When I want a creamy smoothie, I turn to cashews or bananas. Well, I went a little crazy with this smoothie recipe and added BOTH. Get ready for a super creamy, super protein-charged smoothie that can jumpstart your day.
How to Make a Banana Smoothie Recipe
When making a green smoothie I recommend blending the leafy greens + liquid first. Yet for a non-green smoothie, feel free to blend all your ingredients at once!
If this smoothie is too thick for your blender blades to handle, try adding a bit more liquid, stirring up the ingredients, then blending again. This should help.
If cashew milk isn't your thing, then use the plant based milk of your choice! Oat milk will produce an equally creamy smoothie, while almond milk will make this smoothie a bit thinner.
Health Benefits of Bananas
This easily accessible fruit is incredibly versatile and delicious. Use it to naturally sweeten baked goods, make that smoothie creamier or naturally more sweet-tasting, or as a simple healthy snack dipped in almond butter.
Bananas are great sources of fiber, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin B6, and manganese. Bananas, while sweet, are actually a lower glycemic (low sugar) fruit. Unripe bananas have a GI (glycemic index) score of 30, while ripe bananas have a GI score of around 60. So if you want your banana smoothie to be naturally lower in sugar, use a less ripe banana!
Tips for storing bananas
Living in Florida means my bananas ripen in two days tops. I love having them on hand for a quick snack or easy smoothie ingredient, yet they turn brown too quickly! So I've learned a great trick- freeze them.
I leave bananas on my counter until they are the perfect ripeness for me (which I'm finding is different for everyone). Then I line a baking sheet with parchment, peel the bananas, and line them up on the baking sheet. Freeze for 1-3 hours, then toss those lovely frozen bananas in a freezer safe bag (I like silicone Stasher or Rezip bags).
Now I've got the perfect banana smoothie ingredient ready to go. If you don't have gallon sized freezer bags, then cut your bananas in half before freezing to maximize space. Prepping smoothies ahead also saves produce!
Low Sugar Swaps
While the sugar in this banana smoothie comes from whole food, it might be a little high for some. If you need a lower sugar option, then here are some great swaps:
- Use plain cashew yogurt or swap for ¼ cup cauliflower
- Swap yogurt for in 2 tbs cashews
- Swap banana with ¼ cup cauliflower or ¼ avocado
Make sure the collagen or protein powder you use doesn't have any added sugar. Read the label on the yogurt you use as well! There are many great plant based yogurt brands on the market now, yet lots are loaded with added sugar.
FAQs
Yes, just make sure that smoothie is full of only whole food ingredients. No fillers, chemicals, added sugar, or fake ingredients!
I recommend changing up your daily shake or smoothie, so you can benefit from a variety of fruits and veggies. Bananas are a great regular addition though!
Bananas are a great source of fiber, and often help settle stomach issues naturally.
No! Well... it depends what you put in them. Strawberry banana is a popular smoothie flavor at restaurants, yet those smoothies are usually pre-made mixes full of processed sugar and chemicals. Stick to strawberry banana smoothies with real, whole food ingredients and soak in all the benefits.
Now, let's get blending this banana smoothie!
Creamy Banana Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 bananas (frozen)
- ½ cup cashew yogurt (plain or vanilla)
- 1 cup cashew milk
- 1 serving collagen powder (or 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth
- Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To make this smoothie vegan, swap 1 scoop of collagen powder with 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost
- To reduce the natural fruit sugars, use ¼ avocado and 1 banana
- You can swap in any kind of yogurt, just choose one that's plain or with limited sugar
- The cashews can be swapped for almonds or oats
- The cashew milk can be swapped out for the plant milk of your choice
Nutrition (estimated)
8 More Healthy Banana Smoothies
I know that bananas are a polarizing fruit. People either love 'em or hate 'em. If you enjoy bananas in your smoothies, then check out some other delicious smoothie recipes below:
Amanda
I have a collagen peptides powder that has a un pleasing taste but when I made it with this smoothie it tasted amazing I will make this everyday and I used the keto vanilla yogurt
Amanda
Delicious. Really kept me full
Mireille
I really loved this one. The creaminess of the yoghurt and frozen bananas make for an awesome smoothie. I did add a big handful of spinach, plain protein powder, skipped the vanilla and added spirulina. So mine was rather green - but sooo delicious.
Simple Green Smoothies
We say, the greener the better Mireille! Way to rawk this one!
DC
Not one I'll repeat.