High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie Recipe

People looking to gain weight with high-calorie smoothies that have a chocolate banana taste often forget to add vegetables to the blender, missing out on a solid source of vitamins and minerals.

‘But, won’t vegetables change that choco-banana flavor?’ you may be asking.

Yes, they will a bit. Nevertheless, the key to a good smoothie recipe from our perspective as creators of weight gain smoothies is to find the spot where deliciousness meets healthiness, just as we did with our High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie recipe.

After all, we created this recipe following our guide for creating high-calorie smoothies, and got it verified by registered dietitian Iulia Serban.

To make it easy for you to follow the recipe, we purchased the necessary ingredients, blended them, and took pictures to illustrate the whole process.

Smoothie's calories

The standard version of the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie yields one serving of 435 calories. If you need more calories from the smoothie, however, you can adjust ingredient quantities by following these guidelines:

• For 1000-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 2.3;
• For 1500-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 3.45;
• For 2000-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 4.6.

Now, let's get to the recipe.

Equipment

To prepare the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie, you need three pieces of kitchen equipment:

• Blender
• Knife
• Scoop (for protein powder)

Ingredients

• 1 large (4.8 oz or 136 g) frozen banana
• 1 medium (7.1 oz or 201 g) frozen cucumber
• 2 tbsp (0.71 oz or 20 g) whey protein powder
• 2 tbsp (0.71 oz or 20 g) hemp seeds
• 2 1/2 tsp (0.2 oz or 6.25 g) raw cocoa powder
• 1 tsp (0.1 oz or 3 g) spirulina powder
• 1 sprig (0.1 oz or 3 g) fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup (4.23 fl oz or 125 ml) whole milk

Role of each ingredient

First of all, the banana and the raw cocoa powder have the role of giving to the smoothie the banana chocolate taste we’re after. The banana is also the only sweet ingredient in the recipe.

Secondly, the frozen cucumber is the main vegetable in the recipe and is responsible for boosting vitamins and minerals while thinning out the smoothie’s texture.

Moving forward, whey protein powder has the mission to increase the smoothie’s proteins.

Furthermore, hemp seeds have the role of boosting the smoothie's total calories while delivering some healthy fats.

When it comes to spirulina powder, this supplement fulfills the role of providing a boost of minerals and vitamins.

Regarding fresh mint, it contributes to the smoothie’s overall flavor, offering a more refreshing taste.

Last but not least, whole milk thins out the smoothie and increases the drink’s overall calories.

Ingredient substitutions

In case you are lactose intolerant, you can substitute:

• Whey protein powder with a plant-based protein powder, like the ones made from rice or pea;
• Whole milk with plant-based milk, like almond milk or oat milk.

Instructions

1. Adapt ingredients to blender size

2. Add ingredients

3. Blend

4. Serve

Regarding its taste, the smoothie has a bittersweet flavor, owing to the combo of cacao and bananas, with refreshing notes of cucumber and a slight tint of mint.

How to store

As a general rule, although we recommend drinking the smoothie right after blending it to have the best experience, you can safely store it in the fridge for about a day.

Nutrition facts

• Volume: 17.2 fl oz (511 ml)
• Calories: 435
• Protein: 30 g
• Carbs: 47 g
• Fat: 16 g

Out of the 435 calories found in the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie, 43% come from carbohydrates, 32% from fats, and 25% from protein.

Therefore, this smoothie is a great source of energizing carbs that comes with a solid amount of calorie-boosting fats and a satisfying number of proteins.

For more nutritional details, let's explore the contribution of each ingredient to the smoothie's overall nutrition facts.

Benefits of drinking this smoothie

Besides helping you gain weight, the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie has numerous other health benefits. Explore all of the smoothie's benefits below.

1. Gain weight easier

In the first place, the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie can help you gain weight easier because it's rich in calories and it doesn't keep your stomach full for too long.

As social proof, according to the top of the best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the women who gain weight successfully drink smoothies regularly.

Increase caloric intake

The High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie boosts your caloric intake because it offers 435 calories per serving. All of these calories will ease your efforts to achieve a daily caloric surplus, the essential condition for gaining weight.

Keep your appetite

Besides rising your total caloric intake, the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie allows you to consume more food because, unlike many solid foods, it keeps your appetite satisfied only for a short period.

As evidence, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. The researchers concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks that are less alike to food (e.g., water and milk) but less filling than solid foods.^[9]

2. Increase energy levels

The High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie elevates your energy levels because it's rich in carbs, most of which come from the banana in the smoothie's composition.

After all, according to a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.^[10]

3. Boost muscle growth

Another benefit of consuming the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie is that it can stimulate muscle growth because it has 30 g of protein. Most of these proteins come from the whey protein powder in the smoothie's composition, but hemp seeds and whole milk also contribute.

As scientific proof, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is sufficient to support muscle growth.^[11]

4. Strengthen bones

The High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie can strengthen bones because it contains whey protein powder and whole milk, two good sources of calcium.

The whey protein powder and the whole milk in the smoothie bring 235 mg of calcium., which is around 23.5% of the daily recommended intake of calcium.

5. Fortify immunity

Our smoothie fortifies immunity because it contains seven sources of antioxidants:

• Banana
• Cucumber
• Hemp seeds
• Raw cocoa powder
• Spirulina powder
• Fresh mint leaves
• Whole milk

Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.^[12]

6. Enhance heart health

The High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie is healthy for the heart because it contains a banana, a cucumber, and cocoa powder, which are three sources of potassium that decrease blood pressure.

As scientific proof, a review of the effects of potassium says that potassium lowers blood pressure.^[13]

7. Hydrate body

This smoothie is efficient at hydrating your body because it contains two significant sources of water: cucumber and whole milk.

8. Improve digestion

The High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie can improve digestion because it's made with a banana and hemp seeds, which are both good sources of fiber.

One of the benefits of eating fiber, as stated in a 2009 review of the health benefits of dietary fiber, is a lower risk of gastrointestinal diseases.^[14]

Recipe summary

To follow the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie's recipe in a compressed format, use the summary below.

High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie

Created to help with weight gain, this bittersweet high-calorie chocolate banana cucumber smoothie recipe combines the chocolate banana taste with the refreshing notes of cucumber and mint.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Blend Time 1 minute min

Total Time 4 minutes mins

Course Smoothies

Servings 1 person

Calories 435 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Blender
• 1 Knife
• 1 Scoop (for protein powder)

Ingredients

  

• 1 large frozen banana (4.8 oz or 136 g)
• 1 medium frozen cucumber (7.1 oz or 201 g)
• 2 tbsp whey protein powder (0.71 oz or 20 g)
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds (0.71 oz or 20 g)
• 2 ½ tsp raw cocoa powder (0.2 oz or 6.25 g)
• 1 tsp spirulina powder (0.1 oz or 3 g)
• 1 sprig fresh mint leaves (0.1 oz or 3 g)
• ½ cup whole milk (4.23 fl oz or 125 ml)

Instructions

 

• Think whether all the ingredients will fit inside your blender.

  If you use a small blender with a capacity of less than 511 ml (17.2 fl oz), break the ingredients into two or more identical portions, then follow the next instructions for each of them individually.
• Add the ingredients to the blender making sure whole milk ends up at its bottom.

  If you own a blender with an ingredient recipient that installs upside down on the blender, always add ½ cup whole milk lastly. This way, the blades will work smoothly without clogging in other ingredients.
  1 large frozen banana, 1 medium frozen cucumber, 2 tbsp whey protein powder, 2 tbsp hemp seeds, 2 ½ tsp raw cocoa powder, 1 tsp spirulina powder, 1 sprig fresh mint leaves, ½ cup whole milk
  
• Blend the ingredients until the smoothie develops a fine texture (about 30-60 seconds).

  If you own a less powerful blender, you may need to mix the ingredients for longer than 1 minute. Still, to prevent overheating your blender, abide by the recommended blending duration in your blender's manual.
  
• Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shaker bottle, and serve.
  

Video

Notes

Besides helping you gain weight, the High-Calorie Chocolate Banana Cucumber Smoothie has numerous other health benefits.

Keyword energizing, healthy, high-calorie, muscle-building, protein, quick, weight gain

Other high-calorie smoothie recipes for weight gain

If you want to try another smoothie recipe that combines the taste of chocolate with bananas, check out Djokovic's Banana Chocolate Kale Smoothie.

Now, If you want to try other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes,

And in case you wish to get creative, you can build your own high-calorie smoothie recipes. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.

And if it happens to get bored of smoothies...

Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes or other weight gain drinks.