Chai Spiced Banana Smoothies – This chai banana smoothie is such a yummy change of pace! The chai spice blend is fantastic–you’ll want to put it on everything!
Originally Posted March 2014. Post and photos updated Sep 2017.
Do you ever see a recipe in a book or online that you just can’t stop thinking about? I was that way a few years ago with chai spice mixes. I couldn’t stop thinking about ways to use it…oatmeal, granola, smoothies…yum!
We’ve been making this chai banana smoothie for over three years now, and it never disappoints! It’s close-your-eyes good and as delicious as can be!
To be fair, I should call these “almost chai spiced” because many chai blends also have black pepper. My goal was to make something that Milo and Sophie would also eat, so we skipped the pepper. Maybe we’ll try again in a few months with the pepper, but for now, I thought we’d best play it safe.
These are substantial, filling, and just different enough to break up the greens-n-fruit smoothie routine. I’m always and forever on the hunt for healthy proteins and fats for us to eat. These have almond butter, which also lends a velvety texture, and flax or chia seeds, which lend protein, fiber, and healthy fat. The leftovers (if you have any) also make fabulous popsicles.
I like my smoothies on the thicker side, but if you want yours thinner, you can easily add a bit more almond milk. But fair warning: after trying a chai banana smoothie, you’ll want to toss this spice blend into everything!
Notes on the Recipe:
Want to add some greens? You can easily add 1 cup of spinach, though the color is admittedly a bit funky. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, I always recommend blending your greens + liquid first before adding any of the other ingredients. It helps get the smoothest texture! If you’ve got a high-speed blender (I swear by this one), greens should be the very last ingredient you add.
Thicker, thinner…. We’re mega fans of banana “nice” cream, so keep thing these smoothies thick feels almost as luxurious as soft-serve ice cream when we serve it for snack. If I’m sipping this in the morning, I usually make it a bit thinner by adding more almond milk to the blender. It’s totally your preference! You can even add some ice for a frosty texture.
How to Store the Chai Spice – This blend makes PLENTY (much more than you need for a single smoothie), so I recommend keeping it in an airtight jar or container. It’ll keep for several months without losing its potency. If you’re not sure you’ll use it all, you can absolutely halve or quarter the recipe for the spice blend.
What’s Cardamom? If you haven’t used it before, cardamom is one of my FAVORITE spices. I love using it in sweet dishes, like this smoothie, or our favorite pear sauce, but it’s also unbelievable in savory dishes like Slow Cooker Butter Chicken. It’s worth having on hand!
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- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp chai spice mixture (above)
- 2 frozen bananas, sliced
- 1- 1½ cup milk (I like unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 Tbsp almond butter or nut butter
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seed or chia seeds (optional)
- Combine all spices together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding more almond milk as necessary. Drink immediately, or freeze in popsicle molds.
- Feel free to top with chopped nuts, cacao nibs, or any other goodies your heart desires.
This sounds so yummy! Sadly, my heat and sweater are on so I’m still thinking’ hot chocolate, but once those warm temperatures come around, this will be on my menu!
I also pinned this awhile back and have wanted to try it! Now I am really wanting it…I may need to buy some extra bananas (as they usually don’t last long enough around here to turn brown).
Cut them, put them in a ziploc and freeze them!
This looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!!
This looks TO DIE FOR. oh my gosh, why have I never thought of this!?!?
This looks amazing!! I pinned it at Strength and Sunshine’s recommendation. Cardamon is the spice I’ve been meaning to get…thanks for the reminder!!
PS What does “skinny mirror” mean?
Glad you found us and I hope you love the smoothie! “skinny mirror” basically refers to those mirrors in dressing rooms that sometimes make you look thinner than you are. The idea is that sometimes our life is what it is, but looking at it through the “skinny mirror” sometimes helps you feel better about it. It’s a way of staying positive about whatever comes our way 🙂
Hi Emily, Thanks for this delicious looking recipe! I plan on trying it out this weekend. And it looks so delectable that I’ve featured it on my latest blog post. 🙂 You can check it out here: http://thecommoncreative.blogspot.ca/2014/03/curated-by-jenni.html. Hope you have a lovely day!
Jenni – Thank you! I hope you love it, and thanks so much for the feature!
I have thought of little else since you posted this. But then I would forget to buy cardamom, or we’d be out of bananas. Well, the planetsinally aligned on Thursday, and I have made one every day since! My husband (who doesn’t eat sugar, and so I am constantly on the lookout for treats he can have) LOVES it. I made him his first one last night, and he went and bought so many bananas this morning, sliced, and froze them, so we could have more with our lunch today (I quadrupled the recipe and used half and half instead of my usual coconut milk on the ice cream setting of my blendtec-wow). I hereby request more recipes using cardamom. I want to bathe in the stuff-it smells like spicy heaven. I think I’ll throw some in my next pumpkin pie.
Weeeeeee!
Doesn’t it make you so happy?!
I’m so so glad you enjoyed it! Seeing this has actually inspired me to make it again – it has been too long!
I think it’ll be a perfect recipe for transitioning into fall when it’s still toasty warm out.
All the best!
Jenalle
This was so delicious and exactly what I was craving! Thanks!
I absolutely love this. Here it is Friday afternoon and I’m craving a treat but am off all sugar, grains, alcohol and dairy. What’s a girl to do to not feel deprived? Answer, Banana Chai Smoothie. Ymmmm. I did have to add extra almond milk because it was too thick for my blender. Otherwise it’s perfect.
Wow!!! I was looking for a new smoothie recipe and this one caught my eye since I love chai tea lattes. I made it and wow, it was like having dessert. Absolutely delicious!
I’m so glad you liked it! I actually DO make it for dessert a lot in the summer. It’s SO GOOD!
Could you use the spice mixture in hot tea?
Betsy – I haven’t tried it that way since I don’t have a reusable tea bag. I’d love to know how it works out for you if you try it!
Sooo good!!! I made a few adjustments:
Only used 1/2 a banana
Added vanilla protein powder
Really enjoyed this after my workout- thanks for the recipe!!
Yum! That sounds great!
Yum! This smoothie screams fall! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi,
I need to get a new blender, which one do you recommend? I don’t think the link is working in your blog post anymore to your favorite blender. Thank you!
My apologies! You’re right! I’ll fix the link, but in the meantime, this is the one I use and love. You can look at Costco or Sam’s Club where they often run specials or even buy a refurbished one (they work great!). I’ve had mine about 4.5 years and blended over 1100 times (there’s a blend counter) and it’s still going strong!
On the chai spice mix, a second use for it:
Add a half tsp to your coffee grounds in a drip maker basket (but don’t do a full pot, just to the 8 cup line) and you have chai spice coffee for those cold mornings. 🙂
Mike – Thanks for the tip! I’m sure the coffee lovers will be excited!
YUM!! Great recipe…I will be making this a lot! I used Teddy natural peanut butter. I also used the optional chia seeds. The chai mixture is one of the best and couldn’t be easier. I will never buy chai again! Thank you!
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing!!!
Hi Emily, what a great recipe! I love chai but was a little hesitant about banana being mixed in. It was delicious. I added frozen kale & couldn’t even taste it. Even my hubby who won’t usually drink chai tea with me enjoyed it. I’m new to your blog & look forward to trying more recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU for such a kind comment! You made my day!