Mushroom Coffee Smoothie Recipe: How to Use It If You Hate the Taste of Mushrooms

If you're like me and the earthy taste of mushroom coffee has kept you from trying it, skip the coffee altogether and just throw it in a smoothie instead

. Kyoto Botanicals (re)GROUND Adaptogen Brew uses a raw cacao base, so it works perfectly as an add-in to your daily smoothie. I just cannot stomach mushrooms, but I still take this brew every single day, added to the same smoothie I make to hit my fiber and protein for the day. Here's exactly how I do it.

1. Why Mushroom Coffee Doesn't Have to Taste Like Mushrooms

I don't like the taste of mushrooms and I know I am not alone. That's a big part of the reason why it took me so long to launch Kyoto Botanicals mushroom brew. I only launch products I personally use, and I wasn't going to make an exception for our own mushroom brew.

What solved it wasn't masking the flavor, it was the base itself. (re)GROUND is built on cacao instead of instant coffee because I love my own coffeee every morning. Once it's blended into something, chocolate is the flavor that comes through, not mushroom, and everyone likes chocolate. Blended into a smoothie, it adds zero detectable mushroom flavor. Stirred into coffee, it reads as a light mocha, not an earthy add-in you're tolerating for the health benefit.

2. My Actual Daily Mushroom Coffee Smoothie Recipe

This is the exact smoothie I make most mornings. It's built around hitting my fiber and protein for the day, and the (re)GROUND scoop disappears into it completely. Total time is about 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup raw oats
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 scoop creatine
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 1 banana
• 2 handfuls frozen strawberries
• 3/4 tsp Kyoto Botanicals (re)GROUND Adaptogen Brew
• Any other fruit you have on hand that's about to turn. I hate wasting food, so this smoothie is also where I use up all the fruit my kids haven't eaten.

Instructions

1. Add the milk, Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and oats to the blender first so they have a moment to soften.
2. Add the protein powder, creatine, spinach, banana, strawberries, and the 3/4 tsp of (re)GROUND.
3. Blend until completely smooth, 30 to 45 seconds depending on your blender.
4. Pour and drink right away. The cacao keeps it tasting like a chocolate-banana smoothie, not a mushroom drink.

If you'd rather watch this than read it, here's my actual mushroom cacao brew routine on video.

3. Why I Put It in a Smoothie Instead of Coffee

Part of it is taste, but part of it is the smoothie itself. I make one almost every day specifically to hit my fiber and protein numbers, since fiber is something I pay close attention to. The (re)GROUND scoop just rides along with everything else already going into the blender. It's not an extra step in my morning, it's one ingredient in a routine I was already doing.

That's the part I think most mushroom coffee content misses. It assumes you're either already a coffee drinker willing to add an earthy powder to your cup, or you're building an entirely new ritual around the product. If you already make a smoothie, there's no new habit to build. You're just adding one scoop to something you were doing anyway.

4. If You'd Rather Use Your Own Coffee: The Quick Mocha Method

Some mornings I'll stir a scoop into coffee instead, and because the base is cacao, it comes out tasting like a light mocha rather than a cup of mushrooms or instant coffee. The advantage here is that it's your own coffee, whatever beans, roast, or brew method you already use, not a pre-mixed instant blend you're locked into. Add the scoop to your finished cup, stir or froth it in, and drink it like you would any other coffee.

5. Why We Built (re)GROUND With a Cacao Base, Not Instant Coffee

I named the company Kyoto Botanicals, not a hemp-specific name, on purpose back in 2019, because I wanted room to grow beyond hemp eventually. It took years after we launched to land on the right next product. I ended up building (re)GROUND with a mushroom vendor friend I'd met at markets around Denver, someone who was already making and selling functional mushroom products independently before we started working together.

The cacao base wasn't just a flavor choice, it was the thing that made the product possible for me personally. If it had been built on instant coffee the way most mushroom coffee is, I wouldn't use it every day, and I don't put my name on products I don't actually use myself.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Does mushroom coffee taste like mushrooms?

It depends on the base. Products built on instant coffee often carry an earthy, mushroom-forward taste. A cacao-based brew like (re)GROUND blends into a chocolate flavor instead, so the mushroom taste is essentially undetectable, especially in a smoothie.

Can I add functional mushroom powder to a smoothie instead of coffee?

Yes. Blending it into a smoothie is one of the most effective ways to eliminate any mushroom taste entirely, since strong flavors like banana, strawberry, and cacao mask it completely. It also works well if you're not a daily coffee drinker.

How much (re)GROUND should I use in a smoothie?

3/4 tsp is our recommend serving size and delivers 600mg of cacao and 350mg each of Lion's Mane, Reishi, Chaga and Cordyceps.

Can I use my own coffee with (re)GROUND instead of a pre-made mushroom coffee blend?

Yes. Since (re)GROUND is a cacao-based brew you stir into a finished drink rather than a pre-mixed instant coffee, you can add it to whatever coffee, roast, or brew method you already use.

Can I use (re)GROUND in something besides coffee or a smoothie?

Yes. If you want an evening option instead of a morning one, try my functional mocktail recipe, an alcohol-free Vanilla Maple White Russian built on the same cacao-based brew.