Last Updated on September 5, 2024 by Christin Gillespie

This healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie is the perfect frozen protein treat to enjoy this festive season. It’s created with rich cacao plant protein, calming hot cacao, refreshing peppermint, sweet medjool date, & ripe banana. Garnished with a dollop of homemade coconut whipped cream for an extra special post workout drink.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe in a glass, topped with coconut whipped cream, with a straw in it. Sitting on a cutting board, with a Christmas tree and candy canes in the background.

If you’re not in the Christmas spirit yet, just wait until you take a sip of this frozen hot chocolate smoothie recipe.

While I love hot chocolate as is, I love finding ways to take it to the next level…which brought me to the creation of this peppermint infused hot chocolate smoothie recipe. In my opinion, peppermint and hot cacao just belong together, especially during the holidays.

Even though it practically tastes like a Christmas delight, this Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie is made with healthy ingredients. The combination is rich, yet refreshing at the same time. Thanks to the peppermint, it provides you with that little extra natural boost to wake you up this holiday season. Oh & don’t forget the topping. Homemade coconut whipped cream! Let’s be honest, no hot chocolate recipe isn’t complete without it.

Although this is technically a hot chocolate protein smoothie recipe, you can totally use a fresh banana vs. frozen and ditch the ice cubes. Enjoy it hot or cold, I know you’ll love it either way!

Why You’ll Love This Hot Chocolate Smoothie Recipe

Perfect Protein Smoothie: Whether you’re making it post workout or breakfast, this healthy frozen hot chocolate smoothie will have you fully satisfied, as it is packed with over 20 grams of plant protein.
Tastes like a Holiday Treat: It’s essentially a hot cacao protein recipe transformed into a peppermint hot chocolate milkshake. YUM!
Customizable: Enjoy it hot or cold, this healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe will be a holiday win.

Hot Cacao Health Benefits & Nutrition

The hero of this healthy Hot Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie recipe is the hot cacao mix. Not just any hot chocolate mix, Four Sigmatic’s Organic Cacao Mix. It’s essentially hot chocolate made healthy. Crafted with good-for-you ingredients, while being paired with reishi, creates a calming blend to support stress & overall well-being. Which we all need, especially during the holiday season. Through incorporating this specific hot cacao packet in the smoothie, some of the incredible benefits include:

Relief of Mild Stress & Promote Relaxation: Thanks to the adaptogen of reishi, Four Sgimatic’s Hot Cacao, helps you adapt to those everyday stressors.
Mental Clarity: The adaptogenic blend helps keep your mind calm, to feel more centered throughout your day.
Sustainable Sourced to Achieve All the Benefits: You don’t need to worry about anything funky in your mushrooms with Four Sigmatic. It’s certified organic, as well as tested for mycotoxins, molds, and pesticides.
Tastes Good: Just because it’s loaded with mushrooms, doesn’t mean the taste has to be compromised. It’s super delicious.

Healthy Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe in a glass, topped with coconut whipped cream, with a straw in it. Sitting on a cutting board, with a Christmas tree and candy canes in the background.

Ingredients

Organic Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk: Any non-dairy milk works. Just be sure to use trusted brands – I like MALK Organics or Three Trees.
Four Sigmatic’s Organic Cacao Mix: The star of this Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie! I love adding Four Sigmatic’s Organic Cacao Mix packet to this smoothie because it’s creamy, uncaffeinated, and spicy-sweet. Oh & my favorite part is that this organic cacao mix is made with good-for-you ingredients and it’s paired with reishi, which creates a calming blend to support stress & overall well-being. It’s the perfect addition for this hot chocolate smoothie.
Organic Cacao Plant Protein: Adding a scoop of protein powder helps to keep you full and satisfied longer. I love Four Sigmatic’s Creamy Cacao Plant Protein for this recipe. It’s made with real unrefined cacao with no grains, gums or fillers. Oh & it’s super delicious. Nevertheless, if you have yet to try Four Sigmatic’s Creamy Cacao Plant Protein, add your favorite chocolate plant protein.
Organic Chia Seeds: Organic chia seeds add some omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, calcium, etc. + it helps thicken this smoothie.
Organic Peppermint Extract: The most essential ingredient to achieve that peppermint flavor. A little goes a long way!
Sea Salt: A healthy pinch of sea salt is rich in a ton of minerals and beautifully enhances the flavor.
Organic Medjool Date: Adding just one date to this smoothie adds the perfect amount of sweetness. I recommend buying organic pitted dates, that way you don’t have to remove the pits yourself. Oh, & my favorite brand of dates is Joolies!
Organic Frozen Banana: It’s best to use a frozen banana to create that super thick & creamy texture.
Ice Cubes: Completely optional, just in case you need to make your frozen hot chocolate smoothie recipe colder.

How To Make

Blend the Liquids & Powders. To a high-speed blender, add the non-dairy milk, hot cacao mix, plant protein, seeds, peppermint extract, and sea salt, to a high-speed blender. Blend these ingredients until smooth.
Blend the Medjool Date. Add the soft medjool date to the blender and blend until smooth.
Blend the Frozen Ingredients. Add the frozen banana and ice cubes. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve. Pour into a chilled glass, with a dollop of homemade coconut whipped cream, and enjoy!

Smoothie Add-Ins

Feel free to truly make this healthy hot chocolate protein smoothie recipe your own! Here are a few suggestions to amp-up this festive blend:

Organic Ground Flax Seeds: Add a tablespoon of organic ground flax seeds to increase the fiber & minerals to this smoothie.
Organic Hemp Seeds: To increase the amount of healthy fats, protein, omegas & minerals to this hot chocolate smoothie, add a tablespoon of organic hemp seeds.
Organic Coconut Yogurt: Add some creaminess to this smoothie with a scoop of coconut yogurt. You may have to reduce the liquid to ½ cup in this smoothie when adding yogurt.
Organic Cold Brew: Need a boost? Use half organic non-dairy milk & half cold brew.
Organic Greens: You can get your greens in too in this hot chocolate smoothie. They blend easily & you can’t taste them. Plus, greens are packed with so many minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Spinach, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or mixed greens all work.

Tips for Making the Perfect Smoothie

Interested in how to make the absolute perfect frozen hot chocolate smoothie recipe? As someone who makes smoothies daily, here are my TOP tips:

Use Frozen Fruit: Adding a frozen to this smoothie is the only way to go! The ice from the frozen fruits adds thickness to the smoothie.
Adjust Liquid Amount: If you find that your smoothie is too thick to blend, not to worry! Just add a bit more liquid, blend, open the cover, scrape down the sides if needed, and blend again. And when possible, always use a larger high-speed blender instead, as it will blend the ingredients much better.
How To Make: Add your liquid first & blend your powders first, then the medjool date, before adding your frozen ingredients. This is my personal favorite way of preparing my smoothies. By blending the liquid & powders first, it ensures that your powders blend completely.
Smoothie Blending Tip: Start your blender on low to medium speed. If you blend the smoothie too quickly from the beginning, it’s really hard for the blender to properly blend the frozen ingredients – so start lower and then gradually increase the speed.
Chill Your Glass: There’s nothing better than a cold smoothie, in this case, a frozen hot chocolate milkshake. Put your serving glass in the fridge or freezer while you’re making your smoothie to ensure a chilled smoothie with every sip.

Smoothie FAQ’s

Do I have to use a frozen banana?

The frozen banana gives this frozen hot chocolate smoothie recipe a thick & creamy texture. If using a fresh banana, be to add a handful of ice cubes to achieve a cold, thick smoothie. However, if you’re looking to remove the banana altogether, because you’re allergic or simply don’t like them, you can replace it with ½ cup of frozen zucchini, frozen cauliflower, or frozen avocado chunks. If you elect to make this a banana free smoothie, I recommend keeping the organic medjool date to maintain its sweetness.

Is it healthy to have a smoothie?

Duh! I wouldn’t post something that was unhealthy. Having a smoothie full of protein, healthy fats, & superfoods for a post workout breakfast is great because you’ll be getting essential vitamins, nutrients, & protein, first thing (Christmas) morning. However, some smoothies on the market or on the web can be loaded with tons of fruit, added sugar, & nonsense, making them a less healthy option.

What is the best protein powder to use?

For this healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe, I love using Four Sigmatic’s Cacao Plant Protein. It’s made with real organic ingredients with no grains, gums, or fillers. If you don’t have Four Sigmatics Cacao Plant Protein on hand, you can use your favorite chocolate protein powder. When selecting a plant protein, it’s crucial to look at the protein content and most importantly, the ingredients.

How can I add protein without using protein powder?

If you don’t have cacao protein powder on hand, no worries! You can substitute with 1 tbsp of cacao powder. To increase the protein content, you can add a tablespoon of organic ground flax seeds and/or organic hemp hearts, without changing the taste too much.

What if I don’t have Four Sigmatic’s Hot Cacao?

Not a problem! Simply add 1 tbsp of organic cacao powder and ¼ tsp organic ceylon cinnamon.

Can I make this protein smoothie recipe in advance?

Yes! Feel free to make the healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe as is or double it for later. Check out this “How to Prepare Smoothies in Advance” post to achieve the best results.

Protein Peppermint Hot Chocolate Smoothie recipe in a glass, topped with coconut whipped cream, with a straw in it. Sitting on a cutting board, with a Christmas tree and candy canes in the background.

More Festive Frozen Protein Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love

If you make this recipe, please leave a review & rating below! I love hearing from you and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Lastly, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, & TikTok for even more deliciousness & wellness tips!

Xoxo.

Christin.