A rich and creamy healthy chocolate smoothie loaded with protein thanks to a secret ingredient that you totally can't taste - beans! It's like a chocolate protein shake but made without any weird ingredients. Naturally sweetened with just banana and dates, this bean smoothie is totally vegan and dairy-free, and I promise it's delicious!
You put beans in what?!
Something you should know about me is that I'll put beans into basically anything. I mean, you've heard of black bean brownies, right? Here on HNL we have Adzuki Bean Brownies and Chickpea Blondies, so it really should surprise no one that I'll put beans in a smoothie.
I'm sorry, did you say bean smoothie? Yes, friends, I did. Bean smoothie! Black bean smoothie! Chocolate black bean smoothie! It's like a chocolate protein shake but without any weird stuff in it. Unless of course you consider putting beans in your smoothies weird, and then I guess it has weird stuff in it. I'm ok with it!
I love finding ways to add lots of protein to a smoothie without adding protein powder. Beans are definitely a favorite, but so is cottage cheese (try this blueberry cottage cheese smoothie—it's soooo good!) or tofu (this strawberry banana tofu smoothie is a fan fave!)
I promise you can't taste the beans
The number one question I get asked about this Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie is whether you can taste the beans, and I promise you cannot. They just blend up creamy and delicious and are totally disguised by the other delicious flavors.
So, what's the point of putting beans in a smoothie? Well, you can pack in a whole bunch of good nutrition (I am a Nutrition Lady, after all) while making something that still tastes really good. It's like throwing a handful of spinach into a green smoothie (check our archive of healthy smoothie recipes for more inspo!)—you can't taste it, but you feel good knowing that it's there.
And did I mention that this Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie not only contains black beans, but frozen cauliflower as well? if you're worried about that. It adds dietary fiber, and makes this chocolate smoothie icy cold and refreshing.
Hemp seeds add another boost of protein, and a frozen banana and a couple of Medjool dates bring the sweetness. This healthy chocolate smoothie is vegan, naturally sweetened, and naturally protein-rich. People love it. Seriously, peep the comments—over 130 of them!
Featured comment
What magic is this?! Doubled for my fam of 4 for breakfast and no one believed me when I told them there was beans AND cauliflower in it!! Love it 🫘
~ Kim ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Let's make this black bean smoothie together!
Step 1: combine all the ingredients
Truly friends, this couldn't be easier. All you need to do is combine all of the ingredients together in your blender.
If you have a classic blender like the one in the picture, start by adding the liquids, followed by the beans and dates, and add the frozen ingredients last. This gives the blades of the blender something to grab onto before it gets to the frozen stuff.
Then all you need to do is blend, baby, blend!
Can I make this smoothie in advance?
You bet you can! This Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie recipe is a great option for meal prepping Frozen Smoothie Packs.
You can also blend it up and keep your smoothie in the fridge for a few hours. It might separate a bit so you'll want to shake or stir before you drink it.
Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower see notes!
- ½ cup black beans
- 1-2 medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup oat milk or milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth.1 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen cauliflower, ½ cup black beans, 1-2 medjool dates, 1 cup oat milk, 1 tablespoon hemp seeds, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pour into a glass and sprinkle hemp seeds over the top if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Using 2 dates makes this smoothie very sweet. I prefer just one, but if you're accustomed to a sweeter drink or your banana isn't very sweet, you can go for two.
- It's really important that you choose either store-bought frozen cauliflower, or cauliflower that has been blanched and then frozen. Raw cauliflower tossed into the freezer will end up giving the smoothie a very bitter taste.
- You can't taste the black beans, I promise!
- This makes one LARGE smoothie for a hungry person, or two smaller snack-sized smoothies.
- Nutrition values are an estimate only!
Nutrition
Mary says
I don't have a high speed blender. Should I soak the date first, or will it work out anyway? This sounds great! I'm anxious to try it!!
Katie Trant says
Hey Mary! No need to soak the date first unless your dates are really old and dry. A fresh medjool date should blend up no problem.
Alison says
Love, love this smoothie! I've made it twice this week. Added spinach the second time I it. Yum!!
Katie Trant says
Oooh, I'll have to try adding spinach some time!
Nikki says
So dang good! Kids enjoyed it too. Cinnamon is often just an okay flavor for me. I thought it went so well in this recipe and what I believe helps disguise the not so common smoothie ingredients. Keeper!
Katie Trant says
So glad you enjoyed this one, Nikki! It's one of my favourites.
Cassie says
OMG this is delicious!!! I can't believe I waited so long to make it
Andree says
Great smoothie. I make another similar smoothie with cannelini beans and cinnamon, and this was great too. Couldn't taste the beans, and black beans are real powerhouses of nutrition. Didn't have room in my blender for the frozen cauliflower, but I'll use the lerger one next time. Great way to get the daily cruciferous veg into the diet.
Katie Trant says
Hey Andree! I'm so glad to hear you enjoy this smoothie as much as we do.
Leesa says
This recipe has been a favourite of our’s for a long time! Another win!
Katie Trant says
It's a favorite in our house too!
Claudia says
I had really high hopes for this recipe, but my first try was really disappointing. The result was so bitter that I had to add more cocoa and maple syrup. Also I could totally taste the cauliflower. It would be incredibly helpful if you wrote "store-bought frozen cauliflower" or "previously steamed frozen cauliflower" in the ingredients. I put raw cauIiflower in the freezer because I hadn't read the comments and I think that's what made it bitter. I also have a question: is there a particular nutritional reason why you chose black beans and not - for example - cannellini beans? Thanks!
Katie Trant says
Hey Claudia! Yeah, it was definitely the raw cauliflower that caused the bitter taste. I'll update the recipe notes to make sure this doesn't happen again! Nutritionally, you could definitely choose another type of bean. I think black beans go well with chocolate (like black bean brownies) which is why I chose them for this recipe, but another type of bean would work as well.
Gayle says
I admit, I was skeptical. However, this smoothie is incredible...thick, delicious and made with whole foods! I'm thinking as scoop of PB added in may be in the cards for me. 🙂 Thanks so much for this recipe.
Katie Trant says
Hey Gayle! This is one of my favourite smoothie recipes! So satisfying thanks to all the beans. I bet adding PB would be delicious, too. Glad you enjoyed it!
Beth says
This is absolutely delicious! I added 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt for a 10g extra protein boost - it's my go-to shake after a workout. Thank you!
Katie Trant says
So glad you enjoyed this one, Beth!
Sarah says
You have truly enriched my life with this recipe! Breakfast is now dessert! I used King Arthur’s Dutch-processed cocoa and it’s outstanding. Thank you so much, Katie!
Katie Trant says
Hey Sarah! So glad you enjoyed this one as much as we do 🙂
Barb H says
So delicious!!
My new go to breakfast. I freeze the banana, black beans and riced cauliflower in baggies. Doing up multiple bags makes the morning so much easier. I just add the cocoa and a tablespoon of maple syrup and milk in the morning. I use half Silk coconut milk and half water. It really is like drinking a brownie. Thank you so much for this great recipe 😀
Katie Trant says
Hey Barb! I love prepping smoothie bags for the freezer as well. It makes busy mornings so much easier!
Janet says
I was intrigued about adding black beans and cauliflower to a smoothie so had to try this recipe. I had some leftover cauliflower so put that in the freezer the night before, then read a comment below saying that the cauliflower needed to be lightly steamed first (whoops!), but gave it a try anyway and it worked. There was no cauliflower taste at all. I love adding as much protein as I can to my smoothies and this makes a great change from protein powder, plus adding fibre at the same time, so this recipe is a definite winner for me. This would be a great recipe for little ones with an aversion to vegetables, but a love of chocolate. For mine I only added one date and cacao instead of cocoa powder and that was perfect for me. Thanks again for yet another successful recipe!
TH says
Hello, can you use raisins instead of dates and if so, how much? Thank you!
Katie Trant says
I have never tried this recipe with raisins. They have quite a different taste and texture to dates, so I don't really recommend.
Kim says
What magic is this?! Doubled for my fam of 4 for breakfast and no one believed me when I told them there was beans AND cauliflower in it!! Love it 🫘
Marie says
So easy to make and you're right, you can't taste the beans or the cauliflower but I love the extra body and nutrition they add. Great recipe!
Beth says
This smoothie is delicious! If I feel like I haven't ate great during the day it's the perfect bedtime snack. I've made it with and without the frozen cauliflower and both taste great. I like having a high protein smoothie option without added artificial protein powders
Laura says
This smoothie is legit. The real deal. I've been making it a few times a week for months now, and I can truly say I'm living my best life. I use cashew or oat milk, and it always comes out perfect!