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This coffee smoothie is a deliciously creamy hit of caffeine with a hint of sweetness, a shot of protein, and some healthy fats. Sounds just about perfect, doesn’t it?
Milkshakes are one of my favorite treats, but I certainly can’t indulge with that much ice cream very often. So to satisfy my cravings for ice cream milkshakes, I experiment with all different kinds of smoothies.
One of the best ways to add thickness, creaminess, and sweetness to a smoothie without using ice cream is to use a frozen banana. It really is an incredible substitute.
However, I do not want always want a banana flavor in my smoothie — especially in a coffee smoothie. (Unless I am having a Peanut Butter and Banana Coffee Smoothie, then I do not really want banana in my coffee.)
So I make this coffee smoothie WITHOUT frozen banana.
To add sweetness and thicken up this coffee smoothie, I use a bit of vanilla frozen Greek yogurt and either 2% milk or whole milk frozen in an ice cube tray.
The amount of sugar and calories in this smoothie will depend on what type of milk and what type of frozen yogurt you use. If you’re trying to keep calories and sugar low, use skim milk and consider freezing vanilla greek yogurt.
But if you want it to taste nice and sweet and you’re not that worried about the sugar, you can do what I did and use store bought frozen greek yogurt.
Of course, you can swap the whole milk for any milk of your choice — and if you don’t freeze your milk ahead of time, no worries.
Depending on your blender, you may need your milk in liquid form.
Since I am using a Vitamix blender, it is super powerful and I find the liquid from the coffee is enough to blend everything together.
As for the vanilla frozen yogurt, it is a bit of a sugar splurge. I rarely use sweetened yogurt. But with coffee, the sourness of plain yogurt just doesn’t work for me.
To try and balance things out a bit, instead of using regular vanilla frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream, I like to use frozen vanilla GREEK yogurt because it has more protein.
Otherwise, you can always skip the vanilla frozen Greek yogurt and opt for your favorite protein powder.
For added health benefits, I also include collagen powder, MCT oil, and cinnamon.
Whether I am frozen in January or sweltering in June, this healthy coffee smoothie is my go-to coffee “milkshake” treat.
Coffee Smoothie Recipe
Coffee Smoothie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2% milk OR 8 milk ice cubes - you can use whole milk if you want a creamier smoothie
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen vanilla Greek yogurt OR scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 1/3 cup strong coffee such as stovetop espresso or two shots of regular espresso
- 1 Tablespoon collagen powder
- 1 teaspoon MCT oil
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy
- Garnish with cinnamon and serve immediately
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links and we were sent a sample Vitamix blender to review.
Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
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Gabrielle Seegmuller says
can I do this without the collagen and MCT?
Michelle Griffin says
Can’t wait to try this!!! ❤️ Thank you for posting
Erica Schwarz says
This is delicious! So easy to make and enjoy in the morning.
Janice says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Sophie Heath says
A delicious coffee smoothie recipe! Must try!
Janice says
Yay! I hope you love! Thanks!