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Looking for a flavor and protein packed pre- or post-workout smoothie? This simple 5-minute cashew banana smoothie will fuel you up and help with muscle recovery.
We love sipping on a smoothie for some pre- or post-workout nutrition. This cashew banana smoothie is super simple and has quickly become a favorite in our smoothie rotation.
Peanut butter is often our go-to nut butter for smoothies, but we wanted to change things up. Cashew butter is just as flavorful and packed with protein heart healthy fats.
Did you know that too many Americans aren’t getting enough potassium in their diet? Potassium is an essential electrolyte that plays an important role in a multitude of body functions including muscle contraction and blood pressure regulation.
Sipping on this cashew banana smoothie will get you 12% of the daily value for potassium!
Check out my entire list of healthy smoothie recipes to kickstart your health today!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen Banana: we like using frozen bananas for smoothies to make them extra thick with a creamy, but you can use a fresh banana too. If you aren’t using a frozen banana, you can add a handful of ice to make it thicker.
- Cashew Milk: to add extra cashew flavor to this smoothie, we like using cashew milk, but any non-dairy milk (like almond milk, oat milk, soy milk) or dairy milk can be used.
- Greek Yogurt: use Greek yogurt to bump up the protein in this smoothie. If you want to make a sweeter smoothie, use a vanilla flavored yogurt instead of plain.
- Cashew Butter: although peanut butter is a fan-favorite around here, we also like switching things up with cashew butter. Cashew butter is packed with heart healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the ones that can help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol. If you don’t have cashew butter, you can use 1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts instead if you have a high-powered blender. Almond butter can also be used.
- Cinnamon: we love the warm flavor of cinnamon combined with the cashew in this smoothie. You could also use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
Variations
- Add Protein: add a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder before blending up this smoothie. We recommend either plain, vanilla, or chocolate flavored protein powder for this recipe. Adding extra protein is great for those making banana smoothie recipes for weight loss.
- Add Chocolate: make it a chocolate banana smoothie by adding 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the blender before blending.
- Add Some Greens: make a green banana cashew butter smoothie by adding a handful of fresh or frozen spinach or baby kale. We love adding greens to smoothies as a no-effort way to add some extra veggies into your diet.
- Make it Sweeter: if you like a sweeter smoothie, you can add 1 tablespoon maple syrup or a pitted medjool date.
- Make it Vegan: swap out the Greek yogurt for a non-dairy yogurt like almond yogurt or soy yogurt to make a vegan version of this smoothie.
How to Make Healthy Banana Smoothie
Combine & Blend: Add all of your smoothie ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the thickness of your smoothie to your preference. Too thin? Add a handful of ice. Too thick? Add a little more cashew milk.
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Are Banana Smoothies Healthy?
Yes! Although there is a lot of misinformation online about the sugar content of fruit (like bananas), decades of research support the health benefits of including fruit in your diet. Unlike other sugary foods, fruit provides nutrients like potassium, vitamin c, fiber, and antioxidants in addition to their natural sugars.
The important thing to remember when building a healthier smoothie is to balance out the natural sugar content with some protein. In this healthy banana smoothie recipe, we bump up the protein by including Greek yogurt and cashew butter. You can add even more protein with some protein powder for a smoothie that will keep you full for longer.
More Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love
- Green Protein Smoothie
- Healthy Coffee Smoothie
- Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Healthy Mixed Berry Smoothie
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Cashew Banana Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 3/4 cups cashew milk, or other nut milk
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cut frozen banana into chunks if not already sliced.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
