The Best Strawberry Banana Smoothie EVER

Hey, PBJs! I’m back with another refreshing beverage I know you’re gonna love. For some reason, I’ve been craving a cold, thick, and sweet smoothie lately.

Strawberry-banana smoothies are easily my favorite. This should come as no surprise because strawberries and bananas are my two favorite fruits.

If you’ve been looking for a smoothie recipe, please look no further. I promise you’ll enjoy this homemade smoothie more than any you buy at the store.

It’s sweet, thick, creamy, cold, and deliciously refreshing. If you want a top-tier smoothie made from home, this is the recipe you’re looking for.

My first strawberry banana smoothie

My brother, Smitty, and I shared an apartment a few years back, sometime during COVID. We would stay up and just vibe, and sometimes we’d play a few video games.

We would get the munchies after we smoked and order a bunch of snacks. One night, I had a sweet tooth and decided to order us some ice cream.

Wawa was always our go-to store because they stay open all night. It’s one of Philadelphia’s most popular convenience stores, and the name is an acronym for (W)alk (A)way (W)ith (A)nything!

The name is pretty fitting because they sell a little bit of everything—cosmetics, medicine, hot and cold food, and sometimes even gas.

Anyway, I ended up ordering a smoothie that night because they were all out of ice cream. I got a large strawberry-banana smoothie and fell in love with the first sip.

It was so good I removed the lid and gulped it down in minutes. Lol! I enjoyed it so much I ordered another one a few minutes later. I was so hooked I started ordering them at least three times a week.

Late-night rides to Wawa

My aunt Tina and I used to take late-night trips to Wawa all the time. (I mentioned her in my Homemade Lemonade Recipe.)

We were both night owls who sometimes had trouble falling asleep. And what always happens when you stay up late? You get the munchies or a sweet tooth.

Since neither of us drives, we would take an Uber to Wawa just to get out of the house. Everyone in Philly knows they closed most of the Wawas within the city.

Outside of Center City and University City, most Wawas are out in the county. The Wawa we went to felt like a second home because we went there so often.

We even got to know some of the people working there because they saw us all the time. This particular Wawa was on Baltimore Pike, not far from Springfield Mall.

It was at least a 25- to 30-minute drive from my crib. Since it was so far, I always made sure to grab two smoothies whenever we went. Lol!

My brother loved this smoothie

After a few months of buying them, I noticed they no longer tasted as good. An employee at a Wawa within the city told me they had changed some of the ingredients.

He said they had recently stopped using cream and switched to 1% milk. That explained why the drinks were no longer thick and rich.

Instead, they tasted thin, icy, and more like water-based slushies. That is when I decided to start making my own at home.

Making my own meant I had total control over the flavor and the texture. I started adding oatmeal to thicken up the smoothie—something stores never did.

I also used less sugar because Wawa smoothies were often way too sweet. When I had Smitty try a smoothie I made, he said it was very good. That’s when I knew I had a winner because smoothies weren’t really his thing.

That inspired me to turn it into a recipe so I could share it with you all. After years of making it the same way, I recently updated it to make it even better.

I let my mother try the new, improved smoothie when she stopped by the other day. She said it is one of the best smoothies she’s ever had, and she drinks them ALL THE TIME.

Yes, she is my mother, but she always keeps it real! She loves smoothies and would definitely let me know if she thought it missed the mark. She knows I don’t take things personally and want nothing but the truth.

If something is off, I will just tweak it until it is right. Plus, she knows I take my recipes seriously and strive for perfection. Haha!

If a recipe is not that good, I want to know so I can improve it. The only two things I ask of people who try my recipes are honesty and constructive criticism.

That feedback is why my recipes turn out so good and why y’all love them so much. This one is no different! So keep reading, grab the ingredients, and try it for yourself!

What you need:

• Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. I like using Driscoll’s, but bagged frozen strawberries work great too. Just use the right amount.
• Bananas: Make sure you get RIPE bananas! Ripe bananas are yellow with brown spots and much sweeter. These are the exact ones you want for a smoothie.
• Blueberries (optional): Blueberries are completely optional here.
• Old-Fashioned Oatmeal (optional): How much you use is up to you, but I think I use the perfect amount. The oatmeal helps thicken the smoothie up nicely.
• White Sugar (optional): Use white sugar for sweetness. If you want a healthier option, swap it out for raw sugar or honey, or just skip it altogether.
• Almond Milk: I use creamy almond milk! My favorite brand is Blue Diamond. You can use whole milk if you don’t have almond milk or prefer not to use it.
• Ice (optional): Ice chills the smoothie and keeps it cold. It also stretches the volume a little bit. Use crushed ice or small bagged ice cubes from the store.
  

Freezing the fruit vs ice

If you have time and are not in a rush, I highly recommend freezing your fruit instead of using ice. Freezing the fruit makes a better-tasting smoothie and serves as a great ice alternative if you do not have any on hand.

Freeze your fruit for at least an hour before preparing the smoothie. This keeps the smoothie ice-cold for a long time after you make it.

You might think, “Well, ice does that too, so what’s the difference?” The difference is that ice dilutes the smoothie as it melts. Using frozen fruit results in a much richer and more potent flavor.

Ice stretches the smoothie out, which is still good, but frozen fruit helps it stay cold longer since every ingredient is already frozen solid.

So that is my top recommendation: freeze your fruit. If you’re short on time and want a nice cold smoothie, just add some ice to the blender. Trust me, it’s still very good.

Not your ordinary strawberry banana smoothie

I wanted to touch on this because I know some people might question a couple of the ingredients. The two standout additions here are the blueberries and the oatmeal.

Let me start by saying I add oatmeal to all of my smoothies. Why? Because I love how it almost turns the smoothie into a bowl of cereal. Plus, I am just a big fan of oatmeal in general.

Oatmeal thickens the smoothie, plus it’s healthy and delicious, so why not? Our parents used to put strawberries and bananas in our oatmeal; maybe that’s why I like it so much.

The taste brings back childhood memories. Lol! As for the blueberries, I actually started adding them by accident. I was making a strawberry banana smoothie one day and noticed I had six little blueberries left in a container.

I wanted to clear out the fridge, so I decided to toss them in. I figured they would not overpower the strawberry and banana flavor since I only used a few.

I was right—you only taste a tiny hint of blueberry, which is the exact depth of flavor this recipe needed. The oatmeal and blueberries give this drink something special and take it up a notch.

It gives the smoothie a little extra swag, so it’s not as basic as everyone else’s. If y’all know anything about me, you know I like to be unique and creative.

In the recipe card, you’ll see that I instruct you to blend the oatmeal first before adding the other ingredients. Only do this if you want a super smooth smoothie. I actually appreciate the little soaked, chewy oat bits, so I leave mine whole. You do you!

Keep It Fresh And Clean The Fruit

So if you’re using fresh strawberries and blueberries, cleaning them is a MUST! Cleaning fruit is easy and requires only 2-3 ingredients.

We’ll be cleaning the strawberries and blueberries, not the bananas. No need to clean them since they’re enclosed in and protected by their peeling.

Common ingredients used to clean fruit include white vinegar and baking soda. Mix them with cool water to create a solution. You can use one or both; I like to use both.

Place your strawberries and blueberries in a medium mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Then pour in a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and a tablespoon of baking soda.

Once it’s done fizzing, let them soak for 10 minutes. Give the blueberries a nice lil stir around the water and rub the strawberries with your hands.

Rinse well, then pat the fruit dry with a paper towel. Now that you have all the info and ingredients you need, let’s go to it and make this fiya smoothie!

How to Make a Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1. Remove the stems from the strawberries.
2. Peel the bananas and slice them into small pieces. (Then skip to step 6 if you’re using ice.)
3. Place the strawberries, sliced bananas, and blueberries in a Ziploc bag.
4. Freeze the fruit for 3-4 hours, preferably overnight.
5. Add the oatmeal to the blender.
6. Pulse for a few seconds until it turns into a fine powder.
7. Add the fruit to the blender.
8. Add the sugar and milk. (And add the ice as well if you didn’t freeze the fruit.)
9. Turn the blender on and cover with a lid.
10. Blend just until nice and smooth.

Tips for best results:

• Use ripe bananas: The browner and riper your bananas are, the sweeter and more flavorful your smoothie will be.
• Blend the oats first: If you want a super smooth texture without any little oat bits you have to chew on, pulse the oatmeal into a fine powder before adding the other ingredients.

Smoothie Variations:

• Soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or whole milk: If almond milk is not your thing, swap it out for any milk you prefer. Whole milk, 2%, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or even water will work just fine. Just keep in mind that regular dairy or water might not taste quite as rich.
• Yogurt: Plain or vanilla yogurt is a popular addition for even more creaminess and a tangy flavor boost.
• Add protein powder: Toss in a scoop of your favorite vanilla or plant-based protein powder to turn this into a post-workout meal.

Storage and reblending

• How to store a smoothie: You can keep the leftover smoothie in the blender with the lid on. You can also pour it into an airtight container or large cup and cover it with foil. Store it in the freezer to keep it fresh.
• How to reblend the smoothie: Let the frozen smoothie sit on the counter for a little while to thaw. Then add a splash of milk to it and blend until it’s nice and smooth again.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Will this recipe affect me if I’m lactose intolerant? No! Almond milk is plant-based and dairy-free. Almond, soy, oat, coconut, rice, and lactose-free cow’s milk are all great to use.
• What if I don’t like the consistency? If the smoothie is too thick, add more milk. If it’s too thin for your liking, toss in another banana.
• How long does this smoothie last? I personally think smoothies are best on the first or second day. Leftovers can last for a while when properly stored in the freezer.
• How to double or triple this recipe? Just use double or triple the amount of ingredients if you’re making it for a crowd.

Tools You’ll Need:

Make sure you have all these utensils on hand before you start.

• Knife: You need a knife to remove the strawberry stems and chop the bananas.
• Measuring Cup: Use this to accurately measure your oats, sugar, milk, and blueberries.
• Mixing Bowl: Use a mixing bowl to soak and clean your fruit.
• Blender: You obviously need a blender to mix everything together.

I hope y’all enjoy this strawberry banana smoothie. It is absolutely delicious and one of the best homemade smoothie recipes online.

If you love it, give it 5 stars, share it, and leave a comment below. Also, subscribe to get notifications every time I drop a new recipe.

Enjoy, later!

PBJ~

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