Vegan Chocolate Spinach Shake
43Here is the next vegan recipe using the Square One Organics vegetable purees. Honestly, creating these recipes for Square One has been a food blogger's dream. To learn more about their organic products check out their website and read the mango coconut panna cotta pudding post. I am a huge fan of hiding green vegetables in as many dishes as possible to try and get kids to eat in a more nutritious way. One of the easiest ways to do this is with green smoothies. Raw smoothies are a fantastic addition to any diet, and this vegan chocolate shake is a s'blended way to sneak in some extra veggies to any "greenophobe" piggies (young and old) without them even knowing. Some children are really good at eating their greens, but more often than not it is a struggle for most parents to get enough leafy greens into the bellies of their little piggies.
I have talked about the enormous health benefits of including green smoothies in our diets. There are hundreds of delicious green smoothie recipes and endless creative combinations the whole family can enjoy. But for those kids who claim to be "allergic" to green smoothies this vegan shake is a brilliant option because the chocolate covers up all manner of "green sins" and instead of looking like a green smoothie, it looks exactly like every other chocolate shake and tastes even more like the typical toxic omnivore delights on offer at most convenience locations and restaurants.
If you want to make your own spinach puree to make this vegan smoothie, just lightly steam 8 cups of raw baby spinach and puree in your food processor. You do not need to add any water. If you wanted to make this a raw smoothie you could also make this smoothie with 3-4 cups of raw baby spinach leaves. This is one of my favourite quick easy allergy free recipes because it is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free and sugar free. If you are looking for easy healthy Vitamix recipes for children, this is a good one too!
I grew up with Kermit The Frog bemoaning that it was "not easy being green". Well, Kermie, It is now! Give this s'blended vegan chocolate shake a spin in your house and see if anyone knows your green secret. It is one of the best Vitamix recipes and healthy blender recipes you can make for your health!
Vegan Chocolate Spinach Shake
- 2 cups organic unsweetened rice milk
- 1/4 cup (1 2oz cup of Square One) spinach puree or about 3 cups of raw baby spinach
- 2 fresh or frozen bananas
- 6 pitted organic dates
- 3 Tbsp cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (whatever you have)
- 1 tsp non alcoholic vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp regular extract
- pinch of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt
- Throw all ingredients in your blender (I use a Vitamix) and puree until rich and creamy.
- Add a handful of ice cubes for a really cold smoothie.
- Devour and Smugly Smile. YUMMO!
- Serves 2 - 4.
Piggy Cooking Tips
select fresh spinach popeye would be proud of
The best tasting spinach has vibrant bright green leaves with crisp stems. This spinach also has the highest nutritional value. Purchase organic wherever possible. Avoid wilted leaves that have yellow discolouring, bruising, or a slimy coating. This spinach has passed its prime and should not be consumed.
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Piggy Grunts!
Add Your GruntI know….you can totally make this without dates and just use an extra banana. For those of us who don’t eat a lot of sugar it is sweet enough. But I was trying to replicate the flavour of mainstream chocolate shakes in order to offer an option to mums who want to hide some spinach for their kids. LOL!
You so very smart Blender Girl! The kids won’t have a clue! *Insert evil laugh here*
I made this for my kids yesterday and they had no idea there was spinach in it. They were asking for more. I will reduce the sweetener little by little and we will be in business. Thanks Tess. I really love your site. It is just so much fun!
Thankyou so much Brianna.
I really appreciate your kind words of support and encouragement. I am so glad you enjoyed this smoothie. Yes, you can even halve the amount of sweetener and it is enough. Enjoy :)
This was so good. Thank you. It didn’t feel no where near as naughty as a regular choc shake.
Hey AEve, that is about 3 cups of raw baby spinach . Sorry for any confusion.
Hey Piggy Bronman!
I totally understand! Who can pay that much for bananas! My heart goes out to all of the flood victims.
You can thicken this smoothie with avocados (which I know are really expensive as well). You will just need more sweetener.
Alternatively, you can add in some berries to make this a chocolate berry smoothie which is delicious.
If you have any more questions feel free to email me. Oink Oink.
Thanks for asking that question Bronman i was going to ask the same thing. Where i live in NSW bananas are $16.99 a kilo. Crazy!! It’s a sad but we just gotta smoothie on! Thanks for the alternative Tess
I tried this today for dessert and it was absolutely delish! I LOVE chocolate and usually I have to decide between something healthy and something chocolate, but on this website, I don’t have to choose between being healthy and being happy. Thank you again, Tess, for a recipe that I’m going to use over and over and over!!!
Amazing! Just tried this on my very skeptical 4 year old cousins, BUT they LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! They keep asking for more!
This really DID taste like a chocolate shake. I was surprised how closely it resembled the real thing. Bravo!
Hey Piggy Jessica,
You don’t have to add salt. I just add a pinch to boost the flavours.
One more thing, Besides the spinach what other veggies are good to add for protein without compromising the yummy flavor?
Hmmm….Yes, I know what you mean…I have tried lots of greens and none of them work as well in this smoothie as spinach. The only things that come close are different kinds of lettuce. But they don’t have the rich nutritional profile. If you shoot me an email I will try some other ideas and get back to you as I have had many requests about this! Thanks for the great question :)
Is unsweetened cocoa powder the same as cacao powder? If not, is it ok to use? In the same quantities? Thanks Tess! I’m really hoping Cole likes this for breakfast!
Ann
Hey Ann!
You can use cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder and this smoothie is delicious! Use throw the spinach in raw and it is even better!
Let me know how you go and looking forward to seeing you soon :)
This shake is delicious - a perfect way to be naughty and nice - the kids are asking for more. They are also asking for the “piggy straws” they see in this picture.
Hey Piggy Kathryn!
That is SO cute!
Thanks for sharing :)
Dear Blender Girl,
I am a gal having a love affair with her Vita Mix and I am SO glad I found your site this week. It has increased my bliss by about 8 or 9%! (To put that in context, finding fuchsia Frye cowboy boots on sale at Marshall’s for 60% off bumped me up by 15%).
I have consumed a chocolate spinach shake every day for the past five days. I have also tried some of your cranberry recipes, since I had a glut of them, and your sweet potato shake. Tonight I will make your Socca recipe. Looks easy enough.
I also love your site design. Your big pink search box is the coolest.
Sending you blender love,
Elaine
Thanks for your lovely words Elaine.
I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. It made my day :)
I am so happy to be connected in “Vitamix love affair” bliss!
I laughed so hard about the Marshalls comment! I am always doing my “piggy dance of joy” in the aisles of TJ MAXX and Marshalls when I found a fabulous bargain!
We must be piggy kindred spirits!
So glad you found the site and are enjoying it.
Happy Holidays :)
I know this recipe has been up for a while, but I just got a Vitamix, and happened upon your site as I was researching recipes. I made this smoothie and it was an absolute dream! I look forward to making it again. Thanks so much for your efforts.
Hey Jennifer!
Welcome! It is so great to be connected with you in “Vitamix Loving” Heaven!
I am SOOO excited for you and your new Vitamix. That machine will change your life.
I am so pleased you enjoyed this smoothie.
Yes! It is a winner.
For another green treat - make sure you try the sweet kale smoothie. I swear that thing tastes like pistachio ice cream! WOW!
Hi, thanks for the recipe. It’s delicious! However, I do want to find a substitute for the bananas. I will try the avocados, but my daughter has a genetic condition where she can’t process too much fat so for her I would like to try something else. I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried sweet potatoes? Or any other suggestions?
Hey Amy,
Thanks for your comment.
I think mashed sweet potato is a fantastic idea. It would be delicious. Sweet potatoes are not as sweet as bananas, so you will need a little more sweetener to get the right balance. But I have made delicious sweet potato smoothies!
You could also try other fruits such as berries that would help thicken, sweeten, and work well with the chocolate. Please let me know how you go.
In considering substitutions for avocados, if you don’t have sweet potatoes, you might try pureed pumpkin. I’ve made successful subs with this in pancakes and spaghetti sauce. (I’m a sneaky mom!) I’m curious how either would taste in a chocolate shake!
Pumpkin and sweet potato tastes delicious with chocolate!
This was soooo yummy!!! Thank you so much for posting all of these amazing recipes.
It is a pleasure to share them! I am so glad you enjoyed this shake!
Wow oh wow! So first, I’ve got to give you props for coming up with such yummy creations! Your blog and recipes have been a huge source of inspiration for me as I’m finding my own blend; being new to both green smoothies and now a raw vegan life style. Now, for this one: I made it because I wanted to see if it really would serve as a way of sneaking greens into my green loathing friends. It did not disappoint. My only mistake was making it for breakfast. LOL! I cut the sweetener way down, given that my bananas were very sweet, and dates are hugely sweet on their own. It was extremely rich and extremely yummy; and somehow, it’s chocolaty goodness did not leave me feeling nearly as naughty as the very bad for you mainstream creations out there! Thank you again! I look forward to serving this with glee, to veggie haters! :D
Oh Amy, it is comments like this that MAKE MY DAY and make this blog SO worthwhile for me and everybody who reads it. Thankyou so much for taking the time to share your experience with such enthusiasm. You comment seriously just made my day. I am glad you are finding this site useful in your quest for your perfect blend, and I look forward to sharing more recipes with you. Oink :)
6 dates? I don’t drink my smoothies sweet as I just rely on the bananas for sweetness, but then I see you also include cacao powder which I know is bitter, although I’ve never used it. (Until last week we couldn’t even buy it anywhere in my town.) I look forward to trying this out tomorrow.