Peppermint protein mocha
10 min · 36 g protein · 263 cals / serving
The coffee-shop holiday drink, made at home: steaming milk infused with fresh peppermint, whisked with cocoa, a double shot of espresso and chocolate protein until glossy and frothy, then topped with a curl of shaved dark chocolate. Deep, chocolatey and cool-minty, and it is just as good blended over ice.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups skim milk
- 10–12 leaves mint, fresh peppermint, lightly bruised
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 small pinch stevia, or sweetener to taste
- 2 shots (2 oz) espresso, freshly made, or 1 tsp instant espresso in 60 ml hot water
- 1 scoop (30 g) whey protein, chocolate
- 1 small square dark chocolate 70-85%, shaved, to finish
Steps
- Heat the milk with the mint leaves in a small saucepan until steaming, with small bubbles at the edge, but not boiling. Take off the heat, cover and leave the mint to steep for 5 minutes, then lift the leaves out (squeeze them against the side of the pan to get all the flavour).
- Whisk the cocoa and sweetener into the hot milk until smooth, then whisk in the espresso. Warm it again for a moment if it has cooled below hot-drink temperature, but do not let it boil.
- Off the heat, sprinkle the protein powder over the surface a spoonful at a time, whisking hard (or use a milk frother) so it does not clump, until glossy and frothy. Whey thickens and can turn grainy if it boils, so keep the milk just below a simmer.
- Pour into a big mug and shave the dark chocolate over the top with a vegetable peeler.
Good to know
Can I use peppermint extract instead of fresh leaves?
Yes, and it tastes closer to the coffee-shop syrup: skip the steeping and stir in 1/8 tsp (a few drops) with the espresso. Peppermint extract is very strong, so add it slowly and taste.
Can I have it iced?
Yes: use cold espresso and cold milk, and blend everything, mint leaves included, with a cup of ice for 45–60 seconds until thick and frosty, with the mint broken into tiny green flecks.
Decaf?
Decaf espresso or decaf instant coffee works exactly the same, so you can have this in the evening.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 66
- Protein
- (53%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (14%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (34%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 46 mg
More breakfast
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 263 kcal goes into the pot and 406 g of ingredients comes out as about 396 g of food: 66 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.