When I was a kid bananas were my favorite fruit. If I had my way I would eat a banana for every meal. My poor mother would try to introduce me to other fruits, but I would still ask for more bananas. Then one day, someone introduced me to banana split; a large banana in middle served with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce on top. To this day I still remember thinking to myself how could something taste so good.
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Now years later, though I have other favorite fruits I still love bananas and order banana split as dessert if it is on the menu. But let’s face it, with all the additional sugar added banana split is not the healthiest thing to eat. So as someone who no longer eats processed sugars, I had to come up with a healthier way of making banana split at home and ended up with this banana split smoothie.
About This Banana Split Smoothie Recipe:
Though it takes 5 minutes to make this smoothie, it requires a little bit of planning as I found that using frozen bananas yield a thicker and sweeter smoothie than using bananas at room temperature. Plus, frozen bananas eliminate the need to add ice, which waters down the smoothie. To freeze bananas, I wait for them to soften a little bit and peel, slice and freeze them in Ziploc bags. It is a great way to use bananas that are going bad on the kitchen counter.
For the chocolate-y taste, I used unsweetened cocoa powder, which is a natural antioxidant with anti-inflammatory qualities. To make it creamier, I added a tablespoon unsweetened almond butter, but you can also substitute it with peanut butter. To sweeten it I used one fresh Medjool date, but if you like it sweeter feel free to add in more dates, honey or maple syrup.
Banana Split Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 large banana, sliced and frozen – plus more as garnish
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon unsalted almond butter
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Medjool date, pitted
- 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Garnish with a few slices of banana and sprinkle the top with hemp seeds.
Notes
- If you like your smoothie to be sweet, feel free to add another date or a few teaspoons of maple syrup or honey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this smoothie! It is so tasty that I enjoy it as a special treat a couple of times every week. The almond butter and coco powder really separate this smoothie from the traditional banana and fruit options.
Yay! Glad you like it. This smoothie is a favorite in our house as well.
Cheers!
PS: Take me back to the summer please. It is SOOOO cold.
This looks so yummy – love the cups too!
Thank you sugar!