On Monday, Mother Nature decided to be all like “Hey, I know it was 100 degrees yesterday, but I think I’ll make it 53 degrees this morning.” Of course, I went outside Monday morning wearing shorts and a T-shirt thinking I was going to be sweating like crazy, but in reality, I had to go back inside and throw on a big ‘ol sweater just to keep my tiny little arms warm. Yep.
However, today was another blazer and gardening was a little on the NOT FUN side of the spectrum. Sweat pouring down my face, shirt drenched—I won’t go into the details. But at least I was able to whip up this skinny banana oatmeal smoothie (which is totally delicious and refreshing) in less than five minutes when I came inside.
I may be, uh, slightly obsessed with this smoothie. A.K.A. I practically swallowed the glass whole and then proceeded to make a second smoothie. Don’t judge.
This smoothie is like a taste of fall that’s still clinging on to summer. The cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg combo pretty much screams autumn, but how refreshing this smoothie is enough to convince me to make it every season of the year. Every DAY of the year. Wait, I think I took that a little too far. But I think you get my point.
The banana in this recipe acts as a thickener, and obviously a flavorer, but that’s beside the point. Instead of adding ice to the smoothie, which can water it down and make a less-than-desirable smoothie, you add chunks of frozen banana. To make frozen chunks of banana, peel a ripe banana, cut it into 4 pieces (they don’t have to be equal), toss those suckers in a Ziploc bag, and freeze ‘em.
The banana also helps to make this vegan smoothie creamy. Creaminess is a must when it comes to smoothies.
I use my Ninja Mega Kitchen System to make all my smoothies and love it. If I’m making a large batch of smoothies at one time, I’ll use the blender attachment but if I’m just making a smoothie for me, I like to use the single serve blender attachment. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.
I can already tell that this smoothie is going to be making a regular appearance at my house. A few of the kids were doing their studies at the kitchen table that morning and asked for a sip (of the second glass), and they LOVED IT! I wish I had thought to freeze more bananas, because it was a HUGE hit with my family.
This skinny banana oatmeal smoothie is practically liquid gold. Drink up!
Here’s the recipe:
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats (or quick-cooking oats)
- 1 frozen banana, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)
- 1½ tablespoons organic maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of nutmeg
- Pour the oats into your blender and blend until finely ground.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth.
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Thank you for sharing this skinny banana oatmeal smoothie post at City of Creative Dream’s City of Links last Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week
Have you made using ripe bananas that are not frozen?
I’ve used frozen bananas in a strawberry smoothie and was surprised how much I disliked frozen versus ripe bananas on the counter.
Hi Kristy! I usually freeze ripe bananas that I have peeled and cut into chunks for my smoothies, but I haven’t tried it with fresh banana. If you try it, please let me know how it works for you.
Looks perfect for busy morning on the go.
Aah, this banana oatmeal smoothie is my new favorite thing to have for breakfast!! So good! I sometimes would have oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes even a banana, but I never thought to combine the two to make a delicious smoothie!! Genius!
Thanks for sharing 
I have no words… Oh wait, I have three. LOVE. THIS. RECIPE! It’s absolutely delicious. Thanks for the great idea!
This is awesome. I have made it several days in a row now. Does anyone know the actual calorie count in it?