5-Minute Peanut Butter Banana Kale Smoothie

Start your morning with this Peanut Butter Banana Kale Smoothie! It’s a nutritious breakfast that actually tastes good, and it’s perfect for peanut butter lovers.

Green smoothies are good for you, but sometimes they don’t taste all that good. But I promise you this one is different. Thanks to the addition of my homemade honey peanut butter, the bitter flavor of kale is completely masked, and all you taste in this smoothie is the delicious peanut butter flavor.

Helpful tools

You’ll need a blender or a food processor to make this smoothie. I use my Ninja blender with the single serving cup.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:

1. Kale – Don’t use the tough and fibrous kale stem in the smoothie. If you’re using pre-chopped kale, there should be no stem in the bag. But if you’re using fresh kale, just tear the leaves off the stem and wash thoroughly before using. You could substitute the kale with other greens such as spinach or mixed power greens. 
2. Cucumber – You could substitute the cucumber with other fruits such as green apple, pineapple or berries. Fruits will help sweeten the smoothie without the needs for additional sugar.
3. Banana – You’ll want to use ripe banana that has been sliced and frozen. I like using frozen banana to keep the smoothie cold for serving and save me from having to add ice which will dilute the smoothie.
4. Milk – Use less milk for a thicker smoothie or more milk for a thinner smoothie. If you want to avoid dairy, use coconut milk, almond milk, or other nut milks. Yogurt can also be substituted in place of milk.
5. Peanut butter – give you the needed protein to keep you full so you don’t have to worry about needing a snack before lunch time. It goes well with banana and will also mask the bitterness of the kale. I like to use Skippy honey peanut butter which adds a little bit of extra sweetness to the smoothie too.
6. Flaxseed meal – this is an optional superfood addition for extra nutrients. You can add other superfoods like bee pollen, spirulina, hempseed, chia seeds, or cacao nibs.

How to make peanut butter banana kale smoothies

Making this peanut butter banana kale smoothie is as easy as counting from 1 to 2.

1. Add all ingredients to your blender. I’m using a Ninja blender personal blender attachment.
2. Blend until completely smooth, serve right away.

Tips for green smoothie

• I recommend slicing and freezing the bananas or a mix of fruits, if that’s what you’re using, the night before. Packing the fruits in ziploc bags into individual portions is a great way to prep ahead.
• This peanut butter banana kale smoothie has no added sugar and is sweetened just with the banana. If you’re using other fruits instead of cucumber, that will help sweeten further as well. I like it just the way it is – not too sweet – but if you prefer your smoothies a little bit sweeter, add honey or maple syrup to taste.
• Add extra garnishes like coconut chips and crush nuts for crunch and texture when serving.
• Add fresh berries as garnishing or in the smoothie for an extra boost of antioxidants.

Storage and making ahead

It is best to drink this smoothie immediately. But you can save any leftover tightly covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. 

I recommend preparing the ingredients the night before, keeping the fruits in a ziploc bag in the freezer and keeping the rest of the ingredients in the single serving blender with the lid closed tight. This way, it will take you just a minute to blend it in the morning.

If you want to prep all your smoothies for the week, you could blend everything, portion it into individual serving containers and freeze up to a week. Make sure your containers are airtight to keep out the freezer smell.

Enjoy this banana kale smoothie and customize your own green smoothie to your heart’s desire!

More smoothie recipes you’ll love

• Strawberry Orange Smoothie
• Mango Peach Smoothie
• Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Pear Smoothie
• Pina Colada Smoothie

4.34 from 3 votes

Peanut Butter Banana Kale Smoothie

By Trang

Start your morning with this Peanut Butter Banana Kale Smoothie! It’s a nutritious breakfast that actually tastes good, and it’s perfect for peanut butter lovers.

Servings: 12 oz

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup kale leaf, packed
• ▢ 1 cup cucumber, chopped
• ▢ 1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
• ▢ ½ cup milk, any kind you like
• ▢ 2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal, optional

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Instructions 

• Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour into a glass and enjoy right away.

Notes

• You can use pre-chopped kale or fresh kale from the bunch. If using bunch kale, tear off the leaves and wash thoroughly. Don’t use the stem.
• Substitute kale with spinach or a power greens mix.
• Substitute cucumber with any fruits you like. Green apple, pineapple or berries will all work.
• Use regular milk or dairy free milk of your choice, or yogurt even.
• Add honey or maple syrup to sweeten if you desire.
• Substitute flaxseed meal with other superfoods like bee pollen, spirulina, hempseed, chia seeds, cacao nibs, etc.

Nutrition

Serving: 12oz, Calories: 424kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

Originally published on 9/8/2014. Post updated and republished on 1/12/2021 with prettier photos and tidier writing.

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