Thick , creamy, and dairy free! This dairy free weight gain shake is filled with calorie dense nutrition and nothing fake. Perfect snack or meal replacer.
If you need to increase body mass, you’ve come to the right recipe! With almost 1,000 calories, this dairy free weight gain shake is packed full of rich calories from healthy sources. No dairy or ice cream required!
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts (optional), tree nuts (optional), coconut (optional), fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
This weight gainer shake is packed with 18 grams of protein, almost 1,000 calories, and is an easy way to add some extra calories into your day.
Creamy, smooth, and packed full of nutrition, this chocolate shake is a great addition to your muscle growth program or as a meal replacement for kids, teens, or adults. Try it for breakfast on the go, or as a side dish to something like cinnamon oatmeal, dairy free bagels, or overnight oats!
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Why You’ll Love this Dairy Free Weight Gain Shake
- Refined sugar free, packed with nutrition and hidden veggies
- Easy to-go breakfast
- Great post-workout or as a meal replacement
- Chocolate flavor that kids and adults both love!
Ingredients
This recipe is pretty easy to make with simple ingredients! I recommend that you use frozen coconut milk, bananas, spinach, and cherries. Not only does the fruit keep longer when frozen, but with the frozen fruit and veg, you don’t need to add any ice to make this shake.
- Full fat canned coconut milk - This plant-based milk is high in calories, a healthy source of fat, and tastes delicious! By freezing it ahead of time, you are making the shake extra thick.
- Frozen banana- Filled with potassium, magnesium, and vitamins C, B6, and A, bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition. They help the shake be nice and thick without adding ice.
- Frozen spinach cubes - Spinach is my favorite way of sneaking in some extra hidden veggies in this chocolate shake. Spinach is full of vitamins A, C, K, iron, folate, and potassium, making it super healthy! I pinky promise you won’t taste it at all. (optional)
- Cocoa Powder - Can’t have a chocolate shake without cocoa powder! I recommend a good Dutch Processed cocoa powder for recipes like this. Dutch Processed cocoa has been treated to remove some of the natural bitterness of chocolate. Since we are not adding additional sugars or baking, I would avoid natural cocoa powder if possible.
- Nut Butter - For this version, I used sunflower seed butter to keep it more allergy friendly. However, you can use any nut or seed butter that you like, such as peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Dates - Naturally sweet and the perfect way to use whole foods to sweeten this drink.
- Frozen Cherries - This low histamine fruit is a great way to help lower inflammation in the body. It’s full of antioxidants and is packed full of vitamin C.
Allergy Substitutions
If you are avoiding nuts, including coconut, you can still make this dairy free weight gain shake! Simply add your favorite non-dairy milk of choice. Rice milk, soy milk, oat milk, or another type of nut milk like cashew or almond milk will all work. Just note that the nutrition will be different from what is listed here.
If you are not using coconut milk, I recommend adding a ½ of an avocado to help with calories and fat. Avocados have tons of healthy fats to help you feel full.
Variations
This recipe does not add additional protein in the form of a vegan protein powder. If you want to add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to this shake, that is totally okay! It will add even more calorie density and protein. For my recommendations on the best protein powders to use, check out my article on the best allergy friendly protein powders!
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with measurements of ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
Add the frozen coconut cubes, banana, dates, spinach, and cherry to the base of your blender.
Next, add the water and nut butter of your choice.
Finally add the cocoa powder. This method of adding the powder last helps to fully incorporate it into the smoothie so it doesn’t stick to the sides!
Now, blend on medium high speed for about 30 seconds. Having a good blender is important to this recipe. If you don't have a high-speed blender, just make sure you scrape the sides of the blender down a few times while blending to have all the ingredients incorporated.
Pour into your favorite smoothie cup and enjoy!
FAQs
What are some other healthy ingredients to add to this?
There are so many other things you can add to change up the flavor and make new variations! Try adding:
Different nut butters, oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, avocados, dairy free greek yogurt, cooked pumpkin or cooked sweet potatoes.
Is this a good shake for kids?
Yes! This is a great option for parents looking to help their toddlers and young children. This chocolate weight gain shake is a great way to get some extra nutrition without any refined sugars or protein powders. It is a way of making sure they are getting enough calories each day to help them gain weight, as well as sneak in some fruits and veggies.
Can I give protein powder to kids?
I would talk with your doctor before adding protein powder to a weight gain shake for kids. The Cleveland Clinic states that, “In fact, excessive protein intake doesn’t lead to much more muscle development, but instead can put stress on their liver and kidneys and increase risk for dehydration.”
How to Store
This smoothie is best served and enjoyed immediately. However, you can pop some in the fridge in an airtight container to enjoy later or the next day. I don’t recommend drinking this after 24 hours.
More dairy free recipes
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk frozen
- 1 banana frozen
- 1 tablespoon Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 dates pitted
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut or seed butter
- ½ cup cherries frozen
- ½ cup spinach frozen and optional
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup optional if you want it more sweet
Instructions
- In the base of a blender, combine frozen coconut, banana, spinach, dates, and cherry. Add the water and nut butter. Finally, add the cocoa powder.
- Blend on medium-high speed for 30 seconds, or until the shake is fully blended. If you don’t have a high speed blender, you may need to stop and scrape the sides down a few times while mixing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Daniel says
This does not equal 900 calories.
1 cup coconut milk frozen- 75 cal
1 banana frozen- 100 cal
1 tablespoon Dutch processed cocoa powder- 25 cal
2 dates pitted- 50 cal
2 tablespoons peanut butter or other nut or seed butter- 200 cal
½ cup cherries frozen - 50 cal
Total- 500 calories
Where are you getting the other 400 calories from?
Laura says
Hi there! Different nutrition calculators break things down differently, so there is some slight variation. Here is how my nutrition calculator broke this recipe down into ingredients and calories:
1 cup canned coconut milk - 445
1 banana - 105
1 T cocoa powder - 11
2 dates - 39
2 T peanut butter - 191
1/2 cup cherries - 43
1/2 cup spinach - 3
1 T maple syrup - 16
Total calories: 853
Maxie says
I wanted to know if their a substitute for coconut milk my daughter can't take any kind of milk.
Laura says
Hi there! Yes, you can make this without the coconut milk. If your daughter has any safe milk (oat, rice, soy, etc) you can replace the coconut for the safe milk. If she can’t do any of them, I suggest replacing the milk with an equal amount of water. Then, add a second frozen banana. The nutrition changes are as follows:
Protein 30g
Carbs 155g
Fat 31g
Calories 774
Let me know if this works for her!
Eva says
Is their an alternative flavor I can choose instead of chocolate? Perhaps vanilla or even pecans as My current allergy test showed im allergic to chocolate, strawberries and citrus. I'm limited to what I can eat to gain weight. Any ideas?
Thank you!
Eva
Laura says
Hi Eva! For sure there are other recipes you can use to avoid your chocolate allergy. I think I need to write up a new article on these flavors! Let me know which one is your favorite.
Peaches and Cream
1 cup coconut milk, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1 cup peaches, frozen
2 dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon agave syrup
Peanut Butter and Banana
1 cup coconut milk, frozen
1 banana, frozen
2 dates, pitted
4 tablespoons nut butter of choice
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Pecan Pie Smoothie
1 cup coconut milk, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1/2 cup raw pecans, soaked and drained
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Anne says
This recipe is easy to make and the flavor is delightful!💜
Laura says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks so much!