This healthy coffee smoothie is the perfect way to start your day. Enough coffee to give you a boost, but full of wholesome ingredients!
I love starting my day on the right foot, and that for me is a good workout and a breakfast that gets me going. As a mom of three littles and running my own business, I need all the nutrients and energy I can get!
Coffee Smoothies
I have never been a coffee drinker until about a month ago. Let that sink in. Yep, my energy level is natural. So you can imagine what happens when I do drink coffee!
Why did I start? Well, the main reason is personal but basically I needed a natural way to get things going. Coffee beans are full of antioxidants and in small amounts can actually be beneficial for a variety of things.
It’s when you add all the extra crap that coffee drinks take a turn for the worst. Which is why I created this perfect cold way to get my buzz on!
Ingredients
I use a few main ingredients to make sure this coffee smoothie is packed with all the things I want in my body, and leaves out those I don’t.
- Spinach
- Pea protein
- Finely ground espresso beans
- Chia seeds
- Dates to sweeten
How To Make A Coffee Smoothie
Don’t worry, you won’t need a cup of coffee before making this nutritious smoothie- it’s THAT EASY!
- Put all ingredients in a blender and blend.
- Pour in a cup and enjoy!
Tips for adding extra nutrition
This smoothie already packs a punch of nutrients, but any of these additions can boost the health factor even more! (Not to mention make the smoothie more substantial!)
- Protein powder
- Sunflower seeds
- Other greens like kale or collard greens
- Oats
- Chickpeas
- Sweet potato
- Avocado
Flavor variations
While this smoothie is excellent as it is, it’s nice to shake things up once in a while! Try adding in any of these ingredients to give a little extra flavor:
- Peanut butter
- Banana
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Pumpkin
- Chili powder
- Mint
How to prepare smoothies ahead of time
While you can make a smoothie the night before, then store in the freezer and blend again in the morning, this isn’t my favorite way to prep ahead. I prefer my smoothies freshly blended, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prep!
One thing I like to do for this coffee smoothie is add all of the ingredients, except the milk, spinach and ice, into glass containers and keep them in the cupboard to grab and dump in the morning. I prep a week at a time.
You could also add the spinach and milk to these and keep them in the fridge, but I don’t find those hard to measure and add to the blender each morning.
Common Questions
The best way to get a pick me up from your smoothie is to add some coffee! I’ve found that ground espresso gives the most flavorful & creamy flavor.
Absolutely! Although you want to make sure it’s finely ground or the smoothie will be gritty. Freshly ground coffee, or espresso, is packed with antioxidants and caffeine so you don’t need much to get the boost you usually get from the brewed version. A little goes a long way!
You can substitute some of the milk for brewed coffee, but the flavor won’t be as rich, and it could be more icy instead of creamy.
Espresso is coffee, it’s just a mix of different types of coffee beans from different places. It is also ground finer than regular coffee beans, which is why I use it in this coffee smoothie. When brewing espresso, the brewing time is also much shorter than drip coffee.
Chia seeds are nutrient powerhouses! They are so easy to add to things, and a great way to pack in some extra health benefits into things. Here are some of the top reasons to add chia seeds into this coffee smoothie:
1. They have very few calories for all the nutrients they carry
2. Loads of antioxidants
3. High fiber content
4. They have a good amount of protein for their size
5. They are higher in omega-3 fatty acids than many other plant based foods
6. They absorb water, which helps to thicken the smoothie!
I think the question should be what DOESN’T go well with coffee? Pretty much any fruit will taste great in this smoothie, but a good rule of thumb is to use any fruit that tastes good dipped in chocolate. Strawberries, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, etc.!
Other Smoothies To Try
- Salted Caramel Cashew Cacao Chunk Smoothie
- Healthy Pina Colada Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Spinach Protein Smoothie
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie
Healthy Protein Coffee Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dairy free milk , I used cashew
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 dates
- 1 tablespoon pea protein
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon finely ground espresso
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder , or you can use vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 12 ice cubes
Instructions
- Add everything into a blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
Notes
- You can sub brewed coffee for some of the milk, but the result won’t be as creamy.
- Put all the ingredients except the milk, spinach and ice into containers or bags to make one week worth of prep. The dump into a blender the day you are making it.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
NR says
Absolutely delicious!! It will be my go-to weekday breakfast!!! THANK YOU!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! Thrilled you liked it!
Anne says
This should be renamed the “I think I have died and gone to heaven smoothie”!!! It was so absolutely delish. Didn’t have spinach so added Swiss chard from the garden. This WILL BE a make again!!!!
Amy says
So delicious!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Amy!!
Sophia says
Not sure if I didn’t do this correctly, but for some reason my smoothie came out quite bitter. I tried adding some date butter, but only slightly upped the sweetness, any suggestions ?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Sophia! I am guessing it’s the coffee you used. Did you use finely ground espresso? It could also be the dates, some aren’t as sweet as the others. It could also be the cocoa powder. Did you use cacao or cocoa? Some is more bitter than others. This isn’t the sweetest smoothie, but it definitely should not be bitter.
Lea says
This looks ggrreeat. Question. You mentioned brewing espresso take less time, which I know. But I’m assuming you put the fine expresso ground in the smoothie and don’t brew.
Thx.
Lea
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Lea! Yes, I put finely ground espresso into the smoothie! It’s so good! Let me know if you try it.
steviefbillman says
I absolutely love coffee and hate eating a heavy breakfast in, so this looks like the perfect solution to waking up and feeling full in the morning! I must try!!