This easy sugar free chocolate smoothie recipe uses cottage cheese for a great way to get a high protein meal! This low carb keto smoothie recipe with healthy fats, has 37 grams of protein and just 6 g net carbs!
Sugar Free High Protein Chocolate Smoothie
This recipe and photos are from July 2012, before the trend of cottage cheese in everything!
Who doesn't love chocolate for breakfast as a sweet treat for busy mornings??? Sneaking it in for breakfast feels almost sinful BUT this is NOT your average chocolate milkshake here, no added sugars here!!!
No guilt at all in having this for as a meal replacement or delicious keto snack!!
Just 5 simple ingredients needed for a creamy keto breakfast smoothie!
This is really the most delicious high protein smoothie that will keep you full till your next meal. In fact it is my new favorite breakfast and I just finished off one before I posted this.
Low Carb Chocolate Smoothie
I just finished up my low-carb protein powder that I bought from Whole Foods and this was my last recipe including it before I buy more or try a different brand.
My favorite brand of whey protein powder is the Jay Robb brand because of the minimal ingredients and no sugar added.
Before you check out the ingredients in this smoothie below I need to tell you a big secret I've been keeping. I absolutely hate, detest, can not stomach eating cottage cheese, I will surely gag.
In fact it is almost difficult to spoon it out to use in a recipe. BUT it is perfect for a keto diet or low-carb diet when you want to also prioritize protein.
I knew, as a recipe developer who is on a ketogenic diet, I must start incorporating this great addition in my recipes.
The cottage cheese is what gives this smoothie a SMOOTH, thick and creamy texture!!
Why Cottage Cheese in a Smoothie?
Do you want to know the best part about this ???
NO COTTAGE CHEESE TASTE IS NOTICEABLE AT ALL! Trust me, I would NOT lie to you!!
I first experimented with cottage cheese in my Pumpkin Vanilla Smoothie, but used only a ¼ cup.
It was terrific so I increased the amount and added the protein powder for this healthy low carb smoothie recipe.
I just added a few cacao nibs on top for a little crunch. They are unsweetened and do not have a bitter aftertaste.
If you are looking for a way to increase your protein and enjoy a keto chocolate milkshake that doesn't even taste like a protein powder shake, this is the way to go.
My friend Katie over at Dashing Dish has some fabulous creative smoothie combo's with cottage cheese. You can check her Giant List of Protein Shakes here.
Best Brands of Cottage Cheese
The good news about cottage cheese is that you can find it in every grocery store.
The specific brands I like are the Green Valley Lactose Free Cottage cheese since my daughter and I have a lactose intolerance, this works better for us without stomach issues.
The Good Culture brand is also great and organic, perfect if you don't have a lactose intolerance.
You could use low fat cottage cheese if you prefer but I wouldn't recommend it as full fat has a lot more flavor and makes this rich and creamy.
Can I make this dairy free?
If you can find a vegan cottage cheese then yes you could make it dairy free. If not, a good substitute for cottage cheese would probably be tofu or dairy free yogurt.
Can I replace the Stevia?
Yes, you can use any low carb sweetener you prefer.
Here's my Sweetener Guide of natural sugar free sweeteners and also included is my conversion chart to help you decide how much of another sweetener to use to replace the stevia in the recipe.
I'd recommend liquid Monk fruit in chocolate flavor to replace the stevia I used.
More Healthy Smoothie Recipes
This Keto Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Ice Cream- you can turn this high protein ice cream into a keto protein shake simply by not freezing the peanut butter mixture which consist of 3 main ingredients.
This Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie also has a high protein content using keto protein powder and mmmm.
This Triple Berry Smoothie is made with full fat coconut milk and delicious topped with Keto Granola and low-sugar fruits like blueberries.
This Low Carb Green Smoothie uses wholesome ingredients like cucumber.
Low Carb High Protein Chocolate Smoothie Recipe
High Protein Chocolate Smoothie (No Sugar Added)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or heavy cream or coconut cream
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder or ¼ cup
- ½ teaspoon chocolate liquid stevia or see notes above
Optional
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter,
- 1 tablespoon MCT oil or coconut oil
Instructions
- Add your almond milk, cottage cheese and cocoa powder to your high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Once well blended, add the rest of the ingredients to your high speed blender until smooth.
- Taste and adjust sweetener. Enjoy!
Stacia
I tried this morning and what a different breakfast for me. Normally I have an egg beaters based breakfast but am very tired of those. I only used half of the sugar substitute and it is a bit too sweet for me. I will have again.
Xtie
I use Slimfast powder instead of Whey. A lot less calories and Carbs. Absolutely delicious!! YUM.
PS
I was truely amazed! I never would have thought that it would have turned out so smooth and creamy! Yum! No lumps from the cottage cheese and way more chocolaty than with the protein powder alone! I threw in some spinich for extra nutrition and couldnt taste it either.
Trude McLaren
Great recipe, which I found to see if others were doing the same as me. I too make cottage cheese smoothies as I low carb, and they are great.
Tip: I make zucchini/courgette spaghetti, which leaves the moist core of the zucchini. I chop these up and freeze them, and when you pop these in the cottage cheese smoothie, you get a great nutritious additive of fibre with no extra taste that will make it ice cold and delicious and help thicken it up.
Tip2: Adding a small piece of beetroot will colour the smoothie pink (don't use if you are making the chocolate version).
Tip3: adding psyllium husk powder or Fybogel will also add thickness to any shake.
There's so much you can add in these without adding sugar.
K
Hi - I was wondering if it matters if the whey protein powder is unflavored or vanilla?
Brenda
No it fine's if it's different than suggested.
Mary
I was wondering if there is caffeine in the shake
Brenda
No caffeine.
Stella
What can I substitute for the almond milk? Skim milk? (Allergic to almond milk)
Brenda
Any milk you like is fine.
Clddmama
Came across this as I was looking for some low-sugar options for breakfast that would still satisfy my chocolate need. While it was delicious, I decided to compare the cottage cheese vs. plain old low fat greek yogurt. While the yogurt was slightly higher in calories, it had twice the amount of protein as the cottage cheese and only a quarter of the sodium. So folks should keep that in mind if they also need to monitor their sodium intake.