This creamy pineapple banana smoothie uses simple ingredients like frozen pineapple chunks, banana, pineapple juice & almond milk, and can be made with or without Greek yogurt. It tastes like a refreshing, blended, beachy drink (hello, healthy piña colada smoothie!) but is packed with protein and good-for-you ingredients.
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⭐ Reasons to love this recipe
I don’t know about you but when “easy” is all I can handle, I reach for a quick and healthy smoothie recipe (I mean, does it get any simpler than adding things to a blender and letting it do all the work for me?!).
And with just a handful of ingredients, this creamy pineapple banana smoothie has become one of my new go-to’s.
It’s got the texture of a blended beach drink, with the taste of a lightly sweet & creamy pina colada, and is a total breeze to throw together.
All you really need are frozen pineapple chunks, frozen banana, Greek yogurt, pineapple juice (or orange, apple or lemon juice) and milk (any kind will work but I usually reach for almond milk).
The best part is that since you can make it with fresh or frozen fruit, you can enjoy this tropical vacation in a glass all year long.
This smoothie recipe is super versatile and customizable so I’ve included LOTS of fun variations and simple ingredient swap ideas for you below. Including how to make it with or without yogurt, and with water instead of milk - plus instructions for making a pineapple green smoothie or smoothie bowl!
🍍 Ingredients you need to make it
Pineapple: The pineapple is the star ingredient in this smoothie, and you can use either fresh or frozen pineapple. Fresh will be juicier but may take longer to cut & prep. Frozen will help create a thicker texture, may be easier to find year round and requires less prep time.
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. If you want to make a smoothie without banana, you can try using frozen riced cauliflower instead (it doesn’t add any flavor and is a great low sugar banana substitute in smoothies).
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).
Pineapple juice: I used canned pineapple juice in this recipe to really amp up the pineapple flavor but I also tested it using lemon juice, orange juice, passion fruit juice and apple juice which were all delicious stand-ins for it. I love the small cans of pineapple juice because they’re so easy to store in the pantry!
Greek yogurt: You can make this smoothie with or without yogurt, but I love the extra creaminess and the protein-packed punch that Greek yogurt adds to this recipe. I used plain unsweetened yogurt but you could also use sweetened vanilla yogurt or non-dairy yogurt.
If you want to use canned pineapple for this recipe, look for an unsweetened kind. If already sweetened then you may want to skip adding the honey so the flavors are all still balanced and add ice if you want it to be thicker. Canned pineapple often comes stored in pineapple juice so you’ll already have that ingredient available with your fruit!
💭 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.
Ways to adjust sweetness: In testing this recipe, I didn’t find it needed added sweetener. But the sweetness of any fruit can vary greatly depending on the season and source, 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
For a boost of fiber & healthy fats: Add in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed, or ¼ of an avocado.
For an extra boost of protein: Blend in 1-2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (in place of or in addition to the Greek yogurt) for an easy pineapple banana protein shake
For an easy green smoothie: Blend in 1-2 cups of baby spinach for a spinach smoothie or baby kale for a kale smoothie.
With water instead of milk: For an even fruitier, vibrant, tropical smoothie, try substituting water or coconut water in place of the milk in this recipe.
With coconut milk: To make a pineapple coconut smoothie, substitute coconut milk in place of almond milk.
With pineapple juice: For a bold, pure pineapple flavor swap out half (or all) of the milk in this recipe for pineapple juice.
Without yogurt: If you don’t like or can’t have Greek yogurt, feel free to omit it in this recipe. The result will be a deliciously fruity drink, and the milk will still give it some creaminess.
Make it vegan: Use a non-dairy yogurt (or omit it entirely) and be sure to use a non-dairy milk for a dairy-free and vegan friendly smoothie.
With berries: Add ½ cup of frozen strawberries or blueberries to the blender for a pineapple berry smoothie.
With mango: For a mango smoothie add ½ cup of fresh or frozen mango.
With peach: Add ½ cup of fresh or frozen peaches.
With orange: Substitute half of the milk for orange juice, or simply add some fresh orange slices to the blender.
🍨 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.
To make a pineapple banana smoothie bowl, reduce the amount of milk down to ¾ cup and be sure to use frozen pineapple and frozen banana.
You can use any toppings you like, but here’s a few that go really well with this smoothie:
- For texture and crunch: coconut flakes, granola, sliced almonds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, bee pollen
- For fresh fruit: pineapple, banana, mango, kiwi, passionfruit, strawberries, blueberries
- Fun extras: honey, coconut butter, nut butter,
💬 Answering your smoothie FAQ’s
What fruit blends well with pineapple?
- You can pair almost any fruit with pineapple! It’s naturally sweet and lightly tart flavor profile blend well with any number of ingredients - including but not limited to banana, mango, passion fruit, strawberry, blueberry, peaches, kiwi, melon and more.
Is a fruit smoothie better with milk or water?
- Milk, whether regular dairy milk or a non dairy alternative like almond or oat milk, can be a great addition to smoothie recipes. It helps add creaminess and a little extra protein & fat to help keep you fuller for longer. Because of the creamy flavor it can tone down the flavor of the other ingredients - so you can also use water, coconut water, or juice if you want the vibrant fresh fruit flavor to be stronger.
Is drinking a pineapple and banana smoothie good for you?
- Both of these fruits are packed with fiber, which can be great for digestion. And when adding the whole fruit to smoothies, they can help you feel fuller for longer than juice would alone.
Are there any pineapple banana smoothie benefits?
- Pineapple is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and other nutrients. It may have benefits for digestion, immunity, inflammation and even exercise recovery. Bananas are a good source of potassium, prebiotics, vitamin B6 and healthy carbohydrates.
🧊 Storage & freezing tips
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 pineapple 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.
🥛 More easy smoothie recipes
Mango Spinach Smoothie (with Protein!)
Chocolate Banana Smoothie (with Protein!)
Pineapple Banana Smoothie (Quick & Easy!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple chunks fresh or frozen
- ½ cup frozen banana
- 1 tablespoon pineapple juice or apple juice, lemon juice, orange juice, orange juice
- 1 cup almond milk or other milk of choice
- ½ cup Greek yogurt regular or non-dairy
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to a blender, cover, and blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste with honey if you like.
- Cover and blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste.
Video
Notes
1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds (or ground flax seed) Nutrition information was calculated using pineapple juice, low fat unsweetened Greek yogurt, and almond milk (and without the optional add-ins). For a dairy-free and vegan smoothie, be sure to use a non-dairy milk and a non-dairy yogurt. You can also omit the yogurt entirely and use a vanilla protein powder instead. For a thicker smoothie try adding in vanilla protein powder, chia seeds or ice. For a thinner smoothie, add more milk or juice. For more ingredient swaps, modifications, variations and storage tips - see the full blog post above.
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