Photos by Emily Caruso
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 wash 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.
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.
Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shake
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! That little bit of cinnamon makes chocolate taste even better. And if you love that cinnamon flavor, you'll want to check out this Mexican horchata too!
This December, we're republishing updated recipes from Oh My Veggies' first year. This post was originally published on May 10, 2012.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup almond, soy or coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Agave nectar, honey, maple syrup or other sweetener, to taste (optional)
- 1 small banana, cut into pieces and frozen overnight in a freezer bag
Instructions
- Combine the oats, milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon and sweetener in a resealable bowl. Stir together, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Add the banana and oat mixture to a blender and blend until completely smooth. If the shake is too thick, add more milk for a thinner consistency; if it's not sweet enough, add more sweetener.
Abigail says
I just finished making this smoothie for breakfast and it is ABSOLUTELY delicious. I used ground flax seed meal instead of the oats because I made this recipe at the very last minute (like I literally just ran across this recipe and went in the kitchen and made it lol) and it still came out great, but I will definitely try making it the original way as well. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad it worked out with the flax instead! I've got a big bag sitting in the fridge just begging to be used, so I'll have to try that too! 🙂
Abbey says
I've made this twice with no sweetener, and it was amazing! I think the banana sweetened it just perfectly. Note that with any sweetener, if you use a tablespoon it's about as bad as your average sugary breakfast cereal in grams of sugar. The second time I used a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon, the more cinnamon the better in my opinion. This is definitely a new breakfast staple for me--absolutely delicious!
Kiersten Frase says
I've found with a ripe banana, it doesn't need any sweetener, but when they're a little less sweet, I usually add some honey. I'm glad you enjoy the recipe!
Veronica says
I am very excited to try this recipe bc I'm a huge fan of mexican mochas! Do you happen to know the nutritional information, ie. how many calories? Thanks 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
I don't, but here's a nutrition calculator you can use: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php 🙂
Sean Huncherick says
Good! Definitely soak the oats overnight. I also added about 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne to give it an extra kick. The spice takes it to a new level.
Kiersten Frase says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Ellen says
Just made this without soaking the oats and adding peanut butter and a handful of raw almonds (using a blendtec it comes out very smooth). Delicious! Oh, and instead of cocoa powder (didn't have any) I used raw cacao nibs and a few extra-dark chocolate chips. Oh, and maple syrup. Needless to say, I didn't save any calories on the sweeteners, but it was devine! Next time I am going to try less sweetener.
Kiersten Frase says
Yeah, the soaking is less necessary if you have a high-powered blender. 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Christen says
Can you taste the banana? I do not like banana's at all and so many smoothie recipes call for them and I haven't figured out how to work around it. Any suggestions?
Kiersten Frase says
You can taste the banana a little bit, but it's not really pronounced - I guess it depends just how much you hate banana. 🙂 If even a hint of banana flavor turns your stomach, I'd skip it. Maybe try yogurt instead? The banana adds a creamy texture, so you'll need something for that.
Marisa says
I was wondering what type of almond milk you'd think would add the best flavor? Sweetened? Unsweeted Vanilla? Just curious! I can't wait to try this recipe!
zoe says
I am trying this bad boy out in the morning 🙂 Could you use raw cacao instead of cocoa powder?
xxx
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This sounds so delicious and creamy! Love the cinnamon and oats.
Caitlin says
This smoothie looks great! I'm always looking for a smoothie that is a little less milk + yogurt or fruit on fruit heavy, because the sugar content adds up quickly. Do you think I could sub in a chocolate protein powder for some or all of the cocoa powder? I'd like to up the protein so it's more comparable to the Greek yogurt I usually start my day off with.
Can't wait to try it!
Leslie says
I use to drink the Grimfast for breakfast too then I found other healthy things to have. I bet this is delicious! Anything chocolate I can have for breakfast is a go in my book.
Heather @ HeatherOMade says
yum. can i make this with regular organic milk too?
Jessie says
Fantastic. I just noticed that the Save Recipe feature is gone. On a quick Google search of Ziplist I found out the not so good news. I love your recipes, saving them has been a lifeline and a time saver as I don't have to keep searching. Are you going to bring this feature back using another provider? I really hope so, especially for the run up towards Christmas. This is so disheartning
Kiersten Frase says
I know! I was so disappointed when I heard the news about ZipList. We're currently exploring other options and I hope to have something in place within the next few months.
Kylie @ immaeatthat says
You're brilliant! Can't wait to make this!
She Rocks Fitness says
Can you use steel cut oats if you soak them overnight? Let me know when you have a free moment. Looks DELISH!
Joanne says
I feel like my day would be so much better if I started it off with a healthy delicious shake like this! Love that it actually contains real ingredients and SUSTENANCE. Not that I would expect anything less from you!
sivankov says
Cant wait to make this 🙂
WhiskeyCoffee says
So it's Mexican because it combines chocolate and cinnamon? Hmm...
Kiersten Frase says
Have you ever had Mexican chocolate before? It's chocolate with cinnamon in it.
WhiskeyCoffee says
Yes, I have. I lived in New Mexico for several years. Just seems like a strange name for a chocolate shake, that's all! :p
Michael Kinee says
Do you have to put the milk thing in over night and can you also add blueberries to the smoothie
Kiersten Frase says
You can skip the overnight part, but if you don't have a powerful blender, it may leave some grit in the shake. You can add anything you like to it.
Ashley Evers says
I don't like bananas. Is there something else I can use to substitute?
Kiersten Frase says
You could try Greek yogurt, but I haven't made it that way myself.
Val - Life Of A Vegaholic says
I've heard of Mexican Hot Chocolate, but I don't think I haven't. This recipe looks good!
Val - Life Of A Vegaholic says
*I don't think I haven't tried it.
Ceshini says
I think I have made this atleast three times! I love it! It's like I just can't get enough of it! I used sweetened cocoa because that's what I bought accidently so I don't add any sweetner and the sweetness of the ripe bananas is perfect for me. I didn't get to make a smoothie this morning because my bananas are not ripe enough yet and I am so sad 🙁 Great recipe! love, love, love it! Oh and the green detox smoothie, that is my second favorite! Very Yummy! 🙂
Martyna says
I'm a novice when it comes to home-made smoothies, but I'm also allergic to all grains except for oats and i'm lactose-intolerant, AND a sucker for everything chocolatey, so this seemed like a perfect solution for me. And it is! I didn't soak the oats overnight so the texture is still noticeable, but I think I even prefer it that way. Thank you so much for this recipe, it's delicious! xoxo
Catie says
This was truely yummy and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Just thought that dates may be an alternative for sweetener, I would add 1-2 to the mix and blend it in. Works well in my green smoothies 🙂
Anthony says
I found this awesome recipe and tried it out right away. It was excellent! I didn't have all the exact ingredients, I substituted what I had on hand and it turned out pretty darn good.
For my version I used:
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1 teaspoon cinnamin
2 teaspoons ground flax seed
1 sliced, frozen, yogurt dipped banana
1 cup chocolate 1% milk'
a few frozen blueberries
I'll be making this or some variation on a regular basis!