Holy moly mother of milkshake.

This friends, is a milkshake.

Minus the milk.
Minus the refined sugar.
Minus the artificial colors and flavoring.
Minus all the other additional ick that comes in your standard milkshake…

This is a milkshake made completely plant-based and vegan with only whole food ingredients that actually nourish your body – not damage it and overload it with processed gunk. Let me run that past you again; this milkshake is kind of, sort of health food.

No, it’s not kale. But this milkshake is made of such nutritious and wholesome ingredients that it might as well be a big bowl of spinach.

Hopefully you know I’m totally kidding. But, this is where living a healthy lifestyle comes in to play. Instead of restricting yourself to an elimination diet, this lifestyle celebrates whole foods and feeding your body with nutrient dense plants, seeds, nuts, and whatnot. The best part is that it totally allows for indulgent sweets like this one. This lifestyle is based on goodness: foods that make you feel amazing, not awful after consuming them. Instead of needing to take a nap after downing a chocolate and sugary shake, this milkshake will make you feel energized, radiant, and completely satisfied.

So what makes this chocolate milkshake so excellent and wholesome? The ingredients, of course, are all plants and totally good for you. Our milkshake base is made up of fiber, potassium and Vitamin B-6 rich frozen bananas, plus a dose of avocado for great monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, iron, folate, and nutrient-enhancing absorption powers. Unsweetened almond milk helps the entire milkshake blend together, and is a great alternative to hormone-laden dairy milk. Sticky, sweet medjool dates are the only sugar this milkshake could ever need and provide a whole lot of fiber, vitamins, and minerals too. The rich, chocolate malt taste is attributed to the perfect blend of three superfood powders: cacao, maca, and lucuma. Now, these ingredients may sound completely foreign and totally odd – but they really help to create the best milkshake taste ever. Hence the name: The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Milkshake.

Those three superfoods, by the way, are a bit of an investment to your wallet and your health. Cacao and maca will both set you back a pretty penny, but I promise they will last you months and months in your panty. Cacao powder has the most rich, indulgent chocolate taste and is a potent source of free radical scavenging antioxidants that ensure beautiful insides and outsides. Maca powder is jam packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, energizing properties, and it may even help balance hormones and improve fertility in women. Lucuma powder contains antioxidants, zinc, and iron and provides our milkshake with a hint of maple sweetness. For more information on each of these superfoods, be sure to check out my ingredient section.

No milkshake would be complete without the addition of whipped cream – and this plant based version is no exception. We top our milkshake off with coconut whipped cream – a super dairy alternative that boasts beneficial fats and an amazing texture. The whole milkshake is drizzled with the vegukate version of magic chocolate shell – you know that mysterious chemical-laden chocolate sauce that instantly hardened on your ice cream? Nut butter, coconut oil, and cacao powder do the exact same thing when they’re warmed and poured on a cold surface. Vegan magic.

Frozen bananas + creamy avocado + coconut whipped cream + magic chocolate coconut oil shell + smooth almond milk = literally the best Vegan Chocolate Milkshake to ever exist.

The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Milkshake

Serves 2

Magic Chocolate Shell:

1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cacao powder

Chocolate Milkshake:

3 ripe bananas, frozen*
½ small avocado
2 medjool dates, pits removed
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 heaped tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon lucuma powder

Coconut Whipped Cream:

1 can full-fat coconut cream, chilled in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional for sweetness)

Method:

First, place two tall glasses in the freezer to chill.

Prepare whipped cream. Remove chilled can of coconut milk from refrigerator and gently flip upside. Open bottom of can and pour off the clear liquid on top. Scoop out the hardened coconut cream at the bottom and place in a bowl along with the maple syrup. Beat or whisk coconut milk until it resembles soft whipped cream, about 30 seconds, and place in the refrigerator to firm up while you create the other milkshake components.

Next make the chocolate shell sauce. In a small saucepan place nut butter and coconut oil and gently warm until both ingredients are melted. Stir in the cacao powder and mix until completely combined. Remove from heat and set aside. Let cool slightly before drizzling on ice cream.

In a blender, add in frozen bananas, avocado, dates, almond milk, cacao, maca, and lucuma. Blend on low until mixture is thick and creamy, about 30 seconds. You may need to use your blender’s tamper or a spatula to scrape sides and blend everything consistently.

Once all three milkshake parts are ready to go, remove your chilled glasses from the freezer and get building! To make pretty, chocolate dripped glasses you can drizzle chocolate shell mixture gently down the sides in inside of glasses – it should harden up in a few seconds. Spoon milkshake mixture into glasses, top with coconut whipped cream, and drizzle with chocolate shell. Garnishing with seasonal fruits like berries or cherries is totally recommended. Enjoy!

Nourishing Notes:

-Bananas must, must, must be frozen to create this recipe. Slice bananas into coins and freeze for at least 8 hours. I like to keep bags of frozen bananas in my freezer at all times – If your bananas are getting very brown and spotty – freeze them! Frozen bananas are perfect for smoothies, ice cream, and milkshakes like this one! Hint: While the bananas are freezing overnight, you can put your can of coconut milk in the refrigerator at the same time!