Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
One day I was out of berries and my girls wanted a fruit smoothie so, inspired by a blog reader, we tried a peanut butter banana smoothie instead—yum! It doesn’t get much easier than this, and smoothies are a great addition to almost any breakfast, lunch, or afternoon snack. These can also be frozen too, but more on that later. The combination of bananas and natural peanut butter in this super easy recipe will have you making them often!
Featured Comment
Just tried this as an after-school snack. It was a home run. Simple, quick, portable, yummy AND nutritious. This recipe is a keeper.
Is a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Healthy for You?
Yes! Homemade smoothies in general are a great option since they are loaded with healthy whole food ingredients. Bananas have plenty of potassium, peanut butter is a great source of protein and healthy fats, and yogurt (plain or Greek yogurt) offers some of those much-needed probiotics.
What Are the Best Bananas to Use in Smoothies?
The riper the banana, the better. The browner they are, the sweeter they are! I like to store unpeeled bananas (cut into small pieces) in the freezer when I see them turning brown so I can use them in smoothies another day. Adding a frozen banana (and omitting ice altogether) will result in a thicker smoothie.
What Else Can I Add to My Peanut Butter Smoothie?
You can definitely switch things up a bit by substituting almond butter or cashew butter for the peanut butter. If you have a high-speed blender, you could add in some flax seeds for extra fiber, if you wish.
I do NOT recommend adding protein powder because most protein powders are highly processed, and this smoothie has plenty of natural protein from the peanut butter already. You may be surprised that it’s actually “rare for someone who is healthy and eating a varied diet to not get enough protein” anyway!
How to Make a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Smoothies are one of the easiest options for a quick breakfast, especially on busy mornings when you’re trying to run out the door. They only take about 5 minutes total to prep and blend, making smoothies the perfect breakfast.
- Combine all the ingredients into the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Ingredients
- Fresh bananas – I recommend using ripe bananas as they are naturally sweeter.
- Plain yogurt – I recommend organic whole milk (full-fat) yogurt.
- Peanut butter – Try to find one that is made with only peanuts and stick to creamy peanut butter.
- Handful of ice cubes – You could use frozen banana slices and omit the ice cubes for a smoothie with a creamy texture.
Other Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Other Healthy Breakfast On-The-Go Ideas
Best Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 bananas (ripe (the riper the better))
- 1 cup plain yogurt ((whole milk recommended))
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup ice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth. Enjoy!
Notes
- We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
- Recipe variation: If you have frozen bananas on hand you can use those and omit the ice cubes.
There’s too much banana in this. For someone with diabetes, this would send them into a coma. There is no serving size indicated, and 35g carb is very misleading, based on bananas. Maybe 1/2 of a banana is 15g carb. I suggest less banana and not necessarily the ripest. It makes it too sugary. Adding more PB or unsweetened almond butter would be good and ground flaxseed. In summary, the nutritional facts aren’t reflective of three bananas and don’t seem accurate. It would seem to me it’s not 35g and it’s more like 90-100g carb for a smoothie. Plus, size of banana should be indicated. There’s also carb in PB and yogurt, plus any flaxseed. Yes, there’s a lot of fiber in flaxseed, yet there’s still carb. The math doesn’t add up.
Hi, thank you for your feedback. Lisa’s recipes are not created for specific dietary restrictions, just with a whole/real food approach. We used ripe bananas in this recipe to get a sweeter flavor. The nutritional facts are based on servings, which this recipe makes 4. You can always modify the recipe to fit your liking. – Nicole
Just found your website. In the peanut butter banana smoothie, I wanted to know what I could substitute for yogurt snd milk?;l I’m allergic to milk proteins. Thank you?
Can you use coconut milk? And maybe add a little more peanut butter. – Nicole
I love smoothies, but almost all of them call for bananas in your cookbooks. My son and I are both extremely allergic to bananas. Is there something we can substitute in its place?
Hi! Avocado is a good choice as it gives a creamy consistency. Greek yogurt can help make it thicker if not using bananas.
I would use the knives for everyday cooking. I’m always new recipes.
I use whole milk instead of yogurt and still use ice cubes with the frozen bannana
Can you clarify the amount of milk? Thanks!
Hi there. You can add milk for the consistency you’d like. The whole milk is there to clarify the type of yogurt. :)
This sounds delicious! I’ve just recently started doing smoothies. I was making one yesterday, but had ran out of bananas. I had Dole Dippers (frozen banana slices dipped in dark chocolate) so I tried that. The taste was fantastic! I used 1/2 cup greek vanilla yogurt, 1 cup almond milk, strawberries, the Dole Dippers, oatmeal, and a handful of spinach. I bet they would be great with the peanut butter smoothie! (think Reeses peanut butter cups!)
I thought bananas and peanut butter were bad for “belly fat”
The peanut butter sounds great. We toss all sorts of things in smoothies but I haven’t tried peanut butter.
I made this yesterday and loved it! As a single person I am wondering… if I made the whole recipe, would the remaining servings keep OK in the refrigerator? Or would the banana start to oxidize and the smoothie separate? I’d love to not have to clean the blender every time I want this treat! :)
Hi Bridget. The banana won’t “keep” very well and would get frothy pretty quickly. ~Amy
We put leftover smoothies in the freezer – they keep great but you will have to give them a little time to thaw.
Just tried this as an after-school snack. It was a home run. I threw in an avocado (mostly just to use it up before it went bad) and it was deeeelish. It’s also really filling; my kids didn’t immediately complain that they were still hungry like they do after finishing most snacks. I love that I’ll be able to put this in a thermos and bring it along if we need a snack on the go. Simple, quick, portable, yummy AND nutritious. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks again!
This was wonderful! I used dark chocolate almond milk instead of whole. It turned out to be a chocolate, peanut butter, banana masterpiece!!!
Thanks for the recipe!