Cannellini Bean Chocolate Thickshake – vegan, kid friendly

I have been looking for ways to get more beans into my kids’ diet, and I finally did it! I managed to make a bean smoothie that my kids loved. When I served it to my kids yesterday, there were unanimous demands for more – not bad for a healthy bean smoothie!

Of course, it doesn’t taste like beans…. Rather, this smoothie tastes like a delicious, rich peanut butter, chocolate thick shake. Not a hint of healthy taste anywhere!

Beans beans beans!

I used cannellini beans in this recipe because they have a mild taste. I think that other beans like chickpeas would be a bit too strong flavoured to work in this recipe. If you’re using a stronger tasting bean, you might need to increase the peanut butter, cocoa and dates to hide the flavour.

Half a cup of beans is just a starting point, so feel free to add more if you think your kids (or you) won’t mind the flavour. I’ve since made this recipe multiple times, and have added a full drained and rinsed tin of beans with no hint of bean-ey taste.

Frozen Bananas

Frozen bananas are what make this recipe super thick and creamy. If you don’t have any in the freezer, you can use fresh bananas and ice. The smoothie just won’t be as thick and creamy. Some blenders can have trouble with blending frozen bananas. If you have a lower powered blender, try cutting the bananas into thin slices before you freeze them, which can make it easier for the blender. Also, if you find that you need to blend for a long time to get your smoothie smooth, some extra added ice will help keep your smoothie ice cold.

This smoothie makes a great after school snack, or even dessert (who would have thought, beans for dessert!). If you’re serving it up for breakfast, I’d add some oats to give it some long lasting energy.

Nutrient	Per Serve	Per 100g
Energy	2189kJ (523cal)	425kJ (102cal)
Protein	23.7g	4.6g
Carbohydrates	64.55g	12.52g
Fat	14.88g	2.89g
Iron	6.43mg	1.25mg
Zinc	2.4mg	0.47mg
Calcium	383.87mg	74.46mg
Fibre	16.06g	3.12g