Thick + Frosty Cacao Crunch Smoothie with Peppermint-Beet Swirl
Frozen bananas are blended in a food processor with just the tiniest splash of milk, yielding a thick, frosty, and scoop-able smoothie. Cacao nibs are pulsed in for a superfood crunch. Then, a thick peppermint-beet syrup is spooned on top and pulsed to create a ribbon-like sweet and minty swirl throughout the smoothie. The peppermint-beet syrup makes extra, so you can easily and quickly enjoy this smoothie a few times over the holidays without having to fuss over making the syrup every time. Minty, refreshing, and sweet with an addictive crunch of cacao nibs!
Servings: 2 (10-ounce) smoothies
Ingredients
Peppermint-Beet Syrup
- ¼ cup beet juice (about 1 medium beet, juiced)
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 2 drops peppermint oil or pure pepper extract, to taste
Thick + Frosty Cacao Crunch Smoothie
- 3 to 4 ripe and speckled bananas, peeled, sliced, and frozen
- 2 tablespoons plant-based milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
Peppermint-Beet Syrup
- In a small bowl, whisk together the beet juice, arrowroot, and maple syrup until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low, whisking constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and glossy. Do not overheat. Remove from heat and whisk in the peppermint oil. Chill in refrigerator to cool.
- You'll only need a couple teaspoons of the swirl, so reserve the refrigerate the leftovers to make this smoothie throughout the week.
Thick + Frosty Cacao Crunch Smoothie
- Make the smoothie while the peppermint-beet syrup is cooling. Add the frozen bananas and plant-based milk to a food processor. Process until you have a smooth and creamy mixture that resembles soft serve ice cream, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the cacao nibs or chocolate chips and pulse several times to chop and incorporate. Use a ¼ teaspoon to dot the top of the smoothie with as much of the Peppermint-Beet Syrup as desired, and pulse 2 to 3 times to gently swirl it into the smoothie. You will have leftover syrup that you can refrigerate and use to make the smoothie throughout the week.
- Use an ice cream scoop to spoon the smoothie into two glasses. Top with more cacao nibs, if desired. Serve immediately.