Refreshing Avocado Banana Smoothie

Let’s be honest here, a spinach smoothie is *never* going to be a quality replica of an ice cream filled milkshake. But this avocado banana smoothie sure tries its hardest! Read on to learn how to make it!

What do I need for this avocado banana smoothie?

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Coconut Milk. Look for canned coconut milk, rather than the refrigerated milk substitute that comes in a carton. Don’t skimp and go with the low-fat version—you want the full fat kind to make this smoothie really smooth! You can try using cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk instead, but your smoothie won’t be nearly as delectable and thick.
• Frozen Banana. This will give the smoothie more creaminess, and sweeten the smoothie. Plus, it will help chill the smoothie so you don’t have to add as much ice.
• Ice cubes. Just a handful will do.
• Avocado. You can’t have an avocado banana smoothie without the avocado!
• Spinach. With all the other ingredients, you won’t even notice the flavor.
• Vanilla and peppermint extracts. The combo of the two will give you a smoothie that reminds me of McDonald’s famed Shamrock Shakes, but if you aren’t sure about adding mint, you can replace it with more vanilla extract.
• Sweetened coconut whipped cream and fresh mint leaves (optional). If you’re feeling fancy, why not garnish your smoothie?

How do I make an avocado banana smoothie?

To make sure the spinach blends smoothly, you’ll want to put the ingredients in your blender in this order:

1. Milk first—remember, you want that full fat coconut milk here!
2. Then spinach.
3. Top off with banana, ice, avocado, and the extracts.

Blend until fully smooth, starting your blender on low and slowly ramping up the speed. Sweeten to taste if needed (but honestly, sweetener probably won’t be needed!).

What kind of blender should I use?

Nobody wants to sip on chunks of spinach or kale! The smoothie needs to be really smooth. For a stellar smoothie with a creamy texture, we recommend using a high-powered blender. We suggest one of these:

• BUDGET: Ninja Professional Blender—At less than $100, this is a powerful blender that can make smooth and creamy smoothies. This was our go-to for years, and we loved it!
• SPLURGE: Vitamix Professional Blender—For the top-of-the-line (and the one we use in the Wholefully test kitchen now), you may want to consider budgeting for a Vitamix. It is definitely a splurge, so we’d only recommend this if you plan to make lots of smoothies and other blended recipes!
  Is there a way to make this smoothie vegan?

Good news—it already is! This avocado banana smoothie is naturally already vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

How can I pack more nutrition into this green smoothie?

You can add whatever nutrition boosters sound good to you! For this avocado smoothie recipe, you might consider ground chia seeds or flax seeds for more omega-3s, or hemp hearts for more protein (like protein powder, but without the aftertaste!).