This protein-packed vegan chocolate smoothie bowl is the definition of dessert for breakfast! Serve it with the chewy secret ingredient cookie dough bites to start your morning in a healthy, yet delicious way. Gluten-free, oil-free, dairy-free.
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You can quite often find me in the kitchen experimenting with new smoothie bowl recipes. From banana ice cream to frozen cauliflower and colorful superfoods, it’s easy to throw together something new every day.
And as long as you don’t go overboard with any of the ingredients (I’ve had a few spinach-y disasters in the past), it’s quite hard to go wrong in terms of taste. No wonder everyone on Instagram seems to love them!
Simply throw a few ingredients into a blender, and you’ve got yourself a hydrating, nourishing breakfast.
These vegan smoothie bowls are:
- Packed full of vegan protein. While I don’t struggle with protein on my vegan diet, I definitely like to look for interesting ways to boost my intake!
- Creamy and super smooth.
- Ready in ten minutes. Definitely goes to show that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or time consuming.
- Exactly like eating dessert for breakfast.
- Perfectly chocolatey.
- Gluten-free.
- Oil-free.
- Refined sugar-free.
While you're here, be sure to grab a copy of my free vegan cheat sheet. It's packed with all my favorite easy substitutions to vegan-ize just about any recipe!
Vegan Chocolate Smoothie Bowl
However, the one thing I struggle with is that fruit and veg-only smoothies don’t keep me full for very long. No matter the portion size, my stomach starts rumbling again within half an hour.
My go-to solution that doesn’t take the option of enjoying a bowl of fruity goodness of the table is ‘buffing up’ my smoothies with healthy fats or a source of protein (a few tablespoons of oats works like magic too).
I love adding avocado to green smoothies, cashews to banana ice cream and nut butters to pretty much anything.
Protein powders are great for extra flavor and helping build muscle and recover from working out at the same time.
Tofu in smoothie bowls?
The protein base of this chocolate smoothie bowl is tofu. Before you run away, hear me out. Of course, tofu is a go-to plant based protein source for many, but I don’t blame you if you don’t automatically think to put it in a smoothie.
I saw a couple other people do it, which made me skeptical at first. I feared a weird texture and aftertaste. But now that I’ve given it a go myself, I’m definitely not going back.
You might ask which tofu variety you should use. The recipe works really well with silken tofu, which makes the texture smooth and silky. I like using firm tofu too for a thicker texture that’s a little bit like ice cream.
The trick is to use a high speed blender or a good quality food processor, to make sure you’re not surprised with any tofu chunks.
No-bake Cookie Dough Balls
Chickpeas are simply amazing. Hummus is an obvious favourite recipe. Cookie dough is not so obvious - but with a few extra ingredients, you can turn beans into dense bites of deliciousness.
Of course, you can make and eat them by themselves, storing them in the fridge for an energizing snack (In fact, I’d recommend leaving them in the fridge for at least half an hour for optimal results).
But when eaten together with the protein smoothie bowl, these cookie dough balls take an already amazing breakfast to the next level.
I added protein powder for a hint of extra flavor. It’s optional, as the chickpeas contain a lot of protein in themselves.
Plus, you can adjust the amount of maple syrup used depending on how sweet you want them to be. If you don’t use protein powder, I’d recommend adding a few tablespoons extra syrup to bring in more sweetness.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the cookie dough bites:
- Chickpeas.
- Protein powder. Use either a vanilla, a chocolate, or a neutrally flavored one. (I like this vanilla one.)
- Dark chocolate.
- Plant based milk of your choice. (I prefer almond milk.)
- Maple syrup.
- Almond butter, or any nut or seed butter of your choice.
- Shredded coconut.
For the smoothie bowl
- Banana.
- Tofu, either silken or firm.
- Cacao powder.
- Plant based milk of your choice.
How to Make the Vegan Smoothie Bowl
To make the cookie dough bites, add the chickpeas, protein powder, dark chocolate, plant based milk, maple syrup, and almond butter to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Using damp hands, make evenly-sized balls from the dough and roll each one in shredded coconut. If you want to, leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill to firm them up a little bit more.
To make the smoothie bowl, add the banana, tofu, cacao powder and plant based milk to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Eat this straight away, ideally as breakfast or a post-workout meal – although, pudding for dinner is never out of the question!
You can even do your preparation in the evening, store it in the fridge, and jump out of bed the next morning, knowing you have a chocolate treat waiting for you.
More Recipes
If you love this vegan chocolate smoothie bowl and cookie dough bites, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
- Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie
- Green Smoothie Bowl
- Chocolate Cherry Protein Shake
- Vegan Chocolate Desserts
Recipe
Vegan Protein Chocolate Smoothie Bowl & Cookie Dough Bites
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the smoothie bowl
- 1 large banana
- 7 oz silken tofu
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 tbsp plant based milk
For the cookie dough balls
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed (about 240g or 1.5 cups)
- ½ scoop vegan protein powder optional
- 1 oz dark chocolate chopped
- 3 tbsp plant based milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- ⅓ cup desiccated coconut
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SMOOTHIE BOWL
- Add the banana, tofu, cacao powder and plant based milk to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
TO MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH BITES
- Add the chickpeas, protein powder, dark chocolate, plant based milk, maple syrup, and almond butter to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Using damp hands, make evenly-sized balls from the dough and roll each one in shredded coconut. If you want to, leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill to firm them up a little bit more.
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