Peanut butter banana smoothies have been a favorite snack (or dessert) of mine since I was a teenager. I usually always have the ingredients on have on hand, they’re ultra-creamy, just sweet enough to kill my sweet tooth, and filling enough to stand in for breakfast. Plus, they’re INEXPENSIVE. There are a lot of ways you can modify this simple banana smoothie if you want to make it your own, so if you haven’t tried this one yet, definitely put it on your list!
Use any Nut Butter
I love the classic peanut butter-banana combo, but if you don’t like peanut butter or can’t have it for other reasons, feel free to substitute it with any type of nut or seed butter. Almond butter or Sun Butter would be awesome, and it would also be fun to experiment with flavored nut butters. The nut butter makes this smoothie extra rich and delicious, so don’t skip this ingredient!
Use Frozen Bananas for the Best Texture
The key to getting this ultra-creamy milkshake-like consistency is to use frozen bananas. Not only will frozen bananas make the smoothie extra thick and creamy, but they also keep it cold without having to add ice, which would water down the smoothie. So anytime I have bananas that are on their last leg, I make sure to peel, slice, and freeze them to use in smoothies and other desserts later.
Use Any Type of Milk
This smoothie recipe is incredibly flexible. You can use any type of dairy or non-dairy milk for this smoothie, keeping in mind that the creamier the milk, the creamier the smoothie will be. I like whole milk the best, but I think coconut would also pair nicely with these flavors!
What Else Can I Add?
As mentioned above, there are a lot of different things you can add to this smoothie to take it in a different direction. Try adding some of these ingredients to your banana smoothie:
- Quick oats (about ¼ cup)
- Coconut
- Cinnamon
- Ground flaxseed
- Cocoa powder
- Instant coffee
- Chia seeds
- Spinach
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Servings 1 (approx. 12 oz.)Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana, sliced ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter ($0.14)
- 1 tsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract ($0.13)
- 1 cup milk ($0.20)
Instructions
- Add the sliced banana, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to a blender.
- Blend the ingredients until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, add more milk. If the smoothie is too thin, add more frozen banana. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie – Step by Step Photos
Add one sliced frozen banana to a blender along with 2 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp brown sugar, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract.
Add one cup of milk. I use whole milk, but you can use the milk of your choice.
Blend the ingredients until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, you can add more milk. If it’s too liquidy for your taste, you can add more frozen sliced banana.
I’ve been using almost this exact recipe for years so I can’t stress highly enough, add bananas, then milk, then peanut butter. It makes cleanup so much easier when you don’t have PB stuck to the walls of your blender.
Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe! Just a feedback, it should be 461 cal not kcal right?
Hi! Thanks for liking the recipe. KCals are the same as Cals, and that is the unit of measurement the nutrition database that does the calculations uses. Thank you for looking out! XOXO
delicious
We made these for Sunday breakfast! They were the perfect amount of sweet; delicious, but not so sweet it felt like dessert. Heartily approves by four kids and two grown ups. :)
This is delicious! Thank you!
This is great! No need for sugar, the banana and vanilla sweetens it right up. Could also jazz it up with cocoa powder or a little coffee, maybe even a little bourbon! I’m enjoying this on a hot afternoon. Thanks, Beth et al.
Delicious! I added ground flax seed and cocoa powder. I only put in a 1/4 tsp of brown sugar and it was plenty sweet for me. Perfect quick breakfast, especially on hot days. A winner!
I’m diabetic so will use my sugar.
This deceptively simple recipe was seriously delicious!! The proportions were just right, and it was so creamy. Thank you for bringing this into my life!
quick, easy and yummy! I agree coconut milk would taste really good with this…probably other alternative milks as well. I like that it’s relatively healthy, not a lot of sugar (with a very ripe banana, you could easily skip the brown sugar altogether) and no additives.
I make these too, although often sub in plain greek yogurt for extra creamy thickness if not using whole milk. I second the necessity of using frozen bananas for the right texture. It’s our go-to method for using up old bananas. My kids love them!
What is the blender you are using in these photos?
There is a link to the blender in the recipe card under the title “Equipment”. XOXO -Monti
Im fonna tey this smoothie this wk. .soon i.get everything for it. Thanks…
This is one of my favorite ways to use overripe bananas as well, especially when it’s too hot to bake banana bread. It’s plenty sweet for my tastes without the sugar. Sometimes I’ll add a handful of baby spinach and/or a teaspoon of matcha powder as well. So good!
Peanut butter and banana, I love this underrated flavor combo. With coconut milk it becomes a Donkey Kong smoothie. I will try this…