The Best Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Cafe Copycat
This Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Cafe Copycat is a delicious addition to your smoothie repertoire. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, healthy, has no added sugar, and is delicious!
Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors are a magical combination. The contrasting flavors of the rich sweet chocolate combined with the nutty creamy peanut butter make for an all-star smoothie recipe.
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
Preparing this smoothie from scratch is more economical than buying it from the cafe. Plus this smoothie incorporates frozen bananas, and I love to save money and food waste by taking very ripe bananas and freezing them for smoothies and baked goods before they go bad.
This recipe is also very customizable. You can increase the sweetness, chocolate, peanut butter, and protein to your desired taste.
Lastly, this recipe is a convenient breakfast or snack. Just throw all the ingredients into a blender, blend, pour, and go! I love this as a quick breakfast or a quick post-workout shake!
Tools Needs For This Recipe
A high-speed blender is highly suggested for this recipe. They make for the creamiest smoothies!
Ingredients in This Easy Copycat and Popular Smoothie Recipe
Below are the ingredients in my variation of a Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie.
Frozen Banana – I prefer to use ripe frozen banana chunks in my smoothies. The ripe frozen banana chunks make the smoothie naturally sweet and oh so creamy
Peanut Butter – Try My Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut Butter in this smoothie! Other nut butters work well too if you do not have peanut butter. You could call it an Almond Butter Cup Smoothie!
Unsweetened Soy Milk – Choose your favorite type of milk, another plant-based milk such as almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk works well. Cows milk is a regular dairy milk option.
Cocoa Powder – for all the chocolate flavors!
Chocolate Protein Powder – I prefer chocolate whey protein powder however there are plant-based, vegan protein powder options that work too.
Garnishes: Peanut butter cups, a drizzle of peanut butter, cocoa powder, or even peanut butter cookies To keep this a vegan smoothie use a plant-based protein powder, plant based milk, and omit any other animal products you might think to add in such as honey, cottage cheese, or yogurt.
Step – By Step Instructions for Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie
Below are the step by step instructions on how to make this tropical smoothie peanut butter cup recipe.
Prepare Banana:Peel a ripe banana, slice it into chunks, and freeze the banana chunks for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Blend Ingredients:In a blender, combine the frozen banana chunks, peanut butter, soy milk, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, date or maple syrup (if using), and vanilla extract.
**Add ice cubes, more protein powder, or non-fat Greek yogurt if you prefer a thicker consistency.
Blend Until Smooth:In a high speed blender, blend the ingredients until you have a creamy consistency. If the smoothie is too thick, you can add more soy milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Taste and Adjust:Taste the smoothie and adjust the sweetness by adding another date or even maple syrup if needed. My your own personalized tasty smoothie based on your taste buds.
Serve:Option to garnish the glass with a peanut butter rum, and a dusting of cocoa powder.
FAQ about Peanut Butter Cup Smoothies (Ask a Dietitian!)
How many calories are in a peanut butter cup smoothie?
These homemade smoothies have approximately 400 kcal per serving.
Are peanut butter smoothies good for you?
Peanut butter smoothies are good for you! This healthy smoothie recipe has carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and healthy fats that contribute to a balanced diet. Like any food, portion sizes are important, this is a high-calorie beverage and should be consumed with intention.
What is the healthiest thing to get at Tropical Smoothie?
The Detox Island Green Smoothie is loaded with nutritious ingredients, however, choosing the healthiest smoothie option depends on the consumer’s individualized health goals.
Detox Island Green Smoothie – coming soon!
Enjoying this Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup Recipe? Try My Other Healthy Recipes!
Peel a ripe banana, slice it into chunks, and freeze the banana chunks for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Blend Ingredients
In a blender, combine the frozen banana chunks, peanut butter, soy milk, cocoa powder, chocolate protein powder, date or maple syrup (if using), and vanilla extract.
Add ice cubes, Greek yogurt, or additional protein powder if you prefer a thicker consistency.
Blend Until Smooth
Blend the ingredients until smooth and creamy. If the smoothie is too thick, you can add more soy milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Taste and Adjust
Taste the smoothie and adjust the sweetness by adding another date or maple syrup if needed.
Serve
Option to garnish the glass with a peanut butter rum, a dusting of cocoa powder.
Notes
Nutrition information may vary depending on the ingredients used.Soy Milk - use your favorite milk however soy milk and cows milk have higher amounts of protein compared to other plant milks such as almond, oat, and cashew milks.Protein Powder - use your favorite chocolate or chocolate peanut butter protein powder. I enjoy Legion and Earth Fed Muscle. You can use unflavored protein powder or vanilla protein powders in a pinch.
Pumpkin Smoothie Made Even Better with Roasted Chestnuts!
October is full of falling leaves, cozy sweaters, and fallen chestnuts! Now add those roasted chestnuts to a pumpkin smoothie and you have the ultimate fall smoothie.
I am in love with this new Pumpkin Chestnut Smoothie recipe. Rocket City Chestnuts gave me a bunch of their Chestnuts and I am having a blast experimenting with chestnuts in some of my favorite recipes. I just had to share!
This Pumpkin Smoothie with Chestnuts is a spin-off of my Pumpkin Chestnut Soup. Pumpkin and chestnut flavors go so well together in so many dishes. In this smoothie, I bring the flavors of fall alive with cinnamon, dates, pumpkin, and chestnuts. Now, let’s dive into the ingredients!
The Star Ingredients
Chestnuts: These chestnuts came straight from a local Huntsville Small Business, Rocket City Chestnuts! They are a family-run orchard offering already-picked fresh local chestnuts. I roasted and shelled my chestnuts, and even snacked on a few before they hit the blender!
Pumpkin: Around this time of year, I love adding pumpkin to smoothies. It’s festive and makes for a healthy pumpkin smoothie.
Option to use homemade pumpkin however, I use leftover pumpkin puree. I like to use the canned pumpkin puree leftovers to make pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, pumpkin pie, or even a pumpkin spice latte! You can also freeze pumpkin puree.
Banana: I always have bananas on hand. Usually, they are very ripe, kept frozen, and already cut. Frozen banana is my go-to fruit addition to any pumpkin smoothie.
Other Pumpkin Smoothie with Chestnut Ingredients
MCT Powder: I love adding MCT powder to smoothies. MCT Powder is a creamy ingredient but has lots of nutritional benefits. I talk more about this ingredient in the Sharper Nutrition Fix section of this post, so keep scrolling down!
Dates: I almost always add a touch of sweetness to a smoothie and I love using dates. The flavor can’t be beat, especially in a smoothie like this. Even though the smoothie is cold, the pumpkin, chestnuts, and banana paired with dates make you feel warm and cozy.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon is another example of a “cozy” ingredient. Cinnamon + pumpkin = cozy! This is a must in this recipe.
Soy Milk: I use soy milk because it has 8 grams of protein per 1 cup. You can use any milk for your smoothie, like almond milk.
Yogurt (or Ice): Use plain Greek yogurt, vanilla Greek yogurt, another type of vanilla yogurt, or dairy-free yogurt to make your smoothie extra thick. Ice works as well.
Smoothie tip: You can also freeze soy milk or another milk in an ice cube tray. Add those frozen milk cubes to thicken up the smoothie.
Optional Ingredients: Maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, peanut butter, or even pumpkin seeds.
The Smoothie Blueprint
How to make a pumpkin Smoothie
Just like with my other smoothies and breakfast smoothies, I follow this Fruit Shake Blueprint. A fruit base, liquid, sweetness, fat, and “additional”. The lovely pumpkin and chestnuts count as both the fruit and the “additional” ingredient!
I love this smoothie recipe because it is so different from my usual smoothie concoctions but just as delicious.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: MCT Powder, a secret ingredient?!
What is MCT powder?
MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglycerides. MCT powder is most commonly extracted from coconut oil. I use nutiva organic MCT powder.
About 4 years ago, I discovered how wonderful MCT powder was in my morning coffee. It is plant-based, creamy, and not at all overwhelmingly coconutty. I originally started using MCT powder in my coffee because it is shelf-stable. I needed a creamer Finally, I found MCT powder! The taste is simple, not too flavorful, just the right amount of creaminess, and I love it. Bonus! Specifically for my plant-based peeps, This recipe (including MCT) is 100% plant-based
After discovering this MCT creamer, I have added it to many smoothies, chia pudding, and oatmeal recipes. And did you know?! Based on current research, possible benefits of MCT powder include but are not limited to;
A great energy source, fuel for the day!
It may help optimize the growth of good gut bacteria
It may play a role in weight management, and heart disease prevention
Seizure control
May aid with digestive issues
As usual in science and research, more research is needed. Check out these articles on WebMD and FCER.org if you want to learn more.
If you're using raw chestnuts, you'll need to roast or boil them and then peel them before using in the smoothie. Alternatively, you can use store-bought pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts.
Add all of the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
If it's too thick, you can add more soy milk in small increments until you reach your desired consistency.
Taste the smoothie and adjust the sweetness and spice level by adding more honey or spices if needed. Enjoy!
