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Delicious, Healthy, and Easy Banana Milkshake Recipe

June 26, 2008 by Nicole 60 Comments

Bananas

Although we eat a lot of bananas in this house, it seems like there are always a couple that ripen way faster than we can consume them. I like ripe bananas, but when they start turning black, they begin to lose their appeal. Because of this, I pretty much always have a plastic bag of peeled, extra ripe bananas in the freezer.

During the cooler months, I often reach for that bag when thoughts of warm banana bread fill my head. But during the summer, my bagful of frozen bananas satisfies a completely different craving: banana milkshakes!

I discovered my love of fresh banana milkshakes early in life, but they were not something we ever made at home. It was always a thrill to find a restaurant or hamburger stand that offered fresh banana shakes, because you couldn’t find them just anywhere. I’m not sure what it is about the combination of fresh banana with vanilla ice cream, but I’ve always preferred it over any other milkshake flavor.

Bananas

As a teenager, one of my favorite places to get banana milkshakes was Daily Delight in Fresno, CA. Who knows how long that place has been open, but it’s been a while. And I was fully expecting it to be closed down the last time my husband and I were home for a visit. But although it’s changed hands since my last visit, the place was miraculously still open and really hadn’t changed much. I couldn’t resist taking my husband there for some burgers and shakes.

And as we sat there enjoying fresh banana milkshakes and Dire Straits on the juke box, we received a phone call informing us that our offer had been accepted on the house we wanted to buy here in San Diego. It turned out to be a great afternoon! That was a month ago, and today we are proud owners of our very first home!

I know, I know, that’s pretty big news to be squeezed into a story about banana milkshakes! But it only seems fitting to share the exciting news along with a recipe for my own version of a banana milkshake.

I discovered the secret to a quick, easy and surprisingly healthy version of my beloved banana milkshake quite by accident. Remember the strawberry milk recipe I posted not too long ago? Well, when I ran out of strawberries, I started drinking banana milk instead. Same method, just different fruit. Frothy and delicious! Then I remembered my bag of frozen bananas in the freezer. Since it’s been really hot down here and we don’t have air conditioning in our current house, I decided that frozen bananas in my milk would be a nice change. What I didn’t expect was for it to taste almost exactly like a regular banana milkshake!

And it really does taste like a banana milkshake. It even has a nice thick consistency. The only thing needed to make it perfect is a few drops of vanilla extract. No ice cream needed for this shake!

You should already know that I prefer whole milk when making these types of drinks, but I’ve tried it with reduced fat milk and it’s not too bad. Just use whatever you have at home, and enjoy your banana shake!

Bananas

Easy Banana Milkshake

1 frozen ripe banana, cut into chunks
1 cup whole milk
1 – 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients until smooth using a hand blender or traditional blender. Drink immediately.

Yield: two servings

Nutrition info per serving (using 1 T. sugar): 149 calories; 4 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat); 26 grams total carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 5 grams protein

Notes: Lately I have been replacing the sugar with one packet of powdered stevia extract (Trader Joe’s brand) and I think it’s great. You could also leave out the sweetener completely since ripe bananas are very sweet on their own. Also, feel free to use reduced fat milk in place of whole milk if that’s all you have on hand. But I do recommend trying it with whole milk at least once!

Filed Under: Desserts, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shagun says

    June 30, 2008 at 8:13 pm

    This how banana milkshake or any milkshake is made in India - no icecream added! p.s. You should try making a mango milkshake with mango pulp (canned or from fresh mango)...delish! :)
    Reply
  2. Shagun says

    July 1, 2008 at 5:22 am

    is*
    Reply
  3. Jinxy says

    July 4, 2008 at 11:22 am

    Congrats on the new house. I grew up just outside Fresno CA.
    Reply
  4. Usha says

    July 7, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Hi,this is my first visit to your blog,you have a very nice one.I make my banana milk shake in pretty much the same way except for the vanilla extract,will try with the vanilla the next time !
    Reply
  5. Haley says

    July 8, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    I'm Haley, Key Ingredient's Chief Blogger. We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email haleyglasco@gmail.com if interested. Thanks :) Haley http://blog.keyingredient.com/
    Reply
  6. john says

    July 10, 2008 at 3:33 am

    Sounds good. I use ripe bananas, dates, & Very Vanilla Silk. :)
    Reply
  7. Felicia says

    July 19, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    I LOVE banana shake too! Don't normally add sugar to it, though on some naughtier days I like to add half a shot of Amarula liquer to it. They really complement each other due to the creamy flavour. :D
    Reply
  8. cookinpanda says

    July 21, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    This is so interesting to me. Up until about a week ago, , I really hadn't ever tasted a banana shake, or smoothie, etc... I absolutely love bananas in their native form but am generally adverse to eating them otherwise. A friend of mine suggested a recipe almost identical to this, but for frozen pops. They turned out fabulous. They're pretty much your shake, poured into molds, and frozen into popsicles. So simple, and so good.
    Reply
  9. Yannis Mameletzis says

    July 24, 2008 at 9:18 am

    All I have to say is as an athlete I love this post. really great. I haven't included enough recipes like this on my blog. I'm going to give this a try for sure. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. Best Yannis (the archer) http://mylittlebaklava.blogspot.com
    Reply
  10. Deviled says

    July 29, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Gorgeous pictures! I really like your site! I make a recipe similar to yours but throw in a few frozen strawberries and my kids go crazy for it!
    Reply
  11. Hazel says

    August 27, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    This is perfect any time of day. I will add strawberries too....also ground flax seed for a little texture and more fiber.
    Reply
  12. yoga posture says

    September 8, 2008 at 11:12 am

    This looks great. My fiance loves banana milkshakes...this will be a nice surprise for him!
    Reply
  13. katrina says

    September 9, 2008 at 5:50 am

    Zowie! Those are some incredible photos!
    Reply
  14. Gulbenkian says

    October 25, 2008 at 11:20 pm

    Very healthy, and great photos. Here's another milkshake recipe with a little higher octane rating, and a movie ("There Will Be Blood") theme. www.milksheik.com Even comes with an interesting painting.
    Reply
  15. Abbygael says

    March 7, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Never tried it but it sounds absolutely delishh! I'll have to give it a kick once I pick up some Bananas! <3 Abbey
    Reply
  16. BJ says

    March 9, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    I end up freezing a lot of bananas so that they don't end up in the trash after they have gotten too ripe for us. I love having a banana smoothie (as I call it) for breakfast or lunch in the summer. I don't use any sweetner as the bananas are sweet enough for me, but do use the vanilla. I add ice cubes and sometimes use less milk to make it thicker and it tastes like the homemade banana ice cream that my parents use to make in the old hand crank freezer. Yummy and healthy!
    Reply
  17. 2DogsFarm says

    April 4, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    I make this with a little cocoa powder & 2% milk = instant Guilt-Free Chocolate Shake Love your blog! I just discovered 101Cookbooks.com - also great food photos and recipes but hers are all vegetarian. Carnivore that I am, sometimes I need animal protein
    Reply
  18. silvia says

    June 19, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    love bananas too
    Reply
  19. silvia says

    June 19, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    Love bananas shake too , I usually add a flaxseed grains or powder ; banana, skim milk , splenda, flexseed
    Reply
  20. Amita says

    May 29, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    This is an amazing recipe! Made it several times now and its perfect.
    Reply
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