Easy Chocolate Smoothie With Veggies

My oldest kiddo has never been into smoothies for kids, but in the past year, she’s been willing to have a little bit of a chocolate smoothie—and it’s so nice to have the option in the mix. This chocolate smoothie uses chocolate milk as the liquid, but also has leafy greens, zucchini, and avocado for a nice mix of nutrients including protein, vitamin C, iron, and fiber. And it’s super creamy, with a milkshake-like consistency, so it’s a great option to try with kids who may not have loved smoothies in the past. You can serve it in a sippy cup for toddlers, a reusable pouch, or in an open cup. (You may also like Apple Smoothie, Pineapple Smoothie, Pumpkin Smoothie, and my homemade Rocket Pops.)

Ingredients You Need

To make this chocolate smoothie, you’ll need the following ingredients on hand. (It’s easy to keep them in the fridge or freezer!)

Chocolate milk: I usually use Ripple Chocolate Milk or Silk Plant Milk, which have less sugar than most other chocolate milks, but Frozen banana: This helps it turn out super creamy. Baby kale or spinach: You can use fresh or frozen greens. Yellow summer squash or zucchini: I put this in raw and it blends up nicely. Optional: avocado, nut or seed butter and/or hemp seeds

TIP: I store greens for smoothies in the freezer to knock down the green flavor since I am super sensitive to the flavor of kale. It helps a lot!

Ingredient Substitutions

If you’d rather start with plain milk, you’ll just need to add cocoa powder. See the Notes at the bottom of the recipe. If you can’t do banana, you could use frozen mango or apple (both will have a slightly different flavor. You can cut back on the veggies, seeds, and nut or seed butter if you want to make a simpler smoothie.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s the process of how to make this simple chocolate smoothie for kids. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.

Tips for Kids and Smoothies

Here are a few ideas for introducing smoothies to your kids that might help:

Start with really small servings. One sip is better than no sips! Try different cups. Some kids might prefer to sip from an open cup, some might prefer to use a straw, and others might like to use a reusable pouch. You might be surprised to see how much changing this one aspect can help! Let them help you make the smoothie. It might help! (It might not, but it’s always worth a shot.) Skip the veggies for now and just go for the chocolate milk and frozen banana. There’s nothing wrong with really simplifying things.

How to Store

This smoothie is best served right after making, but you can store it in a container in the fridge (or a reusable pouch with a lid) for up to 24 hours. You can also store smoothies in an ice cube tray and blend it up on a future day.

Best Tips for Success

Blend super smooth for the best texture. You can use diary or nondairy milk. To make this with white milk, add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup to taste if needed. I freeze greens for smoothies in the freezer to knock down the green flavor since I am super sensitive to the flavor of kale. It helps a lot! Serve in an open cup, a reusable pouch, or in a small bowl with a spoon. These are my favorite Smoothie Cups. Start with a small serving with kids still learning to like smoothies.

I’d love to know what you think of this recipe if you try it so please comment below with feedback!