Yummly
All you need are three simple ingredients to make this scrumptious chocolate and banana smoothie. Made with fresh bananas, chocolate cream cheese (more on that below), and milk, this chocolatey banana smoothie takes a total time of thirty seconds to prepare and works as an on-the-go breakfast, dessert, or mid-afternoon treat. ## Variations While this recipe is delicious as it is, there are several recipe variations you can try: _Make Your Own Chocolate/Cream Cheese Combo:_ If you can’t find chocolate cream cheese at the store, you can easily make your own with regular cream cheese and a few Tablespoons of chocolate syrup. Or, come up with a different dairy/chocolate combination: Combine regular cocoa powder with vanilla Greek yogurt, cocoa nibs with regular cream cheese, or chocolate milk with plain yogurt. For a dairy-free (and vegan) option, simply mash together half an avocado and unsweetened cocoa powder, then add sugar to taste. _Substitute Greek Yogurt:_ Chocolate yogurt works well as a healthy alternative to chocolate cream cheese. Greek yogurt creates a thick and rich consistency but regular and low-fat yogurt work as well. _Make It Dairy-Free:_ While this particular recipe calls for regular milk, you could easily substitute coconut milk, almond milk (or chocolate almond milk), soy milk (or chocolate soy milk), or another non-dairy milk and a non-dairy yogurt like coconut, almond, or cashew yogurt. _Make It Extra Creamy:_ If you love your smoothies extra rich and creamy, consider adding half an avocado to your concoction. _Transform It Into A Dessert:_ The next time you crave dessert, simply add chocolate syrup or whipped cream to this healthy smoothie. Or, transform it into a chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie with the addition of peanut butter. _Top It Any Way You Like:_ Tasty toppings, such as chopped pecans, toasted coconut flakes, chia seeds, or homemade whipped cream (made by combining added sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer) can be the “cherry on top” of your smoothie. There are plenty of ways to modify this smoothie recipe to make it your own. Have fun experimenting, swapping out several ingredients or adding new toppings. There really is no limit to what you can do with this delicious recipe. ## Meal Prep Tips If you want to make your smoothie in advance, here are a few tips making them delicious ahead of time: _Freeze Bananas In Advance:_ To make sure it's cold, use frozen bananas in your smoothie. Bananas should be frozen at least two hours before you prepare your smoothie, and preferably overnight. Over-ripe bananas work best for freezing. Simply peel the bananas, then freeze in a plastic freezer bag. As a bonus, using a frozen banana also produces a thicker smoothie. _Chop Fruit And Store In The Refrigerator:_ If you choose to add other fruit to your smoothies (such as melon or apples), cut them into smaller portions and store in containers in the refrigerator. _Portion Ingredients Beforehand:_ If you enjoy an on-the-go, liquid breakfast in the morning, simply portion-out all dry ingredients (in this case, cream cheese and bananas) into individual mason jars in the evening. The next morning, simply dump the ingredients into your blender, add milk and puree. This chocolate banana smoothie recipe takes very little time to prepare, however, just a little advance effort can give you just a little time back in your week.