Luscious Black Forest Smoothie (15g protein!)

This antioxidant-rich, craveable cherry chocolate smoothie ACTUALLY tastes like a black forest cake, thanks to a secret (and super basic!) ingredient. And it will fill you up, with healthy fats and 15 grams of protein with no protein powder.

When I was a kid, every single family birthday was celebrated with a black forest cake from our small town bakery (and Canadian-Chinese food, no exception!). It was the 80s, so it was made with the good stuff: real whipped cream, deep dark chocolate cake, real cherries and a bit of kirsch, so it had that authentic black forest taste. 

Which is exactly what I wanted to do with this smoothie. While it’s made from A) cocoa and B) fresh or frozen cherries, this isn’t just a chocolate cherry smoothie that I named after black forest cake.

I’ve got a wee hyper-fixation on breakfast recipes that taste like dessert (you too? you’ll love my tiramisu overnight oats ha!) As I was developing this recipe, I wanted that TRUE black forest taste, so I used a lot of cocoa powder for deep chocolate flavour with subtle bitter notes. Almond butter lends healthy fats and protein to keep you full while also creating a rich texture that’s more like cake.

But the thing that really makes it taste like a black forest smoothie? The tiniest bit of almond extract. It’s a hack that I’ve come back to again and again, like when I used almond extract to cancel out any tofu flavour in the tiramisu recipe in my cookbook Plant Magic. 

I’ll put on my dietitian hat for a second to tell you that all that cocoa, cherries and almond butter are also super good for you. They’re filled with antioxidant and antiinflammatory flavonoids that benefit everything from your skin to your heart health. Oh, and the 15 grams of protein and 8 grams of fibre in this smoothie is a nice bonus!

Imagine…a six ingredient smoothie that tastes like dessert but is also ridiculously good for you? That’s what I mean when I say plants are magic…

A few tips + tricks on how to make this easy black forest smoothie

Hot tip: ALWAYS measure the almond extract. I “free pour” vanilla all the time but if you overdo it on the almond extract, it kills the vibe, big time. Oh, and if you don’t have it, you can skip the almond extract and this will still be one delicious smoothie.

Need a nut free smoothie? Sunflower seed butter is a great alternative to almond butter for its silky texture and more neutral flavour. 

Need more protein? You could easily add a protein powder to this smoothie which would put you at 35g protein (assuming 20g per scoop).

More easy and delicious plant-based smoothies:

• Creamy Snickers Tofu Smoothie (37g protein!)
• 5 Minute Turmeric Ginger Smoothie with Greens
• Satisfying Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie with Coconut Cream
• 5 Minute Raw Carrot and Fresh Ginger Smoothie
• Turmeric Mango and Ginger Smoothie