5-Ingredient Healthy Banana Milkshake (Dairy-Free)

Healthy Banana Milkshakes that are also dairy free! This 5-ingredient recipe for healthy milkshakes is straightforward, easy and absolutely delicious. No ice cream needed! Instead, frozen bananas, a scoop of nut butter, and plant-based milk create the most dreamy texture and blend of flavors in these dairy-free milkshakes.

I love a good milkshake, you can customize the flavors so many ways with ice cream, yogurt, fruit, candy, chocolate…the options are endless. I also love a delicious smoothie with all different fruit, yogurt, and nut butter. Here I wanted to create the best of both worlds, a dairy-free milkshake using bananas.

The bananas give that rich velvety texture, it’s so creamy and rich that you will be shocked that this recipe has no ice cream. If you want to try some other delicious blender recipes I recommend my mango smoothie bowl, mango banana smoothie, and carrot cake smoothie.

Ingredients

• Frozen ripe bananas: I usually let fresh bananas ripen on the counter before I tear them into chunks and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, store them in a zipper-lock bag or airtight container. You can also use packaged frozen banana slices.
• Creamy drippy natural nut butter: Make sure to use natural nut butter that only contains nuts and salt. This will add the most flavor and allows you to control the amount of sweetness added!
• Dark chocolate chips: if you prefer milk chocolate, you can also use those! Chopped bar chocolate also works.
• Vanilla extract: pure vanilla extract is best here. You can also use vanilla bean paste—yum!
• Milk of choice: I prefer unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but feel free to use whatever milk you prefer. Whole milk would be delish.

How to Make Healthy Banana Milkshakes

1. Pulse bananas, nut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla together in a high speed blender or food processor until chopped.
2. With the blender running, stream in the milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Blend until completely smooth with small chocolate chunks, about 1 minute.
4. For a chocolate milkshake, add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to the bananas and nut butter.

Dairy-Free Milkshake Variations

• Chocolate Banana: Add a scoop of cocoa powder to make a chocolate banana shake. Top with whipped cream and/or chocolate syrup for the ultimate treat.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add a scoop of cocoa powder and use peanut butter to make a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake.
• Vanilla: Skip the chocolate chips and use vanilla bean paste instead of extract to make a vanilla milkshake.
• Strawberry: Leave out the chocolate chips and add frozen strawberries to make a strawberry milkshake.
• Mint Chocolate: Swap the nut butter for a scoop of coconut butter and use peppermint extract instead of vanilla to make a mint-chip milkshake.
• Peaches and Cream: Skip the chocolate chips and add frozen peaches to make a peaches and cream milkshake. For added decadence toss in a splash of half-and-half.
• Add a natural sweetener. Make this shake a bit sweeter by using sweetened almond milk, chocolate milk or adding a splash of maple syrup.
• Boost with protein. Add Greek yogurt for a boost of protein and calcium. Or add a scoop of protein powder for more protein.

Expert Tips for Making the Best Healthy Milkshakes

• Creating the thick consistency. Pulse everything but the milk together until chopped. With the blender running, stream in the milk. This creates a super smooth milkshake without it super melty.
• Chill the glasses you intend to serve the milkshakes in prior to blending them up. Cold glasses keep the milkshakes chilled longer. 
• Pre-slice the bananas before freezing. The most convenient way to prep bananas for freezing is to peel ripe bananas then slice ½-inch thick. Arrange slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate and freeze until solid. Transfer slices to a zipper-lock bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.
• Use a high powered blender. This is ideal for making these homemade milkshakes. If you have an under-powered blender I recommend slightly thawing the banana slices first. Just let them sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes until they start to soften. A food processor will also work well for these.

Storage

• For the refrigerator: it’s best to serve these banana milkshakes immediately after blending. If you want to keep them for up to an hour after mixing, you can store in the fridge for freezer.
• Make-ahead milkshakes: you can make milkshake kits ahead of time to make morning or snack prep easier. Divide the banana slices, nut butter, and chocolate chips into individual bags or containers and store in the freezer. When it’s time to make, just pull a bag out, add to the blender. No prep time needed!
• Freeze the milk for easy storage: Pour the milk into ice cube trays and freeze for convenience when making milkshakes. When blending into a shake, you may just need to add a little water to get to the right consistency.

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