Easy Blackberry and Banana Smoothie

This easy to make Blackberry and banana smoothie is seriously good. Blackberries like all (edible) berries are rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and K, They contain fibre for a healthy gut and manganese which contributes to healthy bones. Why am I telling you this? Well if you’re not someone who loves breakfast or enjoys eating fruit this is a very pleasing way of benefitting from all this goodness in a delicious smoothie.

Yay! The blackberries are beginning to ripen in the hedgerows and because I love them so much I’ve been foraging. This Blackberry and Banana Smoothie is one of my favourite ways of eating them.

If you decide to forage for your own blackberries then please make sure that you select bushes that are away from busy roadsides.

If you don’t have time to go blackberrying or it’s not possible for so many other reasons then the supermarkets sell them too. Large, luscious, deeply purple berries full of flavour and precious vitamins. Perfect for adding to your breakfast.

Ingredients in Blackberry and Banana Smoothie

• Blackberries – these are a delicious fruit that are rich in fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants. They’re really flavoursome too!
• Banana – provides a little thickness to the smoothie and is a nutritional powerhouse adding vitamin B6, some vitamin C and carbohydrate to the smoothie.
• Milk – whether you use dairy or plant based milks, this is the liquid in the smoothie. As long as you use fortified milks, it will provide lots of useful calcium and other vitamins.
• Maple syrup – this gives a little sweetness. Fresh fruit varies in how sweet it is so sometimes you may need to add maple syrup and sometimes it may be possible to do without it altogether.
• flax seeds – these provide a lot of great things including omega-3’s and also make this a thick and creamy smoothie.
• Greek Yoghurt – I tend to choose a low-fat variety. This adds to the creaminess of the smoothie and adds more protein and calcium. (Check the ingredients label on your yoghurt to see what amazing things it contains.)

How to make this Smoothie

Making Blackberry and Banana Smoothie is so incredibly simple. Wash your blackberries, peel the banana, measure out the rest of the ingredients and add them to your blender and blend.

To be honest, I just add these ingredients to an ordinary jug and blend them with a stick blender. There’s nothing here that’s going to give any real resistance to being mushed up.

This recipe creates one large glass or two smaller ones.

Modifications and Variations

Should you wish to try something a little different with this recipe, how about other wonderful summer berries? Raspberries, blueberries, loganberries, boysenberries, tayberries would all go well. They’re similar in many ways to the blackberry and are quite delicious.

I happen to think that this smoothie is thick enough for me. You can drink it through a straw if you wish. However, I know that a lot of you like really thick smoothies and if that applies to you then use either a frozen banana or frozen berries. (Freeze bananas by slicing them into rounds or coins which makes it easier for your blender to do its work.) If both fruits are frozen then it turns into a ‘nice cream’ which could be good but we’re talking about breakfast here.

Buy frozen berries. These often come in larger bags and are less expensive than the fresh punnets you see. This means that you can enjoy this healthy smoothie through the winter too. As I’m picking my own, I freeze as many as I can find room for and make them last until spring arrives once more.

When it comes to yoghurt I generally prefer a plain, unsweetened low-fat Greek-style yoghurt. Happily, greek yoghurt also comes in different flavours which can make a nice change and the coconut version is particularly delicious in this.

If you don’t have any yoghurt to hand then you can replace it with your preferred milk. Replace the 1/4 cup of yoghurt with 1/4 cup extra of milk.

Use a different sweetener such as date syrup, or agave nectar. If the fruit is already very sweet you may not need any at all.

Is this Smoothie gluten-free?

Yes – this smoothie is completely gluten-free provided that you check the contents of the yoghurt and ensure that that is gluten-free.

Is this Smoothie suitable for Vegans?

Want to keep it plant-based? There are loads of plant-based yoghurts available. So whether you wish to keep this smoothie vegan or if you’re just avoiding dairy, try out the plant-based yoghurt options at the supermarket.

Use plant-based milk. I tend to use oat milk but I also use almond milk when I can find it. Both are awesome!

As a family, we don’t eat dairy so I make this with a soya-based greek yoghurt which adds a gorgeous silkiness to the finished smoothie.

Is this Smoothie dairy-free?

This smoothie can be successfully made using non-dairy milk. There are a lot of different types to choose from at the shop. This applies to greek yoghurt too, there are a lot of dairy-free versions available. Just be sure to check the label so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Enjoy! And as always please let me know what you think.

If you like this… you may also like;

• Easy Strawberry and banana Smoothie
• Blackberry and Apple Smoothie
• Chocolate banana and oat Smoothie
• Banana Almond and Oat Smoothie

Keep in Touch

Hungry for more? Then why not follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram

Why not subscribe to our newsletter and be amongst the first to hear about our new recipes. The form is in the sidebar.

Why not Pin Blackberry and Banana Smoothie for later?