Chocolate-Covered Cherry Smoothie {Dairy-Free, Paleo, Vegan}

You guys…THIS IS AMAZING!

Seriously, it’s so good! It tastes like a decadent dessert, but you can have it for breakfast.

I couldn’t decide whether to call it a smoothie or a milkshake, so I opted for “smoothie shake.” 🙂

I was inspired to make this recipe after making a cherry chocolate pudding and thought I would try to make a drinkable version. It’s one of the tastiest things I’ve made and is now Bill’s “go to” smoothie in the morning.

What I like the most about smoothies (or, in this case, milkshakes!) is how easily you can pack lots of energy, immune and beauty-boosting nutrients into ONE glass.

This one is loaded with anti-inflammatory and beautifying foods like hemp seeds, cacao powder, avocado and spinach.

But cherries are the star. They’re a fruit that we’re all familiar with but don’t hear too much about healthwise. Check out all of the health-boosting benefits of cherries below.

cherries

Why I love cherries:

Check out this link from Dr. Mercola or this one from Dr. Joel Fuhrman to learn about even more of the health benefits of these power-packed fruits 🙂

Not only is this smoothie shake fueling and nourishing, it’s also rich, creamy, chocolatey and silky smooth. You have to try it!

choco cherry 1Cherrychocshake1

Ingredients

  • 2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed (this has the LEAST flavor of any greens)
  • 1 Medjool date, pit removed
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seeds (my go to protein source for smoothies!)
  • 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional but amazing)
  • 3/4 cup frozen cherries (BJs Wholesale club now sells bags of organic frozen cherries)
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (check out my video for how to make your own)
  • Pinch fine grain sea salt
  • Optional: sprinkle some cacao nibs on top for a chocolatey crunch!

Directions

Put all ingredients in a blender in the order listed above and blend for about a minute or until smooth and creamy.

**If you don’t have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, Blendtec or Ninja, blend the liquid and spinach FIRST and then add the other ingredients 🙂

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3 Comments

  1. Kayla

    Gotta love cherries, the smoothie sounds delicious! I do have a question for you about cacao nibs. I bought some a while back but didn’t expect them to be so bitter. I thought since they are chocolate, they would be somewhat sweet. What types of recipes do you use them in? Thanks!

    • Hey, Kayla! Thanks! Good question! yes, they are a bit bitter, which is why I use them more as an accent vs. a main ingredient. Sometimes I will add them to smoothies (blend them) or in trail mix. I’m sharing a super food trail mix recipe next week! Also, I use them as a coating on some fudge bites that I make and have a cherry chocolate almond fudge bite recipe coming up soon as well. I just grind them up so they’re a little smaller in my food processor and then roll the fudge balls in them. Let me know if that helps! 🙂

      • Kayla

        Thanks for the ideas and I can’t wait for your new recipes!

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