Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Published June 13, 2022 • Updated July 20, 2026
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Thick, creamy, and loaded with chocolate flavor, this low carb peanut butter smoothie skips the banana entirely. I use avocado for that rich, velvety texture without the sugar spike.
I make some version of a smoothie almost every morning, and this chocolate peanut butter smoothie is the one I come back to the most. It started because I wanted something that tasted like a Reese’s cup but didn’t wreck my macros. After testing different base ingredients for months, I landed on avocado as the thickener, and I haven’t looked back.
Here’s the thing about bananas in smoothies. One medium banana has around 25 grams of carbs, which is about 6 teaspoons of sugar. That’s your entire daily carb budget on keto, gone in one glass. Avocado gives you that same thick, creamy body with a fraction of the carbs, plus you get fiber, potassium, and healthy fats that actually keep you full through the morning. I’ve tested both side by side, and avocado makes a smoother, richer texture than banana ever did.
For the chocolate, I use Cacao Bliss instead of plain cocoa powder. It’s a raw cacao blend with superfoods like cinnamon (for blood sugar support), turmeric (for inflammation), black pepper (to boost the turmeric absorption), and coconut nectar (a prebiotic for gut health). I started adding it to my cold brew coffee over a year ago and now I put it in everything. The flavor is deeper and more complex than regular cocoa. If you want to try Cacao Bliss, use my code KETOFOCUS to save 15% off your order.
If you’re building a keto smoothie rotation, I have a few others I cycle through: my pina colada smoothie when I’m craving something tropical, a frozen hot chocolate for cold mornings, and my keto frappuccino when I need a coffee kick. I rotate through all of them depending on what sounds good.
One thing I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is. The base is simple (avocado, cocoa, nut milk, ice), but you can layer in protein powder, hemp hearts, chia seeds, or MCT oil depending on what your body needs that day. I go through phases where I add collagen every morning for a few weeks, then switch to extra MCT oil when I need more focus. The flavors are rich enough to carry whatever you throw in.
How to make this keto chocolate smoothie
- Add ice, avocado, creamy peanut butter, vanilla extract, nut milk (I use unsweetened macadamia nut milk, but almond milk or coconut milk work too), and unsweetened cocoa powder or Cacao Bliss to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. I run mine for about 45 seconds on high.
- Pour and enjoy.
Key ingredients and swaps
- Ice: Keeps the smoothie cold and thick. If you’re using frozen avocado, skip the ice.
- Avocado: My banana replacement. It makes everything thick and creamy without the sugar. I’ve had people tell me they can taste it, but I genuinely can’t. The chocolate flavor completely takes over. I use avocado in everything from smoothies to dairy-free ice cream.
- Peanut butter: Look for one that says 100% peanuts on the label, no added sugar or fillers. I keep a jar of the natural kind just for smoothies. Almond butter, cashew butter, or macadamia nut butter all work here too. The powdered version is another option if you want the flavor with fewer calories.
- Cocoa powder: I use Cacao Bliss for the superfood blend, but unsweetened cocoa powder works fine. I usually go with about 2.5 tablespoons rather than a flat 2 because the cocoa can get buried under the nut butter if you’re not careful.
- Vanilla: Just a teaspoon. It rounds out the chocolate flavor.
- Nut milk: I reach for macadamia nut milk most often, but almond milk or coconut milk are solid choices. I skip oat milk because it’s higher in carbs.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
1/2 cup ice -
50 grams avocado (1/2 medium avocado)
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2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
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2 tablespoons peanut butter
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1 tablespoon sugar free sweetener
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup nut milk
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Add ingredients to blender
To a blender, add in ice, avocado, unsweetened cocoa powder, peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla extract and nut milk.
Blend
Blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Is peanut butter keto?
I use natural peanut butter in my keto recipes all the time. Two tablespoons have about 3-4 net carbs depending on the brand, which fits comfortably into a daily keto budget. The key is checking the label for added sugar. I keep a jar of the no-sugar-added kind specifically for smoothies and fat bombs. As long as you stick to a reasonable portion, it's one of my favorite keto-friendly fats.
Can I add protein powder to this smoothie?
I do this regularly. A scoop of chocolate protein powder blends right in and bumps the protein up to around 20-25 grams total per serving. I've found that whey and collagen both work well here. If you use a flavored protein powder, I'd cut the cocoa powder in half so the chocolate flavor doesn't get too intense. On days I use this as a low carb meal replacement, I always add protein.
How do I make it thicker or thinner?
I've played with this a lot. For a thicker smoothie, I add more ice or use a whole avocado instead of half. The powdered nut butter also thickens things up without adding much liquid. For a thinner smoothie, I just pour in a little more nut milk, about a quarter cup at a time, until I hit the consistency I want. I prefer mine thick enough that a spoon almost stands up in it.
Can I use almond butter instead?
I've made this with almond butter, cashew butter, and macadamia nut butter. They all work. Almond butter gives a slightly milder flavor, which I actually prefer sometimes when I want the chocolate to be the star. Macadamia nut butter makes it extra creamy but it's pricier. If you have a nut allergy, sunflower seed butter works too. I've tried that and the flavor is slightly different but still good.
Is this smoothie dairy-free?
Yes, the way I make it, this is completely dairy-free. I use nut milk (macadamia is my go-to) and there's no yogurt or dairy protein in the base recipe. If you add protein powder, just check that it's plant-based or use collagen peptides. I keep this dairy-free because I feel better without it, and it fits right into my drink rotation alongside my keto mocha dalgona coffee.
Can I prep this ahead of time?
I meal prep the dry and frozen ingredients into silicone freezer bags every Sunday. Avocado, cocoa powder, and vanilla go into each bag, then I freeze them flat. In the morning, I dump a bag into the blender, add nut milk, and blend. No measuring, no cleanup from pulling out six different containers. The whole thing takes me about two minutes. I skip the ice when everything is already frozen since the frozen avocado does the job.
Can I freeze this smoothie?
I've done this two ways. My favorite is pouring the blended smoothie into ice cube trays and freezing them. When I want one, I pop the cubes into the blender with a splash of nut milk and re-blend for about 30 seconds. It comes out just as thick as fresh. I've kept the cubes in the freezer for up to a month with no flavor loss. The other option is freezing it in a mason jar, but you'll need to let it thaw for 10-15 minutes and give it a good shake. The ice cube method is faster and the texture stays better.
Can I make this nut-free?
I've tested this with sunflower seed butter in place of the nut butter, and it works well. The flavor is slightly earthier, but the chocolate and cocoa mask most of that. For the milk, I'd swap to coconut milk (the carton kind, not canned) or any seed-based milk. I've made the full nut-free version for a friend with allergies and she said she couldn't tell the difference. Just check your sunflower seed butter label for added sugar, same rule as always.
Almost used almond butter because two tablespoons of peanut butter seemed like too little against the cocoa. It registers. The ratio is more precise than it looks, and that PB note comes through in the back of every sip. What got me was not needing to adjust the sweetener at all. I went in expecting to add more, made one batch untouched, and the balance was already there. One tip: blend the nut milk and avocado together first before adding the cocoa powder and sweetener. Cocoa clumps against cold liquid on the blades and leaves dry pockets in the finished smoothie. Thirty extra seconds and the texture's even all the way through.
Will monk fruit work or does it have to be something specific?
Monk fruit works. I'd grab it in powdered form if you have it, blends a little cleaner. Granulated is fine too since it all goes through the blender anyway.
I kept landing on 'too bitter' until I switched to Dutch process cocoa. Natural cocoa is acidic and fights the sweetener. I was chasing a balance that wasn't there.
That acid-sweetener fight is exactly it. Dutch process is what I settled on, it just sits better in something fat-forward like this where there's nothing to balance out the brightness.
Freeze the avocado in chunks the night before and skip the ice. Way smoother, and it doesn't thin out as it sits. Made this probably eight times and tried it both ways, frozen avocado is the one I'd tell anyone to start with.
My husband is doing keto and I'm making this for him Sunday.
I check the peanut butter label first. Some brands sneak in sugar and it jumps from 3 net carbs to 7 fast.
chocolate AND peanut butter in a smoothie?? obsessed, saving this!
The avocado in there is what makes it so thick. My kids had no idea for months.
9.5 grams of protein without any powder was what made me look twice at this recipe. I added a tablespoon of hemp seeds to the blender and bumped it closer to 13 grams. Genuinely can't taste them. The other thing I changed was the nut milk. Full-fat coconut milk instead. The texture completely changes, more shake than smoothie. I actually cut the sweetener back a touch because the coconut milk carries its own mild sweetness. Been making this on repeat all summer.
Maria, I've used full-fat coconut milk for the nut-free version and it changes the pour. The sweetener needs adjusting, the coconut milk isn't neutral like almond or macadamia.
26 grams of fat made me pause for exactly two seconds before I remembered that's the whole idea. I swapped half the nut milk for full-fat coconut milk from the can (not the carton, the actual can) and the texture went from good to borderline pudding, in the best way. Peanut butter comes through differently when the fat base is that heavy, less sharp, more like something you'd eat with a spoon. Going in the rotation.
Can vs carton is real. I've done full coconut milk in mine and that shift you're describing makes sense, fat coats differently at that level. Spoonable is kind of the goal anyway.
Silkier than banana. Four stars until I figure out the sweetener.
The avocado does that. Powdered sweetener dissolves better than granular in cold blends, if you haven't tried it yet.
Made a big batch for a pool afternoon last weekend, poured it into cups before people arrived. Two guests assumed it came from a smoothie bar and wanted to know which one, because of how thick it was. When I said avocado, one of them pulled up the nutrition while I watched. Six net carbs, 310 calories. She sat with that number for a minute.
Serving in cups before people arrive means nobody watches it get made. That's part of it. Avocado thickens in a way banana just doesn't, that density is real. Smoothie bar comparison makes sense. Six net carbs always stops people. Three-ten calories they walk past, but six carbs makes someone put their phone down.
Loved the thickness from the avocado but the sweetener amount needed adjusting for me. I added almost double what the recipe says before it tasted right. Worth making, just taste as you blend.
Yeah, sweetener tolerance varies a lot. Mine's monk fruit, which runs sweeter, so I land at 1 tablespoon. With erythritol you'd probably need closer to 2.
My 9-year-old watched me put avocado in the blender and made this face like I had personally betrayed him. Drank the whole glass and then came back to ask if we had more avocados.
Ha, the face when the avocado goes in and then the empty glass. Keep a spare, he'll be back.
Brought this to a brunch thing and my friend literally went back and re-read the ingredients list because she couldn't figure out where the creaminess was coming from (she thought I'd snuck in ice cream). The avocado thing is genuinely wild.
That re-reading-the-label moment. Nobody ever guesses avocado the first time.
Never thought avocado in a smoothie would actually work but this thing is freaking thick and rich in a way my usual protein shakes just aren't. Four stars only because I went heavy on the cocoa and it got bitter fast. Is there a sweet spot you've found with the ratio?
2 tablespoons is my limit. Past that the peanut butter can't balance it out and you get that bitter edge fast. If you want more chocolate punch, I'd add a tiny bit more sweetener before going heavier on the cocoa.
Made this twice and both times I end up with little flecks of cocoa that don't fully incorporate, even after 60-90 seconds in the blender. Using a Ninja, which handles most smoothies fine, so not sure if it's the ingredient order or if the avocado somehow messes with how the cocoa blends. I've been adding the cocoa on top of the nut milk before anything else (just what I do with most smoothies), but wondering if layering it differently would help. Flavor's there, texture's thick like you describe. Just that slightly gritty finish that lingers. Does cocoa need to be sifted first, or is there a blend order that works better with this one?
Order matters more than sifting. I do nut milk first, then peanut butter, then cocoa on top of the fat. Fat pulls it down way better than liquid alone does.