Easy Protein Mocha Smoothie

Coffee, chocolate, protein oh my… This delicious breakfast smoothie is loaded with protein and still gets your coffee fix in too!

Protein smoothies have always been my go-to breakfast during the week. 1) Because they’re fast and easy. 2) They’re full of nutrients and protein. 3) There’s so many different flavors and ingredients you can use that they never get old! BUT once I started adding instant coffee to my smoothies…oh man, my smoothie game was changed forever! And this protein mocha smoothie recipe is definitely one of my favorites! It’s sweet, creamy, loaded with protein and tastes just like your favorite coffee house mocha frap!

Ingredients

• Chocolate almond milk: Can be replaced with vanilla/regular milk too but I just love the extra chocolatey-ness the chocolat milk adds!
• Banana: Makes your smoothie thick and creamy!
• Instant coffee: Gives the smoothie it’s mocha-like flavor and a little dose of caffine too!
• Chocolate protein powder: Adds protein and even more chocolate flavor!
• Maple syrup: Adds some sweetness while also keeping this smoothie refined sugar free.

What makes this smoothie healthy?

Protein smoothies can be a great healthier option for any time of the day. Like when you’re rushing out of the house in the morning and need a quick breakfast. Or when you want a fast/simple lunch that will keep you full until dinner. Or (my personal favorite) they’re even a great option for a rich protein packed dessert too! Here are a few other more specific reasons why I love this protein mocha smoothie:

• It’s 100% vegan. (As long as you use vegan protein powder, non-dairy milk and maple syrup.)
• It’s dairy free and gluten free.
• Low in sugar. (You can even omit the maple syrup if you want to keep it completely sugar free!)

What protein powder should I use?

I would suggest looking for a good vegan protein powder if use if you want to keep this smoothie vegan. I love using Sprouts vegan protein powder for this recipe because it’s one of the few that I’ve tried that actually tastes amazing! It also has 20 grams of protein, is soy and gluten free and even comes in 3 different flavors too; vanilla, chocolate and salted caramel. (Some protein powders can taste pretty bland and chalky so I would recommend testing out a few different powders to find which one you like the best.) That being said, if you don’t need this to be vegan than feel free to use your favorite brand of protein powder too!

*Side note: If you’re looking for more natural and plant based protein powder to try, then I would definitely suggest looking at your local Sprouts. I love shopping there for most health and wellness products because they have a huge variety and I can usually find excatly what I’m looking for.

Tips for making a protein mocha smoothie

• Use frozen bananas! Freezing your bananas can really up the creaminess of your smoothie. I like to pre-slice my bananas into “coins” before freezing them to make it easier to blend later.
• Use good quality insant coffee: Because this is a mocha smoothie the coffee taste will be pretty strong, so you’ll want to make sure it’s at least a coffee flavor that you like. (Every instant coffee brand is different. Some are much stronger or weaker than others and some can also a little… err cheap and crappy, for lack of a better explanation. So again I would test out a few different brands to see which one you like the best. I personally love using Starbucks insant coffee. It’s very strong which gives this smoothie a very intense moca flavor. 🙂 )

More reicpes you might like:

• Dalgona Coffee: 3 Ways
• Raspberry Chocolate Chip Sorbet
• Citrus & Pomegranate Kale Salad
• Summer Peach & Blueberry Kale Salad
• Healthy Italian Sub Salad

[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my social media @kalefornia_kravings – I love seeing what you create!]