhh, I would love a peanut butter and chocolate scoop from Baskin Robbins”, but I didn’t want to feel terrible…..crash from a sugar high…etc..” So I made this instead And it is fantastic!
Hahaha perfect! So glad it hit the spot 🙂
I omitted the banana and I used 3 dates and doubled the other ingredients. Using the banana last time left me feeling tired (blood sugar, I’m sure). The dates did not. Just as delicious.
Perfect! I’m glad that worked out well!
Satisfied my chocolate craving! I used almond milk, almond butter, regular cocoa powder, and I added a tablespoon of flax meal as suggested.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Loved this!!!!!! Yum! I added hemp seeds and couldn’t taste them….used almond milk…not too sweet which is how I like it! Will definitely make again!
Nice! SO glad you enjoyed it, Sherry 🙂
I am in my gaining phase. I tried this smoothie and it’s just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
I was so excited to try this but it ended up not tasting so great. I think it was the cacao. It’s a potent flavor and I think 2 teaspoons was maybe too much. And it could use more sweetness.
Oh my goodness, this smoothie was the bomb. It was so delicious 😊
The best smoothie!! So glad you enjoyed ❤️🙂
This recipe is spot on! Thanks for sharing your very delicious recipe with all of us! I can say I have made it and it is so so good y’all! You gotta try this one out! Kudos!
Absolutely! So glad you are loving this smoothie 🙂
I love your recipes. I would like vegetarian ones and vegetables smoothies where I would get all my daily vitamins and minerals as I don’t eat as many veggies as I should. Fruits are no problem. I would even go on a smoothie diet for a couple of weeks,but don’t know how to accomplish this and feel full.
Thanks for any help.
Anne
Hi Anne – On my site, you can go to the menu > recipe index > and under diet type, select vegetarian. It will bring up all of the vegetarian recipes on my site. Enjoy!
This is the best smoothie ever!! My brother and I made it with cocoa powder and Costco 5% milk. I was like wow that’s good.
Thank you for this recipe! The smoothie turned out great, but the reason i am giving this a 4/5 is because is has no sweetness whatsoever. Add about a teaspoon or 2 of sugar and it is perfect 🙂
Simple and delicious..!!
I have been using many recipes for smoothies and making up my own!!! BUT….wanted something different…….and better!! Made the Chocolate PeanutButter Banana Smoothie and really like the instructions…..smoothie is great also!!! Will use this site for my ideas on smoothies for SURE!!!! Thanks!!!!
Aw yay! So glad you are loving this smoothie. Thank you so much for your comment, I appreciate it!
The most indulgent, but healthy smoothie to satisfy my sweet tooth! I added oats and chia seeds to make it more filling, and a squirt of agave because again.. sweet tooth. Delish!😋
Has become one of our favorites! Thank you so much for sharing!
Outrageously delicious recipes
Ah thank you! I am so glad 🙂
This is a bomb recipe! Not too sweet, simple and delicious. I added half a serving of protein powder for a little extra protein and it worked perfectly.
Yay! SO glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
It’s good but I found it bland so I added a tablespoon of Marple syrup and it sweetened it up
I have to use an Ensure. I had a small stroke, and sometimes it’s difficult for me to swallow. My doctor was worried that I wasn’t getting enough nutrients. Hence, Ensure. I bought a bunch of vanilla ones, and the taste is not great. I believe that 2 tablespoons of chocolate are too much because I put in 2. I also added some ice, because I needed to thicken it. I’m sorry I didn’t see your note about adding spinach until after I drank it I was craving something chocolate, and this certainly took care of that. I usually put berries and yogurt. This one tasted almost sinful! Thank you for the great recipe! Next time, less chocolate and some spinach!
I am so glad you found this smoothie and you are loving it! Hope you are feeling better ❤️
Perfect for when you are trying hard to eat a super nutritious diet but just need a little treat! So delicious. Thank you for all your fantastic recipes.
YUM! SO glad you loved this recipe and it turned out great for you
Loved this! I used half a banana, the unsweetened baking cocoa powder, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and PBfit peanut butter powder with a few drops of monkfruit sweetener. It’s 0 points on WW and a perfect snack. Tysm for this yummy recipe!
Yay!! Such a great healthy snack.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Smoothie is delicious, and rich, The recipe is quite simple. I love this smoothie!
Amazingly delicious! Added one chopped date instead of any sweetener and it was the best. Rich, chocolate flavor enhanced with dark cocoa powder, too.
That’s a great idea! SO happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I’m new to smoothies and this is my favorite so far. I used dark cocoa, 2% milk, frozen banana and peanut butter, but no vanilla. It was yummy!!!
Amazing!! SO happy you love this one. I have a ton of other smoothies on my site — hope you can try them 🙂
Your recipes look amazing! I have a question. You say that smoothies can be made in advance and frozen, but whenever I freeze a smoothie it gets icy and becomes unpalatable even after it defrosts because the ice crystals don’t break down. Is that your experience?
Thanks so much! I would recommend making sure you store in an airtight container!
Delicious! Also tastes great with a scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder added to it. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Sounds SO delicious! Glad you’re loving this smoothie, such a delicious treat!
I added a date in for extra sweetness and it was delicious!
Nice! So happy you loved it, Nadia!
I just made this. Oh damn, it’s good!
WOO! This is the best, glad you’re loving this smoothie 😍
Absolutely delicious smoothie! I used lactose free milk for it…Only problem was the bananas I used could have been less sour.
Great recipe! The smoothie was delicious. The only problem was is the 🍌 I used were sour…
Delicous recipe
We always have it
So glad you’re loving this smoothie, Mikayla ❤️
I like to add one scoop of chocolate protein powder too.
Great idea! Perfect breakfast.
Absolutely delicious! I love recipes that even my kids will eat.
I’m all about the kid-friendly recipes! Glad this one was a hit!
Delicious! I added a scoop of vanilla flavored whey powder. Tastes just like a chocolate shake. I’ll definitely make this again!
So good!!
I doubled the recipe and added a fistful of spinach – delightful! Very thick. I was craving something chocolatey after a dental surgery and this is what I made. It was super satisfying!
Love it! Perfect snack or breakfast for recovering 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! It helped me make my own with what I had at the moment of craving a peanut butter smoothie! I used 1 banana, a big spoon of hot cocoa powder, couple table spoons peanut butter, oat milk, and a few nutty&fruity brand dried strawberry soft & juicy. I enjoyed it. Hubby didn’t. But I’m excited to try more modified versions!
Love that! Perfect breakfast (but sorry your husband wasn’t a fan!)
The recipe turned out great but I couldn’t find it very easily.
Hi! Do you mean you couldn’t find it on the website? Or once you were in the post? Feel free to use the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page 🙂
I made this smoothie for my kids for breakfast… snuck in a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a scoop of flax. They loved it and asked for more!
Amazing! One of my go-to’s!
I haven’t tried anything yet, but your site is really helpful, and I don’t get lost looking for the recipes. This is awesome.
I’m so glad! Hope you find some recipes here to try 🙂
Used PB2 powder instead of normal peanut butter- in total only 212 calories and soooo tasty!!
I’m glad that worked out well!
This smoothie is soooooo yummy! It is exactly what I was looking for. Our local Santa Barbara smoothie shop makes one very similar that my boys and I often get but they were closed when the craving hit so we thank you for the awesome recipe! Ohhh…the money we’ll save, too! I only had unsweetened cocoa powder and didnt add any additional sweetener. I added a little bit of crushed ice which I would only recommend doing if you have a very strong blender to complyh
Amazing! So glad you found this one!