One of the most popular questions I’ve received over the years is “How can I get my partner to eat healthier?” What I’ve come to realize is that for most people change has to happen from within. Whether it’s a personal struggle they go through or a light bulb moment they experience, many of us have to figure it out for ourselves. Plus, some people are naturally more resistant to change than others and if you push them, they repel in the opposite direction. I don’t believe in pressuring someone to eat a certain way and I don’t think that there is a one size fits all approach for everyone. Leading by example helps (and sharing great-tasting food!), but ultimately if someone is going to make any kind of change in their life it usually has to be internally motivated for it to stick. This has been especially true for my own dietary changes and the shifts I’ve seen in Eric too. I’ve been singing the praises of green smoothies to Eric for 6 years now, but it just took him one moment of internal motivation to get hooked. Go figure. Although in his defense, I think I scared him off with an utterly gross concoction I made for him years ago.
Earlier this year, Eric ditched his morning cereal in an effort to cut down the gluten and processed carbs in his diet as he was suffering from some major brain fog and wanted to experiment with his diet. He now drinks a huge green smoothie every morning and claims he is feeling better. His only problem, he says, is keeping his pants up because he dropped some weight in the process.
This year, we’ve been big fans of adding hulled hemp seeds into our smoothies for a natural protein, fibre, and omega-3 boost. One 3-tablespoon serving has an impressive 2.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, 10 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fibre. It also has oodles of manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc, B6 and more. You can find the huge bags of hulled hemp seed at Costco for a good price. Hemp seeds can be a bit bitter or grassy tasting, so it does take some experimenting to find the right ratio of ingredients in a smoothie (I’ve definitely made some bad ones). Luckily, hemp pairs with chocolate effortlessly so it’s a no-brainer.
I’ve been enjoying my hemp-filled Green Warrior Protein Smoothie for a few months now. When I’m too lazy to prep all the veggies I simply add a couple spoons of hemp seed into my classic green monster recipe. Does the trick! Not long after, I decided to make a chocolate-hemp spin-off. I wanted something that I could enjoy on a hot summer day that would satisfy a craving for something sweet, chocolaty, and cold – while still packing in tons of nutrition. I made this recipe in May and was planning on sharing it during our kitchen reno this August, but recipe development has been a bit slow for me the past couple weeks so I decided to pull it out of the draft folder early. Plus, I just didn’t feel right keeping it from you given how hot and humid the weather has been lately. This smoothie has been my saving grace and has kept me from buying expensive pints of vegan chocolate ice cream more often than not.
Another thing I like about this recipe is that it makes 3 1/2 cups worth. When I’m feeling especially generous, I call this recipe “for two”, but there are definitely times when I chug it back faster than anyone can even see me make it.
Creamy Chocolate Hemp Smoothie for Two
Yield
3 1/2 cups (2 servings)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Cool down with this creamy, ice-cold, and luxurious chocolate hemp smoothie. Enjoy the boost of protein and omega-3's that the hemp seeds provide while indulging in a lightly sweet chocolaty treat. For a fun twist, try this recipe with homemade almond milk, Coffee Shop Worthy Hazelnut Milk, or even adding homemade coffee ice cubes. This recipe is inspired by my Cheerful Chocolate Smoothie from The Oh She Glows Cookbook.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk (see note)
- 2-3 pitted large Medjool dates, to taste (I use 2)
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons hulled hemp seed
- 1 large peeled and frozen banana
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 large ice cubes
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until super smooth.
Tip:
1) This recipe yields a fairly thin consistency. If you want a thicker shake-like texture, try reducing the milk to 1.5 cups instead of 2 cups or go wild and add a scoop of your favourite non-dairy ice cream. 2) If your dates are a bit firm or dry, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes before making this smoothie. You can also swap the dates for liquid sweetener if desired. Just reduce the almond milk a bit so it's not too thin.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Love this!! Such a cool flavour!
Wow, this looks amazing. I am going to make it for my 2 kids and my husband this morning. I think we will all love it.
We are also fans of your green warrior protein smoothie. Nutritious and delicious.
Thank you, Angela.
Glad to hear you enjoy the green warrior smoothie!
Yum! This looks so good–and I bet it would be amazing with hazelnut milk! I love your photos by the way. The bottle is so cute!
Thanks Audrey! I’m a sucker for a vintage milk bottle ;)
Mmm is right!! I’ve kind of been doing something similar to this for a large part of the past few months. Something about cacao-nut butter-banana just does it to me! Might have to add the hemp in now thanks to this recipe ;)
Well, you know that I love that this serves two! I’ve been adding hemp seeds to almost everything these days. I love them on top of salads. I even love them on top of a reheated cobbler that needs a bit of crunch. I think this smoothie is my next hemp adventure!
Oh yeah…SOOOO making this! I’ve even got bottles and straws like that so I can feel all fancy pants too. ;-)
Yum! Looking at this, I’d never think it was vegan, but it is, which is great! What a great and healthy way to eat chocolate :)
Well that looks easy enough and refreshingly chocolatey! I’ve been put on a no added sugar diet by my Dr. and crave chocolate like nobodies business. This may be my saving grace this summer
This looks so delicious! My entire family is obsessed with dates at the current moment and I’m sure this will be a hit!
~Kari
Any advice on where to buy hulled hemp seeds in Toronto?
We buy the big bags at Costco :)
Dayna you can get them almost anywhere in Toronto! Any heath food store like Noahs will carry them. Also most grocery stores have them (at a slightly higher price) like Loblaws. My trick is to get them at homesense in the food aisle! They sell the huge brand name bags for very cheap!
I’m excited to try this! I often make something similar for me to enjoy with my 3 year old (he loves “smoo-ty”). I recently purchased hemp seeds, but haven’t really liked the taste so far in a number of recipies. Maybe this will do the trick!
I giggled at the little caption on the last photo -too cute! I also get my hemp hearts at Costco! Best deal ever. Sharing healthy, delicious, chocolatey foods with the one you love is a great way to show your partner that you care about them :)
So simple and so good for you. I think my chocolate-loving father will enjoy this one :)
Mmmm sounds yummy. I should try that !
I was just curious, where did you buy that pretty glass bottle ?
I bought a bottle like that from Chapters/Indigo. So cute! I’m not sure if they still have them but you can try :)
One more question… Whats the difference between hemp hearts and hulled hemp ?
No difference. Hemp hearts are hulled hemp seeds.
Wonderful! So, I give this two thumbs up….buuuut, I did change it up a bit. I was out of almond milk so I just added 2 Tbsp of raw almonds + 2 cups water. Also I had a big bowl of fresh cherries sitting right by my Vitamix, so I thought why not?! Chocolate Cherry hemp smoothie…yum, I added about 10 pitted cherries too and it was sooooooo amazing! And I did share :) boyfriend approved!! Thanks!
love the addition of cherries! Glad you enjoyed it :)
I’ll be adding this to my dessert rotation for sure! And I’ve been making your green warrior protein smoothie like 3 or 4 days a week since you posted it. It’s my all time fave smoothie, and it still comes out thick without a banana! Amazing! Not that I’m against bananas, but I already eat 2-3 a day anyway
Wow, i’ll be sure to try this! I agree that pushing someone actually scares them away. I have a tendency to speak of my own experiences with food in social circles without imposing my views on anyone, and it’s funny how many people around me suddenly decided to go veg. (Sometimes for a short time, sometimes lasting)
I have a quick question. I recently bought a huge bag of hemp protein powder and I found the taste to be bitter, especially when you swallow and I don’t mean the earthy/nutty taste of hemp. More like eating raw nigella seeds, if you know what I mean? I don’t have much experience with hemp so I’m not sure if I should toss it or use it. I can handle the bitterness but my concern is the possibilty of ingesting something that has gone rancid.
Thank you for the post! New to your blog and I love it :)
Quick question: can you freeze dates and just throw them in a smoothie when you need them? Or use them frozen in any other of your recipes that uses them? Or do you just always have some available in the fridge?
Thanks :)
Looks yummy and your photography is beautiful too!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh goodness, this looks amazing! I love adding a frozen banana in my smoothies for some sweetness!
I can totally relate to those that are trying to get their partner to eat healthier. When I lived by myself, I had a more disciplined diet and cut certain things out of my meals. Now that my husband and I live together there are certain things in my kitchen that I wouldn’t have bought on my own. You’re absolutely ride, eating healthy comes from within and you can’t force someone to do it.
serves 2?? I don’t think so. Maybe present me and future me. Yum!
I can definitely relate to the struggle of encouraging loved ones to eat healthy and exercise. Many of my family members eat a ton of meat and fast food and it makes me want to cry. I try to rub off on them but you’re right, they aren’t going to change unless they really want to.
I like the idea to sway them with delicious treats though! This smoothie looks like a great way to do that. Love the addition of hemp seeds too!
Ooh this good!! I made something quite similar just yesterday in fact – great minds and all that ;) I added hemp protein powder to mine, but I shall have to try your version with hemp seeds instead and compare! I love that bottle and straw combo – so cute!
*Ooh this looks good – my inner grammar nerd needed to clarify!
Yum! I can’t wait to give this a go!
What would be a good substitute for the dates? I have everything else handy. Maybe a tsp. of agave nectar for sweetness?
Maple syrup would also be a great substitute!
Love the creamy factor, that it’s chocolaty, that it’s sweetened with dates, mmm, I would knock this back, solo-style :) pinned
I was too impatient to freeze a banana so mine isn’t very frosty, but this is delish!
Oh my God, this looks good. I’ve started replacing my morning Larabar with a smoothie and I have felt amazing so far :) Sometimes they’re pink (beets) and sometimes they’re green, but it’s been a good change and a great way to get more veggies in. I’ll have to try this one, though, when I’m looking for a sweet snack.
This looks wonderful, like a chocolatey treat, yum! So true about people needing to take their own dietary journey and I’ve been focusing on just being a positive influence.
High five for Eric!! :) That’s awesome that he’s now having smoothies for breakfast, and with the delicious ones you make, I’m not surprised that he likes them more than cereal now. If you think about it, you are technically two – one Ange and one baby Ange, so I’d say that makes you fully entitled to the entire recipe! :)
So true that you can’t force diet changes on anyone! This smoothie looks awesome, I’ve been making a similar version with banana, cocoa powder, pea protein, and flax meal. It makes a delicious snack/dessert. I’ll have to look out for the hemp seeds next time I’m at Costco and see how they taste added into the mix.
This looks heavenly! The only thing I’m not so sure of is the “for 2” part;-)
P.S. I just bought your cookbook and I am ridiculously excited for its arrival! I can’t wait!
I’ve been craving something cold and chocolate-y for most of the day, and then this recipe popped up. Thanks for that. I don’t have hemp seeds but did have most other ingredients, so now I’m set for my swimming class AND I got my chocolate fix.
For someone like my self that really loves chocolate but can not eat it, I think I will try it with carob.
I love this recipe and your site, but I can’t have bananas. What do you suggest I use in place of the bananas?
I only had a very small frozen banana, so I added in a small ripe avocado. It worked perfectly!! I’ll bet you could just sub 2 avocados for the banana, and it would work just as well. You might want to add more ice though, to make it cold… It was delish!
This looks amazing but I have a banana allergy. What can I substitute it with?
Yum! I can’t get hemp seeds where I am living/working at the moment (Malaysia)– but maybe I’ll have my mom add a Costco sized bag to my next package– she’s mailed me crazier things before!
I totally agree with you and it took some time for my hubby to get himself into drinking morning juices too!! This looks so good and I am sure he will love this as he loves chocolate milk! Thanks. Will be trying soon!
I am on a smoothie kick right now, as well as a hemp seed kick, so this is perfect! I may try adding my daily wheatgrass shot as well, since I usually add it to my smoothies. :-)
That looks delish! Do you think hemp protein powder will work as well as the seeds? The only thing I find is it turns my smoothies a murky green colour. Definitely got the chocolate milk craving going on now! I read that if you add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your date soaking water, it speeds up the softening process :-)
Oh so GOOD!!! Creamy, filling, and perfect for chocolate cravings! :o)
You are right, it was hard to share with my husband ;) But out of true love, I did!! Delicousness~ another wonderful recipe! Thank you!
Mmmmmm! This was truly delicious! Made a double batch for all the family this morning – it was inhaled in seconds! Thank you for another great recipe post, lovely photos too. Am making your strawberry chia jam from your cookbook this afternoon. Jam on toast for breakfast tomorrow xxx
Is there an alternative to bananas? It’s the only thing I’m allergic to, and I make so many of your recipes but always have to avoid the ones with bananas.
Think avocado might work in this one?
Thanks for any tips- LOVE your work :-)
Jess
Soo good! I made it yesterday as soon as I got the update that you posted the recipe and shared it with my 2 young daughters. We all loved it! Today, I made it for myself after my morning workout! Love all your recipes! I’m addicted to your cookbook and my whole family loves whatever I make from it! Thank you! By the way, you are so cute pregnant and I’m excited that you are having a girl!
This was the perfect start to my Friday morning. Thanks for once again sharing something so amazing.
I apologize if you’ve answered this question in previous posts, but, where did you get those adorable bottles?! Was it at a store? It’s probably a silly question since I’m in the US, but I’ve been ITCHING to get my hands on some glass milk-style bottles for quite some time. I have yet to find any affordable ones of a decent size (with caps), though. How many ozs do your bottles hold?
A glass of chocolate milk is simply never large enough! This looks simply marvellous, yum.
Yum! Hemp is such a great vegan power food. Those bottles are so adorable!
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