Protein Smoothies

1. Make Sure Your Milk Is Cold

Some plant-based milks can be purchased in unrefrigerated aseptic containers. If you have an unopened container, we suggest refrigerating it before using it in this recipe. It will ensure your smoothie comes out creamy and cold!

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2. Use a Fully Ripened Banana

For a naturally sweet smoothie, make sure you wait until your banana peel is dark yellow and speckled brown. Slice, place the slices in a freezer bag and freeze; wait until they’re fully frozen before adding to the smoothie. See more detailed instructions for how to freeze bananas below.

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3. Choose Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Most cocoa powders are unsweetened, but it’s always a good idea to check labels. Since cocoa powder often shares shelf space with hot cocoa mix, it’s easy to confuse the two, so double-check that packaging!

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4. Blend It Up!

This smoothie recipe makes 1 serving, which ends up being about 2 cups. A regular blender will work just fine, or opt for using a smaller, personal-size blender. If you are serving more than one, you can double the recipe!

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Ingredient Swaps to Try

• Try any plant-based or dairy milk. Any milk will work for this smoothie, so feel free to swap the soymilk for almond, cashew or other plant-based milk. Dairy milk is also a great swap, but whichever milk you choose, make sure it’s unsweetened.

• Use plain yogurt or plain plant-based yogurt. Greek yogurt will make the smoothie ultra-creamy and also packs plenty of protein. However, if you prefer regular yogurt, that will work too, or you can skip dairy yogurt altogether and opt for a plant-based yogurt instead.  

• Swap in another nut butter. The peanut butter in this recipe can be subbed out for any other nut or seed butter. Choose a “natural” style nut or seed butter so that you’re getting just the nut or seed, without any added trans fats, oils or added sugar.

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Nutrition Notes

• Peanut butter is simply ground-up peanuts. Natural peanut butter typically contains just peanuts and a little bit of salt. You can also get it with added sugar. Peanuts are a great source of plant protein, heart-healthy fats and fiber, and provide vitamins and minerals, including folate and magnesium. They’re also packed with antioxidants and altogether are heart-healthy and can help balance blood sugar.

• Bananas provide complex carbs, as well as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Bananas are a good source of potassium, which can help maintain healthy blood pressure.

• Unsweetened soymilk is a healthy alternative to cow’s milk and one of the few nondairy milks that has a similar nutritional profile to cow’s milk. Soymilk delivers protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and potassium. If it’s fortified, it will also provide vitamin D. Unlike cow’s milk, soymilk also provides a small amount of fiber. It’s also lower in carbs than cow’s milk—unless it’s a flavored variety, in which case, the amount of carbs and added sugars will go up.

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Source: Eating Well