This creamy, chocolatey cold brew smoothie is a delicious treat for your morning. With caffeine, protein and a few extra nutrients, it’s the perfect way to kick off your day. This particular recipe requires some prep (frozen banana and frozen milk in an ice cube tray), but after many rounds in the test kitchen, I can assure you it makes for the creamiest and tastiest smoothie. Follow along for how I created my favorite morning treat, as well as how to modify it to make your perfect cup of joe smoothie.
Ingredients
Cold brew: The most balanced of coffees, in my opinion! See below on why I chose cold brew and other alternatives.
Frozen banana: ESSENTIAL to the creaminess of the smoothie, don’t skip freezing the banana.
Cacao Powder: Enhance the chocolate flavor of the smoothie. Can be substituted with cocoa powder.
Hemp hearts and Chia Seeds: Rich in healthy fats, essential fatty acids, a great source of protein and adds a nutty flavor.
Maple Syrup: Add a dash of sweetness!
Frozen milk ice cubes: Frozen milk ice cubes help with a creamy flavor, without diluting the flavor of the smoothie. See notes on alternatives you can use.
Why Cold Brew?
In a past life ( before we had kids ), my husband and I spent hours experimenting with all the different ways to make coffee – espresso, drip, cold brew, nitro cold brew, pour over etc. Cold brew is by far one of my favorites. It’s rich, smooth, creamy, and chocolatey; The long steep takes out any bitterness, making for a delicious cup in the morning. We love to brew a batch of cold brew and drink it throughout the week, waking up and enjoying a glass before the bustle of the day begins.
How to make a Cold Brew Smoothie
Step 1: Gather your ingredients
Step 2: Put all ingredients into blender
Blend for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth. You’ll know it’s done when there is a tornado like shape in the middle of the blender!
Step 3: Enjoy
Cold Brew Smoothie Notes and Substitution
Which Cold Brew maker to use
We use this brand of cold brew maker: Takeya Cold Brew Maker.
Don’t have a Cold Brew maker? Here are some other options:
- Purchase a bottle of cold brew or cold brew concentrate. With a toddler and an infant, I have to admit we’ve been opting for this option lately. Califia has a delicious bottle of premade Cold Brew!
- Make a pot of coffee. Make it a coffee smoothie recipe! Cool to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Pour into an ice tray to make frozen coffee cubes to store longer.
- Have an espresso machine? Make an espresso smoothie! Pour 1-2 shots of espresso. Pour espresso over ice to cool, then strain into a 3/4 measuring cup. Fill the rest of the measuring cup up with water.
How to freeze a banana:
Peel bananas and cut them in half. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and put into the freezer (this prevents them from sticking together). Once frozen, remove and place in an airtight container.
How to make frozen milk ice cubes:
I have tried this recipe a few different ways, here are the results:
- Regular water ice cubes: I didn’t have any frozen milk at first, so I used 1 cup of ice cubes and added ¼ cup of milk straight to the smoothie. The consistency of the smoothie wasn’t as creamy, but the flavor was still delicious. If you just have regular old ice, this will work fine for the smoothie.
- Oat Milk ice cubes: My personal favorite! Added just the right amount of creaminess and the flavor wasn’t too heavy or overpowering.
- Coconut ice cubes: Made from canned coconut milk, this made the smoothie very creamy and added a strong coconut flavor. I don’t love coconut, so this option wasn’t for me, but if that’s your jam you should try this out!
- Unsweetened Almond milk ice cubes: I haven’t tried this personally, but this would make a great dairy free alternative. Comment below if you sub in almond milk!
Hemp hearts and Chia seeds substitutions:
If you don’t have seeds or don’t like the texture it adds, you can make it a cold brew protein shake! You can substitute your favorite chocolate protein powder, vanilla protein powder or even peanut butter, almond butter or any other nut butter to make this a delicious coffee protein smoothie.
Equipment Used
Print
Creamy Cold Brew Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Cold Brew Coffee (we’ve been using a bottle of Califia lately, see FAQ’s for alternatives)
- 1 Frozen banana
- 1 tbsp Cacao powder
- 1 tsp Hemp hearts
- 1 tbsp Chia seeds
- 1/2 cup milk ice cubes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Cacao nibs (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Place all ingredients in a blender
- Blend: Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. You should see a smooth tornado formed in the middle of your blender, this is when you know everything is all blended and it’s the right consistency
- Enjoy! Pour into a glass and top with cacao nibs
Notes
See above for substitutions
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: breakfast
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This looks Good!