A Healthier Chocolate Creme Frappuccino with 13g of Protein

My kids love Starbucks frappuccinos, particularly the Chocolate Cookie Crumble and the Double Chocolaty Chip. I mean, I love them, too, but the grande size packs 47g of sugar, 51g of carbs and only 7g of protein. Now, that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy our trips to Starbucks every once in awhile, but it’s not something we do everyday and I wanted to find a healthier version of that drink that would have less sugar, more protein, and more health benefits to give my kids instead.

When I first saw this Kid’s Daily Essential shake mix from Naked Nutrition, I was very intrigued. I’m a big fan of their clean products with super short ingredient lists. I’ve already shared several recipes that I make with their products here on the blog, such as the: coffee protein shake with Ella protein beauty powder, the peanut butter banana smoothie with 30g or protein, and the easy pie crust with almond powder.

So, I knew right away I wanted to try this. It’s become a fantastic base for all sorts of delicious protein shakes my kids actually drink and love – no more pouring half-full glasses down the sink! But, the healthier chocolate creme frappuccino is by far their favorite!

Naked Nutrition Kid’s Daily Essentials Nutrition Shake Mix:

I love this shake mix. It’s packed full of so many great ingredients, just check out this list! I decided to use this shake mix as the base for a healthier chocolate frappuccino and the result? My kids actually say it tastes the same! They have no idea this is a healthier swap with 13g of protein, 28g of sugar (almost half of the Starbucks version), and around 33g of carbs. Now, by no means would I say this is “healthy”, but it is a healthier alternative than a treat they love. Plus, there are a lot of other great ways we’ve used this nutrition shake to create drinks that are healthy. Here area few other recipes we’ve made with this that have been a big hit:

• Banana Protein Shake – Add one frozen banana, a scoop of the mix, one cup of milk of choice, ice, and a squeeze of honey to sweeten and blend!
• Strawberry Shortcake Protein Shake – One cup of cleaned, sliced strawberries, one scoop of vanilla mix, one cup of milk of choice, a squeeze of honey and blend!
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake – One scoop of the Naked Nutrition chocolate peanut butter powder, one scoop of the vanilla shake mix, one cup of milk of choice, one cup of ice, and blend.
• Orange Creamsicle Protein Shake – Juice 2 oranges and blend with one scoop vanilla shake mix, ice, and one cup of milk of choice.

I’m sure there are a lot more recipes that can be created using this mix!

Healthier Chocolate Creme Frappuccino Ingredients:

To make this drink, you’ll need just a few things. Of course, I often sneak in even more healthy ingredients and I’ll share options below.

• Naked Nutrition Kid’s Daily Essentials Vanilla Nutrition Shake Mix – I use a full scoop of their mix in each 16oz. shake. It has 8g of protein, 4g of fiber, 100 calories, 6 organic vegetable powders, and 25 vitamins and minerals. Plus, it’s certified gluten-free, soy free, GMO free, and has no artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives. Boo-yah! You can also use the chocolate flavor and then reduce the amount of frappe mix!
• Chocolate Frappe Mix – The recipe that comes with this says 4 tbsp. I use 2 to 2.5tbsp. per shake. That cuts down on the sugars and added ingredients. But, I really like this mix because it is made from scratch with specialty dutch cocoa. It’s also gluten free, GMO free, and made without corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors or creamers! The ingredient list is much shorter than other similar products. Alternatives to this could be – a chocolate peanut butte mix like this one from Naked Nutrition, a few tbsp. of a chocolate sauce you like, a chocolate protein powder you like, etc.
• Milk of Choice – We typically use unsweetened, unflavored almond milk as our milk of choice here. I’ve made this with other milk options, but we keep going back to almond milk. Use what you like and what works for your family. Based on the milk you choose, you could up the protein in this drink even more!
• Ice – Yeah, pretty obvious, but how many times have you started making something only to notice you were out? Maybe it’s just me, but I do that a lot. So check in advance that you have about one cup of ice.
• Toppings – A little whipped cream is delicious and isn’t too bad for you!

That’s it for the base drink! But, you can add all sorts of things to up the wow factor. Here are some ingredients I’ve snuck in:

• Chia seeds – Great for fiber and protein. I’ve added 1 tsp. of 1/2 tbsp.
• Hemp seeds – A powerful anti-inflammatory – strong taste, though. Only add 1/2 – 1 TSP.
• Flax seeds – Rich in protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids! Add 1/2 tbsp.
• Frozen banana – Try sneaking in half a frozen banana!

Let’s make our drink!

*Affiliate links are used here for products I use and love. A big thank you to Naked Nutrition for sponsoring this post. Such a huge fan of their products and we use them all the time. If you make a purchase through my links, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. Thank you!

How To Make a Healthier Chocolate Creme Frappuccino:

This is the cup I usually put the shake in. It’s a thick BPA-free plastic and can be used right on the blender base for one less glass to clean. The straw is soft, so there’s no safety risk, and we can take this on the go without any fear of glass breaking. Now let’s make the shake!

1. Add one cup milk of choice to a blender
2. Add one full scoop of Kid’s Daily Essentials Vanilla Shake Mix
3. Add 2 tbsp. of the chocolate frappe mix
4. Add any other mix-ins you’re using
5. Add one cup of ice
6. Blend until smooth
7. Pour into a glass, adding toppings if desired and drink!

That’s it! Super easy and you can customize it however you like and using whatever ingredients work for you!

I hope you’ll consider giving this a try – even just for yourself. I may or may not have enjoyed a couple of these while taking pictures for the blog. Can you blame me? It’s delicious!

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If you try this recipe, I’d love to know what you think. Let me know in the comments below or tag me on social media @ispyfabulous.

Have a fabulous day,

E