Best Banana Smoothie Recipes For A Healthier Breakfast

Bananas are without a doubt the most versatile ingredient for making healthy smoothies. They’re the perfect base for fruit smoothies and even taste awesome if you’re trying to hide veggies in your smoothies. 

Whether you’re trying to make healthy banana smoothies for weight loss, or want to learn how to make dairy-free banana smoothies without milk or yoghurt, this guide covers everything you need to know about making easy banana smoothies at home. We’ll even show you how to make a nutritious chocolate banana smoothie without the empty calories!

Are Banana Smoothies Healthy?

When blended with a balanced source of wholefood ingredients, banana smoothies are a healthy source of essential vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, healthy fats, protein and other plant-based nutrients. On their own, bananas are an awesome source of dietary fibre, potassium and disease-fighting antioxidants and have benefits for digestion, heart health and weight loss. By blending banana with different fruits, vegetables and superfood mixes, you can easily create a well balanced breakfast smoothie that provides all the nutrients you need for a healthy start to your day. If you don't have time to shop around for ingredients, try a Craft Smoothie box and get everything you need to make superfood smoothies - delivered to your door.

Ingredients for a healthy banana smoothie:

• Choose 1 or 2 other pieces of fruit and/or vegetables to blend with your banana to supply a varied source of plant-based nutrients
• Include a source of nourishing fats and protein to support sustained energy and help you feel fuller for longer. Nuts and seeds are an awesome source of healthy fats and plant-based protein, and avocado and coconut are also a delicious source of nutrient-dense fats for a more satisfying smoothie.
• Avoid ingredients with processed sugars or articifical flavours, like sweetened yoghurts and ice cream
• If you want to make a dairy-free banana smoothie without milk or yoghurt, substiute milk for water, coconut water or a plant-based milk like almond milk. Instead of yoghurt, you can use coconut yogurt which is 100% dairy-free. To thicken your smoothie without using yoghurt, you can also use frozen banana or ice.

How To Make A Banana Smoothie

Here’s our fool-proof method for making the best banana smoothies:

1. Add 1 peeled and sliced banana to your blender
2. Add 1 cup of ice and/or frozen ingredients
3. Add 1-2 servings of other fresh fruit and/or vegetables/leafy greens
4. Add any optional extras - this can be nuts, seeds, superfood powders, dried fruit, protein powders, yoghurt or sweeteners like honey
5. Add water, coconut water or your favourite milk

We’ve used this method for some of our favourtie healthy banana smoothie recipes below, which you can expect in a Craft Smoothie box. If you want to make easy banana smoothies with milk, almond milk, coconut milk, yoghurt, or even water – you can’t go wrong with these banana smoothie recipes.

Best Banana Smoothie Recipes

Because bananas complement almost any smoothie ingredient, the options are endless when it comes to making healthy smoothies with bananas. So we’re breaking it down for you with a few of our favourites:

Chocolate Banana Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• ½ Avocado
• 1 pear
• 1 Tbs cacao powder
• 1 Tbs chopped dates
• 2 Tbs cashew nuts
• 1 cup of water, coconut water or your favourite milk
• 1 cup of ice

Method:

1. Peel and slice the banana and place into the blender, add the avocado flesh, chopped pear and ice cubes
2. Add the cacao, dates and cashew nuts
3. Add the water, milk or coconut water and blend until smooth
4. Pour into two glasses and sprinkle with shredded coconut chips if desired

Looking for more healthy smoothie recipes like this one? Try these healthy avocado and banana smoothie recipes.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 handful of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 Tbs chopped dates
• 2 Tbs cashew nuts
• 2 Tbs coconut chips
• ¼ tsp vanilla powder or extract
• 1 cup of water, coconut water or your favourite milk
• 1 cup of ice

Method:

1. Peel and slice the banana and place into the blender with the straberries
2. Add the dates, cashew nuts, coconut chips and vanilla powder
3. Add the water, milk or coconut water and blend until smooth
4. Pour into two glasses and top with diced strawberry if desired

Love strawberry smoothies? Check out these other easy strawberry banana smoothie recipes. 

Blueberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 handful of blueberries
• 1 apple
• 1 handful of kale or spinach (optional if you want to make a green banana smoothie)
• 1 Tbs chia seeds
• 1 Tbs almonds
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup of water, coconut water or your favourite milk
• 1 cup of ice

Method:

1. Peel and slice the banana and place in the blender, add the chopped apple and blueberries
2. Add the chia seeds, almonds and cinnamon
3. Add the water, coconut water or milk and blend until smooth
4. Pour into two glasses and sprinkle with shredded coconut chips if desired

If you've never tried a green smoothie before, this recipe is a one to start with. You can begin by using a small portion of leafy greens and then gradually increase the volume as you get used to the "earthy" flavour. Then before you know it, you won't even be able to taste the greens! If you're already a green smoothie convert, you have to check out these delicious green banana smoothie recipes. 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 4 Tbs peanut butter
• 1-2 Tbs honey or 1-2 dates
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup of water, coconut water or your favourite milk
• 1 cup of ice

Optional: Add cacao to your peanut butter banana smoothie make a Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie. If you want to make a banana smoothie with yoghurt, add 1/2 cup of yoghurt or coconut yoghurt to your favourite recipe.

Method:

1. Peel and slice bananas and place them into the blender, add the peanut butter and honey or dates
2. Add the vanilla and cinnamon, plus any of the optional ingredients
3. Add the water, milk or coconut water and blend until smooth
4. Pour into two glasses and top with cacao nibs if desired

Healthy Banana Smoothie Recipes For Weight Loss

Our smoothie recipes have all been developed to be incorporated as part of a well balance diet to support a healthy eating routine. To learn more about using banana smoothies for weight loss, refer to these weight loss smoothie recipes for inspiration.

Easy Banana Smoothie Bowl Recipes

To make a banana smoothie bowl, just substite fresh banana for frozen banana and use around half the amount of liquid that you would typically use for a banana smoothie. For your smoothie bowl toppings, you can get creative with whatever you have in the kitchen – nut butters, coconut yoghurt, sliced fruit, berries, nuts, seeds etc. Making smoothie bowls is a fun and easy way to add some variation to your smoothie making routine and if you have kids to keep healthy, they can help out with decorating their smoothie bowls. For more inspiration, get smoothie bowl recipe ideas here.

Banana Smoothie FAQs

Are banana smoothies good for breakfast?

Banana smoothies are a good breakfast option because they’re quick and easy to prepare and are packed with essential nutrients to support optimal health. Getting into the habit of making banana smoothies for breakfast with different combinations of seasonal produce is a smart way to ensure you're getting a varied nutrient intake to support optimal health and wellbeing. Remember to include a wholefood source of healthy fats and protein in your smoothies to sustain your energy levels and keep you fuller for longer. Learn more about why banana smoothies are a healthy breakfast option.

Will a banana smoothie keep overnight?

Banana smoothies that have been stored in the fridge overnight are still safe to drink, however you will notice the colour of your smoothie has changed as the bananas degrade quickly after being chopped. If you want to ensure maximum freshness, flavour and nutrition, we recommend making your smoothie when you’re ready to drink it.

Are banana smoothies good for diabetics?

Banana smoothies can be safely enjoyed in moderation when a person has diabetes. When managing diabetes, it's important to monitor how many carbohydrates are being consumed in a smoothie. To make a low-carb banana smoothie, use a smaller-sized banana and blend with half a portion of low GI fruits, like berries or an orange. Also ensure that you're including a healthy source of fat and protein to keep you full and manage blood sugar levels. You can also try a smoothie with a green banana, as unripe bananas tend to have less impact on blood sugar. The health benefits of bananas in terms of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals can make them a healthy smoothie ingredient for those with diabetes when consumed in moderation.

Are banana smoothies good for hangovers?

Banana smoothies are frequently recommended as being a good cure for hangovers because bananas are a nutritious source of important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium, which are depleted when drinking large volumes of alcohol. Banana smoothies with coconut water and blueberries are particularly good for hangovers because just like bananas, coconut water is a powerful source of electrolytes that are essential for helping your body rehydrate, while blueberries provide beneficial support to your immune system which can be compromised when drinking alcohol.

Why use frozen banana in smoothies?

Frozen bananas are perfect for making thick and creamy smoothies. They’re also ideal for using in smoothie bowls, or as a substitute for ice. Peeling, slicing and storing your bananas in an airtight container in the freezer is smart for preserving the “shelf life” and reducing waste.

How many calories in a banana smoothie?

A banana typically has around 100 calories and the total calorie count of a banana smoothie depends on the ingredients you choose to blend with the banana. If you’re counting calories, the easiest way to lower the calorie count of your banana smoothie is to opt for water over milk, and choose vegetable smoothies over more fruity smoothies – just make sure you’ve still got some healthy fats and protein in the mix!

How do you make a banana smoothie with ice cream?

To make a banana smoothie with ice cream, just substitute ice for ice cream in one of our recipes above. Banana smoothies with ice cream aren't ideal for maintaining a healthy breakfast routine (as ice cream is typically high in refined sugars and other additives), so should be enjoyed in moderation rather than every day.

 

If you want to make healthy banana smoothie recipes at home without the hassle of sourcing your own fresh ingredients and superfoods? Give a Craft Smoothie box a try and we'll send you everything you need to make quick and easy homemade smoothies to support your overall health and wellbeing.