This chocolate smoothie recipe combines all of the very best things. Peanut butter… Banana… Dates… and, of course, chocolate. And is there any food in the world that beats chocolate? Not in my book. One of my other favorite foods? Pretty much any kind of smoothie. Combining chocolate and smoothies? Total bliss.

It’s been almost twenty years since I started making smoothies. The first kinds were always extremely, extremely nutritious—loaded with leafy greens, exotic berries and superfood powders. (Did I mention I was extreme, too?)

While I will still drink a smoothie made of just about anything, these days I often use my blender to concoct sweet, almost junk food treats. Who knew that smoothies could not only be great for your bod but also SO delicious?!

That’s right, this chocolate smoothie tastes like dessert, and it’s still super good for you! 

What Is Chocolate?

Made from the seeds of cacao trees, chocolate is roasted and ground from small brown “beans” into powder and liquor, then mixed with ingredients like sugar to make candy. There’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate for hot cocoa, baking and smoothies. 

Heavy Metals in Chocolate (Lead and Cadmium)

Lately, you may have heard some negative news about chocolate. All over the web, information is popping up about your favorite food (okay, my favorite food) being contaminated with lead and cadmium. Cadmium in chocolate? What does that even mean?

Well, like most foods at one point or another, chocolate is grown in soil. Soil is a good thing. It grows our food. And it’s (supposed to be*) rich in minerals.

*Due to over-farming it’s very badly depleted—a sad subject for a whole different blog. 

Alas, in some places where cacao trees are grown, the soil is high in cadmium. 

What Is Cadmium?

Cadmium is a naturally occurring metal element found in soil from the Earth’s crust. Some places have soil with higher levels than others. Cadmium is not something you want to ingest: it’s a known carcinogen (causes cancer) and can also build up in the body and lead to kidney disease. 

Cadmium isn’t only found in chocolate. It’s also often absorbed into rice, shellfish, root vegetables and plenty of other (otherwise healthy) foods. 

What About Lead?

Lead is a different story. Like cadmium, it’s a naturally occurring metal element that our planet just has. But unlike cadmium, lead contamination in chocolate does not happen in the soil. 

A long study showed that while cadmium shows up in cacao seeds as they are harvested, lead contamination comes later. It’s suspected that since cacao is dried in highly industrial areas, lead from dust, dirt and leaded gasoline blows over the seeds and sticks to them. 

Studies Have Shown…

Now that people are finding out about heavy metals in chocolate, the situation is being studied. Chocolate brands are being tested. While chocolate on grocery store shelves is probably okay, no one can actually know for sure. Each batch is different, each brand changes its source whenever it feels like it. Many chocolates test well over established safety heavy metal limits.

I have pored over lists of chocolate brands that have been studied, and found some interesting stuff. Highly processed, big brand milk chocolate filled with refined sugar, syrups and seed oils is often the safest when it comes to lead and cadmium.

That organic dark stuff you think is best? (Okay, me again. The organic dark stuff *I* think is best…) Well, that’s the kind that’s most likely contaminated. 

Why Is Dark Chocolate Higher in Heavy Metals?

Dark chocolate has higher levels of cocoa solids than milk chocolate. While milk chocolate is usually made with a variety of other ingredients, dark chocolate focuses mostly on the, well, chocolate. Cocoa solids provide chocolate’s rich antioxidants, but unfortunately they are also most susceptible to absorbing heavy metals. 

What Is A Chocolate Lover To Do?

There isn’t really much you can do, except keep up to date with the lists of chocolate brands with the lowest contamination. My go-to is Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, for this chocolate smoothie recipe, too). For bars I also usually grab Ghiradelli since it’s easy for me to remember (no financial link there at all). According to Consumer Reports studies, other brands on the safer side include Mast, Taza and Valrhona. 

Chocolate Smoothie Recipe Ingredients

Alright, back to the chocolate smoothie recipe. The star here is chocolate, and like I just mentioned, I use Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder. (Technically any unsweetened cocoa powder will do.) You only need a couple spoons to get a rich, chocolatey flavor. 

Since the powder is unsweetened, you’ll want some kind of sweetener. The smoothie sweeteners I usually reach for first are bananas and dates. They are the most natural forms of sugar that taste the best to me, but maple syrup or honey get the job done, too. 

If I can get peanut butter into a smoothie, I will. For this chocolate smoothie recipe, peanut butter adds some fat and protein to balance out the fruit. 

Since I use a frozen banana for this one, I skip the ice. The only liquid involved is almond milk, or any milk of your choice. 

Chocolate Smoothie Health Benefits

Chocolate: Chocolate may be good for you, but it depends on what kind of chocolate you eat. Processed milk chocolate candy bars full of refined sugar and syrups are a different story entirely from dark chocolate, especially those with higher percentages of cocao. Dark chocolate in its pure form delivers iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and even fiber (but see above about heavy metals).

Bananas: This sweet fruit is known for its potassium content, but it’s also high in copper, magnesium and even vitamin C. The greener they are, the more resistant starch they carry, which is a fiber-rich prebiotic to feed the good bacteria in your gut. 

Dates: High in copper, iron and vitamin B6 (a great mood stabilizing vitamin), dates are a delicious natural sweetener and a hefty source of fiber. Dates also have one of the highest levels of antioxidants compared to other dried fruit. As anyone who has been pregnant has probably been told, dates can potentially induce natural and easy labor, and are also recommended for postpartum healing. 

Peanut Butter: A great way to get in your healthy fat, peanut butter is a wonderful way to turn a quick snack into a filling meal. The fat and protein help prevent your blood sugar from spiking when you eat foods that contain (or turn into) sugar. Peanut butter offers a healthy dose of B vitamins to keep your skin, hair and nails looking beautiful.

Almond Milk: Full of vitamin E and calcium, almond milk makes a great low-sugar, low-calorie base (especially if you buy unsweetened), or is delicious on its own. An added beneift? It is often fortified with vitamin D. An even healthier option is to make your own!

How To Make This Chocolate Smoothie Recipe

Feel free to toss everything in a blender and hit go. However, if you pulse the dates after soaking them in a little hot water first, you won’t find them half-blended in the bottom of your cup. 

Before I even get my blender out, I get the smallest bowl I have and pop in 2 dates (3 if they’re small ones) and barely cover them with a splash of boiling water. The longer they sit like that, the easier it will be for them to blend. 

The rest is a breeze. Add all chocolate smoothie recipe ingredients to the blender (even the date water) and blend, baby, blend.