Learn how to make a coffee banana smoothie with this easy recipe made with frozen banana and coffee granules!
I'm currently dealing with a mountain of frozen bananas. Sure, you could make the best banana bread without baking soda or banana chocolate chip cookies with them, but smoothies will also do the trick when it comes to getting the frozen banana stash under control.
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Ingredients
You don't need much to make this easy smoothie recipe!
- milk and yogurt—I use a combination of 2 % milk and 2 % plain yogurt
- ice to give the smoothie some body and thickness
- frozen banana—I like to keep sliced ripe banana in the freezer for things like this, but if your banana is frozen whole, that will absolutely work too!
- coffee—I use instant coffee granules (the kind you add boiling water to when making a quick cup of coffee) but espresso powder will work too
- ground green cardamom
Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
I love the frothy layer that forms when you blend smoothies, like the milky foam of a cappuccino. This banana smoothie is so versatile and there are a lot of possible variations.
- Spices: I added cardamom to this banana drink, while thinking of Turkish coffee, which combines coffee and cardamom seeds, but you could try cinnamon, nutmeg, or even allspice for a different, warm flavour profile
- Chocolate: the coffee smoothie is topped with espresso powder, but you could try cocoa powder instead or even a splash of chocolate syrup
- Berries: one surprising flavour pairing is coffee and berries (like in this coffee raspberry bread pudding! Add a few strawberries or raspberries to the blender and see if you like it!
- Oats: to give the smoothie more body and to make it a better meal replacement, you can add large flake oats (also called rolled oats) and blend them in. They won't add much taste but will thicken up this smoothie and make it more substantial.
- More protein: if you want more protein in this recipe, add a spoonful of almond butter or peanut butter.
- Sweetness: For a sweeter smoothie, add a splash of maple syrup or honey to the blender before mixing.
- Yogurt—I use plain unsweetened yogurt, but you can also use vanilla yogurt instead or sweetened plain yogurt.
- Lactose-free options: This smoothie has a lot of dairy with lactose in it, if that's a problem, you can use
- lactose-free milk or non-dairy milk.
- lactose-free plain yogurt or non-dairy yogurt
- Vegan options: if you are following a vegan diet try:
- non-dairy vegan milk beverage to replace the cow's milk, like oat milk, almond milk, or even soy milk or coconut milk. Use the type of milk you like to drink
- coconut milk yogurt or even oat milk yogurt, which is slowly becoming more common and easier to find.
Fun toppings
While I topped this smoothie with espresso powder and cocoa nibs, you could try cocoa powder, shredded coconut, and so many other ingredients. Get creative!
How it's Made
Smoothies are so easy! You can measure your ingredients directly into the blender jug. Some blender jugs even double as drinking cups!
I always put the liquids in a smoothie into the blender jug first (image 1) before adding the other ingredients. Next, add the bananas (image 2) and the flavour elements, like coffee granules (image 3). Blend on medium–high speed until smooth.
For a thicker smoothie, use less milk or add more ice cubes. For a thinner smoothie, add more milk. Smoothies are very forgiving.
I use a KitchenAid blender to make my smoothies. Another option would be to use a stick blender and blend it directly in a large glass or jug. The KitchenAid stick blender kit has a tall blending cup that can fit these ingredients.
When I have some freshly brewed coffee on hand, I use it instead of the instant coffee, reducing the milk used. If it's summer, I blend in a few ice cubes. Cocoa powder would also taste great in this recipe. The smoothie you create will be a matter of taste, but here's a recipe to get you started. And, by all means, tweak away when you make your version of this smoothie!
Smoothie FAQs
I prefer to make smoothies when I'm going to consume them, and I prepare the quantity I'm going to drink. Otherwise, smoothies can separate or change colour, becoming less appealing. For this reason, I recommend making a smoothie fresh, not storing it.
If you must store a banana smoothie, put it in a mason jar, close the lid, and refrigerate it for up to a day.
Use decaf instant coffee if you can't have caffeine! The taste will be the same.
More Banana Recipes
If you love to bake with bananas, here are a few more recipes to try:
If you tried this coffee banana smoothie recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Coffee Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 190 mL skim milk (fat free) more or less depending on the desired consistency
- 190 mL yogurt (2 % fat)
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 frozen banana sliced
- 5 mL instant coffee granules
- 1.25 mL ground cardamom
Optional toppings
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse. Continue blending until smooth.
- Pour the smoothie in a tall glass, or several smaller glasses, and top with a sprinkle of espresso powder and a few cocoa nibs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For added sweetness, blend in a splash of maple syrup or honey, or you can use sweetened plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt.
- To make this banana smoothie more substantial and filling, add 25 grams (½ cup) of rolled oats and blend them in.
- lactose-free options:
- This smoothie has a lot of dairy with lactose in it, if that's a problem, you can replace the regular milk with lactose-free milk.
- For the yogurt, there are lactose-free plain yogurt options now in stores
- vegan options:
- you can try a vegan milk beverage to replace the cow's milk, like oat milk, almond milk, or even soy milk or coconut milk. Use the type of milk you like to drink.
- you can try coconut milk yogurt or even oat milk yogurt, which is slowly becoming more common and easier to find.
La Cuisine d'Helene says
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themessybakerblog.com says
1. I love smoothies! 2. Who would have thought to combine coffee and banana- brilliant! 3. They look and sound amazing. 4. I want one.
Emily says
This sounds like a delicious breakfast. Plus the little bit of coffee will be sure to perk you up for all your packing.
Medeja says
What a great smoothie! It should be really great combination of flavors!
mjskit says
I love keeping bananas in the freezer for smoothies but I've never seen the combination of bananas and coffee. It sounds quite delicious! I wonder if leftover coffee would work. I always have about a half of a cup in the morning. Thanks for sharing this!