Wake up to this frosty coffee smoothie recipe! The fragrant coffee flavor is paired with banana, oats and almond butter.
Are you a coffee lover? Here’s a way to drink your cup of joe with a few healthy ingredients in the mix. Try this Coffee Smoothie! Because if you’re going to drink coffee, why not add bananas, oats and almond butter to the mix? This puree has just the right bittersweet flavor without lots of added sugar, and smooth, creamy texture. Drink it as a tasty afternoon snack (tastes like a milkshake!) or add protein to make it a morning meal. You choose!
Ingredients in this coffee smoothie recipe
This coffee smoothie recipe has taken us a while to hone to perfection: because it’s hard to get just the right coffee flavor and icy texture! Luckily, we finally found the combination that gets it to the consistency of a Wendy’s frosty, but using healthy ingredients. The recipe is similar to a drink at a local coffee shop in town: there they call it the Healthy Elephant (so you can call it that, if you like!). Here’s what you need for this recipe:
- Frozen bananas
- Espresso, cold brew or strong coffee: see notes on the methods to use below!
- Oats
- Almond butter
- Milk of choice: dairy or non-dairy
- Honey
- Ice
Coffee methods to use
The key to this coffee smoothie recipe? Strong coffee. You must use a very strong coffee or espresso to get just the right coffee flavor, otherwise it’s much too weak. This is key to making a great coffee smoothie, so don’t skimp here! Here’s what to use:
- Espresso: Here’s how to make espresso, and keep in mind: you don’t need a machine! Try French press espresso or the other options listed.
- Cold brew: Cold brew is ideal here! Use our master cold brew recipe or French press cold brew.
- Moka pot coffee: A Bialetti or Moka pot is another great option for this coffee smoothie recipe! Make makes very strong coffee that’s close in intensity to espresso.
- Strong coffee: Make double-strength of your normal coffee to use here.
How to freeze bananas
The other necessity for this coffee smoothie recipe? Frozen bananas. This is important because you want to get an icy, creamy texture without watering down the flavor with too much ice. For most of our smoothie recipes we try to use non-frozen bananas, but in this one it is key.
- How to freeze bananas? Slice them into rounds and place them on a baking sheet so they don’t clump together. For this smoothie, you can just throw the slices into a sealed container if you’d like. For more, go to How to Freeze Bananas.
- How long to freeze bananas? The shortest time you can get away with is 1 ½ hours. Or just freeze them overnight!
Sweeten to taste!
What we like about this coffee smoothie recipe is that it’s not too sweet! It lets the bitter coffee shine through, with just enough sweetness from the banana and honey. But keep in mind: you can sweeten this coffee smoothie to taste! The sweetness definitely depends on the bananas, so if they’re not as ripe you may need more honey.
Want to make a vegan coffee smoothie? No problem! Use maple syrup or agave syrup to sweeten, and of course your favorite non-dairy milk (ours is oat milk).
Adding protein to this coffee banana smoothie recipe
Want to drink this coffee banana smoothie as a breakfast? You’ll probably want to add a little protein for staying powder. The best way to add more protein here? Protein powder. We don’t often use it, but it’s a nice way to pack in quite a bit without affecting the overall flavor too much. Here’s how to find a healthy protein powder:
- Read about how to choose protein powder brands. Here’s what we referenced on How to Choose the Healthiest Protein Powder.
- Need recommendations? We use this Optimum Nutrition vanilla protein powder and like the flavor — it’s not too artificial tasting.
And that’s it! Let us know what you think of this creamy coffee smoothie in the comments below.
More coffee drinks
Love coffee? Us too! Here are a few more coffee drinks you’ll love:
- Go bubbly with Coffee Soda
- Try Cafe Au Lait or Cafe con Leche
- Make it into a dessert with Affogato
- Try easy Cowboy Coffee (aka, how to make coffee without a maker)
- Grab a classic Latte or Iced Latte
This coffee smoothie recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Print
Coffee Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 small or 1 large smoothie 1x
Description
Wake up to this frosty coffee smoothie recipe! The fragrant coffee flavor is paired with banana, oats and almond butter.
Ingredients
- 2 medium frozen bananas (sliced and frozen at least 1 1/2 hours)
- ¼ cup Old Fashioned oats
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- ¼ cup milk of choice (dairy, oat milk or almond milk)
- ¼ cup espresso, cold brew, Moka pot coffee, or strong coffee (brewed double strength)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus more if desired (agave syrup or maple syrup for vegan)
- 1 cup ice
- Protein adder: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
Instructions
- If you haven’t already, slice the bananas and freeze them for at least 1 ½ hours until solid.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender. Taste and add additional sweetener if desired.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Smoothies
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Coffee smoothie, coffee smoothie recipe, coffee banana smoothie
Do you have any suggestions for banana substitutions? I see so many recipes that I’d like to try, but as soon as I learn that they have bananas as a sweetener/major ingredient/thickener I’m immediately no longer interested…
Ye we know some people aren’t banana fans! Bananas really make the best creamy texture in a smoothie (sadly, I’ve played around with it a lot and they really are magical!) However, here I might try 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt and 3/4 cup frozen pineapple, adjusting the quantities until you come to the right texture. We’ve used frozen pineapple in our oatmeal smoothie with great results. You may need to add a little more ice as well, and possibly a little more sweetener. Give it a try and let us know your thoughts!
This looks so good. Any replacement for bananas here? I can’t stomach them.
Great question! Bananas really make the best creamy texture in a smoothie, but I get it :) Here I might try 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt and 3/4 cup frozen pineapple, adjusting the quantities until you come to the right texture. Pineapple may sound unexpected but we use it in our oatmeal smoothie with great results. You may need to add a little more ice as well. Give it a try and let us know your thoughts!