Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothies — these creamy, delicious, protein-rich smoothies are perfect for an easy and healthy breakfast or snack any time of day.
I cannot get enough of chia seeds, I just love them. They are a super food, full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, antioxidants and fiber and they are so versatile. Ever since I first tried chia seeds this past January, I’ve been having a lot of fun creating recipes using chia seeds. So far, I’ve shared my Coconut Almond Chia Seed Pudding and my Orange Creamsicle Chia Seed Parfaits. Today I’m sharing my Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothies.
I’ve been wanting to use chia seeds in a smoothie, and thought I’d start with adding them to one of my favorites, the chocolate banana smoothie. Chocolate banana smoothies are so delicious, easy to make and are my go-to smoothies because I tend to have the ingredients on hand to make them – cocoa powder, frozen banana chunks, vanilla Greek yogurt and milk. I thought chia seeds would be a wonderful addition and they most certainly are.
I typically buy a bunch of bananas a week. Sometime they all get eaten, sometimes they don’t. I let any leftover bananas reach their peak ripeness and then either, freeze them whole in their peels – to be used later for baking – or I peel them and cut them into chunks, to be frozen and used in smoothies.
I first place the banana chunks on a plate, in a single layer, cover in plastic wrap and place the plate in the freezer. Once the chunks are frozen, I remove them and place in a resealable bag which I store in the freezer. I just keep adding to the resealable bag as I acquire over ripe bananas and use the frozen banana chunks as needed.
I love using frozen banana chunks in smoothies because then you don’t need to add ice to your smoothies, which can melt and water them down. Frozen banana chunks make for really creamy, luscious, smoothies, but without adding any fat.
Cocoa powder provides the chocolate flavor, again without any added fat. I like using Greek yogurt because it is thicker and contains more protein than regular yogurt. The chia seeds don’t affect the flavor; instead they just add additional nutrients including protein, fiber and anti-oxidants, making a healthy smoothie even healthier.
These delicious, creamy, Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothies are wonderful for a healthy, easy breakfast or snack any time of day.
What is your go-to smoothie? Please let me know in the comments below!
Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothies
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen banana chunks (from about 3 very ripe bananas)
- 1 cup vanilla bean Greek yogurt (or any vanilla yogurt)
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- whipped cream for topping (optional)
- additional chia seeds for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Add frozen banana chunks, vanilla yogurt, milk, chia seeds and cocoa powder to blender.
- Puree until smooth and blended.
- Pour into 2 mason jars or glasses of choice.
- Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of chia seeds if desired.
I really love chia seeds, they are a superfood packed with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and they are so versitle. This an affiliate link to the Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds, that we purchased, available at amazon.com:
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This is a great recipe that’s really close to our “go to smoothie”!
Have you tried some overnight oatmeal in this? Overnighting some oats in the plant milk then adding all the ingredients to the blender in the morning gives a ‘soft serve’ creamy consistency. Chocolate for breakfast is always the right choice…especially when it is so healthy.
Hi, thanks, I haven’t tried adding oatmeal, sounds like a great addition!
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Joy, I love your recipe – so much that I had to try it right away. However, I didn’t have all the ingredients and needed to improvise and ended up with a different version. I’ve linked to your post and recipe. Frozen banana chunks make amazing smoothies!!
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Thanks for sharing. Banana smoothies are a regular at our house but I haven’t tried chia seeds before. I have recently read that omega 3 can be lacking in children, especially boys, so this could be a good way to improve their nutrition. Found you on loulougirls link party.
Hi Karen, thanks so much for coming by! I hope you give this a try and you and kids enjoy!
Joy This looks amazing!! Thanks for Linking Up on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday – Link Party! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Pinned
Thanks Elaine!
Nothing like starting my day with a refreshing and healthy smoothie. Love this recipe for your Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothie. Yummy! Thank you very much for joining in the celebration of #purebloglove, we enjoy having you each week. I hope to see you on Thursday at 8PM, EST through Sunday night. ~Cydnee
Thanks Cydnee! This is indeed a wonderful way to start the day!
I recently discovered chia seeds myself. I really like making my own chia drinks. We do a lot of smoothies in my house and I never thought of using the chia seeds in them. Sounds like a yummy smoothie! Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Thanks Angela! Hope you give this a try and enjoy!
Your Chocolate Banana Chia Seed Smoothie looks delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday and have a fantastic weekend!
Miz Helen
Thanks Miz Helen!
This looks great. Perfect for breakfast.
Thanks Michelle! This is indeed wonderful for breakfast!
so how about I get my weekly email from pinterest…
“see your most popular pin this week”..got me all excited to see what was going on in pinland and guess what my most popular pin was…THIS RECIPE!!! whoop whoop! The pin i pinned was pinned 63 times this week!! yay! Your welcome lmao
just thought i would share the fun news with you 🙂
Have a great weekend!!
That’s awesome Jess! Thanks for pinning to such a great board! I hope you have been convinced to try chia seeds now 🙂
I tried this and this chocolate banana chia seed smoothie is excellent! Highly recommended!
Thanks so much Stephanie! I’m delighted that you gave it a try and enjoyed it 🙂
This looks amazing and such a good option for breakfast .
Thanks so much!
Oh yumm! Banana & chocolate, what could possibly beat that?!
Thanks Sarah! I just love banana and chocolate together!
I have never tried chia seeds…it’s on my list of things to do and this seems like it would be a great way to test! Could I ask which social media sidebar you use? I want yummly to appear in mine too! Thanks!
Hi Christine, I hope you give it a try and enjoy! I use Shareaholic for my side panel share buttons 🙂
Going to be having this for breakfast after Easter!
Thanks Jennifer! I hope you give it a try and enjoy!
That looks so good, my tummy just made a rumble noise
Mollyxxx
Thanks so much Molly!
Oooh this looks amazing! Tasty and full of goodness, what more could you want in a smoothie!
I haven’t made any smoothies for such a long time, but I usually have mine with some spinach in and usually always banana in there!
Thanks Michelle! Spinach sounds wonderful, I need to try that soon!
I put chia seeds in my smoothies all the time! This chocolate banana combination is fantastic!
Thanks so much Sandra!
Chia seeds are wonderful to add to smoothies to really pack a fiber punch. I add them often to my morning smoothie to help keep me fuller longer. Thank you for the new recipe.
Thanks Brandy, I love adding chia seeds to smoothies too! 🙂
This looks amazing! I always have ripe bananas and dont know what to do with them! Now I have another option as I usually do banana loaf!
Thanks Merlinda! I hope you give this a try and enjoy!
I would like to start my day off with one of these
Thanks, this is the perfect healthy start to the day!
Have never eaten chia seeds before. Will see that that fact changes soon!! Great photos.
Thanks so much Patricia! I hope you give chia seeds a try soon and enjoy!
Everyone in our house loves Smoothies, so we will definitely be trying this very soon.
Thank for sharing, have a wonderful week!
Thanks Jay! Hope you give it a try and enjoy!
obsessed with chia seeds right now! this looks AMAZINGGG, a perfect dessert
Thanks Lizzy!
You chia smoothie looks wonderful!!!
Miss you in our WW, do stop by and link and share!!
Hope you have a great week!
Karren
Thanks Karren! I will definitely stop by your WW 🙂
Sounds really yummy. I don’t think there are chia seeds here in New Zealand.
Thanks Rhonda! You can order chia seeds from Amazon, if they will ship them to NZ 🙂
I quite like smoothies this one looks delicious I have not had chia seeds 🙂
Thanks so much! I hope you give it a try and enjoy!
I’ve been wanting to try chia seeds! Incorporating them into a smoothie seems like a great way!
Thanks Jamie! I hope you give it a try and enjoy!
I love smoothies! Especially hooked on chia seeds and chocolate of course! Ya can’t go wrong with banana in a smoothies, that is for sure! Thanks so much for sharing and I’m pinning and visiting from Treasure Box Tuesday! 🙂
Kim, thanks so much for coming by and for the pin!
I love chia seeds! What a great smoothie!
Thanks Rebecca!
Love chia seeds, especially in smoothies! This one looks so delicious! Pinned!
Thanks Mira!
I love to find somebody else who uses frozen banana! I always keep a giant zip lock of frozen banana pieces in my freezer for delicious treats like your chocolate banana chia smoothie! <3
Thanks Stephanie! Frozen banana chunks are the best!
Yum! I love banana in my smoothies but I’ve never thought about adding chia seeds! Such a perfect way to add in a super food 🙂
Thanks Liz! Hope you give the chia seeds a try and enjoy!
We love smoothies in the morning before school! easy and nutritious…
handful of spinach or kale
frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries)
juice of choice or water
banana
Honey (optional)
Hi Cindy, your smoothie sounds delicious! I have yet to try adding greens to my smoothies, I will have to try it soon! Thanks so much for coming by!
Great after-school snack!
Thanks Dorothy, this would be great for an after school snack!