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No Gatekeeping: My Spicy Chocolate Cherry Smoothie Recipe Is Addicting
Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.
Sometimes a berry smoothie hits the spot; other times a blend loaded with greens is just what you need. But occasionally, you might just crave something different.
If that's the case, let me introduce you to my favorite avant-garde smoothie blend that I've handcrafted to perfection: a beverage inspired by chocolate-covered cherries with an unexpected twist.
How to make a spicy chocolate cherry smoothie
Serves 1
What you'll need:
- A blender
- 2 cups frozen cherries
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop mindbodygreen chocolate beauty & gut collagen+ powder
- 2 cups milk of your choice (I prefer almond)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- A dash of chipotle chili powder
- A dash of cayenne
Method & substitutions
The how-to is similar to any smoothie recipe: Just chuck in all your ingredients and blend to your desired consistency. It's also easy to tweak to your liking; if this recipe sounds almost perfect, consider the substitutions below:
- If you don't want spice: Sub cinnamon for chili pepper and cayenne.
- If you don't like chocolate: Add a scoop of mindbodygreen unflavored beauty & gut collagen powder (yes, it's truly unflavored).
- If you don't have collagen: If you want to skip the collagen, swap in the protein powder of your choice or cocoa powder—but consider skipping the maple syrup if your powder already comes sweetened with added sugar or artificial sweetener.
- If you want it extra creamy: Sometimes I go with ½ cup less milk to make it even thicker, creating a texture similar to a milkshake.
- If you want toppings: I'm a fan of smoothie toppings, so I'll occasionally add cacao nibs, almond shavings, granola, chia seeds, or fresh cherries to supercharge my blend.
- If you want more greens: I understand that smoothie recipes present an easy spot to get more greens in your day. If you want to make your blend more nutritious via greens, I'd suggest spinach, as it's less likely to interrupt the flavor profile than something like kale—but you can pick your favorite. You can also opt for a greens powder if that's more your jam. (Our favorites here.)
Why add collagen?
Luckily, this collagen powder is entirely free of artificial sweeteners that leave a nasty aftertaste, so the blend truly does taste like rich chocolate-covered cherries.
Plus, the consistency of the collagen powder makes the blend even creamier.
Texture aside, our collagen powder boasts plenty of skin and gut health benefits, making it a worthy addition to any smoothie recipe. Here's a comprehensive guide to these benefits if you want to learn more.*
The takeaway
If you want to shake up your smoothie menu, add this unique and spicy chocolate-cherry blend to your list. Bonus hack? Try adding a scoop of collagen powder for added skin and gut support.* Here, you can find even more smoothie recipes to try out.
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