Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie

Creamy, coconutty, and packed with veggies—this chocolate zucchini smoothie is so satisfying and so simple! With only 5 ingredients and 9g net carbs, it’s a unique low-carb smoothie with no fruit besides coconut. Instead of fruity sweetness, this frozen zucchini smoothie tastes like a velvety, sippable chocolate-coconut fudge! A flavorful and keto-friendly veggie smoothie that’s unlike any other.

Check out my Keto Smoothie Recipes & Keto Shakes for more low-carb breakfast smoothie ideas!

Tips for Low-Carb Vegetable Smoothies

It’s rare to see zucchini in smoothies, and even rarer to see a breakfast smoothie with NO fruit other than coconut. But who says healthy smoothies have to include a bunch of sweet fruit? If you’re eating low-carb or on a keto diet, removing the fruit and making smoothies with vegetables is a simple way to reduce carbs. And, it allows us to get creative in coming up with new flavor combinations—like this tasty chocolate coconut smoothie!

With none of the classically-sweet fruits and with no added sugar, this recipe is naturally lower in total carbs. And plant-based ingredients like zucchini and coconut make this smoothie high in fiber as well, which reduces the net carbs. But what makes this a true keto zucchini smoothie is the combination of coconut milk, coconut cream, and coconut butter—packing 35g of nutritious fats into this recipe!

Find more ways to sneak veggies into smoothies in my FREE Vegetable Smoothies eBook!

Frozen Zucchini Smoothie Ingredients

• Zucchini. With its mild flavor, adding zucchini to smoothies is pretty easy. You can actually use frozen zucchini in smoothies as a low-sugar substitute for frozen banana—it adds thickness and creaminess, without any sweetness or banana flavor! For the yummiest texture, I recommend making this smoothie recipe with frozen zucchini. If you want a substitute, try making your smoothie with cucumber or frozen spinach instead.
• Cocoa Powder. Use unsweetened cocoa powder to give this low-carb smoothie some crave-able chocolate flavor, without any added sugar! If 2 Tbsp is too chocolaty for your taste, start with 1 to 1½ Tbsp and see how you like it. Or, you can use a chocolate protein powder that you like and turn this into a chocolaty keto protein shake!
• Coconut Milk & Coconut Cream. The ultimate low-carb high-fat smoothie duo! Both coconut milk and coconut cream are made from shredded coconut pureed with water—coconut milk is essentially just a more diluted version of coconut cream. The cream makes this coconut zucchini smoothie thicker and more luscious, while the milk makes it silky and sippable. If needed, you can use just coconut milk alone, or just coconut cream whisked with some water.
• Coconut Butter. A fantastic keto smoothie ingredient that can add 11g of healthy fats in just 1 tablespoon. If you don’t have coconut butter, you could substitute with a neutral tasting nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter—or use peanut butter if you enjoy a chocolate PB treat!

Can you put raw zucchini in a smoothie?

Yes, you can use fresh zucchini in smoothies if you’d like, no need to cook it or even peel it. But, blending raw zucchini can add a lot of extra liquid to a smoothie, making the texture thinner and runnier. If you want to make your smoothie with raw zucchini, consider using less liquid in the recipe. This is why I recommend freezing zucchini for smoothies—all of that water content makes frozen zucchini more like creamy, nutritious little ice cubes!

How to Freeze Zucchini for Smoothies

1. Chop a small to medium zucchini into pieces, so you have at least 1 cup.
2. Transfer the chopped zucchini into a freezer-safe bag or jar and seal, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
3. Freeze zucchini for at least 2 hours or more before blending it into a veggie smoothie. You can store frozen zucchini for up to 3 months or so.