Banana Smoothie
This simple banana smoothie tastes like banana bread in sippable form! It’s a healthy breakfast that takes minutes to whip up, making it perfect for even the busiest mornings.
While banana pancakes and banana bread are both delicious breakfast options, they’re not always practical on a busy weekday. When you need a healthy breakfast and you need it fast, this banana smoothie has you covered.
And it’s not one of those smoothies that leaves you hungry in an hour! Nope, this is a complete breakfast in a glass. It’s made with milk, oats, bananas, and Greek yogurt, so you’ve got all of your nutritional bases covered. (Bonus: You can make it without yogurt too if you’re not a fan.)
Best of all, with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, it tastes like a banana bread milkshake. So good!
About this banana smoothie
Just like our cherry smoothie and nectarine smoothie, this banana smoothie recipe is super customizable. You can use our recipe as a starting point and change it up to make it your own! (We also share some ideas below for inspiration.)
This is also one of the rare smoothie recipes that will serve a whole family. It makes four small smoothies or two large smoothies, so it’s perfect for healthy school day breakfasts too! If you only need to make a single smoothie, you can scale the recipe down or freeze the leftovers.
What you need
- Bananas – The darker the banana, the sweeter your smoothie will be. Dark bananas also deliver more banana flavor!
- Oats – Rolled oats are best; don’t use steel-cut oats, as they’re difficult to blend smoothly unless you have a high-powered blender.
- Milk – Dairy or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Greek yogurt – You can swap this for coconut cream to make your banana smoothie vegan, or omit it and use extra milk; if you skip it, your smoothie will be less creamy.
- Pure maple syrup – Honey or another sweetener works too.
- Ground cinnamon – For that banana bread flavor.
- Ground nutmeg – Just a bit is all you need—nutmeg is strong!
How to make it
Blend. Pour the milk into your blender, add the Greek yogurt, then layer in the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Tip: Always start with the liquid ingredients when you’re making a smoothie! This helps create a vortex that pulls the solid ingredients towards the blade, preventing air pockets.
Serve. Divide the smoothie into glasses and garnish with oats, cinnamon, chocolate chips, banana slices, or a honey drizzle.
FAQs
Banana smoothies are as healthy as the ingredients you add to them! This recipe has minimal added sweetener and it’s made with whole food ingredients like oats, Greek yogurt, and bananas, so it makes a nutritious breakfast.
The best milk for smoothies depends on your goals. Want a smoothie that’s rich and thick? Dairy milk or full-fat coconut milk is your best choice. Want your smoothie to be lighter? Unsweetened almond or oat milk will work well. Plant-based vanilla milk will add a hint of vanilla flavor, while soy milk will add protein.
Banana works well with a lot of different fruits, from tropical mango and pineapple, to berries like strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. Feel free to substitute one of the bananas in this recipe with a handful or two of these other fruits to switch up your smoothie.
How to make this banana smoothie your own
Here are some simple ways to put your own spin on this banana smoothie recipe!
- Use a frozen banana. This will help make your smoothie thicker, which can be especially helpful if you choose not to make it with yogurt.
- Add peanut butter. A few tablespoons of peanut butter, or peanut butter powder, will add extra protein to your banana smoothie. Other nut butters or sunflower seed butter work too if you have a peanut allergy.
- Blend in a scoop of protein powder. Unflavored or vanilla protein powder can be added to the recipe—not only will it add protein, but it will also help thicken the smoothie.
- Give it a superfood boost. Chia seeds, hemp seeds, bee pollen, collagen peptides, and other superfood ingredients are perfect for adding to this banana smoothie.
Make Ahead Ideas
Keep banana smoothie bags in your freezer for easy breakfasts! Freeze the yogurt in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, place the yogurt cubes in a freezer bag with the rest of the smoothie ingredients except the milk and maple syrup.
When you’re ready for a smoothie, add the milk and maple syrup to the blender, then dump in the freezer bag. Blend and enjoy!
Storage Suggestions
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a day, or they can be frozen for up to 2 months. You can freeze the smoothie in popsicle molds to repurpose your leftovers, or freeze in jars or freezer bags; let these thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then have your banana smoothie for breakfast.
More smoothie recipes
Get the Recipe: Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized bananas, peeled and sliced
- ¾ cup oats
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the glass of a blender and pulse until everything is smooth and well incorporated.
- Serve in glasses.
Notes
- I used fresh banana, you can also use frozen banana if you prefer a thicker smoothie. You can also add ice to thicken smoothie.
- You can serve topped with oats, sprinkled with cinnamon, with chocolate chips, banana or a chocolate peanut butter or honey drizzle.