Peanut Butter Green Smoothie
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Published Jun 22, 2020, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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The best green smoothie with frozen banana, peanut butter and baby spinach. If you’re new to green smoothies this is the perfect recipe to start with.
If the thought of drinking kale, spinach, collard greens and swiss chard makes you cringe, please don’t leave just yet! I promise that you can create green smoothies that actually taste good and they’ll make you feel good too!
To be honest, I’ve always liked green smoothies, but never tried drinking them on a regular basis until recently.
And it’s been amazing!
I’ve made a a bunch of different green smoothies over the years and I always feel awesome after drinking them.
It makes sense considering leafy greens are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It’s one of the reasons I love incorporating one large salad a day, but putting greens in your smoothie is such an easy way to pack a lot of greens into one meal.
Benefits of Eating Dark Leafy Greens
I’m sure you’ve heard that greens are good for you, but did you know that greens are high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K? They’re also crammed with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. The benefits of leafy greens are amazing. Here are a few:
- Blood purification
- Cancer prevention
- Improved circulation
- Strengthened immune system
- Promotion of healthy intestinal flora
- Promotion of subtle, light and flexible energy
- Lifted spirit and elimination of depression
- Improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function
- Cleared congestion, especially in lungs by reducing mucus
Getting Started with Green Smoothies
- Baby spinach has a mild flavor and is a great place to start! Add a handful or two of baby spinach into your smoothies then work your way up to adding a larger amount of spinach or different greens that are a little more pungent like collards and kale.
- Use frozen fruit! Frozen bananas and mango add a nice sweetness, great texture and cover up the taste of the greens really well. <– Just make sure your bananas are ripe and that you peel them before freezing. I like to slice them in half (or in chunks) and put them in freezer-safe bags or storage containers before placing in the freezer.
- I recommend using a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have one you can still make green smoothies, but you’ll probably have to deal with pieces of un-blended greens. Just be sure to check your teeth. 😉 For what it’s worth, I LOVE my Vitamix.
- Remember that green smoothies don’t have to be green. When you include other colorful fruits (like berries) into the smoothie the color isn’t always green.
- I’ve been using plant-based protein powder in my smoothies. My favorite protein powder brand is sweetened with stevia and that definitely helps to make the smoothie taste delicious.
One of my favorite green smoothies to date is this one with banana and peanut butter. This combo never disappoints and it’s delicious in this smoothie! I promise you won’t taste the spinach at all. I hope this post will inspire you to try a green smoothie, if you haven’t before and if you have, perhaps it will be a friendly reminder to add a green smoothie or two back into your routine. Drink up and enjoy all the great benefits!
Love Peanut Butter? Try These Recipes Too:
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Protein Bites
- Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
- Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Pudding
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Peanut Butter Banana Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a large frozen banana
- 1-2 Tablespoons peanut butter*
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 3/4 cup cold unsweetened vanilla almond milk, or other milk
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach
Instructions
- Add all ingredient into a high powered blender and blend until smooth. If the smoothie seems too thick you can add a splash more almond milk. Once the consistency is to your liking, pour into a glass and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use PB2 or powered peanut butter to make this lower in calories and fat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have a green smoothie every morning as my breakfast. Great way to get in a couple of veggies and several fruits at one time and it keeps me full till lunch. I now carry my Vitamix with me when I go visit my parents so I can continue my morning smoothie. I have been looking at IIN and sitting on the fence about it but the more and more people I see who have been through the program I’m thinking it is the right thing to do. Saving now so I can pay for it!
I make green smoothies often and will try the green Elvis. Thanks for the link to Aimee DuFresne’s blog. I don’t know what she uses for juicing, but my Vitamix is a lot easier. Takes up less room, too. However we make the green smoothies, count me in for the ten day challenge!
I use my Vitamix as well. It’s awesome!
@Robin – Skin-ON bananas? Really?! I have a Vitamix, but I never considered putting bananas in with skin-on. I do use stems of kale, tho.
I feel the same way Heather. Banana peels are technically edible, but they are so bitter!
Frozen bananas are easy to peel. That’s what @Robin meant.
I see peeling them before freezing as unnecessary work.
Thanks for the recipe! Hubby and I bought a Vitamix on New Year’s Eve this last year and love it! We have been making smoothies ever since….we always put in 2 handfuls of organic spinach and 2 handfulls of broccoli, and 2 carrots, along with our fruit…we also add greek yogurt and 2 Tbsp. of Flaxseed meal….yummy….can’t taste the green veggies at all….love it! We also use frozen strawberries and frozen tripleberries…love how we feel….we’re in our 50’s!
Merry
I find that it’s helpful to juice the kale/collards with celery, cucumber, lime and/or a green apple before adding it to the blender. Once the greens are juiced, add the frozen banana and other additions as you would normally.
When I first added green smoothies into my diet, the first thing I noticed was that they reduced my cravings for sugar!
I love your article, and really appreciate your comment about eating veggies that are not organic. I agree with you 100%. It’s so much better to eat greens, even if they’re not organic, than to not eat them at all. Not everyone can afford all organic foods, but fruits and veggies are so loaded with goodness that we should never give them up. Naturally, organic is preferable, but all greens will benefit our health. Also, I love your glass with the picture of the pooch! It rocks!
I need to eat more smoothies – this one looks amazing! I love my greens too and now that I’m eating Mila it will be a perfect vehicle!
Green smoothies are the best. Definitely know what my afternoon snack is going to be today 🙂
It’s funny, the recipie that you shared is almost exactly the same one that I have nearly every day! I am loving the PB2 in smoothies! Sometimes I thicken mine up with a little 1/2 t of guar gum and 1/4 t of xantham gum from Bob’s red mill, which helps to give it more of an ice cream like consistency.
Good idea! I have some xanthan gum that I use in smoothies every once in a while. I’ll throw that in next time. 🙂
I had a green smoothie for breakfast and it was the first one I’ve had in quite awhile! I need to get in a habit of having on for a snack. I’m the same when it domes to meals or snacks I like to chew something!