Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

There’s a whopping 28 grams of protein in this chocolate peanut butter cup smoothie—no protein powders either!

chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass with straws

Alternate names for this recipe: Lighened-Up Peanut Butter Cup Dairy Queen Blizzard, Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake, Heaven On Earth.

If you’re anything like me, when life throws you a curveball, the only thing to keep you afloat is a spoonful of peanut butter studded with chocolate chips. Peanut butter and chocolate is a winning combination no matter how it’s paired. I mean a batch of dreamy Reese’s Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies could probably change lives. Don’t believe me? Try them.

chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass mug with straws

There’s a whopping 28 grams of protein in 1 huge smoothie.

chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass with straws

Here’s the protein breakdown in your new favorite smoothie:

  • 6 oz greek yogurt → 18 grams
  • 3/4 cup skim milk → 6 grams 
  • 1 Tablespoon Skippy natural peanut butter → 4 grams

28 grams. Unreal, right? Because of all the protein, this smoothie will not have you starving 5 minutes later. It held me over for hours.

chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass mug with a straw

It’s like a drinkable, protein-packed peanut butter cup. Plus, you can enjoy it any time of day—it’s perfect if you’re looking for healthier dessert recipe ideas.

Like most of my healthy smoothie recipes, you’ll start with frozen banana chunks. What’s so great about frozen banana chunks? It makes the healthiest, purist, creamiest base for a super thick smoothie. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the banana with the chocolate and peanut butter. (But if you ever need a smoothie recipe without banana, my berry smoothie without bananas fits the bill.) Blend the banana up with some Greek yogurt, milk, cocoa powder, honey, and peanut butter. The 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup swirl you see is just because I was feeling fancy.

And for the peanut butter? Use homemade honey roasted peanut butter, natural style, crunchy, creamy, flavored, any of the 20 jars of peanut butter I know you have in your pantry right now. Or is that just me?

peanut butter in a white bowl

Blend it all up into creamy oblivion. If you want the smoothie a little thinner, add a little more milk. If you want it more chocolate-y, add more cocoa powder. There’s a lot of ways to play around with this recipe.

chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass mug with straws

If desired, add a handful of greens like spinach or kale. You absolutely won’t be able to taste them underneath all the peanut butter and chocolate flavors. (To really go green, try my favorite green smoothie!) And if you need the perfect pumpkin smoothie for fall, try my pumpkin pie smoothie next.

So go ahead, indulge in life’s best flavors swirled together. Fuel your muscles, please your tastebuds, brighten your day (because you never know when your life will be turned upside down), and jump for joy. Cheers!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
chocolate peanut butter smoothie in a glass mug with straws

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 large smoothie
  • Category: Drinks
  • Cuisine: American
Save Recipe

Description

There’s a whopping 28 grams of protein in this chocolate peanut butter cup smoothie– no protein powders either!


Ingredients

  • 1 large banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
  • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 oz Chobani 0% Greek yogurt (or 2%, flavored or unflavored)
  • 3/4 cup skim milk (or your favorite kind of nondairy or dairy milk)
  • 1 Tablespoon honey, maple syrup, or agave
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter (any kind you like)


Instructions

  1. Make sure you have a strong, powerful blender that will blend up the frozen banana. I like this Ninja or this Vitamix.
  2. Put all of the ingredients into the blender, in the order listed, and blend on high until thick and smooth. I would start with only 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder, blend, and then add 1 more for a stronger chocolate taste. You may need to stop and stir/scrape down the sides of the blender a few times.
  3. Drizzle glass with 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup (optional) and enjoy!

Notes

  1. Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender such as this Ninja or this Vitamix
  2. So many ways to play around with this simple smoothie! If you prefer a less sweet smoothie, you can leave out the honey. Add more peanut butter for a stronger peanut butter taste. Add more milk to make the smoothie thinner, if desired. Add 1 cup of your favorite greens for added nutrition.
sally mckenney headshot purple shirt.
About the Author

Sally McKenney

Sally McKenney is a baker, food photographer, and New York Times best-selling author. Her kitchen-tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials have given millions of readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally’s work has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, Taste of Home, People, and more.

Read More

Reader Comments and Reviews

  1. Michelle says:
    June 23, 2025

    Does the Banana have to be frozen?

    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      June 23, 2025

      Hi Michelle, the smoothie will be much thinner without frozen banana.

  2. Linda Hunter says:
    November 7, 2024

    I was pleasantly surprised at how good this smoothie tasted. I used peanut powder instead of the peanut butter. I didn’t add any sweetener and it was fine. I am doing Weight Watchers Online, and this works out to 4 points, which is great for a treat with 25 g. of protein. I used Special Dark Cocoa, and I think next time I might reduce the cocoa powder to 2 tablespoons to improve the balance of the peanut butter and chocolate.

  3. TJ says:
    June 3, 2024

    I should have included that I did not freeze the banana, but it was still delicious! Next time I think I want to add brown sugar instead of the maple syrup/honey. Maybe more than a tablespoon too!

  4. Shauna Shrum says:
    April 15, 2024

    Do you have nutrition value for this smoothie?

    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      April 15, 2024

      Hi Shauna, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076

  5. Corinne says:
    August 23, 2023

    This smoothie is my FAVORITE I’m obsessed!! Keeps you full for a long time, and tastes amazing! I left out the sweetener because I don’t mind the taste of Greek yogurt but other than that I kept the rest the same. Try it!!


  6. Ellen Richardson says:
    April 7, 2023

    I have some really ripe bananas. Will they freeze well enough in chunks for this smoothie? It sounds delicious.

    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      April 7, 2023

      Hi Ellen, that should work just fine!

  7. Tracy says:
    August 23, 2022

    I am allergic to banana but this otherwise sounds amazing. Can I just omit it and follow the recipe accordingly? Maybe add some ice for thickness? Thanks so much!

    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      August 23, 2022

      Hi Tracy! Bananas add sweetness and creaminess in addition to flavor and thickness. We haven’t tested this recipe without them but adding ice for thickness may help! You may want to add extra sweetener as well. Let us know what you try!

  8. Nadia says:
    May 23, 2022

    Love it

  9. Marlena says:
    January 14, 2022

    This is my favorite! I love it and keeps me full. I always find myself back to this recipe and it never disappoints

  10. Katy houghton says:
    July 4, 2021

    Roughly how many calories are in this recipe please

  11. Andrea says:
    June 12, 2020

    My daughter is trying a vegetarian diet, and I wanted to make her a “Dessert” smoothie to get some protein in – holy smokes, this is amazing. I doubled it bc life is hard. Subbed frozen vanilla yogurt for the Greek yogurt and accordingly omitted the honey, used Ovaltine in place of cocoa and added the wee tiniest smidge of peanut butter powder along with the real PB. I’ll use the cocoa next time bc I sacrificed some flavor by using the Ovaltine. And there will definitely be a next time!

  12. Cheryl says:
    May 12, 2020

    I just made this smoothie and it is delicious! I used your exact recipe but added 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder.

  13. Stephanie says:
    March 14, 2017

    Do you think it would last in the fridge overnight?

    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      March 15, 2017

      It should, yes!

  14. Adeline says:
    December 20, 2016

    Hi, I just made it and it was lovely! I didn’t have any banana, so I used avocado instead. It seemed like a really big smoothie, so I only made half, and it was enough for one. Thank you for the amazing recipe!

  15. Ellie Macdonald says:
    August 13, 2016

    This chocolate smoothie is really great! This looks delicious and I’m sure I’ll like it! Thanks for share..

  16. Simon says:
    September 7, 2015

    I’ve tried plenty of peanut butter smoothies in my time, as a few others have said they’re one of the best snacks if you’re working out at the gym a lot! Protein is key for building muscle AND weight loss!! Your recipe looks incredible Sally, Thumbs up!! 🙂

  17. Jen says:
    July 15, 2015

    Tried the chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie today and I wasn’t as thrilled with it as everyone else. I had to make slight modifications, but once I did, it’s delicious! I only used 2T of cocoa powder instead of 3 and I used vanilla chobani instead of plain. I thought the plain made it taste too sour for my liking. Best things about it are that it’s easy to make and easy to modify. 

  18. Tina says:
    July 10, 2015

    Peanut butter chocolate smoothie is one of my favorite and I have to try this version of yours. It looks so yummy! Thank you Sally!!!

  19. Hayley says:
    July 24, 2014

    Just wondering how strong the peanut butter taste in this is. I know that sometimes the peanut butter gets overwhelmed by the other flavours and well the peanut butter is my favourite part!

    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      July 25, 2014

      Quite strong. Love my peanut butter too Hayley. You’ll love this.

  20. Thresia says:
    June 25, 2014

    Absolutely delicious, I increased the peanut butter to two tablespoons and added some spinach. I was only planning to eat half, but it is so good I am going to eat the whole thing!

  21. Heather M. says:
    June 11, 2014

    This is seriously my favorite, go-to smoothie. It’s perfection. Thank you, Sally! :>

  22. Autumn says:
    June 10, 2014

    Hi Sally! What a great recipe, I love chocolate, peanut butter, and banana so why not combine them. YUM! After making homemade peanut butter in my Vitamix it is very difficult to get the peanut butter out from the bottom of the blades, so I decided to make this smoothie. Not only was the smoothie delicious but the clean-up was much easier. No more scraping the bottom of the blender for 10 minutes. Thanks and I love reading your stories and recipes daily!

  23. Robin says:
    May 7, 2014

    OMG, this is so good, I think I died and went to heaven!! I used 1 frozen banana, half cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 c plus a couple spoons of vanilla greek yogurt, 1 T PB, 2 T cocoa powder. Amazing! I haven’t tried adding spinach yet but it seems like it would cover the flavor since it has a nice strong flavor itself. I am freezing more bananas as we speak!

  24. David says:
    February 12, 2014

    This was great! Tasted just like a peanut butter chocolate milkshake. I’m thinking tonight calls for another one…

    Thanks for another great recipe

  25. Kate W says:
    January 21, 2014

    This is my new absolute favorite smoothie! I love that I can get plenty of protein without adding any of those weird powders! I know people say that there are some great tasting ones, but ew! I even added some ground flax powder that I had laying around looking for a home and it was still delicious, just with added texture!

  26. Niki says:
    January 16, 2014

    I made this tonight as a treat. It was so good, didn’t even taste the banana. I also only made half of the full recipe. It was the perfect combo of creamy, chocolate and peanut butter.