Vegan Banana Smoothie

A simple and satisfying Vegan Banana Smoothie that is healthy, easy to make & packed with protein. It's rich, thick, creamy, tastes like banana bread & will keep you feeling full for ages!

My super thick and creamy vegan banana smoothie tastes like Vegan Banana Bread. It's so good!

This vegan breakfast smoothie is quick, easy and satisfying. For convenience you can even prep the ingredients ahead of time (minus the milk) in a bag or container in the freezer, then just add them to a blender along with your plant milk of choice when you make it.

Jump to:

• Ingredients & equipment
• How to make a vegan banana smoothie
• Success Tips
• How to prep in advance
• Variations
• How to freeze bananas
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredients & equipment

For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card.

Here's what is going into our creamy vegan banana smoothie and why:

• Frozen banana - No matter what, I always have a stash of overripe bananas in the freezer, so even when the grocery situation is dire, we can still enjoy this easy smoothie for breakfast or snacks. Using a frozen banana is key to a super creamy, chilled smoothie.
• Oats - Either rolled oats, old-fashioned oats or quick oats. We are using them to fill us up and keep us feeling satisfied for hours to come. The starch in the oats also helps the creamy texture. Use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
• Nuts or nut/seed butter- Walnuts or pecans are great in this and add healthy fats, protein and lots of nutrients. They also help make the smoothie even thicker and creamy as well as complementing the banana flavour perfectly. You can use nut butter instead of whole nuts, or if you are nut-free use seed butter (like SunButter or pumpkin seed butter).
• Dates or maple syrup - I find a little sweetness is usually necessary in most smoothies. You can use either dates or maple syrup. Dates give the smoothie a nice hint of caramel-type flavour and are my preference because that works with the banana here so well. If your bananas are really dark, spotty and sweet you might get away without any additional sweetener at all so use your judgment.
• Vanilla - Makes this smoothie taste like dessert!
• Spices - A dash of nutmeg and cinnamon work so well with the other flavours and help to make the smoothie taste like banana bread.
• Salt - Just a pinch. It really helps to elevate all of the flavours.

Equipment - A high-powered blender makes such a difference when you make smoothies. The difference is really incredible and they are so much more enjoyable. I have a Blendtec blender and highly recommend them.

How to make a vegan banana smoothie

It's really easy to make a banana smoothie for breakfast. Simply add everything to the blender and blend until smooth.

I recommend starting with only three-quarters of the milk because all bananas are slightly different sizes and everyone's smoothie will turn out a little different. By holding some back until the end you can customize the thickness to your liking. Personally, I love thick smoothies!

I love to serve my smoothie with a swirl of date syrup through it as per the pics. You can also make a smoothie bowl and top it with all of your favourite toppings like granola, nuts, seeds, nut butter, chocolate chips or chopped fresh fruit.

Success Tips

• Really ripe bananas make all the difference in this and any other smoothie. Freeze the bananas when they’re really ripe, brown and spotty and only use them when they are completely frozen.
• Don't add ice to your smoothie. It dilutes the flavour and makes smoothies taste watery and less creamy. It's much better to just use frozen fruit, in this case, frozen banana, because it will taste better and the smoothie will be creamier.
• Start with only three-quarters of the milk and add more as necessary so you can customize the thickness.
• Drink this smoothie immediately. Banana smoothies aren't great made ahead. If you want to prep the ingredients ahead though see "how to prep in advance" just below.

How to prep in advance

What's really great about this vegan banana smoothie is that you can prep it in advance if you want to. You can even make up multiple bags at a time. They will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Simply add all of the ingredients except the milk to freezer bags (or reusable food storage bags) and pop them in the freezer until needed. When you want to make a banana smoothie for breakfast, remove a bag from the freezer, add the contents to a blender, pour in the milk and blend like usual.

Variations

Smoothies are really customizable so feel free to switch this one up and make it your own. Here are a few variations that would work well:

• Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to make it chocolaty
• Add a few dollops of natural dairy-free yogurt for a tangier smoothie
• Add cocoa powder and use peanut butter instead of the nuts
• Add a handful of fresh strawberries
• Add half a cup of freshly cooked or canned pumpkin or sweet potato
• Add different spices like turmeric, ginger, cardamom, allspice or pumpkin pie spice
• For more nutrition, add a tablespoon of flax or chia seeds (or both)
• Up the protein with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder.

How to freeze bananas

Wondering how to freeze bananas? It's really easy. Here's how:

1. Peel the bananas.
2. Break them up into pieces. I always break them into 3 then I know that 3 pieces equal 1 banana when I use them later.
3. Lay the pieces out in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a Silpat.
4. Put the baking sheet in the freezer being careful to keep it fairly level.
5. When the banana chunks are hard (they don't take long), transfer them to a bag or container then put back into the freezer until you need them.

If I am feeling lazy, sometimes I skip the laying them out on a baking sheet part and just throw the chunks straight in a freezer bag. If you do this though, be prepared to have to prise them apart when you need them as they will stick together.

Once you've frozen your bananas, as well as using them in smoothies be sure to make my Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars. They are so quick and easy to make and incredibly good!

📖 Recipe