3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies for #PeanutButterDay

3 healthy peanut butter smoothies! Peanut butter cup, strawberry vanilla, and "chocolate shake"! | BearandBugEats.com

It’s National #PeanutButterDay! To celebrate, and to accommodate the fact that it’s January and we’re trying to eat healthy, I experimented until I found not one, but THREE great healthy peanut butter smoothies for you. Scroll down for other fabulous peanut butter recipes!

Healthy is also key around here right now–I caught a bad cold and it knocked me on my butt this week. Usually with something like this, I have some bad congestion, maybe a day of low grade fever that takes me out of work. This time I was out of the office for three days and almost a week later, I still feel like a stiff breeze might blow me over. I’d heard that my immune system would be suppressed while pregnant, but holy cow, I did not know it would be like this. Fingers crossed this is the only time I get sick while pregnant, because this is not fun.

Anyway! Smoothies can be an easy way to get nutrients in a fun, quick, and portable fashion; but they can also be stuffed with sugar and fillers. To avoid that, I chose unrefined sugars and less refined ingredients, so they retain more nutrients. Some of these ingredients are trendy ones that I haven’t used yet, but I liked them or wouldn’t have included them here.

I also madee it a point that only one of these includes banana. I like bananas just fine, but sometimes I get resentful when I taste a smoothie and it just shrieks BANANA. Let some other flavors have their turn! I pulled quite a bit from this article.

Healthier Ingredients

Peanut butter: I used peanut butter that has no added sugar or fat (it’s getting easier to find these days), which means it’s nothing but healthy fats and tons of protein and fiber. If you’re used to the added-sugar, added-fats version that most of us grew up on, more natural peanut butter might take some getting used to, but it works great in applications like smoothies where it all blends in anyway.

Greek yogurt, various milks, peanut butter: Choose ones with no added sugar.

Honey: I tried raw honey here. Raw honey is unpasteurized, which preserves more of the nutrients. Unpasteurized food sometimes carries more of a risk of food poisoning, but honey is a naturally sterile food, so I didn’t worry about that here.

Cacao powder: The less processed version of cocoa powder, so it again retains more nutrients. As far as I can tell from The Internetz, cacao and cocoa powder can be used interchangeably. I actually used cacao nibs that I ground (first in the food processor, then in an old coffee grinder that we use for a spice grinder)–which is not technically cacao powder because the cocoa butter was not removed, but it worked great for smoothies.

Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies Notes

To make it thicker: Use Greek yogurt instead of milk. Grind oats into powder and throw in a couple of tablespoons. Add a tablespoon of chia seeds. Use frozen fruit.

Make it creamier: Use banana, or avocado (this sounds like one of those certified Health Nut things, but I swear to you that once it’s blended in, you cannot taste the avocado. Nor does it turn your smoothie an unappetizing green). Or start with a creamier milk.

Make it thinner: Thin with milk. Let your frozen fruit thaw for a bit on the counter before blending. Use fresh (instead of frozen) fruit.

Other healthy additives: Coconut or other nut butter, ground flaxseed, ground chia seed

What are your favorite healthy smoothie ingredients?

Adapted with thanks from Center Cut Cook, Farah Fahad via The Thirty, and from Oatmeal with a Fork.

Print

3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies for #PeanutButterDay

  • Yield: 1 smoothie 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

  • 1 cup ice
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
  • 4 teaspoons honey

Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 frozen ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional: 1 Medjool date or 1/2 teaspoon honey

Creamy Paleo Chocolate “Milkshake”

  • 1 cup ice
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 cup milk 
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 3 Medjool dates or 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon cacao powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional: Dash of sea salt

Instructions

  1. For each smoothie, add ingredients to blender in order listed. Blend on high until all ingredients are well mixed. Enjoy!

#PeanutButterDay Recipes!

The Burroughs

Katie and Robby Burroughs, writers, photographers, and curators of Bear and Bug Eats.

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19 Comments

  1. […] 3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies by Bear & Bug Eats […]

  2. Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook

    These smoothies are all quite beautiful. And I agree – I’m not a big banana fan in smoothies, or at all really, so I’m excited for the recipes you came up with!

    1. Thank you! I don’t know why smoothie places insist on using banana in 95% of their products. There’s so much good stuff out there!

  3. Perfect smoothie ideas ! Peanut butter is an awesome addition to smoothies

    1. Peanut butter is amazing for protein and doesn’t add much sugar if you get the natural sort. And of course, it’s delicious 🙂

  4. These all sound amazing! I love chocolate and strawberry smoothies, but there are so many combinations to try! Love yours!

  5. Cindy's Recipes and Writings

    We sell a lot of smoothies at work. I love these tips and flavor ideas!

  6. Amy's Cooking Adventures

    That smoothie trio looks amazing! WHich to choose?!?

    1. Thanks, Amy! I vote you try them all 😛

  7. I love smoothies! The chocolate and strawberry ones are right up my alley.

    1. The strawberry is my personal favorite, which is funny because 99% of the time, it’s chocolate every time. But I think it’s the cinnamon–it really pops.

  8. […] 3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies by Bear & Bug Eats […]

  9. Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

    The chocolate one has my name all over it! Happy National Peanut Butter Day!

    1. Thank you! I do love me some chocolate in my healthy 😀

  10. Smoothies are the perfect way to start your day.

  11. […] 3 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothies by Bear & Bug Eats […]

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