Imagine a luxuriously creamy green smoothie that tastes like a dessert but is made with nutritious foods like peanut butter, bananas, and kale. And all you need are 5 simple ingredients to make this dairy-free, vegan Peanut Butter Green Smoothie.
When you want to incorporate more dark leafy greens into your diet but aren't in the mood for a spinach chickpea salad or avocado kale salad, green smoothies are an excellent alternative. And unlike with green juices, you get all the nutrition from the fruits and vegetables while keeping the fiber.
Like with my popular tropical pineapple green smoothie, with a little planning, you can have a quick vegan breakfast or post-workout recovery meal in as little as 5 minutes when you make this Peanut Butter Green Smoothie.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's sweet and creamy, and you can't taste the kale.
- It only requires 5 ingredients to make.
- It's high in essential vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- Non-dairy milk: I prefer unsweetened organic soy, but you can use your favorite such as almond or oat.
- Kale: Any variety will work such as Lacinato (also known as Dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale,) shown in the photo above, curly green kale, or baby kale.
- Banana: For the best results, use a ripe banana that has some spots on the peel. Peel and freeze the banana in halves or slices in advance.
Variations
This peanut butter green smoothie recipe is highly adaptable to suit your preferences and dietary needs. The only ingredient I suggest making sure you use is the frozen banana, but even that can be substituted for a different fruit, if you like.
- Use any non-dairy milk you prefer such as soy, coconut, almond, oat, or rice.
- Opt for a different sweetener such as a different variety of dates, pure maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and agave nectar.
- Swap out the kale for other greens like spinach, chard, or collards.
- Use a different nut butter like almond, cashew, pecan, walnut, or sunbutter.
- Boost your smoothie or give it a different flavor profile by adding açaí, cacao, chia seeds, flax seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Add a little caffeine with a teaspoon of matcha green tea powder, like when making a matcha banana smoothie.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
- Using a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix, add the ingredients to the container starting with plant milk and ending with the frozen banana.
- Blend until completely smooth, using the tamper, as needed. Pour into a glass and enjoy right away.
Amy's tip
If your blender has the tendency to leave you with chunks of greens in your smoothie, I recommend blending in two steps:
- First blend the liquid, dates, and kale until partially broken down.
- Then add the peanut butter and frozen banana and blend until completely smooth.
Recipe FAQs
Natural peanut butter is made with only peanuts (and sometimes salt). On the other hand, conventional peanut butter contains additional ingredients like sugar and oil.
Remove the peels and place the bananas in an airtight container or bag in your freezer. You can cut the bananas in half first or slice them into chunks.
While they can be stored in your pantry, Medjool dates are best stored refrigerated to keep them soft and plump.
More vegan smoothie recipes
And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration, and fun.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★
📋 Recipe
Peanut Butter Green Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, such as organic soy, oat, or almond
- 2 Medjool dates, pits removed
- 1 cup kale, ribs removed, roughly chopped (or substitute fresh spinach)
- 1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter, (or other nut butter or sunflower butter)
- 1 frozen banana*
Instructions
- Add the non-dairy milk, dates, chopped kale, peanut butter, and frozen banana, in that order, to the container of a high-speed blender. (If your blender isn't as powerful, start by adding the non-dairy milk, dates, and chopped kale to the container. Place the lid on and blend until the greens are partially broken down. Then remove the lid and add the peanut butter and frozen banana.)
- Place the lid on and blend until completely smooth, using the tamper, as needed. (The tamper is the stick that comes with your blender that assists with pushing ingredients toward the blade.)
- Pour in a glass and enjoy right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
This recipe was originally published 8/29/2016. It was updated with new photos and information regarding ingredient substitutions. The recipe is unchanged.
Teretha
I love this smoothie, I enjoy adding different options to it. Very tasteful and energizing!
Amy Katz
Thank you, Teretha! I'm so glad you are enjoying it.
Jill
I made this and it’s yummy!!! One question though, can I use honey instead of dates? I tried the dates and my vita mix just couldn’t get the dates mixed down, so I had chunks of dates.
Amy
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Jill! You can use any sweetener you like instead of the dates. I sometimes use agave when I don't have any dates.
Kristina
So, this smoothie is amazing! I did make a change because I didn't have frozen bananas,
So I added one non-frozen banana
And 1/2 a cup of frozen pineapple instead. I usually stick to my recipe for green smoothies, and I love kale in the morning (it gives me energy), but I woke up this morning craving peanut butter, so I went searching through my Smoothie board on Pinterest and found this recipe. I'm so glad I did!
Amy
Thank you so much, Kristina! I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it!