How much is 1+1+1? If your answer is not 3, you may have bad memories from school. But for this recipe you get a big A+ from us. When you combine chocolate, strawberry, and banana in one creamy smoothie, you get more than just the sum of their incredible flavor.
We chose a layered smoothie to preserve the beauty of the three individual components and let you do the fun of mixing! But since they go so well together, you can puree everything at once if you’re short on time.
So what makes these three beautiful layers in the picture? For the chocolate and pink areas, we mixed yoghurt with cocoa powder or strawberries. The middle layer is a mixture of banana, water and oats.
To store our smoothie vegan And non dairy, we used a non-dairy yoghurt (soy yoghurt). Feel free to use any type of yogurt you like. You may be wondering why we added oats to our recipe. We wanted to give you a smoothie that would serve as a good breakfast. For that we needed fibers.
Fiber is always important for a healthy diet, but it’s even more important when eating sweet foods. Fruit is naturally healthy, but it’s also high in fructose (a form of sugar). Among many other benefits, fiber helps your body digest and absorb these sugars more slowly, giving your body a slow-release stream of energy and making you feel fuller for longer. That’s what you need from a good breakfast: to feel full and full of energy for longer, so that you don’t have to snack in the morning.
Overall, this healthy vegan smoothie packs 36% RDI in fiber, 29% RDI in protein, and a generous squirt of vitamins in 248 calories. Combine it with an additional protein source and you’re in the game. A handful of nuts would do, or how about some crunchy mushroom toast?
frequently asked Questions
What can I use instead of bananas?
Banana is an excellent way to make smoothies creamy. But it’s not the only one.
There are reasons you might want to make smoothies without bananas, such as: B. Reducing carbohydrates or increasing fats during a keto diet.
Here are some ingredients other than bananas that can make smoothies ultra-creamy:
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yogurt — If you’re making dairy-free/vegan smoothies, you can use a vegan yogurt like soy or coconut. Alternatively, you can opt for a classic Greek yogurt for a bigger protein boost. If you accidentally used too much yogurt and the smoothie is too creamy to drink, pour in a splash of (plant-based) milk.
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silken tofu — Silken tofu is the super soft version of tofu. It is an excellent vegan option in creams and smoothies.
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(Plant-based) milk — Creamy smoothies are great. But also “clear” smoothies! If you want a light, juice-like smoothie, you need to use a liquid base. Yogurt or tofu won’t do the trick here, but milk (dairy or non-dairy varieties) will get the job done perfectly.
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avocado — If you’re making a green or keto smoothie, then avocado is your man (or manfruit?). It makes incredibly creamy smoothies and contributes a ton of health benefits.
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Water — When you use water in smoothies, you enter the land of detox drinks. Still, you can use water as a smoothie base for a super light smoothie with a fraction of the calories.
We wrote an in-depth article where we talk about how to make balanced and healthy smoothies. Check it out if you are interested in the topic!
Can I use frozen strawberries?
What an excellent idea, yes, especially if you’re preparing this smoothie during the hotter seasons. You can also use frozen banana slices if you like.
Using frozen fruit is a great way to make a creamy and refreshing smoothie. Mixed frozen fruit is creamier than usual because the ice crystals form a low-density foam.
So if you use frozen banana slices and strawberries, you’ll get a similarly creamy smoothie result without using yogurt (now you’d probably call it a chocolate banana strawberry shake though).
a little remark. Make sure the frozen fruits come in medium-sized pieces, or many non-professional blenders will have problems or even break down during operation.
is it healthy
Our Chocolate Strawberry Banana Smoothie is super healthy. Drinking a glass of this smoothie is equivalent to eating a cup of strawberries, a banana, a few spoonfuls of yogurt and a handful of oatmeal. Healthy right?
As we said above, fruit is healthy, but some of it is quite sugary. Although nowhere is sugar from fruit as harmful as that found in baked goods and the like, some people still need to keep an eye on it. For example, people with diabetes can eat fruit, but they must do so in moderation.
To minimize the effects of the sugars in fruit on the bloodstream, we added oats to our smoothie recipe. As a rich source of fiber, oats help slow the absorption of nutrients, and therefore sugar, through the body and into the bloodstream. By doing this, they prevent blood sugar levels from rising erratically, making our smoothie even safer for people on a low-sugar diet.
What else can I add for an even more nutritious smoothie?
All these healthy ingredients not enough for you? That’s the spirit, well done! There is always more we can do to promote health.
Here are some other foods you can use that pair well with the recipe ingredients and make the smoothie even healthier:
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almond butter — For a boost of heart-friendly fats and protein, add a tablespoon of almond butter to the smoothie. If you want to get the three layers in the picture, add them to the chocolate or banana layer.
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bee pollen [depending on interpretation, it may not be vegan] — Bee pollen is considered one of the most complete foods in the world. It contains almost all the nutrients you need, from essential amino acids and fatty acids to vitamins and powerful antioxidants[1]. You can sprinkle a pinch on the smoothie.
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Baobab Powder — This is another superfood brimming with health benefits. It has a pure taste and white appearance, so it’s the perfect addition to any smoothie as it doesn’t alter the taste or look of the recipe. In our Chocolate Strawberry Banana Smoothie recipe, you can add a teaspoon of baobab powder to each of the three layers.