Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie

I’ve always loved smoothies. So, growing up, I always went to Jamba Juice. They were fun, tasty, and had a lot of smoothie flavors I could pick from. However, when I grew up, I stumbled upon the Tropical Smoothie Café with my husband. What I liked about their smoothies is that they had more unique flavors to choose from. I instantly become a fan. So, naturally, I had to recreate some of my favorite smoothies at home, including their peanut butter cup tropical smoothie.

Since then, it has been our go-to smoothie whenever we want a hearty breakfast or a cravings-crushing dessert.

In this creamy smoothie recipe, I’ll show you how easy this copycat recipe is to make, and how you can change it to fit your dietary needs.

Jump to:

• ⭐ What is the Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie?
• ❤️ Why You’ll Like This PB Smoothie
• 👩🏻‍🍳  How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie
• 🥜  Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup Ingredients
• 📋 Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup Nutrition
• 💡 Expert Tips to Make the Best Peanut Butter Smoothie
• 🍫 Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Substitutions
• 📖 Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Variations
• 🥡 How to Store Leftover Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie
• 🥗 How to Make this Smoothie Vegan
• 🥛 How to Make this Smoothie Dairy-Free
• 🥑 How to Make This Smoothie Keto
• 🍓 What to Serve with Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie
• 💭 Smoothie FAQs
• 🥤 More Healthy Smoothie Recipes to Try
• Recipe
• Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie
• 💬 Comments

⭐ What is the Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie?

This peanut butter cup tropical smoothie is a popular smoothie made by Tropical Smoothie Café. Tropical Smoothie Café is a smoothie and sandwich café with locations all over the United States, and it has become a popular healthy eating joint for many Americans.

Their peanut butter cup tropical smoothie is a healthy but delicious take on the peanut butter cup. It’s primarily made of peanut butter, chocolate, and banana.

❤️ Why You’ll Like This PB Smoothie

A healthy alternative to peanut butter cups or dessert: This chocolatey and nutty drink can satisfy your cravings with its creamy texture, and replace an unhealthy snack or dessert. It tastes like a milkshake, but it’s packed with nutrients.

It’s easy and fast to make: This tasty smoothie only takes 5 minutes to make, and only requires a blender! You can make this as a quick breakfast when you don’t have a lot of time or as a quick but healthy dessert after dinner.

Versatile with many variations: This is a very flexible recipe, and this smoothie recipe can be changed to fit your needs. You can add protein powder to make it a healthy breakfast smoothie, add fresh or frozen fruit, or modify it to fit a dietary need. You could even freeze it and serve it up as healthy ice cream!

👩🏻‍🍳  How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie

Combine all the ingredients in a blender: Prep your ingredients by adding the peanut butter, frozen banana, cacao powder, honey, vanilla, milk, and ice to a blender.

Blend Until Smooth: Turn the blender on, and blend the ingredients until smooth. This can take 1-2 minutes.

Taste and Adjust for Taste and Texture: Check the thickness. Add more milk if it’s too thick or you’re having trouble blending all of the ingredients smoothly.

If it’s too thin, add more ice or banana. If you want a stronger peanut butter flavor, add 1 tbs. of peanut butter.

Serve and Top with Garnishes: Pour the smoothie into a glass and top with your favorite garnishes, like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, peanuts, or even a little bit of coarse sea salt.

🥜  Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup Ingredients

Peanut Butter: The peanut butter will add a creamy, nutty, and hearty flavor. I recommend using creamy peanut butter, but you can also use crunchy.

Cacao Powder: Cacao powder will add the iconic chocolate taste! You can also add a square of chocolate bar if you want to add an extra punch or save it for a garnish.

Frozen Banana: I recommend using frozen bananas instead of fresh, as it will make your smoothie colder and thicker. By using frozen bananas, you’ll get closer to a milkshake texture. However, if you only have fresh bananas on hand, that’s ok too.

Honey: I recommend adding 2 tbs. of honey. You can add more or less depending on your preferences. If you want a dark chocolate peanut butter cup smoothie, I recommend only using 1 tbs. of honey and see how you like it.

Vanilla: Vanilla is my secret ingredient that makes this smoothie recipe unique. Vanilla brings a warm, sweet, and aromatic note that complements the rich, nutty taste of the peanut butter.

Milk: It wouldn’t be as creamy if you didn’t add milk. I recommend adding ½ cup of milk. Add more for a thinner smoothie. You can use any milk variety you want. To reduce the calories, use plant-based milk, like almond milk.

Ice: Add ½ cup of ice to make your smoothie cold and frothier. This will make the smoothie’s texture better resemble a milkshake, without the added calories.

📋 Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup Nutrition

This smoothie is not only tasty but also nutritious. It’s a great source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. The exact nutritional content will vary based on the specific ingredients used, but generally, you can expect:

• Calories: Approximately 400-500 per serving
• Protein: 10-15 grams
• Fat: 15-21 grams
• Carbohydrates: 40-80 grams
• Fiber: 5-7 grams

💡 Expert Tips to Make the Best Peanut Butter Smoothie

• Freeze Bananas: Use frozen bananas for a thicker smoothie consistency and texture.

• Use Ripe Bananas: Use ripe bananas for a sweeter taste.

• Add in a pinch of salt: The salty taste will complement the chocolate peanut butter flavors of the smoothie. You can also use salted peanut butter instead of coarse sea salt.

🍫 Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Substitutions

• Peanut Butter: You can substitute peanut butter for any kind of nut or seed butter. Try almond butter, hazelnut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter.

• Frozen Banana: You can use frozen avocado, frozen mango, or nonfat Greek yogurt. Just note, that if you use these substitutions, it may change the taste and texture of the smoothie slightly.

• Cacao Powder: If you don’t have the less processed, raw cacao powder, you can swap it for traditional cocoa powder instead. You can also use 2-4 squares of a dark chocolate bar. Although not as healthy, you can also substitute cacao powder for a healthier brand of chocolate syrup.

• Honey: You can substitute honey for maple syrup, coconut nectar, agave nectar, and other natural sweeteners. Use your substitution as a 1:1 replacement.

• Vanilla: You can omit vanilla altogether if you don’t have it.

• Milk: You can use any variety of milk, including dairy milk, soy milk, or nut-based milk like almond milk.

• Ice: You can omit the ice altogether or add an extra frozen banana.

📖 Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Variations

• Tropical Smoothie Peanut Butter Cup with Whey Protein: Add 1 scoop of whey protein to boost the protein content, making it an ideal post-workout shake.
  
  
• Protein-Packed Peanut Butter Smoothie: Add even more protein in addition to protein powder. Add non-fat Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to up your morning protein intake. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk.

• Coconut Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie: Replace almond milk with coconut milk and add a handful of shredded coconut for a tropical coconut flavor.

• PB&J Smoothie: Add a handful of mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) for an antioxidant-rich, tangy twist synonymous with a PB&J sandwich.

• Super Tropical Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie: Add ¼ cup of frozen mango chunks and shredded coconut to make this smoothie taste more of the tropics.

• Breakfast Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie: Add ¼ cup of old-fashioned rolled, 2-3 pitted dates, and 1 scoop of protein powder to make a super hearty, energy-packed breakfast. Make sure to add more milk to adjust the consistency.

• Seedy Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie: Add a variety of anti-oxidant-rich seeds, such as 1 tbs. of chia seeds, 1 tsp. of ground flaxseed, and 1 tsp. of sesame seeds.

• Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie Bowl: Lessen the milk in the smoothie to make a smoothie bowl. Top with shredded coconut, chocolate chunks, crushed pretzels and peanuts, and fresh strawberries.

• Energizer Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie: Add one shot of espresso or a ¼ cup of chilled coffee to add an energizing kick to this smoothie. Perfect for early mornings.

🥡 How to Store Leftover Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

• Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Shake well before drinking or re-blend with ½ cup of ice.
• Freeze: Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Blend the smoothie cubes with some milk when ready to drink.

🥗 How to Make this Smoothie Vegan

• Use plant-based milk such as almond, soy, or oat milk.
• Ensure peanut butter does not contain honey.

🥛 How to Make this Smoothie Dairy-Free

• Choose dairy-free milk options like almond, coconut, or cashew milk.

🥑 How to Make This Smoothie Keto

• Replace banana with avocado or a low-carb protein powder.
• Use unsweetened almond milk.
• Add a tablespoon of MCT oil for additional fats.
• Replace honey with monk fruit sweetener or yacon syrup.

🍓 What to Serve with Peanut Butter Cup Tropical Smoothie

• Fresh fruit: Sliced strawberries, blueberries, or kiwi.
• Granola: For added crunch.
• Whole grain toast: Spread with a thin layer of peanut butter or avocado.

💭 Smoothie FAQs

🥤 More Healthy Smoothie Recipes to Try

• Peanut Paradise Tropical Smoothie
• Strawberry Lime Smoothie
• The Energizer Berry Smoothie
• The Best Green Smoothie

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