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Here’s the perfect banana smoothie recipe: frothy, creamy, and just the right sweet flavor! It’s made with unfrozen bananas so it’s made in minutes.

Banana Smoothie
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Tired of the same old ways to eat a banana? (Out of the peel is so outdated.) Enter: this banana smoothie! To us, this is the most perfect banana smoothie. It’s got just the right creamy texture and beautifully banana-forward flavor. Because here’s the thing: smoothies aren’t as easy to throw together it seems. Throwing random quantities of banana and milk into a blender is not the way to do it. (Trust us: we tried.) Instead, we tinkered with this recipe to make it just right. And consider the code cracked.

Why make this banana smoothie recipe?

Out of all banana smoothie recipes, why choose this one? Let us tell you why this one deserves to be part of your smoothie repertoire.

  • It’s made with unfrozen bananas. It’s our pet peeve to open a smoothie recipe and find it calls for frozen bananas. That requires thinking ahead, and you want your smoothie now! This recipe removes the need for freezing those bananas. (Yay.)
  • Frothy and creamy texture. You’ve got to have just the right combo of ingredients to get a creamy texture that’s not runny or gooey. This one nails it.
  • Sweet and banana-forward, with no added sugar! If not formulated correctly, a banana smoothie needs added sugar to bring out the banana flavor. But this one has just the right amount of fruit to be sweet enough on its own.
Banana smoothie

Ingredients for this banana smoothie

Now that you’re convinced it’s worth a whiz in the blender, here are the ingredients you’ll need for this banana smoothie! It’s just 4 ingredients:

  • Ripe bananas at room temperature: No need to freeze a banana here! You can whip up this banana smoothie on the spot.
  • Ice: A hefty quantity of ice counteracts the need for frozen bananas.
  • Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt gives this recipe a protein boost and helpful probiotics. It also makes for a perfect creamy texture.
  • Milk: Just the right amount of liquid makes this smoothie blend up perfectly. You can also use non-dairy milk (see below).
Banana smoothie

Make it plant based / vegan!

You can make this banana smoothie plant-based or vegan by doing two swaps:

  • Use vegan yogurt or another ½ banana. Use your favorite brand of plant-based yogurt or try another half banana to get just the right texture.
  • Substitute non-dairy milk for the milk (1 for 1). We like using oat milk or almond milk. Another good option here would be coconut milk, since the flavor pairs well with banana.
Banana smoothie

Optional add-ins & variations

You can mix in whatever you’d like to customize your healthy banana smoothie! But if you want it to be perfect, you’ve got to use flavors that work. Here are some ideas on mix-ins that pair well with banana:

  • Peanut butter. A classic combination! Use about 1 tablespoon to keep it mild, 2 tablespoons for a stronger peanut flavor (it will turn the smoothie a little more brown).
  • Vanilla. Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon vanilla to heighten the flavors.
  • Cinnamon. Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to add spice.
  • Pineapple. Add ½ cup canned pineapple to the mix.
  • Oats. Add a handful rolled oats to make the smoothie even more filling.
  • Coconut or toasted coconut. Coconut pairs well with banana. Especially tasty is toasted coconut, which heightens the flavor and takes only 3 minutes. (You’ll see it as the garnish here.)
Banana smoothie

Smoothie storage

Smoothies are best eaten immediately. But this banana smoothie actually lasts 1 to 2 days refrigerated, stored in a sealed container or a mason jar with the lid on. It may separate, which is perfectly natural. Just shake it up and you’re good to go!

This banana smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, see the recipe for variations.

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Banana Smoothie

Perfect Banana Smoothie


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
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Description

Here’s the perfect banana smoothie recipe: frothy, creamy, and just the right sweet flavor! It’s made with unfrozen bananas so it’s made in minutes.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium ripe bananas (room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups ice
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt*
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or nondairy milk (like almond, oat or coconut milk)
  • Optional mix-ins: 1 tablespoon peanut butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut or toasted coconut

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender, breaking the banana into pieces (start with ½ cup milk, then increase as necessary). Blend until creamy and frothy, stopping and scraping down the sides as necessary. If desired, garnish with banana slice and toasted coconut. Serve immediately or store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Notes

*Make it vegan: Use vegan yogurt or another ½ banana.

  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Blended
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

More smoothie recipes

We’ve got lots more where this came from! Here more smoothie recipes to try, including green, yogurt-based, and more:

Another great healthy drink? Try our homemade kombucha: it’s fun to brew your own at home!

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi! We’re Sonja and Alex Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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8 Comments

  1. Paula Green says:

    Needs a bit of sweetener in it.

  2. Willy says:

    Thank you for helping with this information. They’re excellent preparations.

    Best regards
    Willy






  3. Ben R says:

    Just whipped this one up for the first time. Simple and delicious. I added a bit more cinnamon than the recipe called for. Made it perfect. My new favorite banana smoothie recipe. Thanks.






  4. Krissy Bailey says:

    How did you get the smoothie to be yellow in the pictures? My banana smoothie was cream colored, and not nearly as photogenic.

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I think we just amped it up a bit when editing the photos. Sorry to disappoint!

  5. Lee Newman says:

    You mention using Greek yogurt in your recipes and I was wondering is it just plain or do you use the flavor of the smoothie your making? Example. In making a peach smoothie do you use peach flavored Greek yogurt?
    Thanks
    LN

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      We always use plain greek but you could definitely sub if you wanted too. It would be a bit sweeter as flavored yogurts tend to be sweetened.

  6. vikas singh says:

    very easy to prepare smoothie