I couldn’t neglect the mocha part of it because that’s the tasty part – I mean chocolate and coffee, c’mon – and then the cauliflower felt important to include from a nutritional standpoint (vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, potassium and vitamin B6). Cold brew couldn’t be left out because it gives the smoothie a more intense coffee flavor (and a caffeine punch) and noting that the smoothie is high in protein is important since so many smoothies are total carb and sugar bombs.
Now that I’ve justified the obnoxiously long name of this smoothie, let’s chat about the taste. This smoothie is a coffee lover’s dream. It’s thick and chocolaty and almost Frappuccino-y. (Can we make that a word?)
This smoothie is my absolute favorite post-workout pick-me-up these days and keeps me satisfied and energized until lunchtime rolls around.
I’ve made so many variations of this smoothie and shared a bunch of them on Instagram so see below for smoothie variation recommendations and highlights if you want to change things up a bit from the basic recipe outlined below.
I hope you guys love this one as much as I do!
Mocha Cauliflower Cold Brew Protein Smoothie
Makes one large smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cold brew coffee
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk (+ a splash of whole milk or coffee creamer for additional creaminess)
- 3/4 cup frozen raw cauliflower
- 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tablespoon collagen
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Directions:
- Place everything into a high-powdered blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a cup and enjoy!
Smoothie Variations
I have SO many variations of this smoothie to share with you guys so read on if you want to change things up:
Protein Powder
- Completely omit the protein powder if you don’t like protein powder in your smoothies. If you miss the sweetness of protein powder, add 1/2 of a very-ripe frozen banana into the blender.
- If you want the added protein but don’t want to use protein powder, you may also add an extra tablespoon of collagen for additional protein and absolutely no flavor. Collagen is completely undetectable in this smoothie but does seem to make smoothies a little frothier. I’ll often add two tablespoons of collagen in addition to the 1/2 scoop of chocolate protein powder!
- I get protein powder questions all the time and currently my favorite chocolate protein powders are Pure Protein Superfood Dark Cocoa, SFH Pure Chocolate and AfterBurn Chocolate.
Cauliflower/Additional Vegetables
- I love this smoothie the most when I solely use cauliflower but I’ve made it with a half-portion of cauliflower and a 1/2 portion of both fresh spinach and frozen kale and thought it was still very delicious.
- I’ve also added spinach and kale in addition to the cauliflower and it worked well, though I increased the liquids a little bit.
Milk Substitutions
- The kind of milk you use in this smoothie is completely up to you! I change it up all the time but love a combination of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk with a splash of whole milk for some creaminess.
- I would not recommend omitting the milk altogether and just using coffee or using water in place of the milk. It doesn’t taste as creamy or “Frappuccino-y.”
Texture Additions
- This may be a weird thing, but I oddly like a little bit of crunch in my smoothies sometimes and have added cacao nibs and chopped nuts (pecans are the best!) to this smoothie after it was done blending and thought it was a tasty way to change up the smooth texture a bit!
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I bought the collagen you use after reading your post about it and always wondered if it could be added to smoothies. Now I know ha!
Have a great day Julie 🙂
Absolutely!! I think it’s great in smoothies (it does make them a little frothier but I like that) and I always recommend it to people who don’t like the taste of most protein powders but want protein in their smoothies!
Yum! I will try this today after my workout today! Is it unsweetened cocoa powder you used? I tried looking at the Hershey’s label in the background, but couldn’t quite make it out. Thanks!!
Yes! Unsweetened! It’s also great with unsweetened dark cocoa powder if you like a richer chocolate taste!
I make a similar smoothie with peanut butter powder, so good! Cauliflower is my favorite smoothie addition for the texture and health benefits.
Okay, I’ll admit the cauliflower in the title completely threw me off! After reading the recipe, I think I’d be willing to give this a shot…I need to pick up the collagen though!
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ditto! I’ve never thought to put any veggies other than spinach in my smoothies / shakes!
I promise you won’t taste it!!
I keep meaning to try collagen and cauliflower in my smoothies! This looks like a great recipe for me to try to do that. Thanks for sharing, Julie!
This looks delicious! I love a smoothie that can keep me full all morning. I’m going to try out a variation of it tomorrow. 🙂
Way to sneak in more veggies for the morning win!
Yum, I love adding cauliflower to smoothies, I can never taste it and always feel good having got some extra veggies in.
I am super intrigued to try this out now! Love adding veggies smoothies – especially when they are undetectable 😉
This looks so tasty! I am always looking for new smoothies to try post workouts – I tend to get bored of my typical Strawberry Banana & Strawberry Mango. But! I never forget the collagen anymore after reading one of your posts earlier this summer. I even have my husband adding it to his morning coffee & smoothies.
I love nothing more than cold brew. Thank you for this delicious idea!
Cauliflower is on my radar for my next smoothie add on, I’ve heard it’s so good! I just got over adding kale, baby steps. Can’t wait to try this flavor combo.
I never thought about putting frozen cauliflower in a smoothie before I saw it on your blog and now I’m addicted! I love that I can sneak in some extra veggies.
I think I’m finally convinced to add frozen cauliflower to my smoothies. I’m already on board with the spinach and kale, but a few extra vitamins and minerals wouldn’t hurt. 🙂 Would riced cauliflower from TJ’s work? What’s the inside scoop on how to actually *use* cauliflower in a smoothie?
I would have never thought about using cauliflower! I actually just looked up nutrition facts for cauliflower because I wasn’t sure if I was just feeding my kid a bunch of random carbs, hah. I think I’m going to try some cauliflower in my smoothies in place of the ice! Such a good idea!
This is my kind of smoothie! I love adding cauliflower to my morning smoothies!
I just bought some frozen cauliflower. I still need to try it in a smoothie. This looks great though and filling.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried any kind of veggie in a smoothie, so this looks very intriguing!
I’m going to try this asap. I don’t use protein powder so I think I might use a few dates.
Thanks for sharing!
Cauliflower smoothies are really awesome! I like pairing cauliflower with something very strong, like flavored protein powder, carob powder, or powdered peanut butter! Sneaking in veggies definitely isn’t hard, though. I love my micronutrients and fiber!
I honestly never in a million years would have thought to put cauliflower in my smoothie, but it sounds and looks delicious. I don’t have collagen, but it seems like there’s no flavor to that anyway so I should be okay right??
As I made my fruity smoothie this morning I was literally thinking I wish I had a coffee flavored drink. Definitely need to give this one a try!
Yum!! This smoothie looks so unique and delicious. I like making chocolatey, protein-filled smoothies once in a while. It’s nice to not always just include fruit 🙂
Have a great day!!
Different but intersting!
Hi! I was wondering how adding frozen cauliflower would work to a shake if I generally make the shake in the morning but don’t eat it til much later in the afternoon? Would it make it super liquidy as the cauliflower thaws?
Oh my gosh, this smoothie is a GAME CHANGER! I’ve been in a smoothie rut for the past, um, year+, especially feeling like my spinach + berries + nut butter smoothies were sometimes too sweet. I’m not a coffee drinker at all, but for some reason this recipe intrigued me. I’ve been using instant espresso powder in water in lieu of cold brew, but otherwise left the original recipe intact. HOLY COW, Julie. This is so good, so satisfying, not sweet at all, and one million percent tastes like a frappuccino (I love how frothy the collagen makes it). Anyway, this is a super rambly, all too wordy way of saying how much I appreciate you sharing this gem. Thank you! 🙂
Hooray!!! Love this comment! 🙂 Haha! So glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time to report back and let me know.
Update: have you or anyone tried adding a drop or two of peppermint extract to see if it makes it taste like a Starbucks peppermint mocha frappe or does it ruin it?! Tis the season 🙂
Wow, I never would have considered using cauliflower in a smoothie in about a million years, but you’ve definitely got me intrigued. I know from experience you can make pretty good pizza crust from cauliflower, so it does seem to be pretty versatile!
I have read and tried some of the numerous cauliflower recipes online in the past few months, yours does have a twist, I just need to first get my hands on the collagen you recommended.