Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake Smoothie
A thick, frosty smoothie that tastes like a diner chocolate-peanut butter milkshake but is built on frozen banana, cocoa and milk. Ready in 5 minutes with one blender.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- —
- Total
- 5 min
- Makes
- 2 smoothies (about 12 oz / 360 ml each)
Steps
Before you start
- Peel and slice bananas, then freeze on a tray for at least 4 hours (or overnight) so they are rock solid.
- Measure the peanut butter with a lightly oiled or warm spoon so it slides out easily.
- Use a creamy, well-stirred peanut butter; natural styles work, but stir the oil back in first.
Load the blender
- Pour the milk into the blender jar first, then add the peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.
- Top with the frozen banana coins and the ice, if using.
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Ready when: Liquids are on the bottom and frozen banana sits on top.
Tip: Liquid first helps the blades catch the frozen fruit and prevents air pockets.
Blend until smooth
- Start on low speed for 10 seconds, then increase to high and blend 45–60 seconds, pausing once to scrape down the sides with a spatula and pushing the mixture toward the blades.
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Ready when: Thick, uniformly chocolate-brown, with no banana chunks or cocoa streaks, and it falls off a spoon in a slow ribbon.
Tip: If the blades spin without pulling anything down, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Taste and adjust
- Taste and adjust: add 1 more teaspoon maple syrup for sweetness, or 2 tablespoons milk if it is too thick to sip through a straw.
- Pulse 5 seconds to combine.
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Ready when: Thick like a milkshake but pourable.
Serve right away
- Divide between two tall glasses and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, if using.
- Serve immediately with wide straws or spoons.
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Ready when: Frosty and thick; it starts to thin after about 15 minutes.
Tip: Chill the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes for an extra-frosty shake.
Good to know
Tips
- Very ripe, spotty bananas make the smoothie sweeter, so freeze them at that stage.
- For a thicker, more ice-cream-like shake, use only 1 cup (240 ml) milk and skip the ice.
- Add a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder with an extra 2–3 tablespoons milk for a post-workout version.
- Salt sharpens the chocolate and peanut flavors; don't skip the pinch.
Make ahead
Freeze the banana coins up to 3 months ahead. For grab-and-blend mornings, bag the banana, peanut butter, cocoa, maple syrup and salt in a freezer pack; add milk and vanilla when blending.
Storage & reheating
Best drunk immediately. Fridge: keep in a sealed jar up to 24 hours; it will separate, so shake or re-blend. Freezer: pour into ice cube trays or a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month; re-blend with a splash of milk to serve.
Substitutions
- creamy peanut butter → almond butter or sunflower seed butter. Use the same amount; sunflower butter makes it slightly earthier and nut-free.
- whole milk or unsweetened soy milk → oat milk or almond milk. Oat milk gives the creamiest dairy-free result; almond is lighter.
- pure maple syrup → honey or 3 pitted Medjool dates. Dates must be blended very smooth; soak in hot water for 5 minutes first.
- unsweetened cocoa powder → Dutch-process cocoa powder. Gives a darker, milder chocolate flavor; use the same amount.
