A thick, dairy-free chocolate shake built on 240 g frozen banana, cocoa, honey, and 30 g collagen peptides, with coconut butter for body. Only 60 g of water goes in, so it comes out of the Vitamix closer to soft-serve than to a drinkable smoothie.
Ingredients — load in this order
- 60 g cold water
- 25–30 g honey
- 20–25 g coconut butter
- 25 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 30 g collagen peptides
- 240 g frozen banana
- 220–250 g ice
- 0.5–1 g fine salt (optional — sharpens the cocoa)
Liquids and soft things go in first so the blades have something to grab; the frozen banana and ice go in last.
Method
- Add the 60 g cold water, honey, coconut butter, cocoa powder, and collagen peptides to the Vitamix in that order. If you're using the pinch of salt, add it with the honey.
- Blend on low, ramping up to high, for 10–15 seconds until the base is smooth with no cocoa or collagen clumps.
- Add the 240 g frozen banana, then the ice on top — start with 220 g.
- Blend on high, using the tamper to push the frozen banana and ice down into the blades. Reach for the tamper before you reach for more water — extra water is what turns this from a shake into a smoothie.
- Once it's circulating smoothly, taste. If it's moving easily and you want it colder or thicker, add another 20–30 g ice and blend again briefly.
- Serve right away with a spoon or a wide straw. It sets up more as it sits, so don't let it stand.
Why so little water
60 g is close to the floor for a Vitamix — much less and the blades can't get everything circulating. Keeping the liquid this low, and using coconut butter for fat instead of more liquid, is what gives the shake its soft-serve body. If it stalls, use the tamper and give it a few seconds; only add water 10 g at a time as a last resort.
Swap the fat
- Coconut cream instead of coconut butter: use 40–50 g, chilled. It brings its own water, so cut the added water to 30–40 g and keep the ice at 220 g or a little more. This is the roundest, most milkshake-like version.
- Avocado instead of coconut butter: use 50–60 g (about half a small avocado). Keep the full 60 g water and expect to lean on the tamper — it thickens hard. The most neutral in flavor; drink it right away because it browns fast.
The salt and the honey
A 0.5–1 g pinch of fine salt sharpens the cocoa and makes the honey read sweeter, so with the salt in you can often pull the honey back to 20–25 g.