Great smoothie to make for breakfast with no added sugar. Perfect combination of chocolate, peanut butter and banana combined with oats and yoghurt.

There is not much better flavour combination than chocolate and banana. Combine it with crunchy peanut butter, breakfast oats and full-fat yoghurt and you have a protein & calorie loaded meal.

I often make this version of smoothie as a breakfast porridge with pretty much the same quantities, so I know this portion fills me up for the morning and I'm ready to start my day. The smoothie is hight in protein and fibre.

Why make this smoothie?

Delicious breakfast smoothie
Perfect balance of calories (400 cal) to replace a breakfast
High in fibre (7 g) and natural protein (15 g)

PIN TO KEEP FOR LATER

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Note on Ingredients

1/3 cup breakfast oats or gluten free oats
1/2 cup boiling water or enough to cover the oats
pinch of salt
large pinch of cinnamon
1 small banana or 1/2 of a large one
30 g milk or dark chocolate or more if you like
2 tablespoons smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup yoghurt full fat, dairy free if you like
1/2 cup milk or water dairy free if you like

I've deliberately left out any sugar or sugar substitute as most of the ingredients already contain some form of sugar. If you use ripen banana it will give you plenty of sweetness without the need to add any sugar.

Since this smoothie doesn't contain any added sugar, you need to sharpen that existing sweetness with a tiny pinch of salt. This is quite important, so don't skip it.

Talking about sugar, you can make this smoothie sweeter if you choose a milk chocolate, but I usually go for dark 70% cocoa solids chocolate. But smooth milk chocolate goes really well with this recipe too.

If you really needed to add more sweetness to this smoothie, you can try my homemade brown sugar syrup, coconut sugar or any of the coconut sugar alternatives, honey, agave or pomegranate molasses alternatives.

Start with just a teaspoon of the sugar syrup and only add more if you feel that the smoothies needs it.

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Preparing the oats for your smoothie

You'll find that there is one extra step, which I always do when I'm using oats in my smoothies. I prepare the oats by leaving them to soak in boiling water.

As much as oats are celebrated as a great source of fiber and perfect source of slow releasing energy for our bodies, they are also fairly difficult for most people to digest.

By pre-cooking them you are helping to break down the oats fiber and they are much easier to digest. That's why you'll find so many recipes for 'over-night' oats!

Pouring boiling water over the oats (or cooking the oats in microwave or on a hob) speeds up the process and you don't need to pre-soak them overnight. Since we are going to blend the oats in the end anyway, I don't see any point keeping the oats structure.

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How to make chocolate, peanut butter & banana smoothie

Place the oats in a mixer and pour boiling water over them, just enough to cover and a little bit more.
Add the chocolate to the hot oats (this will melt it beautifully).
Leave to cool down.
Add all the other ingredients.
Blend everything together and adjust the taste to suit.

Portion size

This recipe makes 2 portions, because I usually make it to keep one glass for the next day or later during the day if I'm running my chocolate making classes and can't really sit down to eat my lunch.

If you find the portion too big (it will make about 400 ml) you can always share it or leave a bit for later (when you come back from morning run).

The recipe can be easily made smaller, just half all the ingredients.

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How to store your smoothie

My Chocolate, peanut butter & banana smoothie (no added sugar) is best-used straightaway. This means making it and drinking it immediately. It's best to dring the smothie straightaway to make sure it's fresh and perfectly blended.

If you want to keep the second glass for later, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 12 hrs (covered).

This smoothie does tend to separate, when you leave it standing for longer. To bring your smoothie back together, stir it with a spoon or a fork before drinking it.

This smoothie also freezes well, providing you've not used previously frozen bananas. I find that making large batches and freezing my smoothies is actually pretty good way to save time in the morning.