• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Little Sugar Snaps
  • All Recipes
  • Trending
  • Favourites
  • Baking
  • Drinks
  • Savoury
  • Midlands Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Work with Me
  • Portfolio
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Trending
  • Favourites
  • Baking
  • Drinks
  • Savoury
  • Midlands Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Work with Me
  • Portfolio
×

Home » Drinks

Skinny Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake

May 11, 2016 by Jane Saunders 6 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Black Forest Gâteau meets ice-cold milk. This Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake is thick, luxurious & decadent. But it’s also healthy. Summertime drinks don’t have to be laden with excess sugar, fat & calories to be cool.

Healthy version of Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake drink in a glass

Summer is approaching fast. That means long, sunny days and relinquishing my cosy boots in favour of skirts and finding my legs again. (Eeek). Oh, and it also means plenty of ice-cold drinks to keep me going on these hot & sunny summer days I’m dreaming about. Top of the bill this year is this rather cheeky, creamily delicious Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake.

It’s an attractive medley. Picture a hefty slice of Black Forest Gâteau meeting a long tall glass of ice-cold milk. It’s a joyful union. That’s essentially what’s on offer. But, there’s a big bonus: this Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake is healthy.

Here’s what is not involved in this Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake

  • Refined sugar
  • Ice Cream

Instead I’ve used dried fruits to sweeten the drink and give maximum flavour without needing to add unhealthy refined sugars, syrups or chunks of chocolate. I’ve also replaced the ice cream with coconut milk since this gives a lusciously thick, creamy consistency naturally without adding unnecessary sugar or fat to the drink.

A small bottle of coconut milk next to a spoon of chia seeds on a table

The result is a glassful of thick, rich, creamy, sweet, chocolatey, fruity bliss. Ice cold bliss . And you don’t even have to feel bad about drinking a glassful occasionally. Let’s save those calories for when a slice of Black Forest Gâteau or a scoop of chocolate ice cream is the only thing that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Two glasses of chocolate milkshake topped with cherries

If you’ve been reading along with me for a while, you’ll know that I have a bit of a thing for giving my kids a drink that they will see as a complete treat, which, in reality, is not all that unhealthy after all. You could call me sneaky, but it keeps them going mid-way through the week when they are hankering after something indulgent. They adore the date shakes that I’ve been churning out for them for the past 18 months. It is their favourite drink. That’s really why I developed this Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake. It’s a neat little twist on the date shake.

(Also, I  chocolate, cherries and Black Forest Gâteau – I can’t help it, I was born in the 70s.)

Aside from being sneaky and giving them a healthy drink as a treat, one of my goals as a parent is to teach my kids how and why to eat healthily most of the time. That’s a tough challenge in this world of there-at-every-turn sugar laden drinks and snacks. I’m a free speaker in my kitchen – it’s how I choose to educate them. My girls know when I’m presenting them with something healthy or something unhealthy. They also know a tasty drink when it lands in front of them. I can tell you, they get just as excited over my healthier drinks as they would over an ice-cream based shake, a fizzy drink or a hot chocolate. With drinks like this Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake and the date shake featuring as some of their favourite drinks, I’m hoping I’m on the right track. #WINNING!

A Skinny Chocolate milkshake garnished with toasted coconut and cherries

Take a look through my alcohol-free drinks collection for more tasty recipes.

Skinny Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake

Healthier Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake

Jane Saunders
Black Forest Gâteau meets ice-cold milk. This Chocolate Cherry Coconut Shake is thick, luxurious & decadent. But it’s also healthy. Summertime drinks don’t have to be laden with excess sugar, fat & calories to be cool.
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drink – non-alcoholic, Drinks
Cuisine: Worldwide
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 320 ml/ 1 ⅓ cups Coconut milk
  • 4 Pitted soft dates (I used Deglet Nour)
  • 25 g/ 1 oz Dried cherries
  • 2 teaspoon Chia seeds (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon Cocoa powder

Optional Garnishes

  • Fresh or frozen cherries
  • Toasted coconut flakes

Instructions

  • Put the first 5 ingredients into a blender with a few ice cubes. Blitz until smooth
  • Serve immediately – over ice & decorated with cherries & toasted coconut if desired

Notes

This drink can be made with frozen/ canned cherries – just replace the 25g dried cherries with 60g frozen/ canned. Expect the colour to take on a burgundy hue (less appealing to look at but it still tastes amazing)
Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @littlesugarsnap or tag #littlesugarsnaps!
(Visited 26 times, 1 visits today)

More Drink Recipes

  • Oatmilk Honey Latte
  • The Italian American – an Amaro Montenegro Cocktail
  • White Negroni (Negroni Bianco)
  • Drambuie Cocktail for Burns Night: the Coffee Crème

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Christine | Mid-Life Croissant

    May 15, 2016 at 7:09 pm

    Deliciousssss! Love the dried cherries. Such a great idea. I’m a bit concerned about finding my legs this summer too. But I just started doing yoga which, so far, is only helping my attitude. But frankly that is what needs the most work!!

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      May 15, 2016 at 8:45 pm

      Thanks Christine. Oh, I’m liking your yoga commitment. I started sit-ups in January but it’s not helping my attitude (but the kids find it funny) – I think I need Pilates.

      Reply
  2. Candice | Whole Health Hacks

    May 14, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    This looks amazing!! I am so excited that it’s cherry season and cannot wait to make this yummy chocolate cherry shake!

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      May 15, 2016 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks Candice. I can eat entire punnets of fresh cherries to myself 🙂 Seeing as this shake uses dried cherries you can enjoy it all year long 😉

      Reply
  3. Sarah

    May 14, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    It’s about time summer gets here – though I’m happy to keep hiding my legs. Don’t want to blind anyone 😉
    This shake sounds perfect! I love that’s there’s no added sugar too!

    Reply
    • Jane Saunders

      May 15, 2016 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Sarah. Ha – I can light up the neighbourhood with the brilliant white of my legs too.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Headshot of jane Saunders (Jane Coupland) Food Photographer and Blogger at LittleSugarSnaps

Hello there. I'm Jane. Welcome to LittleSugarSnaps - my place for sharing enticing and easy sweet and savoury recipes with a side helping of cocktails.

More about me →

Inforgraphic with image and text overlay for newsletter subscription

POPULAR RECIPES

  • Disaronno Sour (Amaretto Sour)
  • Cheese Savoury Recipe for Afternoon Tea Sandwiches
  • Minced Beef and Onion Pie (Shortcrust Pastry)
  • Baileys Espresso Martini
  • Egg Mayo Sandwich
  • Triple Chocolate Layer Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

As Seen In...

Footer

^ back to top

SIGN UP! for emails and updates

Information

  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertising
  • Accessibility Policy

About

  • About Jane
  • Contact Me
  • Work with Me

Featured In...

Featured in image with text only

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

All content is © 2014-2022 Jane Saunders & LittleSugarSnaps.com. All rights reserved.

Please ask permission before using any images or recipes.