Easy Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie made with peanut butter, fresh banana, rolled oats, milk, and chocolate protein powder or cocoa powder. This is my 15-year-old son's 'go-to' smoothie recipe with no added sugar that he created himself!
Believe it or not, this is my first smoothie recipe with protein powder! While there are so many other ways to add protein to smoothies, I understand that protein powder is preferred by many... including my son, lol.
And even as a dietitian, I never thought my son would be adding raw oats to smoothies!
Once my son perfected this peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothie recipe using his favorite protein powder, he had our whole family taste test it. Needless to say, it got our approval (even mine!).
Pretty sure he's been making this smoothie daily as an after school snack for over a month now, so I had to share it!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe Add 5 ingredients to a blender and blend! It's so easy - this recipe may just become one of your favorite smoothies!
- Simple Ingredients This peanut butter oatmeal banana smoothie is made with 5 simple ingredients that can be found in a local grocery store.
- No Added Sugar This smoothie is not overly sweet. In my opinion, it's just sweet enough, there's no need to add honey or maple syrup, unless you use a protein powder with added sugar or choose to use unsweetened cocoa powder and maple syrup instead of chocolate protein powder.
- Kid-Approved My teenage son created this recipe on his own. After making it for himself for a few weeks, I asked him to write down the ingredients so I can share it with you 🙂
- High Protein 30 grams of protein per 15-ounce serving (the exact amount of protein may vary depending on the type of protein powder you use).
Dietitian Tip
As a dietitian, I don't like to call smoothies a 'meal replacement.' Afterall, if you're going to drink a smoothie for a meal, then it's your meal, not a replacement;)
Either way, meals look different for everyone. And for many people smoothies are a great way to optimize their nutrient intake because they are easy to make and drink.
For instance, with almost 500 calories, 30 grams of protein, and 7 grams of fiber, this banana oatmeal smoothie makes a filling and delicious breakfast on busy mornings or a hearty after school snack, especially for teenagers going through "bulking season." 😉
Ingredient Notes
- Rolled Oats Old-fashioned oats add soluble fiber, potassium, and protein. We use whole oats, but quick oats can be used instead. Do not use steel-cut oats.
- Banana Excellent source of potassium and fiber. Banana also adds sweetness and helps to make a creamy smoothie. Use fresh or frozen banana. Overripe bananas or very ripe bananas add the most amount of sweetness.
- Peanut Butter Use all-natural creamy peanut butter. Peanut butter is an excellent source of mono-unsaturated fats (considered healthy fats).
- Chocolate Protein Powder Protein powder is a convenient source of protein and blends in well with smoothies. Cocoa powder and maple syrup can be used instead (see the notes section in the recipe card for details).
- Milk We use skim or 2% milk. Use cow's milk or soy milk for the most protein. Coconut milk can be used instead to add the most Calories (it has no protein). As for other non-dairy options, oat milk is the most similar to cow's milk in flavor and texture (it has some protein, but not much). For fewer calories, use almond milk.
How to Make This Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
- Use a blender to blend the oats for a few seconds.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients to the blended oats and blend. Serve and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Do not use steel cut oats to make this smoothie.
- For best results, blend the oats first before adding the rest of the ingredients. My son doesn't do this, but he also doesn't mind drinking the residual partially blended oats that settle at the bottom. 🤷♀️
- If you don't have protein powder or prefer not to use it, you can add one and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup instead to get a similar flavor. Making this substitution will increase the calories and reduce the amount of protein.
- This smoothie makes one 26-ounce or two 13-ounce smoothies. My son drinks the entire 26 ounces, but it's not a realistic serving size for most people.
- If you like a really cold smoothie and don't have a frozen banana, add a few ice cubes before blending.
- Any modifications to this recipe can significantly affect the nutrient information. For instance, there's a 70-calorie difference whether you make this recipe with skim or whole milk, whereas if you use coconut milk in place of cow's milk, it will increase the calories by about 450 and provide less protein.
- For even more calories, try adding the flesh from a half of an avocado. Packed with calories and fiber, avocado helps make a creamy smoothie. Half of an avocado will add approximately 150 Calories, or 75 calories per serving.
- If you prefer a sweeter smoothie, add a small amount of maple syrup or blend in a pitted date. I keep pitted Medjool dates handy to toss into smoothies because they add natural sweetness without changing the flavor. Each date adds 23-67 Calories per date, depending on the size of the date.
Questions You May Have
Raw oats can be used in smoothies. I recommend blending the oats first, before adding the rest of the ingredients.
If you are concerned about phytic acid in raw oats, you can soak and drain the oats first.
Strawberries. While frozen mango is a great option when you don't have banana to make a smoothie, I prefer to use frozen strawberries instead of banana for optimal flavor in this recipe.
I do not soak the oats first because it takes too much time. However, if you are concerned about phytic acid in raw oats, you can soak and drain the oats first.
Yes! I'd recommend blending the oats first, then adding the remainder of the ingredients. Use a frozen banana instead of a fresh banana and reduce the amount of milk.
Top the smoothie bowl with banana slices, chia seeds, a drizzle of peanut butter, granola, and mini chocolate chips. Yum!
Related Recipes
More Smoothie Recipes
Did you make this peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothie and love it? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below to let me know. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut butter all-natural peanut butter (just peanuts, with or without salt)
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 banana
- 2¼ cup milk skim, 2%, or whole milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder to make this without protein powder, add 1½ tablespoons cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup instead.
Instructions
- Add the oats to a blender. Blend for a few seconds.½ cup rolled oats
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.¼ cup peanut butter, 1 banana, 2¼ cup milk, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
Notes
- Do not use steel cut oats.
- If you don't blend the oats first, there will be some residual partially blended oats at the bottom of the smoothie. My son doesn't mind it, saying it's like drinking overnight oats, lol. I just wanted to make you aware 🙂
- Use a peanut butter that you like. Even though natural peanut butter is made with only peanuts (with or without salt), different brands of peanut butter vary in flavor.
- Protein powder has added sweeteners, so if you are using unsweetened cocoa powder instead, you'll want to add maple syrup or honey for optimal flavor.
- If you don't have protein powder or prefer not to use it, you can add one and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup instead to get a similar flavor. Making this substitution will increase the calories and reduce the amount of protein.
- If you prefer a sweeter smoothie, add a small amount of maple syrup or blend in a pitted date. I keep pitted Medjool dates handy to toss into smoothies because they add natural sweetness without changing the flavor. Each date adds 23-67 Calories per date, depending on the size of the date.
- For even more calories, try adding the flesh from a half of an avocado. Packed with calories and fiber, avocado helps make a creamy smoothie. Half of an avocado will add approximately 150 Calories, or 75 calories per serving.
- Any modifications to this recipe can significantly affect the nutrient information. For instance, there's a 70-calorie difference whether you make this recipe with skim or whole milk, whereas if you use coconut milk in place of cow's milk, it will increase the calories by about 450 and provide less protein.
- If you like a really cold smoothie and don't have a frozen banana, add a few ice cubes before blending.
- This smoothie makes one 26-ounce or two 13-ounce smoothies. My son drinks the entire 26 ounces, but it's not a realistic serving size for most people.
- Use a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or NutriBullet Pro for best results.
Heather says
Thank you!!!! I added way more peanut butter but I'm a PB lover. Just bought kefir for the first time so I tried that instead of milk and it was just fine. This was an awesome base to tweak as desired. Thank you!
Kristi Ruth RD says
Yay, Heather! I'm so glad you enjoyed this smoothie recipe! Thank you for sharing the modifications you made!