Smoothies are a huge part of our lifestyle, and especially important in our morning routine, with at least one of us pulling out the blender to make one every day. I’m pretty consistent with making the Mango Turmeric Smoothie at the beginning of each week, but then I usually vary it for the rest of the week. That was until I came across this recipe from Bon Apetit.

I have been making smoothies for years, and I started out making them with soya or juice and more recently with all the different nut, rice and oat milks. This one stood out specifically because it was made with coffee. This had me most curious.

This isn’t your usual coffee either, but cold-brew espresso. I was already desperate to test out cold-brew coffee myself. I had heard cold-brew coffee was smoother and less bitter, enabling different notes in the coffee to come through. It was supposed to be a game changer to the ‘diluted hot coffee cooled over ice’ option for most iced coffee drinks. I was already desperate to try it for my espresso martinis and here was an even better reason to give it a go. It was also much easier to do than I expected. You can find our how to make it it here.

This smoothie requires a little planning and preparation over most other smoothies, but you can easily make your efforts work for you by increasing the quantities. The cold-brew coffee for instance, it might require an overnight session, but once it is made it will last you two weeks. Chopping and freezing ripe, or over ripe, bananas can be done in volume – as they are great for thickening any smoothie without watering it down with ice. This leaves the nut and oats to soak overnight. Easily done, and if you have a Vitamix you might argue you don’t even need to do that!

What I love about this smoothie most, in addition to the coffee part, is the thick texture. It is like a thick shake. Even using fresh bananas (which I did in a pinch when I forgot to freeze them), it is thick and creamy from the soaked nuts and oats. Which is great if you go for that sort of thing. My husband – he prefers them runny. As for me, I want it to replace a meal, so it needs to feel like it has some substance. Which is certainly what this does.

It is for this reason I find myself scrambling out of bed late at night, to raid the kitchen for nuts and oats to soak so I can guarantee having this smoothie in the morning. The caffeine kick sees me through to lunchtime, which is great for those mornings where I know I am going to be busy and not have much time to myself. I also pour it into a portable cup to take it away with me, so I can be sure to have a substantial breakfast and not give in to snacking or panic eating when I next come into contact with food.

Makes 1 Serving

Adapted from Bon Apetit

• 1/2 cup (125ml) Cold-Brew Espresso
• 1/4 cup Cashews, raw
• 3 Tbsp Rolled Oats
• 1 Banana, sliced and frozen
• 2 Medjool Dates, pitted
• 1 Tbsp Cacao Powder
• 1 pinch Cardamon (or 1 pod, shelled and ground)
• 1 pinch of Sea Salt

Begin your prep the night before by making your coffee brew and freezing your bananas. Measure the cashews and oats into a container (I use the same container I blend my smoothie in) and cover with fresh cool water. Leave to soak overnight, or for 8 hours.

In the morning, drain the water from the oats and cashews and add the espresso, frozen banana slices, dates, cacao, cardamon and sea salt, before blending the mix until it is smooth. Serve immediately.