Vegan Chocolate Banana Smoothie

How to Make Vegan Banana Chocolate Smoothie

Well, the smoothie is easy-peasy to put together.  Throw everything in a blender, and voila.  But first, check for pits in your dates because even though the container says pitted I've found pits before.  To check, either cut through them or if they're soft you may be able to smash them between your fingers.  The smoothie is best enjoyed immediately.

Tips for Adding Dates to the Vegan Chocolate Smoothie

I used Deglet Noor dates because that's what I can find at my local store and they tend to be cheaper.  Medjool dates would work well in this smoothie.  They're larger, softer, chewier, and tend to be people's favorite.  If you use Medjool dates, start with 2 and taste for your desired sweetness.  

If the dates are not very soft (being able to smash one between your fingers), add them to the blender with the dairy-free milk and let them soak for about 10 minutes to soften.

Alternatively, you can finely chop the dates if you don't want to find bits of them in your smoothie.  As a third option, just don't worry about tiny bits of dates in the smoothie, I actually like getting little bits because they taste like little bites of healthy candy.  (Is that even possible?)  Another option is to use maple syrup instead of dates, start with 2 teaspoons then taste for sweetness.  

How to Customize Your Vegan Chocolate Smoothie 

• Don't have dates - Use 2 teaspoons of maple syrup and taste for desired sweetness
• Want it thicker - Use less milk
• Want it thinner - Add more milk
• Want it more peanut buttery - Add more peanut butter 😉
• Don't want all those calories from the peanut butter - Use peanut butter powder (some brands have sugar in them so you might want to adjust the sweetener you use)
• Add greens - Add a handful of spinach to get more greens.  Spinach is milder than most greens and the taste can be hidden pretty well in smoothies.

Tips

• To keep this plant-based chocolate peanut butter shake cold, use a frozen banana.  Otherwise, you'll need to add ice to have a chilled smoothie.
• I use natural peanut butter that just contains peanuts and sometimes salt.  There is usually oil separation that will need to be stirred back into the peanut butter before using.  If you substitute with regular peanut butter that contains oil and a sweetener, you may want to adjust how many dates you add. 
• Any dairy-free milk can be used.

How to Freeze Bananas for Your Plant-Based Chocolate Smoothie

Do you know those really spotted bananas that get put on clearance at the grocery store?  Those are perfect for freezing to make frozen treats.  The riper the banana, the sweeter it is.  

Peel the banana and cut it up.  I prefer to cut them into quarters, so later on, 4 quarters equal an entire banana and I'm not sticking an entire frozen banana in a blender.  I think my blender would dislike that.  Then store the sliced banana in a freezer-safe bag.