I couldn’t neglect the mocha part of it because that’s the tasty part – I mean chocolate and coffee, c’mon – and then the cauliflower felt important to include from a nutritional standpoint (vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, potassium and vitamin B6). Cold brew couldn’t be left out because it gives the smoothie a more intense coffee flavor (and a caffeine punch) and noting that the smoothie is high in protein is important since so many smoothies are total carb and sugar bombs.
Now that I’ve justified the obnoxiously long name of this smoothie, let’s chat about the taste. This smoothie is a coffee lover’s dream. It’s thick and chocolaty and almost Frappuccino-y. (Can we make that a word?)
This smoothie is my absolute favorite post-workout pick-me-up these days and keeps me satisfied and energized until lunchtime rolls around.
I’ve made so many variations of this smoothie and shared a bunch of them on Instagram so see below for smoothie variation recommendations and highlights if you want to change things up a bit from the basic recipe outlined below.
I hope you guys love this one as much as I do!
Mocha Cauliflower Cold Brew Protein Smoothie
Makes one large smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cold brew coffee
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk (+ a splash of whole milk or coffee creamer for additional creaminess)
- 3/4 cup frozen raw cauliflower
- 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tablespoon collagen
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Directions:
- Place everything into a high-powdered blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a cup and enjoy!
Smoothie Variations
I have SO many variations of this smoothie to share with you guys so read on if you want to change things up:
Protein Powder
- Completely omit the protein powder if you don’t like protein powder in your smoothies. If you miss the sweetness of protein powder, add 1/2 of a very-ripe frozen banana into the blender.
- If you want the added protein but don’t want to use protein powder, you may also add an extra tablespoon of collagen for additional protein and absolutely no flavor. Collagen is completely undetectable in this smoothie but does seem to make smoothies a little frothier. I’ll often add two tablespoons of collagen in addition to the 1/2 scoop of chocolate protein powder!
- I get protein powder questions all the time and currently my favorite chocolate protein powders are Pure Protein Superfood Dark Cocoa, SFH Pure Chocolate and AfterBurn Chocolate.
Cauliflower/Additional Vegetables
- I love this smoothie the most when I solely use cauliflower but I’ve made it with a half-portion of cauliflower and a 1/2 portion of both fresh spinach and frozen kale and thought it was still very delicious.
- I’ve also added spinach and kale in addition to the cauliflower and it worked well, though I increased the liquids a little bit.
Milk Substitutions
- The kind of milk you use in this smoothie is completely up to you! I change it up all the time but love a combination of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk with a splash of whole milk for some creaminess.
- I would not recommend omitting the milk altogether and just using coffee or using water in place of the milk. It doesn’t taste as creamy or “Frappuccino-y.”
Texture Additions
- This may be a weird thing, but I oddly like a little bit of crunch in my smoothies sometimes and have added cacao nibs and chopped nuts (pecans are the best!) to this smoothie after it was done blending and thought it was a tasty way to change up the smooth texture a bit!
Leave a Reply