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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.
Tired of the same old ways to eat a banana? 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!
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.
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).
Make it dairy free
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.
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 2 tablespoons (it will turn the smoothie a little more brown, and you may want to add a bit of honey to balance). Or go to Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
- Cocoa powder: Make a Chocolate Banana Smoothie.
- Vanilla: Use ¼ to ½ teaspoon vanilla to heighten the flavors.
- Cinnamon: Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to add spice.
- Strawberries: Make a Strawberry Banana Smoothie.
- Blueberries: Make a Blueberry Banana Smoothie.
- Mango: Make a Mango Banana Smoothie.
- Avocado: Make an Avocado Banana Smoothie.
- 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.)
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!
Dietary notes
This banana smoothie recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, see the recipe for variations.
Easy Banana Smoothie
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.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 smoothies 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
More smoothie recipes
We’ve got lots more where this came from! Here more smoothie recipes to try, including green, yogurt-based, and more:
- Berries: Try our popular strawberry smoothie, raspberry smoothie, blueberry smoothie, or almond milk smoothie.
- Greens: Go for a kale smoothie, avocado smoothie, green smoothie or spinach smoothie to get your leafy greens.
- Sweet: Try a protein smoothie or peanut butter smoothie that taste like milkshakes.
- Fruits: Go for a pineapple smoothie, fruit smoothie, mango smoothie, or watermelon smoothie.
Needs a bit of sweetener in it.
Thank you for helping with this information. They’re excellent preparations.
Best regards
Willy
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.
How did you get the smoothie to be yellow in the pictures? My banana smoothie was cream colored, and not nearly as photogenic.
I think we just amped it up a bit when editing the photos. Sorry to disappoint!
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
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.
very easy to prepare smoothie