How many calories are in a banana smoothie? Are there any other health benefits? Does it even matter how many calories they contain? Nutrition can be confusing, so we’ve decided to simplify things.
In this article – we explore the key health benefits of a humble banana smoothie (and summarise them into a handy infographic).
This smoothie is an absolute classic. It’s arguably the quintessential smoothie flavour and form the basis for a huge number of other blended beverages. But with all the hype around leafy green smoothies and carbs being the enemy, it’s easy to get confused about their nutritional credentials.
So, let’s start with an overview of the key banana smoothie benefits…
Banana Smoothie Calories
A simple banana smoothie made with one banana and 125ml (1/2 cup) of unsweetened almond milk contains 126 calories. But most banana smoothies are made with more than this.
So, when calculating the calories in a banana smoothie, it’s important to add up all the ingredients. You’ll need to include whatever else you’ve added to it, such as almond milk, pineapple, peanut butter, leafy greens, or strawberries.
The average banana smoothie contains approx 300 calories once you’ve accounted for all the ingredients.
Banana Smoothie Nutrition
According to USDA nutritional data, a medium banana provides the following…
- Calories – 105 kcal (25% from carbs), providing energy that fuels everything from movement to brain function.
- Vitamin B6 – 20% RDA, helps store and transport energy around the body.
- Vitamin C – 17% RDA, important for cell health and protection.
- Potassium – 12% RDA, helps regulate blood pressure and fluid balance.
- Five a day – a banana is equal to one of your five a day.
Banana Smoothie Benefits
If we asked you to list some banana smoothie benefits, what would you say? They’re full of energy? Good before a workout? Look at us in horror for suggesting that carbs might be healthy?!
Bananas are a bonafide staple in health smoothies. With all the hype around green smoothies and health supplements, it’s easy forget just how healthy and versatile they are. Here are just a few of the reasons to include bananas in your smoothies…
1 – The Perfect Workout Smoothie Ingredient
Bananas provide a quick burst of energy to fuel your workout. This is because they’re full of energy-rich carbohydrates, and vitamin B6 which helps store and transport this energy around the body. Together they ensure you can get the best out of your workout, whether you’re running or doing laps at the pool.
Bananas also help protect against muscle cramps during exercise too. They contain potassium which acts as an electrolyte in the body and helps to maintain fluid balance. That’s why bananas make such good workout smoothie ingredients, especially when paired with protein (like in a banana and peanut butter smoothie).
2 – Keep You Feeling Full
Bananas stabilise blood sugar between meals, so adding them to your smoothie will help avoid hunger pangs later in the day. This is why bananas are a staple in most breakfast smoothie recipes, and especially filling combined with oats and dairy-free yogurt.
Banana-based smoothies can also be a healthy substitute for unhealthy snacks and keep you feeling full until your next meal.
You might also like… 7 unhealthy smoothie mistakes to avoid.
3 – Bananas Go Well With Everything
Bananas are the perfect base for any smoothie since they combine so well with almost every other ingredient. Whether you’re whipping up a healthy fruit smoothie or protein shake, its sweet yet mellow taste works well with lots of other flavours. Citrus, berries, tropical fruits, spices, and leafy greens all pair perfectly with banana.
Bananas also give smoothies and shakes a creamier texture, can make them thicker, and turn them into a satisfying meal on-the-go.
4 – Potential to Lower Blood Pressure
The potassium in bananas is really powerful stuff that has the potential to help lower blood pressure. A research study involving 90,000 women found that those who consumed more potassium were less likely to have a stroke and die.
Blending two bananas into a smoothie will give you a quarter of your daily potassium needs. Add spinach or other leafy greens, kiwi, nectarine, and cantaloupe melon for even more of this mineral.
5 – Freeze Well So You Waste Less
We’ve all been there, one minute your bananas are in their sunshine-yellow prime, the next they’re shrivelling and speckled. And you know you shouldn’t waste it but just can’t bring yourself to consume those brown old ex-bananas.
But if you peel, chop and bag them, bananas will keep in the freezer for up to eight months! Plus, frozen bananas give smoothies a delicious, creamy texture. So, there’s no need to ever waste them again – just pop them in the freezer for later use.
Banana Smoothie Recipes You Might Like
Here are a few easy smoothie recipes with banana that you might like to try…
- Banana & Almond Milk Protein Shake
- Simple Coffee & Banana Smoothie
- Banana & Pineapple Green Smoothie
- Spiced Banana & Coconut Smoothie
- Vegan Strawberry & Banana Smoothie
Banana Smoothie FAQs
There are 126 calories in a banana smoothie made with one banana and 125ml/0.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk.
A banana and mixed fruit smoothie typically contains around 300 calories depending on the ingredients used.
Homemade banana smoothies made with fresh, natural ingredients are healthy. However, there are a number of smoothie mistakes that can make it unhealthy, such as adding sugar or not varying ingredients.
