Avocado Peanut Butter Smoothie
Avocado peanut butter smoothies taste just like a peanut butter cookie and are so rich and satisfying. This banana avocado peanut butter smoothie is thick, creamy and tastes just like a peanut butter milkshake but is healthy enough for breakfast or a post-workout meal.
Why you will love this recipe
- Great source of vegetables and fruits – smoothies are always a fun way to get in your greens and this peanut butter avocado banana smoothie is no different! The rich peanut butter flavor hides the veggies so well.
- Easy to make – if you need a quick and easy breakfast, snack or post-workout meal, this banana avocado peanut butter smoothie is the perfect solution. It’s super filling, so easy to make and perfect for on the go breakfasts!
- Well balanced meal – this avocado peanut butter smoothie is a good balance of protein, fats and carbs and will help you feel full for hours. The banana provides natural sweetness, the avocado and peanut butter are natural fats (and fiber) and the protein powder helps to balance everything out, making it a really well balanced meal.
Ingredients
- Banana – frozen banana is best for smoothies since using frozen bananas help create the best texture and consistency. If you have time, freeze peeled bananas overnight. Check out my tips on how to freeze fruit for smoothies if you aren’t sure how.
- Avocado – use a ripe avocado for the best texture. Tip: If you have a lot of avocado ripening at the same time, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. You can freeze avocado whole (you will want to defrost before cutting into the frozen avocado) or you can scoop out the flesh and freeze that on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Peanut butter – peanut butter adds the peanut butter flavor and helps make the smoothie super rich.
- Dairy free milk – use your favorite milk in this recipe. Almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, flax milk, coconut milk, etc. You can also use regular dairy if your are not dairy free or vegan.
- Frozen spinach – frozen spinach is so great in smoothies. It helps create that super cold consistency that makes smoothies so refreshing and also helps to add so many veggies at once. One thing I love about using frozen spinach is that the spinach is quickly blanched before freezing, making it a little easier to digest and also means you are getting in a lot of spinach in just a small serving. You could also use fresh baby spinach, but you will likely need a cup or more to equal a half cup of frozen.
- Vanilla (or chocolate) protein powder – protein powder adds sweetness and flavor to the smoothie. I really love using vanilla protein powder, as it helps make the smoothie taste just like a peanut butter cookie. But chocolate would be fun too, more of a chocolate peanut butter flavor. I use a vegan protein powder which tends to help thicken the smoothies a bit. If you are using whey protein, you may want to reduce the milk from 1 cup to 3/4 cup.
- Honey or maple syrup (optional, but recommended) – I add just a teaspoon or two of honey or maple syrup to make this avocado peanut butter smoothie taste almost like dessert. If you prefer to not have added sweeteners in your smoothie, you can simply omit this or you could add 1 pitted medjool date for a similar sweetness from a fruit.
How to make banana peanut butter avocado smoothies
- Measure out all the ingredients into a high speed blender in the order listed.
- Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth.
Top tips
- Use ripe bananas – most of the sweetness for this banana avocado peanut butter smoothie comes from the banana. The riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie.
- Use ripe avocado – ripe avocado have the best texture which can help to make the smoothie super creamy. However, if you find that you open an avocado too early and it’s not quite ripe enough to eat, you can use it in smoothies!
- Use fresh or frozen spinach – note that if you have a large container or baby spinach you notice may be going bad and you don’t have plans to use it, put the entire container in the freezer. Use the frozen baby spinach in smoothies (or soups) over the next few months.
- If you are not going to use a sweetened protein powder add a sweetener to ensure you get the best flavor. Although the banana does provide a lot of natural sweetness, just a touch of honey, maple syrup or 1-2 pitted dates will really help to round out the flavor (to help mask the spinach taste).
- If you use whey protein (or collagen peptides) you may want to add less liquid to the smoothie. I tested this recipe with vegan protein powder which tends to absorb some liquid. I would start with 3/4 cup of milk and only add more if needed.
- This smoothie is thick enough to be a smoothie bowl. The banana, avocado, peanut butter and vegan protein powder create a super thick base. If you like a more drinkable smoothie, you may want to add a tablespoon or two more milk to make it easier to drink.
Topping ideas
This peanut butter avocado banana smoothie is very thick and would be the perfect base for a smoothie bowl. It also tastes just like a peanut butter cookie, so it would be a great dessert smoothie too! Here are some fun toppings to add:
- Chocolate chips or cacao nibs – nothing goes better together than peanut butter and chocolate chips
- Crunchy or creamy peanut butter – I love a good crunchy peanut butter on top of smoothies, it adds a fun texture.
- Chopped peanuts (or other nuts of your choice) – add crunch to the smoothie bowl with chopped nuts
- Cereal or granola – add your favorite cereal or granola to make this even more filling and for a fun crunchy topping
- Drizzle of maple syrup or honey – add a touch more sweetness
- Hemp hearts – these add protein and have a nutty flavor
Common questions
What does adding avocado to a smoothie do?
Adding avocado to a smoothie helps to give the smoothie a rich, creamy consistency. Avocado is also a great source of fiber and healthy fats, helping to make the smoothie more filling.
The best part about adding avocado to smoothies is that avocado has a very neutral taste, so you won’t even taste it.
Does avocado and peanut butter go together in a smoothie?
Peanut butter pairs well with just about every fruit, and avocado is no different. Since the avocado is so mild in flavor, it really lets the peanut butter shine. And adding peanut butter and avocado to a smoothie really helps to create a thick, silky smooth consistency.
Both avocado and peanut butter are healthy fats, so they can really help you feel full. Adding too much of either can make the smoothie too rich, so I like to stick to 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter and about 1/2 of an avocado for the best texture.
How to cut and pit an avocado
If you haven’t cut an avocado before, it’s pretty easy to do once you practice one or two times. Start by running a sharp knife around the avocado. You will find there is a large seed in the middle, so you are essentially cutting the avocado around the seed.
Twist the avocado to separate the two sides that you made when cutting it. One side will still have the pit intact.
Hold the half of the avocado with a pit in your hand. Use a sharp knife and drive the knife directly into the center of the pit. Once you have made contact and the knife is lodged into the pit, turn the knife to dislodge the pit from the avocado.
Pinch the knife from the top (where it is not sharp) with your thumb and first finger. Press down on the pit from the top of the knife to dislodge it from the knife.
Spoon out the flesh from the skin using a spoon and enjoy.
Can you use a non-ripe avocado in smoothies?
If you find that you opened your avocado too early and it’s not ripe enough to use in your meals, you can use the avocado in your smoothies. A non-ripe avocado is quite hard, so be sure to run the blender long enough to break down the avocado to make it smooth.
Can you freeze avocado for smoothies?
Avocado freezes well and frozen avocado is great in smoothies. There are a few ways you can freeze avocado. My favorite way is to cut the avocado, remove the pit, spoon out the flesh and cut it into cubes. Freeze the cubes on a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet like you would banana. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
If you have a ton of avocado on hand that is ripe at the same time, you can also freeze the avocado whole. Once frozen, you will need to fully defrost the avocado before cutting into it.
Can you make this without protein powder
If you want to make your avocado peanut butter smoothie without protein powder, you can simply omit it and instead add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey and reduce the milk from 1 cup to 3/4 cup.
If you still want to add some protein to the smoothie, you can add some hemp hearts (3 tablespoons give about 6 grams of protein), white beans, rolled oats or even another tablespoon of peanut butter. Note that adding white beans or rolled oats will thicken the smoothie, so you will need to increase the milk back to 1 cup.
Be sure to check out all the ways to add protein to smoothies to get more ideas!
Can you make peanut butter avocado smoothies in advance?
This smoothie is really best made fresh, since the creamy consistency comes from blending up the frozen banana and frozen spinach with the rest of the ingredients.
If you need this smoothie to come together faster, you can make a smoothie freezer pack to measure out all the ingredients in advance. Essentially you would add the banana, avocado, peanut butter and frozen spinach to a freezer safe bag. When you are ready to make the smoothie add the contents of the bag to the blender along with milk and protein powder. Blend and enjoy.
Check out all the tips I have on how to prep smoothies in advance for more ideas on how to prep this smoothie ahead of time.
Storing leftovers
- Fridge – if you have leftover avocado peanut butter banana smoothie you can store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but the texture will change (it won’t be thick and creamy). I recommend that if you do store it in the fridge, to blend it with about 1/2 cup of ice to help make it colder and get back that creamy consistency before enjoying the leftovers.
- Freezer – one of the best ways to store leftover smoothie is to pour it into ice cube trays to store for later. You can also make peanut butter cookie flavored popsicles with the leftovers. When you are ready to make your next smoothie, add the leftover smoothie cubes to add flavor and help create a thick consistency.
Substitutions
- Banana – if you don’t have banana or can’t have banana add about 1/2 cup of ice and 1-2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup for sweetness. You can also add about 1/4 cup of oats to help with the creamy texture.
- Avocado – if you don’t have avocado, add an additional tablespoon of peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of rolled oats (optional) to make that same creamy consistency.
- Peanut butter – use whatever your favorite nut or seed butter is in place of peanut butter. Sunbutter, almond butter, cashew butter or tahini would all work great here.
- Dairy free milk – use whatever you have on hand. If you don’t have any milk, use water, but note the texture will be a little less creamy.
- Protein powder – add some sweeteners (1-2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup) and use less milk (3/4 cup instead of 1 cup). If you want that vanilla flavor still, add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to make the avocado peanut butter smoothie really taste like a peanut butter cookie.
- Honey or maple syrup – this is optional so if you don’t want to add it, simply omit it. If you want to add sweetness without using a syrup, add 1 pitted medjool date.
If you love this green smoothie recipe, you should try
- Raspberry Spinach Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Spinach Smoothie
- Pineapple Banana Spinach Smoothie
- Banana Mango Kiwi Smoothie
- Strawberry Kale Smoothie
Avocado Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 banana - medium
- 1/2 avocado - small
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach
- 1 serving vegan vanilla protein powder - or chocolate (optional)
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Measure out all the ingredients into a high speed blender in the order listed.
- Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth.
