Healthy Black Forest Smoothie Recipe

This black forest smoothie created by recipe developer Jennine Bryant of The Marshside Pantry is a bit hard to pin down. Is it a dessert treat? Is it a meal replacement? Is it an afternoon snack? Or even a breakfast option? The answer to all of those could be yes. For her part, Bryant says: "I personally love this smoothie as an afternoon snack, it feels like such a treat because the cocoa, cherries, and honey give it such a sweet flavor, but it is really nutrient dense." She adds: "I also enjoy it after a trip to the gym and sometimes add some protein powder if that's the case. All in all, it's a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth in the most healthy way possible!"

So yeah, a sweet-tooth satisfier that tastes like a Black Forest cake (which actually isn't named for Germany's famed Black Forest, per say, but is named for the sour cherry brandy made in the Black Forest region and that is used in a proper Black Forest cake) while still being healthy? Why don't we just call it a win, and one you should make every time you can get cherries aplenty. In fact, if you've ever got extra cherries, go ahead and freeze them so you always have some on hand for this smoothie. On the other hand, if you don't have "extra" cherries, per say, freeze some anyway, because this shake is that good!

Start this quick and easy recipe by chopping (or breaking) your banana into pieces, measuring out the cherries, spinach, and milk, and getting a tablespoon ready for the flaxseed, cocoa powder, and honey (which should be measured and added in that order to keep the spoon clean). Then add all of the ingredients to a blender and run that blender until the mixture is smooth.

"I don't think there is anything much that can go wrong with this recipe," Bryant says, but she adds, "It's just important to use a blender that is powerful enough to break down the ingredients so you don't end up with clumps of spinach!"

Sure, we all know that spinach is super healthy, and of this shake Bryant says: "It really is a great way to sneak some greens to the kids; I find it a great way to eat more greens myself!" But guess what? The cherries are adding much more than flavor. According to Healthline, cherries are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C and potassium, and, as you may expect from a dark fruit, they are bursting with antioxidants, too. And cherries may even help you recover faster after a workout, so Bryant was really onto something when she called this shake a great post-gym choice.