No fruit smoothies are a thing! This chocolate cauliflower smoothie is thick and creamy without any added sugar or fruit.
Meet your new favorite smoothie ingredient — frozen veggies.
Most of the smoothie recipes on EBF use frozen banana as the base because it gives smoothies that perfect thick and creamy texture. I still use bananas for smoothies occasionally, but lately I’ve been experimenting with using frozen veggies like zucchini and cauliflower instead.
Frozen Banana vs. Frozen Veggies
Zucchini works great, but I feel like frozen cauliflower is the new banana when it comes to making smoothies super thick and creamy. Literally cauliflower makes the texture so smooth it’s almost velvety. And it does this without making your whole smoothie taste like cauliflower or adding a a ton of sugar. It’s pretty awesome!
Just FYI — one banana has around 15 grams of sugar where as one cup of frozen cauliflower has about 2 grams. Obviously, if you’re watching your sugar intake or trying to keep your blood sugar balanced, cauliflower is the better choice.
Can I Use Frozen Cauliflower Florets?
In general I’ve found that frozen riced cauliflower works better than frozen florets for smoothies because it blends up easily and quickly. Some stores, like Trader Joe’s, carry riced cauliflower in the freezer section but you can easily make your own too. Either buy a package of fresh riced cauliflower and freeze it or buy a whole head, pulse it into rice using your food processor, place in freezer bags and freeze.
For this particular cauliflower smoothie I wanted to make it like a malted shake so I used a vegan chocolate protein powder and maca powder. If you’re new to maca powder, it’s a Peruvian superfood made from the maca root. I’ve heard some people describe the flavor as malty or similar to butterscotch. Personally, I think it has a unique flavor that is slightly bitter sweet. It definitely took some getting used to, but I’ve come to love it, especially knowing all of its amazing health benefits.
Maca Powder Health Benefits
Maca is rich in essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. It’s best known for its ability to enhance libido and stimulate fertility, but it also helps increase energy, stamina and endurance, support the immune system, reduce chronic fatigue and regulate and support endocrine system.
Maca powder is readily available in most natural grocery stores now, but you can also buy it on Amazon. If you don’t have maca powder or don’t love the flavor, no worries at all. This chocolate cauliflower smoothie is worth trying because it will still taste delicious without the maca.
If you make this malted chocolate cauliflower smoothie, please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe.
I made this because I was so intrigued how cauliflower in a smoothie could possible be good! Hah but it was sooo good! I had it after a light dinner and it tasted like a dessert. You can’t even tell cauliflower is in it. My husband even wanted his own after tasting mine. Highly recommend!
Hi Brittany 🙂 that’s a great idea 🙂 I have been adding veggies such as Raw grated zucchini, baked pumpkin to my breakfast oatmeal for the volume 😆🙂 as well as in my protein pancakes.
I love broccoli and cauliflower And this looks like an excellent idea. Is the frozen cauliflower raw or do you cook it previously? I’ve tried my “nice cream” with frozen peas but your idea sounds more sugar free friendly! ❤️
Hey Clare! Yes, you could definitely use raw, unfrozen cauliflower in this smoothie. The frozen cauliflower just helps make the smoothie super creamy and thick. You might need to add more ice, but I would start with the 1/3 cup of ice to see how you like the consistency and if you want it to be thicker you can always add in more ice afterwards. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi my name is Rose i live in Hawaii im 67 yrs young trying to desperately loose weight no luck so this dmoothie sounds good plus i love cauliflower i hope this will help me
Hi Destine. I add it the cauliflower rice in frozen (so it’s technically not cooked). This works great for me but some people like to have it cooked because they find it easier to digest. If you want to cook it first, you would steam the cauliflower, let it cool and then freeze it before using. It takes extra time and a little forethought if you want to cook it first. Let me know if you try the smoothie. It’s a good one.
I have never heard of using cauliflower or veggies in smoothies but I am very excited about this! Can’t wait to try and experiment on my own! Thank you soooo much!
Yay! Adding veggies to your smoothies is such an easy way to increase your veggie consumption and usually you can’t even taste them. I love using frozen veggies to give my smoothies a thick and creamy texture… the frozen cauliflower works perfect for this. Can’t wait to hear what you think of this smoothie.
If I make shakes in the morning but dont eat them til later in the afternoon would frozen cauliflower work? or would it water it down by the time i got around to eating it? I normally dont put in ice but it stays refrigerated
Making a smoothie with the cauliflower is very new to me.
It makes me give a try on this smoothie. Do you think, the kids love the taste of this smoothie?
Definitely give it a try, Rocy. You can definitely sneak the frozen cauliflower into your kids smoothie without them noticing. I’m not sure about the maca though! 🙂
This is perfect, so on trend with maca and the cauliflower rice! We’re actually the exclusive distributors of Sunwarrior across the pond in the UK and will definitely share this recipe across social media as a creative example of including more plant-based protein in your diet.
xx
I’m loving that more people are jumping on the veggies-in-smoothies train! I’ve been putting frozen zucchini and squash in my smoothies for ages and I love how it makes the smoothies creamy and a little less sugary!
I’ve been hearing all the hype on riced cauli in smoothies but have never been convinced to try it until now! This smoothie looks so chocolatey and thick! Noms!
YUM! this sounds so good!!! i’ve recently started adding cauliflower to my smoothies too, but i’m still using half a frozen banana because i could taste the cauliflower i bit too much. i bet the flavor from the cacao and maca in this help quite a bit too! i’ll have to try. thanks for sharing 🙂
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I made this because I was so intrigued how cauliflower in a smoothie could possible be good! Hah but it was sooo good! I had it after a light dinner and it tasted like a dessert. You can’t even tell cauliflower is in it. My husband even wanted his own after tasting mine. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! So glad you tried this and loved it, Nicole!! Thanks for the review, I so appreciate it. 🙂
Hi Brittany 🙂 that’s a great idea 🙂 I have been adding veggies such as Raw grated zucchini, baked pumpkin to my breakfast oatmeal for the volume 😆🙂 as well as in my protein pancakes.
I love broccoli and cauliflower And this looks like an excellent idea. Is the frozen cauliflower raw or do you cook it previously? I’ve tried my “nice cream” with frozen peas but your idea sounds more sugar free friendly! ❤️
★★★★★
Hey Roxana – I normally just use pre-frozen cauliflower. I do know some people who steam the cauliflower and then freeze, but it’s totally up to you!
Hi Brittany. Could I use raw, unfrozen cauliflower florets. I have some in my fridge. Slightly scared to try this recipe, but it look delicious. Clare
Hey Clare! Yes, you could definitely use raw, unfrozen cauliflower in this smoothie. The frozen cauliflower just helps make the smoothie super creamy and thick. You might need to add more ice, but I would start with the 1/3 cup of ice to see how you like the consistency and if you want it to be thicker you can always add in more ice afterwards. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi my name is Rose i live in Hawaii im 67 yrs young trying to desperately loose weight no luck so this dmoothie sounds good plus i love cauliflower i hope this will help me
★★★★★
Should the cauliflower be precook prior putting it in the freezer? Or it’s served raw?
Hi Destine. I add it the cauliflower rice in frozen (so it’s technically not cooked). This works great for me but some people like to have it cooked because they find it easier to digest. If you want to cook it first, you would steam the cauliflower, let it cool and then freeze it before using. It takes extra time and a little forethought if you want to cook it first. Let me know if you try the smoothie. It’s a good one.
I have never heard of using cauliflower or veggies in smoothies but I am very excited about this! Can’t wait to try and experiment on my own! Thank you soooo much!
Yay! Adding veggies to your smoothies is such an easy way to increase your veggie consumption and usually you can’t even taste them. I love using frozen veggies to give my smoothies a thick and creamy texture… the frozen cauliflower works perfect for this. Can’t wait to hear what you think of this smoothie.
If I make shakes in the morning but dont eat them til later in the afternoon would frozen cauliflower work? or would it water it down by the time i got around to eating it? I normally dont put in ice but it stays refrigerated
Hmmm… I’m not so sure because I haven’t tried it. I say try it once and see how it works/tastes! 🙂
Making a smoothie with the cauliflower is very new to me.
It makes me give a try on this smoothie. Do you think, the kids love the taste of this smoothie?
Definitely give it a try, Rocy. You can definitely sneak the frozen cauliflower into your kids smoothie without them noticing. I’m not sure about the maca though! 🙂
Yeah, you are right. Adding the cauliflower into this smoothie without them knowing would be a good idea. 🙂
This is perfect, so on trend with maca and the cauliflower rice! We’re actually the exclusive distributors of Sunwarrior across the pond in the UK and will definitely share this recipe across social media as a creative example of including more plant-based protein in your diet.
xx
This has totally convinced me to try a cauliflower based smoothie, looks insanely creamy and yummy! So glad its healthy too! Thanks Brittany!
I have tried cauliflower in my smoothies and love it! Now to try maca…
I’m loving that more people are jumping on the veggies-in-smoothies train! I’ve been putting frozen zucchini and squash in my smoothies for ages and I love how it makes the smoothies creamy and a little less sugary!
I’ve been hearing all the hype on riced cauli in smoothies but have never been convinced to try it until now! This smoothie looks so chocolatey and thick! Noms!
I love this idea, great way to get some extra veggies in and keep your sugar and calories a little lower. Thanks!
YUM! this sounds so good!!! i’ve recently started adding cauliflower to my smoothies too, but i’m still using half a frozen banana because i could taste the cauliflower i bit too much. i bet the flavor from the cacao and maca in this help quite a bit too! i’ll have to try. thanks for sharing 🙂
Ok I HAVE to try this whole frozen cauliflower thing! I’m so curious now!