Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie with Homemade Peanut Butter

Before anything else, I just want to say that once you make your own peanut butter, it’s
hard to go back to store-bought brands. There’s just something about churning your own that makes it taste better, or maybe that’s just me. I like knowing what ingredients go in my food, which is why I rarely eat out, so once I discovered how easy it is to make my own nut butters, it’s been great figuring out what I like best. Peanut butter is and will always be a staple in my household, so it made sense to put it in my morning smoothies. Here’s how the recipe goes.

I’m not saying that store-bought peanut butter won’t work for this, but just in case you wanted to go homemade like me, it’s incredibly easy to make and doesn’t add that much prep time to your smoothie. You’ll want to start out with around 2 tablespoons of dry roasted peanuts. The less sodium on your dry roasted peanuts, the better. If I can’t roast my own peanuts, I make sure to rinse whatever I buy from the store to make sure that the peanut flavor is the only thing that comes through. Blend your peanuts well and be patient because after a minute or two, it’ll start to liquefy a bit and turn creamy and voila—you have peanut butter.

Next, all you have to do is add the rest of the ingredients. That’s half of a ripe banana, half a cup of frozen strawberries, vanilla whey protein powder, milk and ice. You can’t go wrong with strawberries and bananas. I find that this combo makes any smoothie creamy and sweet, but not overly so. Its adds just the right amount of sweetness to curb that sweet tooth too, by the way. Another thing that adds to the creaminess factor of this smoothie is the vanilla whey protein powder. Personally I prefer a whey protein isolate, which is lower in fat and carbs than say, casein or a whey protein concentrate. It also mixes more easily into shakes, which is why it’s also my whey protein of choice for smoothies.

If you haven’t added tried adding vanilla whey protein powder to your smoothies, I tell you, it’s an absolute game-changer especially when combined with milk. It’s rich without tons of calories from fat, and it also goes with pretty much any fruit base. I chose strawberry banana for this recipe, but I’m sure you can imagine that it would taste good with blueberries or even raspberries as well. Feel free to experiment!

So there you have it—a protein-packed dessert-like smoothie with all the good stuff. Nutritious, tasty, and so easy to make as per our other smoothie recipes. This recipe in particular would be great as a pre or post-workout drink as well, since it contains good carbs and protein, so keep that in mind the next time you go for a run or decide to hit the gym.

View More Strawberry Banana Smoothies:

Strawberry Banana Green Smoothie
Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Smoothie for Weight Loss

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