Here’s a quick and easy breakfast shake or great post workout smoothie that you can make in about 5 minutes with everyday ingredients. Use overripe bananas, peanut butter, honey, milk and ice for a thick, creamy peanut butter banana smoothie you’ll want to sip every day.
This post has been updated for content and photos since it’s original publication in 2014.
My daughter, Emily, loves smoothies and shakes so much that I got her a nutribullet blender for her birthday. She whips up green smoothies and protein shakes, strawberry smoothies and icy tropical citrus shakes for her breakfast as she’s walking out the door as well as for her post workout snacks. She adds everything from kale and spinach to chia seeds to hers.
Comparatively, this peanut butter banana smoothie recipe is pretty tame, but the combination of flavors can’t be beat. It’s frothy, light and creamy and if you’re a peanut butter and banana fan, this shake recipe is a great way to enjoy those flavors in drink form.
Ingredients for peanut butter banana shake recipe
- Ripe Bananas (preferably overripe and slightly soft with a spotty brown skin).
- Peanut Butter (if your blender isn’t the best, use creamy peanut butter, but if you’ve got a workhorse blender, like a VitaMix, you can use chunky peanut butter — ’cause the blender will obliterate the small bits of peanut).
- Honey. for additional sweetness. I used Nature Nate’s but you can use any type of honey, agave, date syrup or even simple syrup.
- Milk. I used 1%, but whole milk or half and half would definitely give it a richer, more velvety flavor and texture. If you want to go dairy free, use your favorite nut milk or other dairy free substitute. Also try coconut milk for a tropical vibe.
- Ice. Because this peanut butter banana shake doesn’t actually have any ice cream, the ice is what gives it body and consistency.
How to make peanut butter banana shake
- Add the ingredients to your blender in this order: Bananas, peanut butter, honey, milk and ice. (Always add the ice last, because you don’t want to catch the blades of the blender with the hard ice… it needs to process through softer ingredients first).
- Start the blender on slow, then work your way up to a high speed until the ice and other ingredients are well blended and the peanut butter and banana mixture has a smoothie consistency.
- Pour into a glass and garnish with an extra squeeze of honey. YUM!
This makes 2 peanut butter banana smoothies, and each one is only about 160 calories. While this shake isn’t a nutritional powerhouse, it does have Potassium, Vitamin A and Calcium, which is more than you’ll get from a bowl of Cap’n Crunch and it will keep your hunger satiated longer.
Pro-tips:
Bananas
When you have bananas aging past their prime on the kitchen counter, peel them and cut them into chunks. Place the banana chunks on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and freeze the banana chunks, then store the banana in a zip top bag in the freezer, that way you’ve got perfect bananas for smoothies and shakes (no need to defrost) all the time.
Note: you can also use previously frozen bananas for breads and muffins.
Ice
For thicker, more frothy shakes with a lighter consistency, add 1/2 to 1 cup more ice. This will also cut the sweetness of the smoothie.
You can make this peanut butter banana smoothie your own by adding other ingredients or making substitutions and swaps. Here’s some of our favorites.
Other variations:
- A pinch of cinnamon in the smoothie is delicious blended with peanut butter and banana.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to the peanut butter and banana before blending.
- Make a chunky monkey shake by substituting two tablespoons of chocolate sauce to the shake and drizzling extra chocolate on top.
- Add 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or silken tofu to amp up the protein in the peanut butter banana smoothie.
- Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds and 1 teaspoon spirulina before blending to give the shake even more body. You could also add 2 tablespoons of oatmeal to blend with the smoothie for more fiber.
- Mix in a handful of spinach (it will give a weird color to the peanut butter banana shake, but if you put it in a Yeti or other thermal container, you won’t even see it).
- Add a scoop of protein powder for a muscle building post workout smoothie you’ll love.
- To reduce the carbohydrates, skip the honey and use liquid Stevia and go for an all natural (no sugar added) peanut butter.
FAQ’s
Yes! In fact, this is what I usually do. It makes the banana and peanut butter shake even frothier.
Sure. Try this with a handful of berries (raspberries or strawberries would be good)
Tricky. If you refrigerate the smoothie, the ice will melt and it won’t be thick. If you freeze the drink, it will freeze solid and you won’t be able to drink it. However, putting half of the drink in the freezer for up to 20-30 minutes should work fine without turning it into a frozen block.
More peanut butter and banana recipes you’ll love:
Peanut Butter Banana Shake
ingredients
- 1 overripe banana (can use room temp or frozen)
- 1 heaping tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey plus extra for garnish
- 1/2 cup milk you can use skim, regular or a non-dairy milk of your choice.
- 1 cup ice
instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the order listed in a blender. Begin to blend at a low speed working up to the highest until all ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour into glasses and twirl a drizzle of honey on top. Serve.
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I make this but low calorie version. I use water, frozen banana ,vanilla protein powder , peanut butter, a stevia packet, , flax seed, and lots of ice. It’s like a sorbet. Yummy.
“If I’m going to blend something for myself, it better have a dose of ice cream or a shot of rum!”
I like how you think! 🙂 I also keep frozen bananas in my freezer. They make such a thick and creamy shake, and I love that you’ve added peanut butter to this one. I think a splash of rum will definitely be in order next time I’m blending!
Frozen bananas means you are always ready for a shake or banana bread, right?