Post-Workout Chocolate Peanut Butter & Hemp Protein Smoothie

Fuel up after your workout with this chocolate peanut butter & hemp protein smoothie - made entirely with wholesome plant ingredients to leave you feeling 💯! It’s rich, super chocolate-y, sweetened using only bananas, and loaded with nutrients and protein! Healthy, delicious, and free of added sugars - this smoothie is rich in fiber, protein, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Whenever I’m craving a post-workout snack or drink, I immediately gravitate toward the same chocolate peanut butter and hemp protein smoothie. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve had this smoothie countless times and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon - it’s my post-workout go-to for good reason!

This protein smoothie is super chocolate-y, peanut butter-y, not too sweet (don’t want to spoil that appetite with dessert before dinner, you know?!), and loaded with nutrients, fiber, and protein. It’s incredibly nutritious, while also being quite tasty, making it the perfect post-workout fuel!

Ingredient Overview

This smoothie packs in 6 different plants - bananas, hemp, peanuts, cacao, flax, and whatever plant your milk is made with (I love oat!) - each of which contain fiber, protein, and diverse nutrients and vitamins.

Frozen bananas are a smoothie staple that make it creamy while also sweetening it, helping to keep the smoothie free of any added sugars! Aside from being delicious, bananas are also rich in fiber and pack in potassium and antioxidants. One large banana balances out the bitterness of the cacao without overly sweetening the smoothie, but you can throw in a few extra frozen slices to further sweeten it to taste if you’d like.

Hemp protein powder contains a single ingredient - hemp! Unlike most commercial protein powders available in the unregulated supplement marketplace, it’s free of any additives like hard-to-pronounce artificial flavorings, colorings, sweeteners, or whatever else companies have managed to sneak into their protein powders nowadays. (Don’t get me started. 🤮) Hemp is an incredible food. It contains all 20 amino acids, including all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein! It’s also loaded with fiber and contains essential minerals, among other benefits.

Check the label of any hemp protein powders to make sure they only contain a single ingredient: hemp. Some brands will (unfortunately) incorporate some additives, so avoid buying those - they’re completely unnecessary and single-ingredient hemp protein powders are widely available. If you don’t want to buy hemp protein powder, you can substitute hemp hearts!

Although hemp protein is a nutritional powerhouse, it has a strong earthy and grassy flavor on its own. But rest assured - that’s where the chocolate and peanut butter come in!

Cacao powder makes the smoothie super chocolatey! (Because who doesn’t like chocolate?!) Raw cacao powder packs in antioxidants, fiber, and some protein, which I’ve raved about before in my posts for Chocolate Almond Granola and Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (vegan Nutella) recipes! It’s a key component in making the smoothie delicious and masking the hemp flavor.

I hope I don't have to go into the merits of how delicious peanut butter is? 🤤 Peanut butter further thickens the smoothie and, most importantly, pairs with chocolate to recreate the incredibly addictive timeless combo of peanut butter and chocolate (est. circa 1884 in taste bud heaven, probably). (How long after the invention of peanut butter did it take for someone to pair it with chocolate? 🤔) I’m sure you already know that peanut butter contains a lot of protein, but it’s also rich in fiber (catch the theme here?) and various vitamins.

Ground flax gives the smoothie a big boost of omega-3 fatty acids (which are essential in maintaining healthy bodily functions) and - you guessed it - more fiber and protein!

We need some liquid to blend everything up, and any plant milk will do. Oat milk is my personal go-to for smoothies, but use your fave!

I like to throw in some ice sometimes for a thicker texture, but you can leave it out to keep it thinner!

I’m addicted to topping my smoothie with some crunchy cacao nibs for more extra chocolatey goodness and some hemp hearts, but feel free to leave these out if you’re not into textured toppings.

Throw everything into a blender and you’ll be on your way to post-workout bliss within minutes!