Banana Kale Smoothie

This easy banana kale smoothie tastes like a peanut butter banana milkshake! Sweet, creamy and boosted with plenty of good-for-you greens. Just 4 ingredients & 5 minutes is all you need to make this for a healthy breakfast or a snack anytime.

Jump to:

• ⭐ Reasons to love this recipe
• 🍌 Ingredients you need to make it
• 💭 Top tips
• 🍓 Add ins & variations
• 🍨 How to make a smoothie bowl
• 🧊 Storage, meal prep & freezing tips
• 💬 Answering your smoothie FAQ’s
• 🥛 More easy smoothie recipes
• Banana Kale Smoothie

⭐ Reasons to love this recipe

I love sneaking greens into my easy smoothie recipes (like this mango spinach smoothie, blueberry spinach smoothie, and this berry green smoothie!). 

And this banana kale smoothie is my newest obsession - it’s sweet, creamy, satisfying and tastes like a peanut butter banana milkshake.

Feels like a total treat but is packed with good-for-you ingredients, protein, healthy fats & fiber.

The best part about using kale in a fruity smoothie is that the flavor is pretty darn undetectable.

Plus it blends so easily and gives your glass the most vibrant, beautiful color (getting your daily dose of leafy greens never tasted so good!).

This recipe is delicious as-is but makes for a great base for endless fruity smoothie combinations - you can add blueberries, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, mango apple, and more. I added lots of fun variations for you to try below!

🍌 Ingredients you need to make it

Banana: I love the natural sweetness and the thick & cream texture that frozen bananas add to smoothies, but you can also use a fresh banana instead.

Kale: Curly kale (with the stem removed) or baby kale will both work great for this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen kale, or even swap in baby spinach instead.

Almond milk: Almond milk is a super convenient option for making creamy smoothies, but you can use any milk you like (including regular dairy milk or other non-dairy options like oat milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk or hemp milk). You can also use water or juice instead.

Peanut Butter: I used unsweetened peanut butter but you could also use any other nut or seed butter that you like (including cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or even nutella!). Use almond butter for a paleo friendly version. You can also omit the peanut butter altogether for an even simpler smoothie.

This recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, vegan, vegetarian, and paleo friendly. But it can also easily be made nut free by using any other milk in place of the almond milk & sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter.

💭 Top tips

Whenever possible, use frozen fruit instead of ice: Frozen ingredients make your smoothies thick and satisfying without watering down the flavors the way ice can. Bonus points that if the smoothie warms up, it’ll still maintain the same great taste and thick, creamy texture.

If using fresh fruit, you can add ice for a thicker texture: This smoothie can be made with fresh or frozen fruit, so feel free to add ice cubes to the blender if you want it to be thicker and colder.

For a thinner smoothie add more milk: I love thick smoothies! In testing this recipe found using frozen fruit creates the best texture. But for a thinner more easy-to-sip smoothie, increase the amount of almond milk used. 

Ways to adjust sweetness: In testing this recipe, I didn’t find it needed added sweetener. But the sweetness of the banana can vary depending on ripeness, so feel free to adjust to taste by blending in a bit of honey, maple syrup, pitted dates or liquid stevia drops.

🍓 Add ins & variations

Add another fruit: Substitute ½ cup of any other fruit (like blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, mango, orange slices or granny smith apple) in place of ½ cup of the banana in the recipe.

With chocolate: Add 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder or cacao powder.

With cinnamon: Add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavor.

For a boost of fiber & healthy fats: Add in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed, or ¼ of an avocado. You can also use ground psyllium husks but be sure to enjoy it soon after blending (since they gel up quickly in liquid).

For a banana kale protein smoothie: Add 1-2 scoops of any type of vanilla protein powder, just be sure to use one you like the taste of!

With yogurt: For extra creaminess or for an extra boost of protein (that isn’t from protein powder) add ½ cup of plain unsweetened Greek yogurt.

With juice: For an even fruitier smoothie, try substituting orange juice, apple juice, pineapple juice or passion fruit juice in place of the milk.

🍨 How to make a smoothie bowl

You can turn almost any smoothie recipe into a thick and delicious smoothie bowl just by reducing the amount of liquid you’re using.

It also helps to use as much frozen fruit as possible to help you get that signature, spoonable smoothie bowl texture.

To make a banana kale smoothie bowl, reduce the amount of milk down to ½ cup and be sure to use frozen bananas - add ice as needed. 

You can use any toppings you like, but here’s a few that go really well with this smoothie:

• For texture and crunch: granola, sliced almonds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, shredded coconut
• For fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, banana, mango, kiwi, passionfruit
• Fun extras: cinnamon, honey, coconut butter, almond butter, coconut cream

🧊 Storage, meal prep & freezing tips

This smoothie is very easy to prep ahead, just add all your ingredients (except the milk) for grab and go freezer smoothie packs that you can blend fresh each morning.

Of course, smoothies are at their best when enjoyed right after blending but it is totally possible to store leftovers in the fridge and freezer - here’s a few ways I’ve stored mine. 

If you want to enjoy it within the next day or two, you can store it in the fridge in a tightly sealed lidded container (or pop cling wrap or beeswax wrap on top of your smoothie glass). There may be some separation as it sits in the fridge but you can reblend it again, and even add ice, chia seeds or more frozen fruit to thicken it back up again.

If you plan to enjoy it past a few days, you can pour the leftover smoothie mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze it for up to a month. Then when ready to use just pop the smoothie cubes into a blender and add more milk to blend again.

💬 Answering your smoothie FAQ’s

Is it OK to put raw kale in a smoothie?

• Just like raw kale can be a delicious addition to fresh salads, it’s a great ingredient for smoothies as well. Simply add uncooked, fresh or frozen kale directly to the blender and blend until smooth.

Is it good to drink a kale smoothie everyday?

• Green smoothies made with kale or baby spinach can be a nutritious addition to your daily diet. Mix and match the types of fruit, veggies, and greens in your smoothies to keep things interesting and get a diverse variety of nutrients.

Are kale and fruit smoothies good for you?

• Banana kale smoothies carry a lot of benefits. Bananas are high in fiber which can be great for digestion. And kale is high in vitamin C and vitamin A to help support your immune system.