I love smoothies but hate bananas

aimforhealthy
aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a strong aversion to banana-flavored or scented anything. I'm not picky about any other kind of food, but when it comes to bananas, even a minor whiff turns my stomach. I love smoothies, but it seems like 80% of recipes I find for them include bananas - and never, ever in a way that hides the flavor and texture enough for me.

Lately I've been sticking to making protein shakes with EAS Soy Chocolate Protein Powder, 12 oz of unsweetened almond milk and a handful of frozen berries, and those are pretty awesome, but now that I'm in a smoothie phase, I'd like to get into green smoothies and other breakfast smoothies and was wondering what everybody's favorite banana-less smoothies are. Thanks!
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Replies

  • lalaland82
    lalaland82 Posts: 176 Member
    My favourite banana-less one is frozen raspberry and vanilla yoghurt, so thick you eat it with a spoon. I need a couple more though as although i love bananas i only like them just so - not under ripe and not over so am often without them.
    And I don't think there is a way to 'hide' banana flavour lol
  • JeneticTraining
    JeneticTraining Posts: 663 Member
    Use Greek yogurt or freeze applesauce into a popsicle or ice cubes!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,266 Member
    Sub absolutely anything you want, it doesn't matter.
  • jpvieira
    jpvieira Posts: 50 Member
    I don't tend to use a ton of fruit in my smoothies (I go more for the green ones) usually will put a leafy green (kale, collard Greens, etc) some celery, some cucumber, parsley, fresh ginger, half a lemon, and a tablespoon of orange or lemon flavoured fish oil. If I want protein I'll add egg whites or protein powder, water and presto.
  • FearAndTrembling
    FearAndTrembling Posts: 54
    I don't know how anyone can not like bananas..

    Anyway, most smoothie recipes call for bananas because they give smoothies a creamy texture that many people like. If you don't like it, there is no reason to use them. Bananas are actually one of the highest sugar fruits.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    I know lots of people who don't like bananas. It's a texture/smell thing. The ripe ones smell very strong and they have a unique mealiness to them that isn't pleasant for some people.
    Sub absolutely anything you want, it doesn't matter.
    It matters for texture. I like the creamy texture that comes from adding avocados, for example, and I know some people use coconut butter for the same reasons. Bananas are usually included in smoothies not necessarily because the recipe writer adores them, but because they're a relatively low-fat emulsifier.
    Use Greek yogurt or freeze applesauce into a popsicle or ice cubes!
    I love Greek yogurt, thank you for the tip :)
    leafy green (kale, collard Greens, etc) some celery, some cucumber, parsley, fresh ginger, half a lemon, and a tablespoon of orange or lemon flavoured fish oil. If I want protein I'll add egg whites or protein powder, water and presto.
    Not a fan of fish oil or raw egg whites, but this otherwise sounds really good and I imagine flax seeds have more or less the same effect! Thanks!!
    I don't think there is a way to 'hide' banana flavour lol
    THERE REALLY ISN'T! Lots of recipes say "you can hardly taste the banana in this one" - THEY LIEEEEEEE. ;)
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    I love pizza but hate anchovies.

    Therefore I just make a pizza without anchovies.
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
    I'm allergic to bananas, but they -are- used to sweeten a lot of smoothies. I've started replacing banana with mango or kiwi in anything that calls for them.

    My favorite smoothie is mango with vanilla yogurt and flax seed. Nom!
  • needt0l0seweight
    needt0l0seweight Posts: 2
    I dunno about green smoothies but quite a few innocent fruit smoothies don't contain banana and the come in lots of flavours :)
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    OP, I have a crazy idea!! Make a smoothie without bananas!
    That's the purpose of this post is to have a place to share recipes people like that don't have bananas. Got any? :)
    My favorite smoothie is mango with vanilla yogurt and flax seed. Nom!

    That sounds awesome. Adding it to my list, thanks! Do you add anything to it to make it less thick? Or does the mango juice thin out the yogurt?
  • claston77
    claston77 Posts: 103 Member
    Frozen mango chunks replicates the texture and creaminess of bananas in smoothies pretty well. And frozen pumpkin if you like it, I just freeze a can in an ice cube tray and add a couple to my smoothie.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    And frozen pumpkin if you like it, I just freeze a can in an ice cube tray and add a couple to my smoothie.
    I LOVE pumpkin in any variety - definitely going to try this, thank you!!
  • iulia_maddie
    iulia_maddie Posts: 2,780 Member
    OP, I have a crazy idea!! Make a smoothie without bananas!
    That's the purpose of this post is to have a place to share recipes people like that don't have bananas. Got any? :)
    You don't need to necessarily look for recipes. Just mix stuff that you like in there. I mix protein powder with some almond milk, greek yougurt and an apple.
    Or take any recipe that calls for a banana and replace the banana with a fruit you like.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    Strawberries, frozen blueberries, almond milk, flaxseed, spinach, and vanilla protein powder.
  • MistressAella
    MistressAella Posts: 99 Member
    lol. I add bananas in my pwo shake simply for the carbs... Greek yogurt is amazing, just don't add tooooo much if you don't like your shake having a "tangy" kind of taste (Hubby learned that the hard way) lol. Freezing the fruit first seems to make for a better flavour to me ;)

    Chocolate pp/coffee/ice/stevia.... freakin' awesome!

    Chocolate pp/cocoa powder/stevia/natural peanut butter and ice to make it extra cold if you want tastes like a Reeses Pb cup.

    Vanilla pp/frozen fruit/greek yogurt/enough water to be able to blend it - YUM!

    Vanilla pp/frozen fruit/greek yogurt/natural pb/ground oats/stevia - Nothin' like a PB&J protein shake!

    Vanilla pp/frozen mango/fresh pineapple/greek yogurt/frozen strawberries and a touch of coconut - Tropical Breeze
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    OP, I have a crazy idea!! Make a smoothie without bananas!
    That's the purpose of this post is to have a place to share recipes people like that don't have bananas. Got any? :)
    You don't need to necessarily look for recipes. Just mix stuff that you like in there. I mix protein powder with some almond milk, greek yougurt and an apple.
    Or take any recipe that calls for a banana and replace the banana with a fruit you like.

    Pretty much this. I just throw whatever the hell I have on hand in my smoothies. I have some pineapple that needs to be used up, so my smoothie today will feature that. It really doesn't matter to me, tasting good is a bonus, but they never taste awful. I drink them for the protein, antioxidants, nutrients, etc, not for fun.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    Bananas are usually used as an emulsifier in smoothie recipes. In my experience, substituting bananas with grapes or an orange or a pear or pineapple will often significantly changes the texture and water content of a smoothie recipe, and often the recipes I'm looking at are dependent on the creamy sweet texture. I DO like my smoothies to taste good and I'm new to making my own smoothies, so I appreciate the people in this thread that have chimed in with their favorites.
  • suv_hater
    suv_hater Posts: 374 Member
    I use frozen mango when I don't have bananas.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Maybe you should try starting with a 1/4 of a banana and just force yourself to like bananas. Increase to 1/2 and so on. I don't really see any other choice. God bless on your smooth journey!! :flowerforyou:
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
    OP, I have a crazy idea!! Make a smoothie without bananas!
    That's the purpose of this post is to have a place to share recipes people like that don't have bananas. Got any? :)
    My favorite smoothie is mango with vanilla yogurt and flax seed. Nom!

    That sounds awesome. Adding it to my list, thanks! Do you add anything to it to make it less thick? Or does the mango juice thin out the yogurt?

    I like it pretty thick, like pudding, but if I'm taking it to go, in a bottle or cup, I add a little vanilla soy milk or almond milk. Water works too, in a pinch. :) And if I'm out of flax, I add chia. Easy peasy.
  • drojen
    drojen Posts: 203 Member
    Couldn't go near bananas when I was preggers. Now I don't go near them because they are the higher sugar fruit, Being prediabetic and all. So I put in a handful of raspberries and blueberries, milk and water, protein powder and a cube of frozen spinach and sometimes cinnamon, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Mix it up and that's my morning smoothie.
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    1 cup yogurt
    1/4 cup orange juice
    3/4 cups of berries (fresh or frozen)
    1 scoop protein powder (I love Designer Whey French Vanilla.)
    1 tbsp flaxseed or chia seeds
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    if only.....there was a way.....to make a smoothie ...using other fruits instead of bananas. if only....there were websites....devoted entirely to recipes. if only.....someone would invent a way.....to search the internet......for recipes

    ah well. hopefully someone wikked smaht invents this stuff in the future
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    1 cup yogurt
    1/4 cup orange juice
    3/4 cups of berries (fresh or frozen)
    1 scoop protein powder (I love Designer Whey French Vanilla.)
    1 tbsp flaxseed or chia seeds

    That sounds lovely, thank you.

    For some reason, I'm always a little leery of mixing citrus with yogurt but always pleasantly surprised when I do. I've mixed in lemon pulp and grated lemon peel into plain Greek yogurt before with excellent results, so I'll have to try being a little more adventurous in smoothies, too.
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
    if only.....there was a way.....to make a smoothie ...using other fruits instead of bananas. if only....there were websites....devoted entirely to recipes. if only.....someone would invent a way.....to search the internet......for recipes

    ah well. hopefully someone wikked smaht invents this stuff in the future

    Don't be a jerk, this is the food and nutrition board, which seems like a place one would go for this sort of recipe.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    if only.....there was a way.....to make a smoothie ...using other fruits instead of bananas. if only....there were websites....devoted entirely to recipes. if only.....someone would invent a way.....to search the internet......for recipes

    ah well. hopefully someone wikked smaht invents this stuff in the future

    Don't be a jerk, this is the food and nutrition board, which seems like a place one would go for this sort of recipe.

    He is not a jerk. He is smart.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
    I would assume smart would be not making idiotic, condescending assumptions without reading the thread first, but maybe I have different definitions of smart.
  • _rozamu
    _rozamu Posts: 119 Member
    Some great ideas here! Its getting close to being warm enough to make my morning smoothies again :)
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
    I would assume smart would be not making idiotic, condescending assumptions without reading the thread first, but maybe I have different definitions of smart.

    Yes, that!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Add chocolate peanut butter to your chocolate smoothie. Delicious and nutritious!

    Zara

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