How to Make a Banana Smoothie

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Banana smoothies make excellent breakfasts, mid-day snacks, and hangover cures. Since bananas blend so well with other flavors, it's easy to create a smoothie to satisfy your particular tastes. You can make a healthy smoothie filled with protein and fiber, or a sugary-sweet, dessert-like smoothie instead. Once you know the basics, you can let your imagination run wild and make up your own recipes. Banana smoothies are just one kind of fruit smoothie!

Things You Should Know

Blend a banana, milk, honey, and ice for a honey-banana smoothie, or almond milk, spinach, peanut butter, honey, chia seeds, and ice for a healthy smoothie.
Blend a banana, yogurt, orange juice, blueberries, strawberries, agave nectar, and ice cubes for a very berry banana smoothie.
Make a banana cream pie smoothie with banana, half-and-half, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
A banana breakfast smoothie includes yogurt and oatmeal, with optional ingredients like honey and peanut butter as well.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Honey-Banana Smoothie

1
Peel and slice a banana, and put it into a blender. For a thicker smoothie, use a frozen banana instead. If you don't have a blender, you can use a food processor fitted with metal blades.
2
Add the milk and honey. The more milk you use, the thinner smoothie you will get. For a thicker smoothie, use plain or vanilla yogurt instead.
- For extra protein, add 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of peanut butter.^{[1]
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- For extra flavor, add a pinch of ground cinnamon.^{[2]
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- If you can't find any honey, you can use sugar, agave nectar, stevia, or even maple syrup instead.
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3
Top it off with ice, if desired. If you are using frozen bananas, then you can skip the ice cubes—unless you like really thick smoothies.
4
Blend the ingredients until everything is smooth and evenly combined. There should be no lumps or clumps. From time to time, you may have to pause the blender, open it up, and push the ingredients down the sides with a rubber spatula.
- Depending on what type of blender you have, you may need to choose a setting, such as: "smoothie," "blend," or "puree."
5
Pour the smoothie into a glass and serve. You can enjoy it as it is, or you can garnish it with a dollop of whipped cream, banana slices, or a drizzle of honey.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Very Berry Banana Smoothie

1
Prepare the fruit. Peel and slice the banana. Rinse the strawberries, cut off the stems, and cut them into quarters or halves (to make blending easier). Rinse the blueberries.
- For a thicker smoothie, you can use frozen bananas instead.
2
Add the fruit into the blender. If you don't have a blender, use a food processor fitted with metal blades instead.
3
Add the juice and yogurt. If you'd like your smoothie to be sweet, add in the honey. If you don't have any agave nectar, you can use another sweetener, such as honey, stevia, or sugar.
4
Top it off with ice. If you are using frozen bananas, then you can use less ice or skip it entirely.
5
Blend the ingredients until they smooth and evenly combined. From time to time, you may have to pause the blender, open it up, and push the ingredients down the sides with a spatula. Keep pulsing and mixing until there are no lumps or chunks left.
6
Pour the smoothie into a glass and serve. You can serve it as it is, or garnish it with a few banana slices, a sliced strawberry, or a few blueberries.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Healthy Banana Smoothie

1
Pour the almond milk into a blender or food processor. If you can't find any almond milk, you can make your own by blending 1 cup (240 milliliters) of water and ½ cup (70 grams) of almonds.
2
Add the spinach and puree it with the almond milk. You may have to work in a few batches, since spinach leaves can be tricky to blend. Keep pulsing until the leaves are completely blended with the almond milk. Mixing the spinach in first will give you a smoother drink in the end.
- Don't worry, you won't taste the spinach after it is done. It will turn the smoothie an interesting shade of green and add tons of nutrients, however!
3
Peel and slice the banana, then add it into the blender. For a thicker smoothie, you can use a frozen banana instead. At this point, you can also add 5 to 6 ice cubes; it will make your smoothie colder and thicker.
4
Add the peanut butter and honey. For extra fiber, add some chia seeds. Also, try to use smooth peanut butter instead the chunky kind. It will be easier to blend and give you a smoother smoothie in the end.
5
Blend the ingredients until everything is smooth and evenly combined. From time to time, pause your blender, and push the ingredients down the sides using a spatula. This will help the ingredients mix together more evenly.
6
Pour the smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy. It is packed with nutrients and protein, and will keep you full for hours. It makes an ideal breakfast!

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

1
Pulse the banana and half-and-half in a blender. Peel and slice the banana first, then add it to the blender. Pour the half-and-half over the banana, then blend until evenly combined. This will create a nice, smooth base for your drink.
- For a thicker smoothie, use a frozen banana instead.
- For a lighter smoothie, use whole milk or skim milk instead of half-and-half.
2
Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These will give your smoothie a layer complexity and a final boost of flavor. If you aren't a fan of maple syrup, you can use another sweetener instead, such as: agave nectar, honey, jam, molasses, sugar, etc.
3
Consider adding crumbled graham crackers for an extra crunch.^{[3]
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Research source} You can also use 2 crumbled vanilla wafer cookies instead.^{[4]
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Research source} At this point, you can also add other flavors as well. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Add some cocoa or mini chocolate chips for a subtle chocolate flavor.^{[5]
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- Make a spicy-sweet smoothie by adding ¼ teaspoon (0.65 grams) of cayenne.
4
Blend until the ingredients are silky smooth. You don't want any lumps, chunks, or swirls. From time to time, you may have to pause the blender, and push the ingredients down the sides using a rubber spatula; this will ensure that everything gets evenly blended.
5
Pour the smoothie into a tall glass, and serve it. You can drink it as is, or you can garnish it with extra cinnamon, nutmeg, or banana slices. To make it truly dessert-like, garnish it with a swirl of whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a dash of colorful sprinkles; finish it off with a maraschino cherry on top.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Banana Breakfast Smoothie

1
Add a peeled and sliced banana into a blender. For a thicker smoothie, use a frozen banana. If you don't have a blender, you can use a food processor fitted with metal blades instead.
2
Add the milk, yogurt, and oatmeal. For a sweeter smoothie, use vanilla yogurt. For a less sweet smoothie, use plain yogurt. You can also omit the milk and use more yogurt for an even thicker smoothie.
3
Top it off with some cinnamon, honey, and peanut butter. The cinnamon will add a hint of spice and flavor to the smoothie, while the honey will add a touch of sweetness. The peanut butter will add some extra protein. If you are using peanut butter, be sure to use the smooth kind; it will be much easier to blend than the chunky kind.
- If you like your smoothies extra cold and thick, add some ice cubes.
4
Blend the ingredients until everything is smooth and evenly combined. Occasionally, pause the blender and push the ingredients down the walls of the blender. This will ensure that everything gets evenly mixed and that no lumps remain.
5
Pour the smoothie into a tall glass and serve. You can enjoy it as it is, or you can garnish it with a sprinkle of oatmeal, a dash of cinnamon, or a drizzle of honey.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I add yogurt and apple to these?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

If you'd like the flavors of yogurt and apple, then they'd make ideal additions to the banana smoothie. For the yogurt, a teaspoonful would be enough. For the apple, add a few slices when adding the banana.
Question

Can I add vanilla ice cream?

Community Answer

Absolutely! You can even use chocolate ice cream as well! You may have to add some more of your liquid ingredient if your smoothie is too thick, however--unless you like it thick.
Question

Do I have to use ice, or is it optional?

Community Answer

The ice is there to help thicken and chill your smoothie. If you don't care about thickness, you can skip the ice; if you want your smoothie to be cold, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill. You can also use other things instead of ice, such as frozen bananas or ice cream (ie: chocolate or vanilla).