This maca, almond butter, and cacao protein smoothie is the ultimate warm weather breakfast. Made with banana, almond butter, maca, cacao, avocado, flax, hemp, and protein powder, this is one superfood-packed smoothie.
Smoothie season is officially here! I am head over heels in love with this vegan maca, almond butter, and cacao protein smoothie. It’s so thick and creamy, it resembles a milkshake, and it’s packed with protein, healthy fat, fibre, hormone-balancing maca, and energizing cacao.
For some reason, I find smoothies to be a real *you know what* to photograph, hence the limited photos with this recipe. I could have sworn I’d gotten several nice shots, but when I went to edit, only two photos were really post-worthy. Don’t let the lack of photos turn you off, though… this smoothie is one of my favourites yet. 🙂
recipe features
- High in protein: Depending on the protein powder that you use, this smoothie has between 25 and 30 grams of protein.
- Excellent source of healthy fat: Almond butter and avocado are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, and hemp and flax are rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids: the good fats! 🙂
- Hormone balancing and energizing: Maca is known for its hormone-balancing properties, and cacao provides a nice boost of energy without the crash associated with coffee.
ingredients you need
- Frozen banana
- Non-dairy milk
- Almond butter
- Cacao powder
- Maca powder
- Avocado
- Medjool date
- Protein powder
- Hemp hearts
- Ground flax
Because this smoothie is chock full of nutrients, I would think of it as more of a meal than a drink!
I love topping this smoothie with some Chocolate Almond Butter Granola, cacao nibs, and frozen cherries or berries and eating it with a spoon. In that vein, you can enjoy it as a smoothie bowl if you like.
more smoothie recipes
Well, that’s all I have to say today, folks! I’ll be back tomorrow with a vegan bowl recipe. 🙂
If you make this smoothie, be sure to share a photo to Instagram and tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen- I love sharing your photos in my stories!
PrintMaca, Almond Butter, and Cacao Protein Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 16-oz smoothie 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This maca, almond butter, and cacao protein smoothie is the ultimate warm weather breakfast. Made with banana, almond butter, maca, cacao, avocado, flax, hemp, date, and protein powder, this is one superfood-packed smoothie.
Ingredients
- 1 scant cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 large frozen banana, chopped
- 2 tbsp avocado (from ¼ of an avocado)
- 1 ½ tbsp almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
- 1 ½ tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp maca powder
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla-flavoured protein powder (see note)
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts (also called hulled hemp seeds)
- 1 tbsp ground flax
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in an upright blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
Vanilla protein powder recommendations: I love Genuine Health Organic Fermented Vegan Protein! If you prefer an unsweetened/unflavoured protein powder, I would recommend adding a (soft) pitted Medjool date to this smoothie for additional sweetness.
I don’t usually use ice cubes in my smoothies anymore because I find they make them too watery, but feel free to add one if you like.
If you don’t have any cacao powder, you can use regular natural cocoa powder.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Smoothie, Breakfast
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: North American
Keywords: maca almond butter cacao smoothie, vegan maca protein smoothie
Roxanne
This is my new favourite smoothy. The photos drew me in and the taste kept me coming!
★★★★★
Allison
Awesome! Thanks for leaving a comment!