Banana Pear Smoothie

This easy banana pear smoothie is dreamy creamy, healthy and perfect for a light breakfast or afternoon snack. It is simply flavored with cinnamon and makes for a naturally sweet smoothie. Vegan and dairy-free.

This healthy banana pear smoothie makes for such a great way to start the day!

It is smooth, ultra-creamy, flavorful and naturally pretty sweet. It can be done within 5 minutes and will give you tons of energy to get you going in the morning.

It combines pears, banana, almond butter, cinnamon and plant-based milk. That's it! I was inspired by my banana chai smoothie that I like to make during the fall, but I had some fresh pears to use up, so I included them here. It turned out even better than I thought!

This smoothie recipe is so simple, but pairing those ingredients makes for a yummy treat filled with autumn flavors, perfect for this time of the year.

The secret is to use frozen bananas to make your smoothie super creamy and thicker, a little bit like if you were to add ice cream (yes, really). Then, the almond butter makes it higher in fat and more filling to keep your belly happy longer. The fats also help whip the smoothie to a light and velvety texture.

This smoothie recipe is packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and healthy carbs, and I'll share a few options below to add more boosters if you want to customize it.

Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️

Why you should try this recipe

• Easy and quick to make
• Pretty sweet (even without any added sugar), thanks to the naturally sweet bananas and pears
• Ultra-rich and creamy consistency
• Versatile
• Great for breakfast or snacking
• Loaded with antioxidants and fiber
• Vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

Ingredients you will need

• Sweet pear: use a ripe pear for a sweeter flavor. Any kind of pear will work well, such as Bosc, D'anjou or Bartlett.
• Frozen banana: you will need a large frozen banana to make this smoothie. Using a frozen banana as opposed to a fresh banana really makes a difference in making this smoothie ultra-rich and creamy.
• Almond butter: adds a mild nutty flavor, but mostly helps make the smoothie rich and silky by incorporating more healthy fats. Can be swapped for peanut butter, although this would make for a stronger nut butter flavor.
• Cinnamon: pairs well with the pear, can swap or add also nutmeg, cardamom, ground ginger or cloves.
• Plant-based milk: I like oat milk for making drinks. You can also use almond milk or soy milk.

How to make a banana pear smoothie recipe

Combine

Pour the milk into the blender, then add the cinnamon, pear, frozen banana and almond butter.

Blend

Blend until smooth and creamy, which can take a whole minute. I like to take a break to scrape the walls with a spatula to make sure all the pieces are blended.

Taste the mixture right from the blender and adjust the milk and flavor to your preferences.

Serve

Pour into your serving glass and sprinkle more cinnamon over if you want. I like to also add some chia seeds or hemp seeds over the smoothie, which go through the straw easily.

Helpful tips

• This pear banana smoothie is very sweet, just something to keep in mind. If you prefer smoothies that aren't that sweet, then add a handful of leafy greens or more almond butter.
• Do not skip on using frozen bananas for this recipe! I recommend buying more bananas than you need when grocery shopping and freezing a few once they ripen, so you always have some ready-to-go for making smoothies or banana ice cream. To freeze: peel them and break them into smaller pieces (it blends easier that way). You can first freeze the bananas on a tray or plate (so they don't stick to each other), and transfer them to a bag or large container once frozen. 

Serving suggestions and variations to the recipe

Smoothies are so versatile and the perfect breakfast recipe to customize. Here are a few variation ideas:

• Protein-packed: a vanilla protein powder would be a good addition to the recipe to boost it with more protein and make it more filling. For making a vegan smoothie, then be sure to look for plant-based pea protein.
• Green smoothie: I often add some leafy greens to my smoothie when I have them, especially baby spinach and baby kale. This smoothie is so sweet already, you won't taste the green I'm sure!
• Smoothie bowl: you can turn this smoothie recipe into a smoothie bowl! In that case, I would use less milk to make it a little thicker. If you happen to plan ahead of time, then you can also cube and freeze the pear the night before, which would also make the smoothie mixture thicker. Then, scoop the thick smoothie mixture into a bowl and garnish with granola, seeds, nuts and more fruits.
• Chocolate: add 1-2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder to make a chocolate smoothie! Cacao is a little bitter, so taste and see if you need more sweetener to compensate (although the banana and pear should bring enough natural sugar).
• Creamier: add a spoonful of vegan coconut yogurt or some coconut milk for an ultra-creamy smoothie. This can be a good way to load it up with more calories if serving to fast growing kids.
• Gingery: a dash of ground ginger or grated fresh ginger would be a great match to boost the flavor of this smoothie!

FAQs

What if I don't have frozen bananas?

If you don't have frozen bananas, then you can try using a fresh one, but add a handful of ice cubes to help make the smoothie frosty. It won't give your smoothie the same creamy effect, but it will do the job! Also, frozen mangoes are great in smoothies to add creaminess and would work well here too. Check out this mango cucumber smoothie for inspiration!

Do I need a high-speed blender to make it?

No, this smoothie should be easy to blend to smooth with a regular blender.

More smoothie recipes to try

• Chocolate mango smoothie
• Strawberry matcha smoothie
• Arugula smoothie
• Tropical island green smoothie
• Watermelon mango smoothie
• Cucumber strawberry smoothie
• Raspberry blueberry smoothie
• Peach pineapple smoothie
• Beet kale smoothie
• Avocado peanut butter green smoothie
• Mango cherry smoothie

I hope you like this banana pear smoothie recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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📖 Recipe