This Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate and Pear Protein Smoothie is an easy and healthy recipe made with only 4 clean, real food ingredients. It's the perfect plant-based breakfast or post-workout drink that's naturally sweetened and ready in about 5 minutes!
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate and Pear Protein Smoothie
This healthy plant-based protein smoothie is a perfect way to use extra pears that you may have, which is how I came up with the recipe.
It's really quick and simple to make with your Vitamix and only needs a few clean ingredients.
I had recently received my first delivery from Farmbox Direct (they deliver organic fruits and vegetables straight to your front door), and my box contained 4 beautiful pears.
I immediately knew what I was going to make with three of them and had one lonely pear left over so I decided to add it to a smoothie.
Chocolate (or raw cacao, which is what I used) seemed like the perfect companion and I added my favorite organic, raw, vegan plant-based protein powder to make it more nutrient-dense.
The pear gave it the perfect sweetness and it was very filling too!
And, it's organic, plant-based, raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly and contains no refined sugar.
Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Almond Milk. I prefer to use homemade almond milk but you can use your favorite non-dairy milk. Another great option is to use Joi Organic Almond Milk made with 100% organic almonds.
Pears. Any variety of pears would work in this recipe and you can use fresh or frozen pears.
Protein Powder. I used my favorite organic, raw vegan protein powder in Vanilla Lucuma flavor, but feel free to use 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite brand. In addition, you could also substitute the vanilla protein powder with a chocolate protein powder, like this Chocolate Maca, and omit the raw cacao powder.
Cacao Powder. Feel free to adjust the amount of raw cacao powder you use, depending on how deep of a chocolate flavor you like. This can also be substituted with regular cocoa powder.
Optional Sweetener. I felt the smoothie was sweet enough for me with the pear and sweetener from the protein powder. However, if you want a little extra sweetness to your smoothie, add 1-2 organic Medjool dates (pitted).
Want More Healthy Plant-Based Smoothie Recipes?
Check out these:
- Raspberry Acai Smoothie Bowl
- Banana Mango Superfood Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie
- or my CLEAN EATING Cookbook with 75+ plant-based recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate and Pear Protein Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup homemade almond milk
- 1 organic pear (peeled and cubed)
- 2 tablespoons organic raw cacao powder
- 2 scoops Epic Organic Plant Protein - Vanilla Lucuma (or 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite brand)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy. ( I used the Vitamix Professional Series 750 Model with the "Smoothie" preset).
- Optional: Add 6-7 ice cubes for a "frosty" smoothie
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based and Medical Medium® compliant recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Mala says
Awesome recipe Karielyn, I made it for my mother and she loved it!
Karielyn says
Hi there Mala! Thanks so much and I'm so glad to hear that your mother enjoyed it 🙂
Krista says
HI Karielyn
This recipe looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this <3
Krista
Karielyn says
Hi there Krista! Thanks so much and you're very welcome...I love my Epic Plant-Based Protein!! 🙂