Inspired by a sweet little coffee shop on the Puerto Rican coast, this wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon tastes like a milkshake yet is healthy and filling enough for a meal.

This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze. All content and opinions expressed are my own.

Wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. Like a healthy milkshake!

Awhile back, my husband and I enjoyed a glorious vacation in Rincon, Puerto Rico. I’m pretty sure it was only three years ago, but it honestly feels like another millennium – before we had a kiddo, before we moved to Brussels, you get the idea. Rincon is known as a big surfing destination, and though we are not surfers, we loved everything about the trip. Gorgeous sunsets, good food, lounging by the pool, watching and listening to waves crash at night, all the usual things you love about a beach vacation.

One specific stand-out, though, was this tiny little coffee shop in town, Banana Dang. We went running almost every morning we were there, it was HOT, and if you go inland just a tiny bit Rincon is actually quite hilly, so we were SUPER sweaty and spent by the end of each workout. I think it was the second day of our vacation that we happened to pop into Banana Dang for a post-run smoothie, and we literally went back every single day after that. It was that good. If memory serves, we might have even gone twice on the last day, before driving back to San Juan.

All of the smoothies at Banana Dang were amazing – and we did try them all – but my hands-down favorite was the simplest on the menu. A banana concoction with flax seeds and just a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. Normally I’m obsessed with red berries in all my blended beverages, but something about this combo was absolutely perfect as it was. I craved it the whole time we were there. I routinely wished I had one after we got home.

Wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. Like a healthy milkshake!

This was back before I cooked on the regular, so it took some time to realize – duh – I could try to recreate it.

How to freeze bananas for smoothies

I think I was the last person on the planet to realize that frozen bananas yield delicious pseudo-ice cream amazingness. My first attempts to recreate this smoothie failed pretty spectacularly, since I didn’t really understand that you need to slice the bananas before you freeze them. (I’ve learned a lot since then.)

As it turns out, when you slice, then freeze bananas, you can throw those frozen slices straight into the blender with other ingredients of your choice, and the bananas make everything rich and creamy without having to use any yogurt or other thickening agent.

Again, I realize this is last century’s news to all the “real” foodies. Thanks for sticking with me, slow learner that I am. And if you’ve never tried this before, GO slice some bananas and throw them in the freezer immediately. They’ll probably take 12-24 hours to freeze and be ready for smoothie action. Your world will be rocked.

More recipes to use extra bananas include our favorite five banana banana bread and all of these muffins: banana branbanana chocolate chip, and banana zucchini with walnuts.

It actually feels like cheating a bit to even call this a “recipe,” because really it’s a list of ingredients, a flexible list at that, and a simple assembly job. I believe the Banana Dang original is made with soy milk, which is delicious, but I’ve found I love the flavor that Almond Breeze Almondmilk imparts even more. Feel free to use whatever you keep on hand!

True recipe or not, this is my absolute favorite smoothie ever, so I would never want to forget the combo, and it deserves to be in your life, too.

Wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. Like a healthy milkshake!

As a final side note – since our vacation, I have heard that, sadly, Banana Dang closed up shop in Rincon. Silly though this may be, that small fact significantly dampens my enthusiasm to return to Rincon! But, they appear to have reopened a shop in southern California, and certainly if I’m ever lucky enough to find myself nearby, I will direct myself there and hope fervently that the smoothies are just as stellar as I remember them.

Since a trip to California doesn’t seem likely in my foreseeable future, though, I’m awfully glad I can make my own perfect smoothie right on my kitchen counter – in Virginia, in Brussels, or wherever else I may land. And now you can, too! Enjoy!

Wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. Like a healthy milkshake!

More tasty smoothie flavors

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4.72 from 25 votes

Wholesome Banana Almond Milk Smoothie

Inspired by a sweet little coffee shop on the Puerto Rican coast, this wholesome banana almond milk smoothie with flax, vanilla, and a hint of cinnamon tastes like a milkshake yet is healthy and filling enough for a meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas, sliced and frozen
  • 1 cup Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk feel free to substitute regular or soy
  • 1 Tablespoon flax seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in blender and pulse on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until mixture is completely smooth and thick. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 312 kcal, Carbohydrates: 59 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 8 g, Sodium: 330 mg, Potassium: 926 mg, Fiber: 10 g, Sugar: 29 g, Vitamin A: 150 IU, Vitamin C: 20.5 mg, Calcium: 337 mg, Iron: 1.2 mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!