Mocha-Banana Breakfast Smoothie
I start most mornings with a smoothie made in my beloved Vitamix and a cup of coffee made in my beloved French press. The problem with this arrangement is the daily decision of which to make first. Some mornings, it’s clear: I need coffee or the day can go no further. Other days, I feel like having a nice big serving of fruits and/or veggies in a breakfast smoothie, and getting that out of the way for the day. But as I’m drinking the smoothie, I’m usually like “but…..coffee….”
And some days (Mondays), the decision is just impossible. It was on a day like this that this breakfast smoothie was born. It’s basically a big ol’ serving of oats, almond milk, yogurt and banana. But, then there’s cocoa powder….and espresso powder. For the days when the decision is impossible, I bring you the Mocha-Banana Breakfast Smoothie: the fruit smoothie and a cup of coffee…all in one.
FYI: You will need to plan a little bit ahead for this one – the oats require a soak in almond milk overnight for the best smoothie consistency. However, if you want, you can make a big batch of this oat mixture on Sunday. Keep it in the fridge and use it as needed for smoothies throughout the week.
Mocha-Banana Breakfast Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup plus 1/2 cup almond milk, divided
- 1 banana, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1 cup ice
Directions:
- In small bowl or jar, stir together oats and 1 cup almond milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In blender, combine oat mixture, remaining 1/2 cup almond milk, banana, yogurt, cocoa powder and espresso powder and blend until smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth. This is a pretty thick smoothie – if you prefer a thinner consistency, just add a bit more almond milk and blend until smooth.
This recipe originally appeared here on the Naturebox blog.
I’m not a big coffee drinker but I love mocha anything (and coffee ice cream go figure). This sounds really good! I’m experimenting with oat milk this week. I wanted it for smoothies as well.
What a perfect breakfast! Mocha banana sounds like a perfect combo! 😉
Thanks Consuelo!
Thanks Lydia. Good luck with your oat milk experiments 🙂
I am converting my boyfriend to having something for breakfast, this will be perfect!
I hope he enjoys it, Rosie!
My son has a severe nut allergy so no almond milk for us so will this work just as well with regular milk?
Sure Heather, I think that would be just great!
I am having trouble finding espresso powder. I’ve never heard of it before. Where did you find? Any replacement ideas? I really want the coffee taste.
Thanks!
Hi Lori! I actially found it in my grocery store in the coffee section. Since it’s most often used for baking, some stores may stock it in the baking aisle with the extracts. This link has a bit more info: http://www.thekitchn.com/pantry-basics-what-is-espresso-41586. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s a great substitute for it. I hope you can find it!
I don’t like coffee too much but need an energy boost in the morning is there anyway that could work ??? xx
Hi. Can this be done without the ice?
Hi Shawn! You could certainly try it, but to be totally honest, I think it does need the ice. As I was developing the recipe, I took a few tastes without the ice, and thought it was too warm and thick 🙁
Thank you Lori. I don’t think my blender can handle the ice. Perhaps I’ll try adding some cold water.
OH, I know – how about freezing the bananas first? Although, if your blender can’t handle ice, frozen bananas probably wouldn’t work, either. But yes, give it a try without the ice, and then if you need to add some cold water to thin it out, you can. Good luck 🙂
Hi, do you know how many calories this is per serving? Thanks!
Hi Caitlin – I would suggest plugging the recipe into an online nutrition calculator such a My Fitness Pal 🙂