Healthy Chocolate Banana Kefir Smoothie

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Who doesn’t want to start their day off with chocolate?

Vertical image of a glass jar with a handle filled with a dark brown smoothie and a straw, with bananas in the background and text on the top and bottom of the image.

Sure, you could blend up a variety of berries, tropical fruits, and juice, but sometimes dark and luxurious sounds better than bright and light.

And let me tell you, this smoothie tastes rich. Nothing light about it. Well, except in the nutrition facts department.

So many smoothies are high in sugar, thanks to the addition of fruit juice, that they’re more of a dessert than a healthy breakfast or snack.

But not this one.

Naturally sweetened with honey and banana, it has a rich chocolate taste and a decadent, frothy texture thanks to the cacao powder and kefir.

And yes, I said cacao, not cocoa. So, what’s the difference?

Vertical image of a glass mug filled with a creamy chocolate beverage with a striped straw next to whole bananas.

Let’s start with what makes them similar. Both start out as beans from the cacao plant. These beans are then milled and processed. And that’s where their paths diverge.

For cacao powder, the beans are processed at a low temperature and then milled into a fine powder. Because the heat that’s applied in processing is minimal, cacao powder retains many of the nutrients found in raw cacao beans, and it has a strong bitter flavor.

Cocoa powder, a staple in many households, is made by fermenting and roasting the beans at a high temperature. They’re also alkalized to reduced acidity, resulting in a powder that’s still bitter, but less so than cacao powder.

Nutritionally speaking, both have just 1 gram of sugar per tablespoon, but cacao powder is significantly richer in minerals.

Vertical top-down image of a dark brown smoothie in a glass mug with a straw next to bananas.

Specifically, cacao powder is a good source of iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

While you can likely find it at your local health food store, buying it online is always a good way to go, and may even be cheaper.

Viva Naturals Organic Cacao Powder, available on Amazon

Now onto the second key ingredient: kefir.

Have you ever had drinkable yogurt? Well, kefir is similar.

A cultured, fermented drink, kefir is a creamy, tart beverage that contains a good amount of protein, calcium, potassium, and B-vitamins. Together, these nutrients can help with bone, muscle, and heart health.

But what makes kefir so special? It’s also a rich source of beneficial bacteria known as probiotics.

While we’re still learning exactly how probiotics affect our wellbeing, some of the more studied benefits include improving gut health (such as relieving symptoms of IBS and IBD), helping with anxiety and stress, reducing LDL cholesterol, and boosting the immune system.

Vertical image of a hand holding a glass mug with a creamy chocolate beverage and a straw.

Next, to sweeten this smoothie up a bit, we’re enlisting the help of honey and a banana.

While still a source of sugar, honey does have the added benefit of being rich in antioxidants. Plus, depending on the flowers used to make it, local honey can add lovely floral notes to your smoothie.

And a little sweetness helps to balance the bitter qualities of the cocoa, making it the perfect smoothie to serve your family members something healthy without getting caught!

You can also add a splash of coffee to perk up the flavor and energy level, or top it with some superfood cacao nibs for a finishing crunch!

Finally, bananas. High in potassium and fiber, adding them to your smoothie is a nutritious way to add extra sweetness.

Plus, if you freeze the banana beforehand, you’ll end up with a super creamy smoothie, worthy of enjoying as a dessert, whether in a chocolate based beverage like this one or in a seductively luscious green smoothie.

If you haven’t tried adding a frozen banana to your smoothies yet, do yourself a favor and throw one in the freezer right now!

Just be sure to peel it first.

So, what are you waiting for? Break out the blender and whip up a nutrient-packed, smoothie with a rich, dark chocolate taste!

Print
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Horizontal image of a glass mug with a cacao smoothie and straw next to whole bananas and chocolate pieces.

Chocolate Banana Kefir Smoothie


  • Author: Kelli McGrane
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x

Description

Perfect for breakfast or a light dessert, this naturally sweetened, gut-healthy chocolate kefir smoothie is as creamy as it is nutritious.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups plain kefir
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
  • 1 ripe banana, preferably frozen

Instructions

  1. Place ingredients in a high-powered blender in the order listed above, with the liquid ingredients added first, followed by the powder, and finally the more solid and frozen items. If your blender does not have the blades at the bottom, reverse the order so the frozen banana will be furthest from the blades.
  2. Blend until smooth. 
  3. Pour into two glasses and enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Smoothie
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: Beverage

Keywords: kefir, cacao powder, banana, honey

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Measure Ingredients

Horizontal image of a bowl of cacao powder, a bowl of honey, a glass of kefir, and a banana.

Measure out your ingredients. For a creamier smoothie, use a frozen banana.

If you don’t have cacao powder, you can substitute in cocoa powder instead; however, you may need to add more cocoa powder, as it doesn’t have as strong of a taste as cacao.

Maple syrup can be substituted for the honey if you prefer.

Step 2 – Blend and Serve

Horizontal close-up image of a blender with assorted wet and dry ingredients.

Place all of ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into two glasses and enjoy!

Horizontal image of pouring a light brown liquid into a glass mug.

Note: be sure to check out our post on 7 Tips to Make Better Smoothies to really up your smoothie game.

Sweeten It Up

Despite having a deep chocolate color, this smoothie is not overly sweet. If you want to turn it into more of a dessert, you can sweeten it up even more by adding an extra banana (preferably frozen) and another one to two teaspoons of honey or maple syrup.

Horizontal image of a glass mug with a cacao smoothie and straw next to whole bananas and chocolate pieces.

Looking for more ways to put your blender to use? Check out some of our other favorite smoothie recipes on Foodal:

What’s your favorite smoothie combination from our collection of healthy drinks? Share in the comments below, and don’t forget to give this gut-healthy recipe a rating before you go!

Photos by Kelli McGrane, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on July 13, 2012. Last updated on January 17, 2020.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

The written contents of this article have been reviewed and verified by a registered dietitian for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as personalized or professional medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet, or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.

About Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

Kelli McGrane is a Denver-based registered dietitian with a lifelong love of food. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in nutrition science from Boston University. As a registered dietitian, she believes in the importance of food to nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Nutrition is very personal, and you won’t find any food rules here, other than to simply enjoy what you eat.

10 thoughts on “Healthy Chocolate Banana Kefir Smoothie”

  1. I have something similar to this (sans the honey) everyday. I usually don’t use as much chocolate as you do, but I’ll have to try it.

    Reply
    • This recipe yields 2 servings, so that’s about 6 tbsp. of cacao per serving. A “standard” serving of raw cacao powder is 2.5 tbsp., so that is quite a bit. I would recommend adjusting to taste.

      If you’re concerned about the caffeine content, 6 tbsp. contains about 60 mg of caffeine (though this can vary). A standard cup of coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine.

      Reply

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