From time to time, I love sharing a recipe I’ve been making organically in my kitchen and enjoying on a regular basis. This smoothie is one of those recipes.
It all started with an obsession for banana and peanut butter, which goes way back to my favorite green smoothie.
Since then, my taste has become slightly more sophisticated and I’ve been enjoying more adaptogen and green powders in my smoothies for an extra boost of nutrition.
We hope you love this smoothie bowl. It’s perfect for all you peanut butter banana lovers out there who also love a healthy dose of greens.
The recipe happens in your blender in about 5 minutes.
Banana is blended with cauliflower and blueberries for a creamy, perfectly sweet base. Then add in a big handful of greens, a healthy dose of peanut (or your favorite nut/seed) butter for saltiness and protein, and dairy-free milk.
For a little extra nutrition, we added hemp seeds for healthy fats and protein, spirulina for detoxification, maca to help balance hormones, and ashwagandha to help the body adapt to stress.
Not to worry, these add-ins don’t really affect the flavor because the banana and peanut butter combo still shine through (phew).
We hope you love this smoothie bowl. It’s:
Creamy
Packed with nutrients + vitamins
Naturally sweet
Peanut buttery
Quick & Easy
Customizable
& Super delicious
This would make the perfect snack or breakfast, especially during warmer months. It’s light and refreshing yet totally satisfying. Top yours off with a little granola for even more staying power.
Be sure to check out our other smoothie bowls: Matcha Green Smoothie Bowl, Super Green Smoothie Bowl, Go-To Berry Smoothie Bowl, and Peanut Butter & Jelly Açaí Bowls!
If you try this recipe, be sure to let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Peanut Butter Banana Green Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients
FOR SMOOTHIE
- 2 small ripe bananas (previously peeled, sliced, and frozen)
- 1/2 cup wild (or regular) frozen blueberries (organic when possible)
- 1 cup spinach (packed // fresh or bought fresh then frozen // organic when possible)
- 1 cup cauliflower (either raw or steamed then frozen // organic when possible)
- 3/4 -1 cup dairy-free milk (or storebought // we used DIY coconut milk)
- 1 tsp maca powder
- 1 tsp ashwagandha
- 1 tsp spirulina (or barley grass powder)
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 3 Tbsp peanut butter*
FOR SERVING
- Oil-Free Granola (omit to keep recipe grain-free)
- Rawnola (omit oats to keep recipe grain-free)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients (bananas, blueberries, spinach, cauliflower, dairy-free milk, maca, ashwagandha, spirulina, hemp seeds, and peanut butter) to a high-speed blender.
- Blend on low/medium and use the blender wand to push ingredients around (if you don’t have a blender wand, just blend on low until combined.)
- Add a little bit more coconut milk in small increments until creamy and smooth. For a thicker smoothie bowl, add less milk. For a thinner smoothie bowl, add more milk.
- Taste flavor and adjust if desired, adding more peanut butter for saltiness or banana for sweetness. Spirulina or more spinach will add a deeper green hue.
- Divide between serving bowls and garnish with toppings of choice. We went with oil-free granola, rawnola, and more frozen blueberries.
- Best when fresh. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze into ice cubes for longer-term storage (~1 month) and add to future smoothies.
Notes
*To reduce the fat content, sub peanut butter powder
Jess says
Oh my word this is amazing. I used 3/4 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup frozen riced cauliflower and didn’t taste the latter at all. I think next time I’ll try even more cauliflower. Added hemp seeds, flax meal, chia seed, and unsweetened coconut milk. It was a bit thick but we left it that way and ate it sprinkled with pumpkin seeds out of a bowl. Amazing!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jess! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Guggu says
Is Ashwagandha and Maca safe for everyone?
Hi Guggu, We aren’t aware of any reasons it wouldn’t be, but there’s probably some cases it isn’t a good fit. We’d suggest talking with your doctor for additional info and reading up on them more here. Hope that helps!
Dianna says
I’ve attempted this recipe twice and mine comes out bland and a grayish green color. How/Why does yours come out such a bright green? I’ve made this with everything minus the ashwagandha and it doesn’t turn out as pretty.
How does it taste?
As for the color, I add quite a bit of greens! Did you make any other modifications? Are your bananas yellow or super brown?
Christianne says
This smoothie is so amazing!!! Thank you for another great one! I drink mine as a smoothie instead of a bowl and love it so much! Perfect medley of flavors! I swapped almond butter for pb, left out Ashwaghanda and spirulina, and added a green mix! Thx again!
We’re so glad you enjoy it Christianne! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Christianne says
Can you leave out spirulina and ashwaghanda and still get a good result?
Yep!
julka says
did not use any of the powders and it didn’t turn out that good.
i think it’s because of this NASTY cauliflower though (yuck!)
Jenna says
I always steam cauliflower before I add them to smoothies/smoothie bowls. In my experience I find that it eliminates any strange taste but still plays up the overall flavor nicely :)
Ahu says
himmm mine did not turn to be this bright green but very dark purple with the blueberries
Lorna says
I just tried a modified version of this recipe for lunch (I needed something healthy and quick). I didn’t have any cauliflower so I left that out but I probably should have reduced the almond milk as it was a little runny, I also didn’t have spinach or any of the powders so switched in fresh kale that I had in the fridge. I had some frozen ginger so added that in (I wouldn’t recommend it!) It was actually really good, as someone else commented it wasn’t a pretty green like yours, more like a sludgy purple but I topped it with some sliced almonds and granola which added a nice crunch. I’d definitely try this again (once I have all the correct ingredients).
Jackie says
Tried this recipe for breakfast. Didn’t have Spirulina on hand so left it out. I’m not a fan of cauliflower and could definitely taste the cauliflower in there. It smells like cauliflower too (yuck!). However, I’m glad to get so many healthy ingredients (that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to get down) in me through a smoothie. For being so healthy, the smoothie isn’t half bad.
Geraldine says
LOVE this recipe, make it at least twice a week. So easy and delicious, I usually top with toasted nuts and seeds, but it’s so good, sometimes I just eat it plain.
Whoop! Glad to hear you enjoy it, Geraldine!
Liz says
This was great! I didn’t know if the banana and peanut butter flavor would still shine through but it did. I thought the cauliflower might be weird but I couldn’t even taste it and it added a great texture. I loved this!
Jen says
This is so FRIGGIN good! Just made it this morning and I am in love. Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!
Woot woot!
Alex says
This is great but mine turned out purple!
How did u get you get yours to stay green
Bethanysnorwood@gmail.com says
My toddler (3) loves smoothie bowls for breakfast, is it safe for her to drink the maca and ashwagandha powder?
Hi! We always recommend checking with your family doctor first!
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
Wonderful recipe! I actually like using half a teaspoon of spirulina for making two green smoothies and for baking in general. Spirulina just has an extremely pungent flavor that I personally don’t find pleasant, but it is wonderful for its health benefits and color yield!
Hannah Cabral says
Substitute for Banana?
Avocado or more cauliflower!
Hannah Cabral says
Thanks will try?
sarah says
love this smoothie! i make pretty much the same one every day! your recipes are always fab.
Alexis says
Yum! I love a green smoothie. I haven’t heard of ashwagandha, will have to track it down.
I avoid using hemp seeds in smoothies, cos I find they never blend well and I have little bits in the smoothie. Any tips?
Feel free to leave them out!
Kelly Johns says
Hi! I was recommended your site by a friend and it’s gold! Made this smoothie this morning, I didn’t have the cauliflower, but I had everything else and it was AMAZING. Such a good balanced flavor. Thanks :)
Hi Kelly! So glad you enjoyed it! xo
Yay! Welcome to the site, Kelly :D We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Pamela Fein says
I wish I could eat more Vit K foods but taking coumadin for my pulmonary embolisms last summer I can’t. I have to keep changing the dose when I eat greens for a long period of time!
Hi Pamela. Spirulina has pretty reasonable vitamin K levels, so you could just skip the greens on this one but still add spirulina for lower vitamin K content. Hope that helps!
Robin Emmons says
Hi Dana, I bought your book Everyday Cooking and the recipes look great, I can’t wait to try them. But, I don’t like peanut butter and a lot of the recipes use peanut butter is there something else I can use in place of peanut butter that would work just as well. Thank you Robin
Hi Robin! What about almond or cashew butter? Or even seed butter, such as sunflower?
Robin Emmons says
Hi Robin! What about almond or cashew butter? Or even seed butter, such as sunflower? That sounds great, thanks for the response and so fast.
Rebecca says
There is not a better combo than peanut butter and bananas and it is only better in smoothie form! Will need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing it!
Ninah says
Yummy!!!!
Rachel Cox says
Yum!! Looks great. I’ve made your smoothies before and they have never failed me. Also love how we can show the recipe per servings… changing it from Serves 2 to Serves 1… very clever!
That’s a new feature! Glad you like it
Marita Peters says
Love the look of this Dana and everything that you do! Will aim to have a go soon. Thank you x
Thanks, Marita!
Katrin says
Where do you get your add-ins? What brands are they?? There are so many options out there, it’s overwhelming.
I just added links to all the add-ins, so you’ll be able to find the brands we like! For adaptogens you can also trust the brand Sun Potion. They’re pretty great and I like their ashwagandha a lot.
Katrin says
Great! Thank you so much!