Wholesome Banana Almond Milk Smoothie
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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 immensely more healthy and satisfying. Frozen bananas are the key!
In a very different era, my husband and I took a vacation to Rincon, Puerto Rico. Although it feels like the trip happened in a different millennium—we’ve had two kids and completed two international moves since then—we remember Rincon’s beauty very well. The town is a big surfing destination, and though we don’t surf, we soaked up the gorgeous sunsets, good food, lounging, and watching and listening to waves crash at night. All the usual beach vacation goals!
One specific stand-out was a tiny little coffee shop in town, Banana Dang. We went running almost every morning, it was hot and humid, 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 trip that we happened to pop into Banana Dang for a post-run smoothie, and we literally went back every single day after that. If memory serves, we even went twice on the last day, before driving back to San Juan.
Every smoothie at Banana Dang was 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. I craved it the whole vacation and found myself routinely wishing for one after we returned home.
This was back before I spent so much time in the kitchen, so it took me a minute to realize I could try to recreate it. Ha!
Now I’ve been making this same smoothie for years. Every single batch still brings me joy!
Why You’ll Love This Banana Almond Milk Smoothie
- Everyday, real food ingredients
- As satisfyingly creamy and rich as a delicious milkshake
- No ice required
- A fantastic use for one or two overripe bananas
- Easy to adjust to your taste—add extra fruit, more cinnamon, chia, etc.
- Naturally sweet from the bananas—NO added sugar or sweetener
Ingredient Notes
How To Freeze Bananas for Smoothies
- Peel and slice your ripe bananas before freezing; in my experience, this is the best route to creamy banana-based smoothies. I like to slice two at a time, if possible, toss them into a medium-sized silicone bag, and freeze for 2-3 months. The frozen slices can go straight into any powerful blender, where they’ll make a thick, satisfying smoothie with no need for ice or yogurt to thicken, etc.
- Alternatively, toss whole, unpeeled bananas into the freezer for 2-3 months. The only downside to this method for smoothies is that you’ll need to defrost the banana slightly—10-20 seconds in the microwave does the trick for me—in order to peel it. This in turn means it’s not quite as cold and creamy of a smoothie base.
More Recipes That Use Extra Bananas
Have even more overripe fruit? Put it to good use with some of these favorites: my ever-popular five banana banana bread and all of these muffins: blueberry banana, banana bran, banana chocolate chip, and banana zucchini with walnuts.
A final side note: in the many years since our vacation, Banana Dang has closed in Rincon and relocated to southern California. I hope to find myself nearby one day!
In the meantime, though, I’m awfully grateful to make my own perfect smoothie at home. And now you can, too! Enjoy!
More Smoothie Recipes
- Blueberry Oat Almond Milk Smoothie
- Strawberry Pomegranate Smoothie
- Simple Banana Protein Shake
- Blood Orange Banana Smoothie
- Chocolate Almond Milk Smoothie
Wholesome Banana Almond Milk Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 bananas sliced and frozen
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened vanilla or natural
- 1 Tablespoon whole flaxseeds see note
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground 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.2 bananas, 1 cup almond milk, 1 Tablespoon whole flaxseeds, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Notes
- Milk: Substitute any other type of milk that you like, dairy or non-dairy. Just be aware that this smoothie is already naturally sweet from the bananas, so using a sweetened milk product may not be necessary.
- Flaxseed: For a lot of people, ground flaxseed meal is easier to digest than whole flaxseeds; if this applies to you, by all means include the meal instead, or omit it entirely. I do still prefer the slight texture and mildly nutty flavor that whole flaxseeds offer.
- Variations: Other easy twists on this smoothie include adding in chia seeds as well or instead of the flax, adding a pinch of nutmeg or ginger, or tossing in a few berries, as well.
- Add Protein: I have had good results mixing one or two scoops of vanilla protein powder directly into this smoothie, or just making this banana protein shake instead. You also can mix in 2-3 Tablespoons of peanut butter, other nut butters, or powdered PB2; voila: peanut butter banana smoothie.
- Yield: For us this yields one large or two small-ish smoothies.
After a knee injury I am finally able to run again. Did 5 miles today. This would have been the perfect post run drink.
Congratulations on being back out there! Five miles is a great run – I rarely fit in more than three these days. You’ll have to have this ready to whip up after your next run – it’s a great motivator! 🙂
That sounds so yummy! Takes me back to holiday times!
i love this.. banana dang is actually located in oceanside ca now .. i love this vanilla dang.. i been looking for how to make it for awhile now – thank you very much.. at over $7 each gets costly..lol
Hi Thomas, that’s great, so happy to hear it and that this might help you save a few bucks! Yup – with something I crave this often, $7 a pop would definitely add up, ha!
I am in such a smoothie mood right now! All those Christmas cookies…LOL. This is basically the exact smoothie I have every day, with the addition of a few more fruits and some kale for color and a bit more flavor. Solid recipe, girl! Yum!
Gorgeous and delicious drink! I love smoothies with all my heart and always ready to explore !
Isn’t it funny, the little things like this that stand out from vacations? I still daydream about the acai bowls we had from this tiny little shack right on the beach in Aruba. My husband was there for a work conference and every morning while he was in meetings, I’d walk down the length of the beach to the little shack and get one. So delicious!
Smoothie looks so delicious! I liked that you recreated the same smoothie you like,I do similar to some restaurant food that I love! Beach is amazing too.
I love how a scoop of flax seeds can transform a smoothie. This looks like a really tasty combo. It’s always fun when you nail it when you recreate favorite restaurant dishes!
Yes, they add such a subtle warm and nutty flavor! Thanks so much, Ashley!
Frozen bananas are great!! And talk about versatile too. Your smoothies sounds so good. I haven’t made a smoothie in years and I think it’s about time to do it again. I like your ingredients.
Thanks, Marisa! Yes – they are good in just about any smoothie, plus baking, etc!
This looks like a great smoothie with some really good flavors!
Thanks so much, Ben!
This smoothie looks so good and simple to make. Your pictures make me want to make this STAT.
Thanks so much, Sharon! That’s always the goal, right!? 🙂
Simplicity at its’ best! I love the combination of banana and almonds. This sounds delicious
That beach looks stunning! I make a smoothie every morning with banana and soy milk, plus bluberries and greek yogurt. It’s so delicious. I use an Oster mini blender…got it for about $30 at Walmart. It’s more for single servings, but it’s so handy and stores easily
Oooh, I would actually love to have something single-serving. I use my food processor or immersion blender for practically everything else in the kitchen, so something little for smoothies would be just the thing!
I didn’t have banana almond smoothie in a while and I don’t even know why! Those two flavors are meant to be together and I like to have it for breakfast. But yes it has been months. Time to make this in 2018!
Filling and delicious smoothie recipe
So funny to click on your post and read about this…I just made something very similar but added a pinch of salt and vanilla – so I totally get what you mean about craving this! It’s a keeper!
Great minds think alike! I love the idea of adding a pinch of salt – I’ll have to try that next time! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
What a great way to start the day! I had some extra time this Sunday morning so instead of drinking the smoothie I poured it into a bowl and added some blueberries and sliced bananas for a smoothie bowl! My husband and I loved it!! Thanks for the delicious recipe! ?
What a great idea to add the bananas and blueberries – that sounds delicious! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, it makes my day to hear that! 🙂
I love trying to recreate recipes from our vacations once I’m back home. It’s such an easy way to revisit those memories! This smoothie looks like it would instantly transport me back to days on a beach.
Food is definitely one of the strongest memory inducers, and vacations are usually some of the best memories worth inducing! 🙂 Thanks, Megan, for the kind words!
So easy to make and so filling! These sound right up my alley. Pinning for later, thank you!
Yay, I hope you like them!
It always amazes me how quickly time flies; I often think “oh it was just a few months ago” and it’s been a year! Scary really! This smoothie looks like the perfect way to start the day though, I love having bananas for breakfast any way I can!
Completely agree. And it just seems to speed up more and more the older I get, which makes sense I guess, but is a little scary! 🙂
I love how simple this recipe is. I also love all the ingredients. I will be making it often. Thanks for sharing
This sounds like a really delicious smoothie — I don’t usually use almond milk (or have it in the house) do you think it would be ok with regular milk?
Definitely! It would be great with regular milk, or with soy, whatever you tend to have on hand.
Sometimes, the simplest smoothies are the best on the menu! So fabulous that you can recreate this now – especially since that cafe closed down! Btw – that photo of Rincon, Puerto Rico is GORGEOUS- as is this smoothie!
Thanks, Shashi, for the kind words! 🙂