Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipe

This peanut butter smoothie is a thick banana, peanut butter and Greek yogurt smoothie thinned with oat milk. It takes 5 minutes and makes 2 small glasses, about 1 cup each.

Use a frozen banana. It chills and thickens the smoothie at the same time, so you can skip the ice and nothing gets watered down. Add a scoop of protein powder and it turns into a peanut butter banana protein shake.

Banana, Peanut Butter, Yogurt, Milk: What Each One Does

• 1 large ripe banana: the sweetness and the body. The riper it is, the less sweetener you need.
• 2 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter: the flavor and most of the staying power. Pick one with no added sugar.
• ½ cup Greek yogurt: protein and a little tang. Plain keeps it neutral; vanilla makes it taste closer to a milkshake.
• ½ cup oat milk: the liquid. Dairy milk, almond milk or soy milk all work; coconut milk takes over the flavor.
• Optional: ¼ teaspoon each of vanilla and cinnamon, 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey, a handful of ice.

Natural peanut butter separates in the jar. Stir it well before you measure. A dry spoonful from the bottom makes the smoothie pasty, and the oil from the top makes it slick. Two level tablespoons is enough to taste peanut in every sip without the drink turning heavy.

Only have powdered peanut butter? Use about 4 tablespoons of powder and a splash more milk. It is lighter in fat and calories, and a bit less creamy. If you make your own spread, my guide on how to make peanut butter at home gives a smooth one that blends well.

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Frozen or Fresh Banana?

Frozen, if you can plan ahead. A frozen banana gives a spoon-thick, ice-cold smoothie with no ice needed. Peel it, cut it into 4 or 5 chunks and freeze them flat in a bag. Chunks are much easier on a regular blender than a whole frozen banana.

A fresh banana blends faster and gives a lighter, more pourable drink. Add the ice. Expect it to be thinner.

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How to Make a Peanut Butter Smoothie

Pour the milk into the blender first, then the yogurt, peanut butter, vanilla, cinnamon and sweetener if using, with the banana and ice on top. Liquid at the bottom lets the blades spin freely, so the peanut butter gets pulled in instead of sticking to the side.

Blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds, until there are no flecks of banana left. Taste before you pour. The banana and yogurt are often sweet enough on their own.

• Too thin: add a few more frozen banana chunks or ice and blend again.
• Too thick to blend: add milk 2 tablespoons at a time.
• Peanut butter stuck to the jar: stop, scrape down the sides and pulse a few times.

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Turning It Into a Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake

Add 1 scoop (about 30 g) of vanilla or unflavored protein powder and an extra ¼ cup of milk. Powder soaks up liquid and thickens as it sits, so without the extra milk the shake turns into something you need a spoon for.

Add the powder last and blend for only another 10 seconds; long blending makes some powders foamy. Chocolate protein powder works too, and then it tastes like a peanut butter cup. For a coffee version, my protein coffee shake uses the same trick.

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Is a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie Healthy?

Mostly, yes. It is a filling breakfast with protein, fat and fiber, which is why it keeps you going longer than a fruit-only smoothie. Most of the protein comes from the Greek yogurt (about 10 g in half a cup) and the peanut butter (about 7 g in 2 tablespoons), so the whole blender jar has roughly 20 g before any protein powder.

Peanut butter also brings most of the calories: 2 tablespoons is close to 190 on its own. With the banana, yogurt and oat milk, the whole jar lands around 450 to 550 calories, depending on the yogurt and sweetener. Shared between 2 small glasses, that is a reasonable breakfast or post-workout snack.

To make it lighter, use powdered peanut butter, plain nonfat yogurt and unsweetened milk, and skip the syrup. To make it more filling, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of rolled oats or chia seeds.

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Add-Ins and Swaps, Including No Banana

• Oats: 1 to 2 tablespoons rolled oats make it thicker and more like breakfast. Blend a little longer so they disappear.
• Seeds: chia or ground flax, 1 tablespoon. Drink it soon, as chia keeps thickening.
• Coffee: a shot of cooled espresso in place of some of the milk.
• Chocolate: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, with a little extra sweetener.
• No banana: use 1 cup frozen mango, or ½ cup steamed and frozen cauliflower plus 1 to 2 teaspoons more sweetener. Cauliflower has no taste here and keeps it creamy.

Want something to eat with a spoon? The chocolate peanut butter smoothie bowl is thicker and made for toppings, and peanut butter overnight oats are the make-the-night-before option. For a fruit change, try the mango smoothie.

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Keeping It for Later

Fresh is best. You can keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours; it separates a little, so shake it well before drinking.

Leftovers also make good popsicles. Pour them into molds and freeze for a creamy frozen snack, a bit like peanut butter banana ice cream. For something to grab with your smoothie, peanut butter energy balls keep for a week in the fridge.