This getting older business is rough, isn’t it? I’m only beginning to notice the effects. My smile lines seem just a little deeper. Silver strands are infiltrating my dark hair. Hangovers hurt more than they used to. I’m even shopping for comfortable shoes (who am I?!).
On the upside, I’m getting wiser, too. I’m not taking failed relationships quite so personally, because most aren’t meant to be. If a job doesn’t suit me, I’ll find a better one. If a “friend” makes me feel small, out she goes! It’s never easy, but every time I take a leap toward the brighter side, I’m better for it.
Take this smoothie. I used to sip on a similar smoothie at a raw, vegan restaurant where I worked for a brief time. I waited tables on the weekends just to learn from the chefs, and I learned a lot about food presentation and vegetable preparation. It wasn’t a happy place, though, so I was glad to leave once I had learned enough.
I got this smoothie out of the deal, too. It’s rich and creamy, gently spiced with cinnamon and cayenne pepper (hence the Oaxaca, Mexico reference), and naturally sweetened with ripe bananas. It’s a nutritionally redeeming, grown-up chocolate frosty—my favorite frozen summer treat.
Oaxaca Chocolate Banana Smoothie
- Author:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Smoothie
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
This rich chocolate banana smoothie recipe is spiced with cinnamon and cayenne for a little kick. Slice peeled, overripe bananas into 1-inch chunks and keep them in the freezer so you can make this smoothie whenever your sweet tooth demands it. Recipe yields one 8-ounce smoothie, but you can multiply the recipe and make several at once if you’d like.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashew milk or milk of choice
- 1 large frozen banana
- 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Dash of cayenne pepper (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Optional sweetener: ½ teaspoon maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the milk, banana, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, cinnamon and cayenne and blend. Don’t worry if the chocolate chips are still a little chunky.
- Taste, and add sweetener if necessary (I used overripe bananas and didn’t need any additional sweetener).
Notes
To make the raw/extra-healthy version: Substitute cacao nibs for the chocolate chips, cacao powder for the cocoa powder and add 1 teaspoon maca powder for a nutritious malted flavor.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Use your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy chocolate chips. Vegans, if you add sweetener, make it maple syrup.
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
ashley-bakerbynature
I have a birthday coming up in July and cannot stop thinking about how weird it is getting older…! So bizarre. BTW – I am all over making this smoothie. It’s perfect! xx
Grace
I shopped for comfortable shoes last night! Like, old lady sandals. You know, the ones with lots of cushion and that awkwardly shaped heel? Curse that heel! Every day I feel like I start to see my mother in myself which is all good but I refused to buy the shoes. I walked out discouraged with a pair of only slightly comfy heeled boots.
Kate
Grace! WHY are comfortable sandals so impossible to find?! All I want are cute, not-chunky sandals with a bit of cushion and arch support. We should go into business as sandal designers.
Grace
I hear ya! It shouldn’t have to be this hard! As long as you can draw better than I can I think this business partnership has great potential.
Katrina @ WVS
This sounds like a freaking dream!
Maria
Love this smoothie!
Caitlin
yes! this is fantastic! i cannot wait to make it ;)
Tiffany @ Savor Home
I heart when I see a fantastic recipe that I already have all of the ingredients for in my pantry! My Vitamix and I are tight these days, so I’ll be making this over the weekend!
Amy @ CookingScraps
I am running down to the kitchen now to freeze a banana for this smoothie. It’s super humid in the woods today, and between that and the bugs, a chocolate banana mini-vacation is just what I need around here!
Kate
Hope the smoothie mini-vacation works wonders, Amy!
Abby@TheFrostedVegan
You got it right girl! Getting old is hard, you mean I can’t wear these cute heels and drink more than I should and feel ok?? What is this business?!
Kate
Right?! Whyyyy?
Autumn
YUM! Can’t wait to make this! I have a protein shake every morning for breakfast so I’ll just use my unsweetened vanilla almond milk, add Plant Fushion vanilla protein powder, take your advice on adding Maca powder as well since I love it and I know it will be delish! :)
BTW – getting older isn’t so bad :) My 30’s have been great so far, just enjoy the ride…. even if I’d rather not have the fine lines that have formed. hehe
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Loving this smoothie, especially the spice!
Katy @ Katy'sKitchen
I love adding spices to smoothies. I have a similar version of this in vanilla, but adding the cayenne pepper is a really interesting idea. I bet it goes just perfectly with the chocolate. I so know what you mean about comfortable shoes- if my feet aren’t happy I’m not happy!
Lindsey
never would have thought to add cayenne! i love how even a smoothie can have spice. looking forward to making this.
Kate
Hope you love it, Lindsey!
Angela
Oh I hear ya on the getting older thing! It’s not easy at all! I look at women who have children and families and wonder how they do it because I am busy enough just trying to look after myself! As for this smoothie, every bit about it sounds wonderful. I have some overripe bananas that would be perfect for the job!
Kate
I have no idea how mothers do it all! Hope you enjoy the smoothie, Angela.
Jennifer @ Delicieux
On the rare occasion I have a smoothie chocolate and banana is my flavour of choice, however I love the spices you’ve added to this.
I know what you mean about getting older, but one thing I won’t relent on is comfortable shoes. I love my heels :) I’ll probably be crippled with arthritis when I’m older, but I just can’t give them up.
Christy@SweetandSavo
Can’t wait until my bananas ripen a bit more- and why have I never put chocolate in a smoothie before? Thanks for the idea!
HH @ EatGreatBEGreat
I LOVE smoothies! Pinning this one and can’t wait to try it!
Tieghan
Getting older is scary and I am only going to be turning 20! But I am still NOT looking forward to it. I want to stay young forever! Don’t we all?!?
Love this smoothie and I have everything need to make it ASAP!
the actor's diet
I love having permission to add chocolate to smoothies!
amber
I had a birthday recently and have been noticing some of the same things — namely the greys (no, the WHITES) infiltrating my almost-black hair… and a lower tolerance for bullshit.
Love the look of this smoothie. I often make smoothies when I can’t face a meal. Next banana smoothie is going to have a bit of spice!
dervla @ the curator
ummm yes getting older is a bit sucky but the getting wiser thing is cool too. Plus i feel more confident than i ever did in my 20s. I was so insecure then. And that milkshake – wow, that milkshake. I thought i was doing good last night with a malted chocolate one.
Dan from PlatterTalk
Nice job putting one foot in front of the other, Kate! Besides gaining wisdom and all, you’ve also been able to pass on this delicious sounding grown-up frosty other folks – and we appreciate it! Have a great weekend, thanks for another nice post :-)
Lauren
I just love chocolate smoothies/shakes with that light brown hue! It makes me think of the chocolate malts I used to drink prior to going dairy-free. Yours looks delicious and beautiful! :-)
Becky
Love the idea of this recipe!! Getting older does have its benefits as we think less of what others think and don’t take things as personal. This was and still is hard for me a times but also very freeing! Hope you are doing well and escaping any tornados :)
★★★★★
Eva Spell
Oooo I am soooo looking forward to trying this one! :-)
Marcie
I find that the older I get, the less I put up with. If I don’t like it, I’m not doing it! Life’s too short. Your post was well-put! Love the sound of this smoothie.
Kasey
You are wise beyond your years, Kathryne. I love your approach to getting older – ‘out she goes.’ Indeed. xo
Dina Apovian
Looks great, can’t wait to try this…. did you use unsweetened cocoa powder?
Kate
Yes, unsweetened!
Marissa Pinch&Swirl
Just gorgeous, Katherine! Your audacity + honest keeps me coming back! Yay you!
Gina
Kate, I love your recipes. I think our taste buds are twins. I love the same flavor combinations that you do, from the sweet to the savory. Your photography is tantalizing and beautiful. The short tidbits of insight you share with your recipes + taste bud twins + gorgeous food art = one of the very best food blogs I have come across, in my opinion. So glad I subscribed. Much love to you and much appreciation for sharing your blog with us.
Kate
Gina, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I’m really delighted that you enjoy my blog and my recipes. Sure sounds like we are taste bud twins! Wishing you many happy, healthy meals ahead.
Gunhild
Kate, I must tell you, your blog has turned into one of my two favourite blogs, the other one being the Detixinista blog. Your recipes win every contest though as every single one I’ve tried out so far have been fabulous!
Your photographs are also beautiful and when I’m tired or down I just browse through some of your recipes and they actually help my mood (yes I know, I’m a weird one)
Anyways, I hear you on the getting older thing. I realized I was older the day I just could not bear the thought of climbing into another pair of sky high heeled shoes. Getting older is somewhat depressing at times, but looking at the youth struggling to find themselves, I realize that growing older and somewhat more grounded has its perks too.
I’ll celebrate by having a spicy banana chocolate smoothie :-)
Kate
Gunhild, I’m sorry for my delayed response, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate your comment! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy my blog. It makes my work worthwhile. :)
Rebecca
oooh I will definitely be making this!
Kit
I was so excited to see this and even more excited that I had all the ingredients just lying around! As a broke college student this made me feel super fancy and like I slightly had my life together (although we all know that’s a lie.) Being actually Mexican, I added a bit more cocoa powder and extra cayenne to make it taste more like what I remember from my childhood, but it was delish and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Krystal
DELICIOUS!! It is the perfect consistency and the chocolate flavor is spot on and nicely balanced by the banana.
janelle
this looks delicious! as we get older, it’s funny how much we can learn and learn to live with/without. things happen, people come and go, but the learning from it is what matters. love your blog
Ashley
Just made this and it is so delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe and love your blog!
★★★★★
Joanne
I mean really, what is it about getting older, hangovers, and shoes!? It’s really the worst. but sometimes…the perspective IS nice, I will concede.
Loving this smoothie! Possible good as an old-age hangover cure?
Salinya
I’m always looking for new smoothie recipes…especially ones with chocolate. :) This looks delicious.
Jacqui
I’ve been obsessed lately with chocolate milk and healthy smoothies lately, but I really like the extra kick of heat you’ve added to yours! Will be trying soon! p.s. I’ve been catching gray hairs in my dark hair for a couple years now; I debate if I’m going to color my hair or let it go natural every time I see one, ha!
ami@naivecookcooks
Kate I have been doing the same lately, trying not to wear heels because I feel so uncomfortable and cushioned shoes sound sooo good!!! Gosh my bday is coming soon and I feel older!
Liz
I wish I didnt have to head out the door to work so that I could make this smoothie RIGHT NOW! It looks delicious (and easy). Thanks for the recipe.
Jodye
Any excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast is perfect with me, but this is especially wholesome, so I can feel great about it! The addition of cayenne and cinnamon sounds wonderful and warming. I’m going to freeze up some bananas right now!
erin
Kathryne, So true. Being able to move on from bad friends, jobs, situations is one of the great benefits of growing older.
And your smoothie looks delish!
Hope you are well,
xoxo
E
Lucy Loves To Cook
This looks so tasty, I never think to whip up a smoothie but this looks gorgeous!
Kate
This makes a really nice smoothie.
Heather/snacktive
Ooh I’m going to try this in my blendtec (which is up to 180 blends by the way)!!
Kate
Hope you love it! I think I’m around 130, so you still have me beat!
Maggie
I’ve made this smoothie twice in the past 3 days.. seriously addictive! Fixes my sweet tooth perfectly and I love the kick :) So tasty! Thanks for the great recipe!
Kim
I love this so much! Along with a million of your other recipes (peanut soup, strawberry quinoa salad, Belize kale salad, falafel). Thanks for doing what you do!
Kate
Thank you, Kim! :)
Ana
I am thinking about making this into a popsicle. Has anyone tried that? Are there any ingredients that need to be added?
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Ana, I haven’t heard from anyone who has tried. Good idea. I suspect they will turn out a little icy—bananas have a lot of moisture in them. Using coconut milk instead of a lower fat nut milk might help make them more creamy.
Katie
Looks absolutely amazing! Make a green cocoa smoothie every morning- but have never tried adding cayenne.. YUM!
Liliya
I love this smoothie. I am currently trying to gain weight, so I add some additions to this including PB and more sugar and it is lovely. Recommend!!
★★★★★
Kate
Oh, I bet it is delicious with peanut butter! Glad you are enjoying it!
Sandra
Amazing. I cut the cocoa in half so it is not quite as rich.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Sandra!
leslie
This looks SO good! Since I can’t eat bananas.. I’m thinking about using frozen cauliflower instead and adding a bit more sweetener. Hopefully it works out :)
Kate
Hmm… That sounds very interesting and not sure how it will work out since consistency, flavor, etc is very different. Love to hear what you think!
Nicole
This was yummy! I had one non-frozen overripe banana to use up, so I made it with that + 5 ice cubes. I did a full tsp of maple syrup, and used unsweetened oat milk. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Anshu
I love your recipes.
★★★★★