Seriously Luscious Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

Created by Laura Wright โ€” Published 19/06/2024
5 from 8 reader reviews

This decadent chocolate cherry smoothie is boosted with almond butter, chia, flax, vegan protein powder, and vanilla. Frozen cherries shine in this satisfying breakfast blend.

A slight 3/4 angle shot shows a glass of chocolate cherry smoothie. The glass is swirled with coconut milk yogurt and tart cherry juice concentrate. Fresh cherries are seen in the background.

Learn how to make this luscious and decadent chocolate cherry smoothie for breakfast in a high-powered blender. Cacao powder and frozen cherries are a delicious and classic flavor combination that we boost with almond butter and vanilla extract. Fresh strawberries and raspberries plus a tiny squeeze of lemon juice add the perfect acidic pop of fruity essence. To make this extra satisfying, I add vegan protein powder, vegan yogurt, flax seeds, and chia seeds. Thisย wholesome vegan smoothieย is just the thing for folks that like a little sweet, cool, and creamy indulgence in the morning, similar to my chocolate sweet potato smoothie!

An up close, head-on shot shows a glass of chocolate cherry smoothie. The glass is swirled with coconut milk yogurt and tart cherry juice concentrate. Fresh cherries are seen in the background.
An overhead shot shows a blurry glass filled with a smoothie and some fresh cherries on a linen napkin.
An overhead shot shows ingredients for a vegan cherry breakfast smoothie.
An overhead shot shows fresh cherries in a speckled enamelware plate.

I love when a breakfast smoothie has a rich, almost milkshake-like taste to it! Iโ€™ve been working on this one for the last couple of months, always tweaking just a little bit. I really look forward to blending it up in the morning! This vegan smoothie is loaded with fruit, chia and flax seeds, and almond butter. It also truly tastes like a dessert to me.

I get the big bag of frozen and pitted sweet cherries at my local Costco warehouse because itโ€™s a great deal. I always mix fresh and frozen fruit in a smoothie to get the flavor balance right. In this one, we have a mix of fresh strawberries and raspberries to really โ€œwake upโ€ the frozen cherriesโ€™ flavor. The hefty amount of frozen cherries helps to thicken the smoothie as well, making this recipe totally banana-free. Iโ€™ve noticed that folks respond really well to banana-free options, so Iโ€™m always happy to work on them.

I hope that you get a chance to add this one into your rotation! I seriously jump out of bed every morning thinking about it haha.

An overhead shot shows fruit and milk in a blender pitcher.
An overhead shot shows a blended up chocolate cherry smoothie in a blender pitcher.
A head-on shot shows a smoothie being poured into a glass.
A head-on shot shows a glass of chocolate cherry smoothie. The glass is swirled with coconut milk yogurt and tart cherry juice concentrate. Fresh cherries are seen in the background.
A 3/4 angle shot shows a glass of chocolate cherry smoothie. The glass is swirled with coconut milk yogurt and tart cherry juice concentrate.

Seriously Luscious Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

This perfectly sweet chocolate cherry smoothie is rich with dark red cherries, tangy from raspberries and strawberries, and made extra decadent with cacao powder and chocolate protein powder. Vanilla and almond butter round the flavour out perfectly. It's also a banana-free smoothie!
5 from 8 reader reviews
A slight 3/4 angle shot shows a glass of chocolate cherry smoothie. The glass is swirled with coconut milk yogurt and tart cherry juice concentrate. Fresh cherries are seen in the background.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • ยพ cup non-dairy milk
  • ยผ cup non-dairy yogurt (plain or vanilla)
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoons cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon flax seeds
  • ยผ teaspoon sea salt
  • ยผ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ยผ cup fresh raspberries
  • 4-5 fresh strawberries
  • โ…” cup frozen sweet cherries
  • squeeze fresh lemon juice, optional

Equipment

Notes

  • A tiny squeeze of lemon really makes the flavors pop here, but itโ€™s not 100% necessary. I often have a lemon half hanging around in my fridge, so I typically opt to include it.
  • My favorite non-dairy yogurt is by Yoggu! I used the vanilla here.
  • To get the swirl effect on the glass, I just placed a dollop of the yogurt on the bottom of the glass and tapped it on the counter to distribute. Then I drizzled a bit of Cherry Laneโ€™s tart cherry juice concentrate. This is obviously an extremely optional step!
  • I like the balance of acidity with fresh strawberries and raspberries here. I know it seems fussy, but the freshness does really highlight the frozen cherry sweetness and overall flavor.ย 

Instructions

  • In an upright blender, combine the non-dairy milk, non-dairy yogurt, almond butter, chocolate protein powder, cacao powder, chia seeds, flax seeds, salt, vanilla, raspberries, strawberries, frozen cherries, and lemon juice (if using). Blend on high until completely smooth. Enjoy right away!
An overhead shot shows two glasses of chocolate cherry smoothie with fresh cherries, tart cherry concentrate juice, and a pink napkin all nearby.
19/06/2024 (Last Updated 17/07/2025)
Posted in: beverage, breakfast, creamy, gluten free, grain-free, oil free, refined sugar-free, snack, spring, summer, sweet, vegan

13 comments

5 from 8 votes

Recipe Rating





  • Steph

    5 stars
    Amazing! Absolutely delicious!

  • Kim M

    5 stars
    Chocolate and cherries are the best and so is this smoothie. A nice change from smoothies full of bananas and spinach.

  • Kat

    5 stars
    Ummmmm. Holy WOW this is delicious. Iโ€™m usually โ€œwhy bother with smoothie recipes, just wing itโ€ kinda girl โ€“ but I am so glad I made this. Perfect as written. So creamy! Great depth of flavor! Iโ€™m drinking this for breakfast, but it tastes indulgent enough to serve my after dinner sweet tooth too!

  • Ashley

    5 stars
    Feels super indulgent and luscious, but is packed with super star ingredients. Absolutely loved this one โ€“ making it on repeat!

  • beth

    Laura, youโ€™ve done it again. I already make your Spring Thaw smoothie at least once per week, now this smoothie is in my weekly rotation. You are brilliant! Thank you!

  • Alex

    5 stars
    You always hit it out of the park with your smoothie recipes, Laura! I made this one three times in the past week. The acidity and sourness from the lemon and vegan yoghurt works so well with the sweetness from the berries and chocolate. I didnโ€™t have any chocolate protein powder, so I added a bit more cacao powder to up the chocolate flavour.

  • Tracey

    5 stars
    Hi Laura:
    I am more apt to have frozen berries on hand. Will that affect the flavour balance as you mentioned?

  • Brenda

    Looks delicious! Love your recipes Laura :)
    Can you tell me where your glasses are from โ€“ what brand they are?

    • Laura Wright

      Hi Brenda!
      These are actually souvenir glasses from Disney World! They have Mickey and Minnie on the opposite (non-camera facing) side haha :)
      -L

  • monya

    5 stars
    So good! Thanks for taking the time to craft consistent perfection for us!

  • Anna

    This looks wonderful! Do you know approximately how much protein powder is in 1 scoop of protein? Iโ€™d like to substitute my current powder (which has a 1/2 c scoop) but donโ€™t want to mess up the proportions. Thanks!

    • Lily

      5 stars
      I just made this with 26 grams of protein powder (the internet says 25 to 30 in a typical scoop) and it worked out great!

    • Laura Wright

      Hi Anna!
      Excellent question. My scoop holds 3 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
      -L