How do you feel about putting veggies in smoothies? Personally, I am all for it – you can tell from my other smoothie recipes like my favorite chocolate protein smoothie and this tropical green smoothie as it’s such a great way to get in some extra vitamins and minerals. Today we are sharing a super fun and delicious chocolate beet smoothie!
I know, the flavor combination sounds a little weird but works so well. You have some sweetness from the beets and honey, which balances out the cacao. It also has protein from greek yogurt and healthy fats from nut butter.
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And since beets are naturally sweet when cooked, so you don’t need to add a banana or additional fruit (of course you can if you like though!). While I do love the texture of frozen bananas in smoothies, sometimes I feel they overpower everything.
Plus, this beet smoothie is packed with nutrients! The combination of beets and chocolate makes a great pre-workout (read more about it below). Whether it’s for a healthy breakfast, snack, or pre or post-workout, you can’t go wrong with this powerhouse!
Why we love this beet smoothie recipe
- quick and easy to make – ready in 5-10 minutes!
- makes a great pre or post-workout!
- packed with vitamins and minerals – it’s full of B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium to name a few!
- macro-balanced – it has a good ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for balanced blood sugar, and to avoid those spikes and crashes that some smoothies can do.
Benefits of beets and chocolate
Let’s talk about how the benefits of chocolate and beets can work together in the body.
Cacao contains magnesium, dietary fiber, and antioxidants including flavanols and polyphenols. Magnesium is an important mineral in the body for so many processes, including heart health. The flavanols in cacao can prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from clogging the arteries. They also moderate nitric oxide, which is a compound found in beets.
Beets are loaded with potassium, are high in magnesium, and can help replenish iron. Besides being a source of antioxidants, beets contain dietary nitrates. Dietary nitrates convert to nitric oxide, which is responsible for the dilation of blood vessels and helps support blood circulation.
This improves an athlete’s capacity for sustained exercise and endurance. Nitric oxide also helps the speed of nutrient delivery to the muscles, improving energy efficiency for performance and recovery. Pretty freakin cool in my opinion!
Beet smoothie ingredients
- milk
- cooked beets – I buy already cooked ones to make it easy.
- greek yogurt – plain or vanilla flavored.
- frozen cauliflower rice – to add a little bulk (you can’t taste it).
- cashew butter
- cacao powder
- honey
- cinnamon
- protein powder – I like using chocolate flavored.
How to make a beet smoothie
- If needed, prepare your beets (see section below). I buy precooked beets to make this easy.
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
How do you prepare beets for smoothies?
If you can’t find store-bought beets, here is how you can cook them for a smoothie:
- Thoroughly clean them.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add beets to a steamer basket, and steam for about 45 minutes until tender and can easily be pierced with a knife.
- Allow beets to cool for a few minutes and peel (the skin should easily peel off).
- Let cool completely and store in a tightly sealed glass container for up to a week.
Can I put raw beets in a smoothie?
While beets are safe to eat raw, I would suggest cooking them for this recipe as raw are very hard and might break your blender. Cooked vegetables are also easier to digest.
Can you freeze beets for smoothies?
Yes, beets freeze well for smoothies. To freeze beets, take cooked beets and slice or dice them into 1-2″ pieces. Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper (this makes them pop right off when frozen). Spread out evenly to make sure they freeze individually. Place in the freezer for a few hours until frozen and store in a bag in the freezer for easy use.
This smoothie recipe does not call for frozen beets, but you can easily freeze them for it!
Substitutions and additions
You can customize this smoothie to your liking depending on how you like your smoothies. Here are some suggestions for substitutions:
- milk – dairy or dairy-free milk (almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk…) will work.
- greek yogurt – use vanilla or plain. Use dairy-free if needed.
- cauliflower rice – you can use frozen cauliflower florets instead of rice.
- cashew butter – almond butter would be the best substitute. To make it nut-free, try tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- cacao powder – cocoa powder will work the same.
- honey – maple syrup, agave, or a date will work instead.
- chocolate protein powder – if using, any kind will work. You can use whey, plant-based, or collagen. I do suggest flavored though to help give the smoothie more sweetness. Chocolate or vanilla will work.
Here are some additions:
- fruit – if you want to add some more sweetness, add some fruit. Frozen banana is great for making the smoothie thicker and some added sweetness if you don’t love the earthiness of beets. Berries would also work well.
- greens – for some more veggies. I would suggest spinach or kale. This will change the color though.
- avocado – to add more healthy fats and make it more creamy.
- chia seeds – great for added healthy fats and fiber!
- ice – if you want more frozen texture
More healthy smoothie recipes
- sweet potato smoothie
- post-workout chocolate protein smoothie
- pineapple green smoothie
- coffee protein smoothie
- orange creamsicle smoothie
If you love quick and easy meals and want to learn how to build a balanced plate, check out our FREE How to Build a Balanced Plate Guide!
Chocolate Beet Smoothie
ingredients
- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 0%)
- 1 cup diced cooked beets (150 grams/2-3 small-medium)*
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice (100 grams)
- 2 heaping tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4-1/2 cup milk (depending on desired consistency)
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (optional, but I like it for more chocolate flavor)
- optional toppings: granola, cacao nibs, cinnamon…
instructions
- If needed, prepare your beets (see section below). I buy precooked beets to make this easy.
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
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Putting it out there in case it’s useful for others in the same situation: I don’t like beets, but we receive them in our CSA and I have figured out that I can handle them in smoothies. I don’t have a chocolate protein powder, but the cacao alone in this recipe was not strong enough to mask the beet flavor (for me). Adding strawberries helped. I will need to do a bit more tinkering in future to up the chocolate or reduce the beet! Thank you for the inspiration.
Hey Christine! The chocolate protein definitely gives it way more chocolate flavor as well as some sweetness (depending on your protein powder) to help it not be too ‘beety’. The strawberry addition probably helped though. Happy it provided some inspiration!
When you say cooked beets that you buy, are you talking about canned beets? I only have a Walmart in my town 🙁
Hey Emily! Yes, they can be canned! I would just make sure they aren’t in vinegar as that would change the flavor. You can also make your own, I talk about how in this post – https://eatthegains.com/pickled-beets/ (just don’t pickle them).
Bad combination of flavors. Just seems like someone picked a random assortment of popular health food smoothie ingredients and called it a recipe. Do not recommend.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, thank you for the feedback.
Hi. Could I omit the cauliflower rice or substitute it for something?
Hi Tereza! You can omit, but I would maybe cut down the liquid some and maybe add ice instead (you will want some cold and frozen in there to make it a smoothie). If you wanted to use something else, I would suggest half an avocado (would make it super creamy), frozen zucchini, or frozen banana (this would change the flavor a lot). Again, you do want something cold in there though. Hope that helps!
I’ve got beet powder I’d like to use, I’m sure that would be a good substitute, right? It seems like a lot of yogurt – would a 1/4-1/2 cup be alright?
Hi! Beet powder will work, but it will just not be as thick as the beets help add some volume to the smoothie. The yogurt also makes it thick and creamy so adjusting will make it not as thick. You can always add more if needed!
I’m on Whole30 so can’t have dairy. Would Kite Hill almond yogurt and banana work as substitutes for the Greek Yogurt and honey for sweetener?
Hey Tina – yes, that would work great and sounds delicious! Let me know how it goes!
Beets and chocolate are SO GOOD! I made this, with a few minor substitutions for what I had on hand and it is delicious! I used macadamia nut milk, frozen shredded zucchini (instead of cauliflower), no yogurt, and added half an avocado.
Oh, I love those substitutions! I agree the combo is so good too – sounds weird, but good! Thanks, Heather!