Stay warm this winter with this creamy hot chocolate breakfast smoothie! Made with wholesome ingredients and loaded with fiber and plant based protein, this vegan smoothie makes a healthy and comforting breakfast or snack.
I came across an article the other day that made my chocolate-loving heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
It basically said that eating chocolate for breakfast is awesome isn’t a horrible idea, stating that it can actually help prevent junk food binges later in the day since you’re satisfying your sweet tooth straightaway instead of spending the whole day thinking about it and letting the cravings build up to the point where you want to eat all the sweets in sight.
Makes sense, right?
I know this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone, but I personally have to start my day on a sweet note or I’ll be in the kitchen looking for dessert about 15 minutes after finishing breakfast. And it doesn’t matter how much fibre, protein, or healthy fat I eat — the sweet tooth will still demand satisfaction.
Needless to say, I’m a big fan of sneaking chocolate into breakfast… and definitely no stranger to it. Whether it’s in the form of chocolate oats, chocolate smoothies, or chocolate muffins, a little bit of cocoa in the morning can go a long way towards keeping the cravings at bay. Especially when it’s done right.
And this, my friendly faces, is morning chocolate done very right.
It’s no secret that I’m a complete sucker for thick chocolate smoothies, and that I’ll happily enjoy them all year long… even if it means having to sip them while bundled up by the fireplace in the dead of winter.
But because I know not everyone is as crazy as I am, I came up with a comforting chocolate smoothie that’s perfect for the cooler weather that we’re heading into. I call it — the hot chocolate breakfast smoothie. And yes, it does indeed involve both a blender and a stove… but I promise you that the extra step is so very worth it. Not only does it mean you get to enjoy a warm and cozy smoothie, but the heat helps thicken up the oats and make the finished product super creamy…
I’ve been enjoying this for breakfast every day for almost a week now because I wanted to test out different ingredient ratios and preparation methods to see which one worked the best, and the recipe below is definitely my favourite out of the bunch. It doesn’t involve any extended soaking for the oats (unnecessary), or pouring hot liquids into blenders (potentially dangerous), and yields one of the creamiest and chocolatiest smoothies I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking.
It legit tastes like a cup of creamy hot chocolate, but it’s made with wholesome ingredients that you’d normally enjoy for breakfast, like oats (I promise you can’t taste/feel them), nut butter, maple syrup, and almond milk… with some cocoa powder tossed in for good measure. You know… to keep those mid-day cravings at bay 😉
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Hot Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 Tbsp (16 g) nut butter OR dairy-free chocolate chips*
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup**
- 1/2 cup (40 g) rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp (10 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- The night before, add all ingredients (except chocolate chips, if using) to the bowl of your blender and give it a stir to ensure that everything is well combined. Cover and place in fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but allowing the oats to soak for a few hours will make them easier to blend and give you a smoother, creamier smoothie.***
- When ready to eat, blend on high until oats are fully broken down and a smooth and creamy consistency is reached.
- Transfer the smoothie to a small saucepan set over medium heat (adding chocolate chips, if using) and bring to a simmer or boil, depending on how hot you want it. If the smoothie is too thick, add an extra splash of almond milk until desired consistency is reached.
- When your smoothie reaches your preferred temperature, transfer it to a heat-safe glass, garnish with toppings of choice, and enjoy!
Notes
* I used almond butter because it has a sweet and mild taste, but feel free to use whichever nut/seed butter you prefer. Or replace it with a spoonful of chocolate chips to amp up the chocolate goodness. ** You can sub this with whichever liquid sweetener you have on hand. *** if you have no time to let your oats soak, you can simply skip to step 2 and 3, but then transfer your warm smoothie back to your blender and blend until it becomes creamy.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Looking for more healthy chocolate-for-breakfast recipes? Try one of these!
Brownie Batter Breakfast Bake
Chocolate Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Double Chocolate Greek Yogurt Muffins
Chocolate Chunky Monkey Breakfast Bake
Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Smoothie Bowl
Made this for breakfast today, and it was really good. I was very surprised to see how thick the smoothie was even after 1+ soup cycles on my blender. I did add protein powder becsuse we need more protein in our diet. I also appreciaeted being able to have a warm smoothie on a cold morning. Ths recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you!
This recipes sounds good. I LOVE a good, warm smoothie in the cooler months. Just a comment on leaving liquid in your blender jar for extended periods of time…cheaper blenders (that have to be disassembled for cleaning) may have parts that rust, Pricier, more user-friendly machines (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc) that do not need to be disassembled are held together by adhesives degrade over time. The user manual cautions against storing liquid in these types of jars. Just review your blender manual for info before doing this on a regular basis.
This is so creative and amazing — thank you! I used steel cut oats and substituted dates for the maple syrup & blended in my Vitamix. If you add a little extra sweetener, it’s pretty much like hot cake batter! I’m going to try chilling it and eating it cold like actual cake batter now — yum!
How much sugar does it have and thank you for posting this
It has 13g of sugar that comes mainly from the maple syrup. You can reduce that if you don’t mind a slightly less sweet smoothie.
I just started making smoothies and all of the chocolate ones I have tried haven’t tasted as good as they say. Until this one. I absolutely love this recipe. I added some cacao nibs to it also. This is one I will be making a lot. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad you found a chocolate smoothie recipe you love! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, April.
Really good I made wrong but it is the best smoothie recipe
I so love smoothies and I’ll absolutely try this smoothie recipe someday. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Its so unhealty and soo fat recipies for a breakfast this is just disguting !
How much sugar does it have and thank you for posting this
I will try this recipe and heat it up straight in my Vitamix blender.
Can I substitute the syrup for honey?