Almond Butter Smoothie {With Banana}

A smooth and creamy Vegan breakfast almond butter smoothie, with a salt and caramel kind of flavor. Really delicious and super quick to make anytime.

Almond Butter Smoothie

We make this up as a breakfast smoothie or after dinner treat as it makes a great thick shake dessert. It's an easy recipe, in fact I don't think it gets a lot easier and takes just a few mins in a blender with the prep time being about...a minute! So try making this for breakfast tomorrow, grab yourself a straw a tuck in!

Smoothies are still my favorite breakfast option when it comes to getting the kids fed and out the door in time to catch the bus. It means that even on those 'hit the snooze button one too many times' mornings, we don't end up skipping breakfast. 

If you're really running late, send the kids packing with an on the go smoothie. We use these glass smoothie bottles for these kind of mornings. 

My youngest son is loving the blender right now. He sees himself as the smoothie master in the house. And this is his favorite sweet treat smoothie.

The combined flavors of vanilla, almond milk and salty sweet date paste (you can make your own using this recipe) are brilliant.

It kind of reminds me of a salted caramel dessert. Which is always a good thing.

Why This Smoothie's So Good

For a start this smoothies fast, like really really fast. But more importantly it's a nutrient heavy way to start the day and the kids drink it like it's a candy treat.

You'll find this smoothies fast to drink if time's short it's a fab way to get some healthy fat into the kids, it'll keep rumbling tummies at bay until lunch and honestly, who doesn't love almond butter?!

Ingredients

The ingredients list is not long and it's stuff you may well have in your kitchen right now. It's full of nutrients: No excuses!!

Almond Butter

Nut butter is delicious and easy to make at home or find a Clean one in the shops, they're a great dairy-free alternative to regular butter.

Almond butter is almonds blended into a butter. That's it. There are a number of almond butters available in the shops that are 100% almond (or with a little added slat which is fine) but there are also the lower quality ones that contain other ingredients so make sure to check the label if you're buying it.

Almond Milk

Almond milk has become huge in the last few years. It's in every coffee shop and supermarket so it's easy to get hold of. You could swap this out for either coconut milk or oat milk. You'll still get the almond taste from the almond butter but I see not reason not to double down and use almond milk and butter :)

I use unsweetened almond milk for this smoothie.

Banana

Feel free to use either a very ripe banana for a natural sweetness boost or frozen bananas if you have them. A banana smoothie made with frozen bananas eliminates the need for ice, the banana cools it down. The riper your banana the sweeter your smoothie will be whether you've used fresh or frozen banana.

Dates

I found date puree or paste in my local supermarket, but it was around $9 a jar. So ... cheapskate that I am ...  I made my own (it's super easy).

Don't worry, you're not going to be stuck with a jar of unused date paste, because you can use your date paste to make this moist and delicious banana date loaf or these spongy ginger ninjas. 

You can substitute date paste for regular dates. I soak mine in boiling water for a couple minutes before adding them to a my smoothies to soften them up a little. This helps them blend a little easier and avoids leaving little chunky date bits at the bottom of the glass.

Medjool dates rule here but any will do the job!

Variations

The simple almond butter smoothie is awesome just as it is. However.....in the interests of jazzing things up sometimes, here's some variations you could try:

• Add a heaped teaspoon of cocoa powder for a chocolate almond butter smoothie version
• Add a heaped teaspoon of peanut butter for a nuttier smoothie
• Want a thicker shake (and more goodness)? Add a teaspoon of chia seeds or flax seeds
• Cinnamon works well with almond butter smoothies. Try adding a half teaspoon before blending
• Want it slightly less almond tasting? Try sunflower seed butter
• More sweetness? You could add a touch of maple syrup for a super sweet smoothie

Storing An Almond Butter Smoothie

Got left overs? If you have just pop them in the refrigerator, covered. You can keep it there for a day or so and then whizz it back up for a few seconds in the blender to combine everything again.

This smoothies best served fresh though, and really takes no time at all to make fresh.

More Kid Friendly Smoothies

• 4 Kid Friendly Clean Eating Smoothies
• Choc Chia Breakfast Smoothie
• Kid Approved Healthy Green Smoothie

How To Make An Almond Butter Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tbsp date paste or substitute for 4 dates (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients together until smooth Serves 2

Notes

If you're using dates instead of date paste, then soak in boiling water for a few minutes to soften. Drain and add to blender with rest of the ingredients.

Almond Butter Smoothie Recipe