Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

This peanut butter banana smoothie is super simple and requires just 7 ingredients, including 3 optional mix-ins. The result is a deliciously creamy smoothie loaded with a healthy dose of banana and peanut butter flavors. Plus, the addition of pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and protein powder powers up this smoothie with tons of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and antioxidants.

Coming from a household that is super into distance running (big half marathon and marathon peeps here!), we always have a stockpile of ripe bananas that need eating. Confession: we buy about 10 bananas a week! Sometimes they ripen quicker than we can eat them so we have a few uses up our sleeves to incorporate our bananas into fun and yummy dishes. Like our chocolate chip banana bread, banana chia pudding, chocolate banana muffins, and literally every smoothie on our website, including this peanut butter banana smoothie. We LOVE bananas.

How to Freeze Bananas

One of my favorite tips for making perfectly cold and creamy smoothies is to use as much frozen produce as possible. You will want to freeze bananas when they are fully ripe (yellow with some small brown spots) because they will be naturally sweeter and more flavorful.

At the end of the week, we round up any stray bananas and we freeze them. It’s very simple to do.

• First, peel the banana.
• Then, either cut the banana in half (what we do about 90% of the time) or slice it.
• Next, line the slices/halves up on a small baking sheet or cake pan and freeze for a few hours. We don’t bag the bananas while they’re room temperature because they tend to stick together, which is annoying once they’re frozen. This method (called “flash freezing”) allows them to partially freeze before storing and greatly reduces the stickiness factor.
• Lastly, transfer the partially frozen bananas to a freezer gallon bag and return it to the freezer. The bananas will keep frozen for about 1 month.
• Once you’re ready to make your smoothie, simply pull out the desired amount of banana. Super simple!

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Banana Smoothie Ingredients

The recipe as written includes some extra ingredients you may choose to leave out. You can trim it all the way down to just banana, almond milk, peanut butter, and protein powder, then choose any additional mix-ins you might want.

• Bananas – the obvious the star of the show. We recommend using ripe frozen bananas (see the above section) because frozen bananas help keep this smoothie cold without using ice and result in a creamier, more milkshake-like consistency. If you don’t have frozen bananas, fresh bananas plus a few ice cubes will still do the trick, but your smoothie will be thinner.
• Milk – we use almond milk in our smoothies to keep them plant-based, but you can use any milk you’d like. Skim, 2%, almond, oat, cashew, flax, or hemp milk work too, but the taste will vary.
• Peanut Butter – this smoothie is loaded up with a full 2 tablespoons of peanut butter to make the nutty flavor come through in every sip. Peanut butter is amazing because it has tons of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, keeping you fuller longer.
• Protein Powder – we almost always use protein powder in our smoothies to make them a well rounded, protein-rich breakfast (or snack). Any protein powder will work in this recipe, but we like to use vanilla or caramel flavored powders. We use both pea protein and whey isolate protein powders. Some pea protein powders are thicker and will require a little extra liquid.
• Mix-ins – We added pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and maca powder to this recipe to up the nutty flavor, as well as to pack in some extra macro nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber. Leave them out or add in one or two, it’s up to you! You can also try other popular mix-ins, like chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, or rolled oats.

Tips for Making the Perfect Smoothie

We’ve made our fair share of smoothies and have learned some helpful tips to improve the taste, consistency, and temperature that we wanted to share with you.

• Use frozen produce. Frozen ingredients help keep smoothies cold without requiring ice (which waters smoothies down) and improve the thickness.
• Start with less liquid. Another great rule of thumb is to start light on the liquid and then check the consistency. You can always thin down a thick smoothie with more milk, but it’s harder to go back.
• Layer ingredients in blender. It’s best to add the liquid first, as it will form a “vortex” that will pull the heavier, thicker ingredients down and blend them more smoothly. Then add protein and maca powder, sweeteners (if adding), peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and lastly the frozen banana and ice (if adding). The Kitchn’s layering guide image is super helpful.
• Invest in a high-powered blender. There is a lot of value in investing in a high-powered blender, like a Ninja (we love!) or Nutribullet. They have super sharp blades, blend efficiently (30 seconds to 1 minute, for a smoothie is awesome!), and often have a single serving, multi-serving, or smoothie bowl attachment that all fit the same base. Well worth the money if you’re an avid smoothie maker.

How to Make a Banana Smoothie

Combine banana, milk, peanut butter, protein powder, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and maca powder in a high power blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Top with a drizzle of peanut butter, if desired.

You can also make this into a smoothie bowl. Reduce the amount of almond milk to get a thicker consistency. Top with banana slices, chopped peanuts, pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of peanut butter or other toppings of choice. Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is peanut butter good for you in smoothies – yes! Peanut butter adds a healthy dose of plant-based protein, fiber, and healthy fats to smoothies.
2. What kind of peanut butter is good for protein shakes/smoothies – natural creamy peanut butters that only use peanuts and salt are the healthiest option. Avoid peanut butters with additives, like oil, sugar, and preservatives.
3. Is peanut butter a good source of protein in smoothies – yes! A single serving (2 tablespoons or 32 grams) of peanut butter contains 9 grams of protein, making peanut butter an excellent high-protein addition to smoothies.

Check out our other craveable smoothies.

• Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie
• Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
• Chai Tea Latte Smoothie
• Blackberry Smoothie