When I was in college, I often started my day with a weight loss shake. I’m not gonna name names, but they rhymed with GrimFast. They were pretty disgusting (and kind of tasted like the can they came in–because really, who doesn’t like a gritty metallic chocolate flavored shake first thing in the morning?), but they were quick and I was trying to lose weight, so I’d chug them as quickly as I could and then washed them down with a big glass of water. Inevitably, a few hours later, I’d start obsessing about lunch, so much so that I had trouble concentrating in class. Guess what? Those dinky little shakes aren’t very sustaining.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a little more conscientious about the foods I eat. Shakes like that just aren’t going to cut it anymore–even if they did taste good (and they don’t–I mentioned that, right?), I try to eat natural and whole foods now. But I do miss their convenience–a breakfast in drink form is easy to take with you or, as is often the case with me, drink while you work.
![Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake [Close]](http://ohmyveggies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mexican_chocolate_breakfast_shake_close.jpg "Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake [Close]")
A good smoothie works in most cases, but sometimes all that fruitiness is just a little too virtuous for me. I wanted something that tasted like an indulgent treat, while still being healthy. It needed to be creamy and rich and obviously, it needed to be chocolatey. Since chocolate breakfast shakes have been done a million times, I thought I’d try making this a Mexican chocolate breakfast shake. The first time I tried it, I added a little bit of cayenne, but I settled on adding some of cinnamon alone instead when I made it again–it still gave the breakfast shake that Mexican chocolate flavor, without the weird hot pepper kick. I mean, hot pepper kicks are great and all, but maybe not so early in the morning.
This Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake is delicious, healthy, and unlike those sad weight loss shakes, it will keep you satisfied until lunchtime. And hello, it’s Mexican chocolate!
An easy, healthy (and Mexican chocolatey!) alternative to the typical breakfast shake.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
- 1 c. almond, soy, or coconut milk (I really like using the new Blue Diamond almond/coconut milk blend)
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- agave nectar, honey, maple syrup or other sweetener to taste (I use a tablespoon)
- 1 small banana, cut into pieces and frozen overnight in a freezer bag
Instructions
- Combine oats, milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and sweetener in a resealable bowl. Stir together and refrigerate overnight.
- Add banana and oat mixture to food processor or blender and process until smooth and well-combined. If shake is too thick, add more milk for a thinner consistency.
Notes
Making the oatmeal mixture ahead of time and refrigerating it overnight softens the oats and gives the shake a smoother texture. If you're feeling impatient (or don't mind little bits of oatmeal in your shake), you can make this without that step--put the oats in the food processor or blender first, process until it becomes a fine powder, and then add the rest of the ingredients.
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Somehow I ended up on your website, I think it was through pinterest. I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. It’s really really delicious and I make this smoothie with regular oats or oat bran. I love smoothies and have one for breakfast almost every day because it’s easy and gives me lots of vitamins. Usually I have fruits only but now this has become one of my favourites. I use oat milk because almond milk is soooo expensive here, add 2 tbsp of chia and use a bit less cocoa, maybe 1/2 tbsp. I always use brown bananas for my smoothies so I don’t need any additional sweetener. Thanks a lot for this, I never thought about adding oats to my smoothies before but it’s awesome and keeps me full until lunchtime!
Thanks for letting me know–I’m so glad you like it! I agree, adding the oats really keeps you fuller than a typical fruit smoothie.
Kiersten, I’ve been having this smoothie every day this week
Will change next week but I just wanted to let you know that today I added a raw egg to it. Never done that before and I’m not into raw eggs unless I’m licking the cookie dough bowl… But it was good! A bit gooey but otherwise you didn’t notice the egg. I did it to add some more proteins as I work out in the morning. Might do it more often now.
Sorry to hear that you got laid off. But better things will follow, that’s for sure! And we’ll get more recipes while you’re freelancing only
I don’t know if I can handle a raw egg in mine.
But I can see how the consistency and flavor would help hide the fact that there’s an egg in there.
Thanks for the kind words! I do have a new feature coming up that I’m pretty excited about–it’s nice to have more time to devote to my blog!
If you are trying to add protein why not try tofu instead. You won’t get the gooey consistency and you will have a whole heck of a lot of protein without the change in taste.
Anything else I could use other than the banana? I’m allergic.
The banana adds creaminess to the shake, so Greek yogurt would probably work. I’d use about 1/4-1/3 cup.
I sometimes sub 1/2 an avocado when I’m out of bananas. They’re super creamy and yummy with chocolate.
Thanks for the tip!
Hi- this looks yummy. Do you know the calorie count??
I don’t provide the calorie counts for my recipes because they can vary greatly depending on the exact ingredients used. Here’s a calorie counter for recipes where you can enter in the type of sweetener you use, type of milk you use, etc., along with the rest of the ingredients and get accurate nutritional info: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
I counted the calories for the ingredients I used…about 380
banana – 70
soy milk – 90
oats – 150
agave – 60
cocoa – 10
Came out yummy!
Also found this on pinterest. Have a sore throat today and this was just a perfect lunch for me. I forgot to put the oats in the soy last night so it was a bit gritty, but delicious anyhow. I am afraid it is high caloric, tho, so I may not want to make it too often.
Yeah, soaking the oats definitely makes a difference with the grittiness!
This is a great recipe. I’ve been making it for the past week and love it!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!
I am having this shake at the moment ( I added my soy protein choco powder too).
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one of tastest shake I have ever had!!! Thank you
Thank you for letting me know–I’m so glad you like it!
I’m making this tomorrow morning (well, partially right now because I’m soaking the oats
). It sounded like a perfect change from my overnight oats which I normally have… I just hope I’ll be able to find the blender tomorrow morning!
I alternate between these shakes and overnight oats. They are both good!
Hope it turned out well!
I made this today and LOVED it!!! I added a TBSP of peanut butter instead of the cinnamon & sweetener and it was perfect!! Can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks for the post!!
I’ve made these with peanut butter too–makes it taste even more like a milkshake.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Do you think it would work with steel cut oats? I know they expand more, so I would have to use half as much. Maybe I should try both and see what happens!
The problem with steel cut oats is that they don’t soften when soaked overnight–they get chewy, but not very soft. If you have a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix), I think it could still work. Otherwise, I’d suggest using cooked oats. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Wow! This is great! So much better than the unhealthy breakfast shakes I have sampled!
Adding PB2 is an idea to try!
I’m going to make a triple or quadruple batch of this tonight, so the kids and I can share it in the morning. I bet they will love it!
I hope it was a hit!
OMG. I rarely (as in almost never) write reviews but felt the need to for this one.
Full disclosure: I haven’t actually made the shake yet.
I started assembling the night-before ingredients. I used vanilla almond milk and a teaspoon of maple syrup. I stirred and stirred to get all the cocoa and cinnamon mixed in. It smelled heavenly, so I had to try it. And then I had to try some more. And before I knew it, I so wanted to drink it all up, oats and all. But I stopped myself, combined the same ingredients (minus the oats) to guzzle down and enjoy for dessert, and saved the oaty mixture for in the morning.
I am so looking forward to breakfast.
Thank you for your comment! I actually make a banana soft serve with the same ingredients, minus the oats & most of the almond milk (I only use a tablespoon or two), and it’s so good–one of my favorite low-cal desserts.
I you use one heaping tablespoon of nutella you won’t need any other sweetener and it has a delicious chocolate taste.
half cup cooked whole oats
1 cup milk
1 heaping tablespoon nutella
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 bananna
Thanks for the suggestion!
I just made this & although I let the oats soak for 15 mins, they never did get ground up in my magic bullet. I was a little off-putting, eating the oats at the end of the shake. It did have good flavor though. If I ever made it again, I would use quick cooking oats. They might grind up easier. thanks for sharing.
I’ve never had a problem with the oats not being fully blended, even when I don’t soak them at all–it sounds like it could be an issue with your blender.
I wonder how it would be with a dash of cayenne, I would think that combo of a cold shake and that tiny bit of heat would be a nice mixture.
I will have to try the original and then with the different additions I see suggested.
I tried that and didn’t care for it, but that’s just me.
I made this using unsweetened vanilla almond milk and a tablespoon of honey. It was delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the comment–I’m glad you enjoyed it!
So I’m like on of your other reviewers, I never write reviews. But I had to Thank you!
I was googling for a good chocolate and banana breakfast smoothie and your blog was one of the first searches. So I checked it out. When I saw the mention of oatmeal, I was extremely hesitant, but I gave it a shot. I have an EXTREMELY picky 2 1/2 year old eater. We have so much oatmeal from his wic checks we didn’t know what to do with it, as he would never eat it when I made it, rather, he would attempt to feed it to the cats or his guinea pig. It’s instant quaker oatmeal and one bag makes half a cup perfect. I used a full cup and ground it up in my blender. I added all the ingredients (I don’t have the vanilla almond type milk so i used regular) and made enough for myself and my son.
I LOVE IT! I poured some for my son and he was hesitant as he had watched what I put in it. I told him there was a banana in it ( he LOVES banana’s) and he went nuts “Oh Nanana in my dink mommy?! YAY!”
It got better as I set it down for him to drink and he saw what it actually looked like “CHOCOLATE MILK MOMMY!” ( He yelled so loud the guinea pig jumped and squealed lol) He drank it down quick and told me he loved it!
I had to come on here and tell you about this and Thank you for having such a great recipe that gives my son what he needs for a great breakfast and helps us get rid of all his oatmeal finally. You have created one of the few things that my son actually enjoys to have and won’t fight to eat!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment–it made me so happy to read it! I’m glad you finally found an oatmeal recipe that doesn’t end up getting fed to your pets.
Yum! Thanks for the recipe
This is like a smoothie refrigerator porridge, have you ever tried it? I love it for eating either before work as I get dressed or atvwork, at my desk. In a lidded container I put about half a cup of oats, half a cup of milk and enough water to completely immerse the oats. Then I add flavours depending on what I feel like, cocoa and sultanas, frozen blueberry, a dollop of strawberry jam or honey and cinnomon. Pop the lid on and refrigerate overnight! Tastes great, totally filling and no cooking. I have often had it for lunch too.
Yes, that is one of my favorite breakfasts! Especially in the summer when it’s too hot for warm oatmeal.
I tried this shake this morning. While it was tasty, I definitely had little oats in my shake. I had to drink/half chew. I don’t have a food processor so I used my blender. I did soak the oats overnight. Do I need to cook them first? Or maybe just blend more? I will definitely be making it again. Chocolate and simplicity for breakfast? So nice!
No, you don’t need to cook the oats first, but you do need to blend until completely smooth. The time it takes varies with different types of blenders, but just keep blending until there are no oats left in there.
Loved it! It’s my number one favorite option for breakfast right now. New addiction!
Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just a suggestion to those who have that gritty oatmeal issue: try using Quick Oats (the 1-minute stuff) and put them, dry, in a food processor. Give it a few pulses so it all becomes like flour. Still put the whole concoction in the blender but I’ll bet no more grit. I enjoy making all this raw, just the oats, water and raw sugar for when I’m thirsty and hungry but don’t really want food. Refreshing and healthy! If anyone wants to try it: 2 T 1-minute oats (ground up or not) in a tall glass, sweetened to taste with whatever sweetener you like, then add water or milk of choice. Stir. Drink. Enjoy! Thanks Kiersten, for the chocolaty goodness!
Thanks for the tip!