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Is it a must you use yogurt to produce a creamy and delicious smoothie? No, it’s not. In this article, I’m going to show you how to make a strawberry banana smoothie without yogurt and still have it thick.
Of course, yogurt tends to be a great supplement of protein, which is another reason for having it in the blend. However, the new classic strawberry smoothie I would like us to try will also have some proteins in it as we’ll use milk as the base.
Any type of milk is still good but in my case, I used almond as I didn’t want the smoothie to have many calories. Still, you won’t need refined sugar as the banana will cover for that while still improving creaminess.
Health Benefits to Expect From this Smoothie
Technically, drinking a smoothie is just like eating the whole food materials from the mixture. So, a strawberry banana smoothie with almond milk will bless your body with a variety of vitamins and minerals. Some of them include:
½ Cup Almond Milk | 1 Ripe Banana | 1 Cup Frozen Strawberries | |
Nutritional Value | Low calories High Vitamin E Calcium source Rich Vitamin D Moderate Potassium |
Rich Vitamin B6 Manganese source Ample Carbohydrates Potassium High Fiber content |
Low Carbs content Soluble & insoluble fiber Rich antioxidant properties Potassium Vitamin B9 (Folate) |
Health Benefits | Great to lose weight Boost heart and immune function Promote healthy bones Combat inflammation Perfect for chronic disease patients |
Improve digestive health Aid weight loss Support heart health Reduce damage from free radicals Relieve muscle cramps |
Boost immune health Improve heart health Support eye health Regulate blood sugars Reduce inflammation of joints Support healthy digestion |
How to Make a Strawberry Banana Smoothie without Yogurt
Just like the Strawberry milkshake, we prepared together the other day, a smoothie of a similar composition doesn’t take much to prepare. It’s as simple as blending the three ingredients in a blender. The machine doesn’t need to be sophisticated, rather the model sitting on your kitchen top right now.
However, if the blender can handle icy foods will be much better since we’ll be using frozen strawberries. Why? The icy texture will give the smoothie a chilled cold feel and also help thicken it more. But if you prefer your berries fresh, you could use a frozen banana instead. The effect will be similar and so are the health benefits.
Anyways, here are the step-by-step instructions on how to complete your smoothie recipe.
Recipe 1: Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Serve Time: | Breakfast, Lunch, After-school Snack, Pre-work |
Cuisine: | American |
Serving Size: | 1 |
Prep Time: | 5 Minutes |
Calories: | Approx. 170kcal |
What You Need
- ½ Cup milk (plant-based or dairy)
- 1 ripe banana (in slices)
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- A kitchen blender (regular or high-power)
Directions:
- Gather the ingredients and toss them into the blender. Arrange them in the order of milk, banana, and frozen strawberries. Then, secure the lid
- Set your blender to the lowest variable speed
- Turn the machine on and slowly increase the variable speed to the highest point
- Blend the ingredients for 30-45 seconds or until the blend is smooth and creamy.
- Pour the smoothie into a drinking glass and enjoy.
This recipe is for one serving but you could serve small portions for two. If you notice the smoothie is slightly thinner than you wanted, you could add like three ice cubes into the blend.
Nonetheless, the ice will only add an instant bulk, thus you shouldn’t let it rest in the drinking glasses for long. Otherwise, it will start to melt and thin the smoothie even more.
Additional Strawberry Banana Smoothie Variations
Other than the classic flavor, you can give your strawberry banana smoothie a more amazing touch by adding other ingredients. Some of my favorite options include:
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Oranges and Honey
Into the blending container, you’ll add 1½ cup of frozen strawberries, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 oranges (medium-sized), and honey. You’ll get two servings blend, with approximately 120 calories.
-
Vanilla and Monk Fruit
If you have the little nieces with you, this sweet vanilla strawberry flavor will be impossible to turn down. To make, you need 1 cup milk, 1 banana, 6 ounces vanilla, 2 tablespoon monk fruit extract, and 2 cups of frozen strawberries. The blend will have a rich, creamy texture and about 171 calories.
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Honey and Flaxseed
This is yet another great alternative for your kids who fusses about eating fruits. It involves blending 2 cups frozen strawberries alongside 1 banana, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1¼ cups milk. The refreshment drink will yield up to 150 calories, and a considerable amount of sodium, protein, fiber, fats, and carbs.
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Fresh Spinach
This is a one serving recipe in case you would want to top your strawberry smoothie with the beauty of dark green leafy veggies. It requires 1 cup almond milk, ½ banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, and 1 cup fresh spinach. The produced green smoothie will be about 16 ounces, with about 145 calories.
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Pineapple
You’ll need about 400 grams of fresh strawberries, 2 bananas, 3 slices of pineapple, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 cups of ice, and 1 cup water. Then, blend all in a blender until smooth. Still, the smoothie will produce about 150 calories and with high traces of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, manganese, amongst others.
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Mango, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, and Honey
If you feel you need to have a much heavier breakfast or pre-workout snack, this strawberry smoothie can be a great choice. You only need 1 mango, ½ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 banana, 10 strawberries, and 3 ice cubes. The final blend will give you about 470 calories, with rich carbs and fiber to hold up longer in your belly.
-
Maple Syrup and Flax Seeds
For this one, you’ll need to use 1½ cups milk, 2 banana, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon flax seeds, and 2 cups frozen strawberries. The recipe will give you two servings, with approximately 440 calories.
Recommended Blenders
As was mentioned, you don’t need a special blender to make a classic strawberry banana smoothie. True, a high-power Blendtec or Vitamix is a better choice, but a regular model can serve the purpose as well.
In my case, I used the Vitamix 5200 classic series that I’ve owned for two years and some months now. I’m hoping to add a Blendtec sometime this year, but I’ll first have to make up my mind between the Vitamix Ascent A3500.
Anyways, the three best blenders I would recommend for a strawberry banana smoothie are:
Ninja BN701 Total Crushing Countertop Blender
Main features:
- Powerful 1400 motor
- 72-ounce total crushing jar
- 3 pre-programmed settings
- Removable blade assembly
If you’re looking for a nice blender below a hundred bucks, Ninja Kitchen is a great place to start. The brand is focused on providing high-quality kitchen appliances while operating at a low price-point.
If it’s this particular model here, it has various amazing features that can be very helpful when making your strawberry smoothie. For instance, the total crushing pitcher has the stacked 6-blade system that the maker innovated for dealing with ice and frozen fruits. So, you don’t need to further mash your icy materials as some regular blenders request.
Another thing, the countertop blender has a 1400-watt motor that’s strong enough to handle your foods without a fail. The power base even has three preset programs for ice crush, ice cream, and a smoothie. So, you necessarily don’t need to stand by the machine until it completes pulverizing the materials.
Vitamix 5200 Classic High-Power Countertop Blender
Main Features:
- A powerful 2HP (approx. 1400 watts) motor
- Tall, slender 64-ounce pitcher
- Hardened stainless steel blades
- 10 variable speed setting
- Tamper
At this point, I surely can’t say enough about Vitamix 5200. The blender has been a very loyal helper as nothing I have tried to blend has failed on me. Despite being so noisy, the blender is very powerful. I usually blend dry ice without needing to add any liquid, plus most of the flour is no longer from the store.
The blender uses the classic tall and narrow 64-oz pitcher, which is much better than the new low-profile container. It can handle both small and large batches. So, you won’t need to buy an extra container, unless you want a spare one for milling purposes.
Still, the blender has ten variable speed setting that works pretty well when one needs to create different textures. Nonetheless, the speed knob doesn’t offer full-range control as you have to adjust the “variable/ high” lever on the left side of the control panel.
Vitamix A2500 Ascent Low-Profile jar Blender
Main Features:
- Powerful 2.2HP motor
- 64-ounce low-profile pitcher
- Built-in wireless connectivity
- Digital timer
- Dedicated pulse function
- Multiple preset programs
If you would want to invest in the future of blending, the Vitamix A2500 is a favorable choice. Alongside the other three Ascent blenders, the engineers equipped the latest tech and features for a better kitchen experience.
The motor base packs a 2.2HP motor that processes both the tough and soft materials with no stress. It has a lovely dial that you can use to control the speed of the machine or activate various preset programs.
Still, the blender has the built-in wireless connectivity that allows the powerbase to detect the kind of container mounted. You can use different containers, including the newly-released food processor attachment and the single-serve cups without needing the bulky adapter.
If You Liked it, Don’t Enjoy All Alone
Well, I believe the article was helpful and my strawberry banana smoothie, as well as the other variations will be easy to prepare. Fruits and veggies are very crucial to the body and overall health. So, drinking smoothies can be a great way of taking in huge doses the particular ones you find difficult to chow while whole.
To conclude, I’d like to remind you that frozen fruits are much a better choice to thicken your smoothie than ice. Yes, the ice can create that instant bulkiness if you’re planning to drink your snack right away. But the blocks are just frozen water that will make your drink watery once they start to melt.