Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

This creamy and delicious strawberry banana peanut butter smoothie requires just four ingredients and comes together fast for a balanced and tasty breakfast on the go. I love this flavor combination, but you can certainly customize the ingredients to make it your own.

Ok you guys, I totally get this might be an odd time of year to post a smoothie recipe (still winter here in Denver!) but I just couldn’t resist sharing it with you. Plus I found some beautiful strawberries at the store and realized spring is closer than we think.

Come on warm weather, we’re waiting for you.

This recipe is so.freaking.easy. No obscure ingredients to be found. There’s literally one step. Don’t pass it over though because the flavors are also on point.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make the best Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie:

• Frozen banana – yes, it must be frozen. Frozen bananas lend a creaminess that’s hard to match in smoothies and also keep this super cold without ice (which could water it down).
• Strawberries – these can be fresh or frozen, I used fresh
• Peanut butter – any nut butter will technically work but I love the strawberry/peanut combo, it’s almost like a PB&J! I used natural unsweetened so if you use classics like Jif or Skippy, it will likely change the flavor.
• Milk of choice – Vanilla soy adds a slight sweetness and thickness, but any milk or milk alternative works!
• optional: for an extra punch of flavor, feel free to add a shake of cinnamon. If you use an unsweetened milk, you might also want to sweeten it up a bit with honey. Your call!

Smart Tips for Building Smoothies

Smoothies often get a bad rap for being loaded with sugar and to be completely honest, sometimes they are. The trick is to include all three macronutrients to make it as balanced as possible.

Consider the amount of fruit, juice and other add-ins you can fit into one 12-16 ounce glass. Would you eat all of that in one sitting if it wasn’t condensed and drinkable? If not, you might want to scale up your ingredients. And remember to keep the portion size in check!

Here are a few of my favorite tips for building a better smoothie:

• Fruit. Choose 1-2 fruits, about 1-1.5 cups total is a good rule of thumb
• Liquid. For your liquid, choose an option that contains a solid amount of protein instead of juice or low-protein milk alternatives like almond OR add Greek yogurt for extra protein and a thicker texture.
• Fat. Add heart-healthy fat like flax, chia, hemp hearts, avocado or nut butter. These add great flavor and will make your smoothie more satisfying compared to one that’s purely fruit.
• Vegetables! Vegetables in smoothies can be a little intimidating at first, but it’s a great way to increase your produce intake and often you can’t even detect them. Try: spinach, frozen squash/cauliflower, or canned pumpkin.
• Flavor. Amp up the flavor with fun extras like cinnamon, ginger root or even fresh herbs like mint or basil.

For more ideas, I love this article written by a dietitian colleague: Weird-But-Good Stuff You Should Be Putting in Your Smoothie

Do I Need an Expensive Blender?

Many people are convinced you need the fanciest blender to make a high-quality smoothie at home. There are so many choices and I know it can be hard to decide how much is reasonable to invest!

While I do think it’s important to upgrade from that $15 Target option from college (you know, the one that doesn’t even blend a raw banana), I don’t think you need to go all out on a vitamix to get the results you want if the price is a deal breaker for you.

I’ve had the Ninja BL660 (affiliate link) for at least four years and it still works just as well as it did the day I bought it. It’s a great middle-of-the-road option, comes with two portable cups (which I use 99% of the time when making a smoothie) and is powerful enough not to leave any chunks. It likely wouldn’t pulverize hard vegetables or fruit with skin, but I don’t feel the need to add those in anyway so this works just fine for me.

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Looking to increase this recipe for a family? Use the “scale” feature in my recipe card below! Whether you make a large batch in the morning or a single serving for a quick afternoon snack, I know you’ll absolutely love this one. Cheers!

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I would love to hear all about your favorite non-traditional smoothie ingredients in the comments! What are your go-to combinations?

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