Cherries, banana, and cacao create a fruit-and-chocolate smoothie with cinnamon in the background. Spinach and almond milk form the green base. The cherry flavor is clearest with plain fruit rather than sweetened cherries intended for desserts or toppings.
Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Chocolate Cherry Cinnamon Green Smoothie
Cherries, banana, and cacao create a fruit-and-chocolate smoothie with cinnamon in the background.
Prep: 5 minutesServings: 1
Base recipe: 1 serving; the full base batch
Vegan
Category image
Measured ingredient amounts adjust with servings. “To taste” amounts and directions stay as written.
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup cherries frozen, checked for pits
- 1 banana, peeled
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1–2 tablespoon cacao powder (adjust to taste)
Directions
- Put the measured liquid in the blender with the prepared leafy greens. Secure the lid and process until the leaves are finely dispersed, stopping the machine before scraping down the sides if needed.
- Add the remaining edible ingredients, including the measured fruit, nuts, seeds, or spices listed for this recipe. Blend until evenly combined. Use the machine instructions to choose a suitable speed, and stop before checking texture or scraping the jug.
- Taste a small spoonful after blending. If the mixture is too thick to pour, add cold water one tablespoon at a time and blend briefly again. Divide the base batch into 1 serving and enjoy promptly.
Notes
Contains tree nuts. Prepared ingredients are required; additional cooking, cooling, freezing, brewing, or soaking time is excluded from the active prep estimate. Serving volume and nutrition totals are not measured.
Adapted from Jen Hansard at Simple Green Smoothies.
Tips and ingredient notes
Check cherries for remaining stones. Begin with the smaller cacao quantity in the listed range. Sweet and tart cherry varieties give different results, so note your choice when comparing future batches.
Inspect cherries for pits and fragments even when the package says pitted. Sweet and tart varieties have noticeably different flavors. Use the variety specified where possible, and record substitutions before deciding whether the drink needs a different balance next time.
Use unsweetened cacao or cocoa rather than an instant chocolate-drink mix. The latter can contain sugar and other ingredients that alter the recipe. Break up large powder clumps before blending, then taste only after the powder is fully dispersed in the liquid.
Ingredient health benefits
- Spinach contributes magnesium, involved in normal muscle and nerve function.
- Banana contributes potassium, needed for normal muscle and nerve function.
Nutrition references: NIH: Magnesium; MedlinePlus: Potassium. These are ingredient contributions; nutrition per serving has not been calculated.
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Recipe adapted from Jen Hansard at Simple Green Smoothies. Article text and directions written for Healthy Smoothie Recipes. Supplement omissions and preparation changes mean source nutrition totals do not apply.
