Healthy Coffee Smoothie (Only 7 Ingredients)

Let’s face it: caffeinated mornings are better than non-caffeinated mornings.

Let's discuss how this coffee smoothie came to be:

• Coffee is great for boosting your energy levels in the morning, but plain coffee can be boring.
• We all know that stopping for a sugar-filled coffee drink on your way to work is not a good idea.
• Skipping breakfast is also not a good idea.
• Plain coffee is not breakfast.
• Iced coffee is life.

Enter this banana coffee smoothie as a great breakfast option.  It's like coffee, but better.

I know: BOLD statement.

BONUS: The smoothie is ready in 5 minutes and is as healthy as possible.

For now, let’s just enjoy that awesome news. Because breakfast and coffee ready in 5 minutes is golden.

Healthy Coffee Smoothie Recipe Video

Ingredient Notes

Let's discuss what ingredients you'll need to make a coffee smoothie.

Here's what you need:

• Milk of choice – in this coffee smoothie, I use unsweetened almond milk, but any unsweetened milk will work
• Banana – half a banana will do the trick, the riper the better for sweetness, and keep it frozen for the best texture
• Nut Butter – peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter all work great
• Vanilla – vanilla extract goes great with coffee and makes it taste sweeter, too
• Coffee!  We use both fresh ground coffee AND brewed, chilled coffee in this recipe.  Because: coffee!
• Ice - Only needed if you don't use a frozen banana or you want it a little thicker

Once you have all the ingredients gathered, add them to a high speed blender, and blend until smooth.  That's it -- and your perfect morning coffee smoothie is ready to enjoy.

Pro Tip: If the smoothie is too thick, you can add more coffee or milk to loosen it. If it's too thin, just add a few ice cubes and re-blend. Using a frozen banana will help keep your smoothie creamy and thick, so it's always good to have those ready to grab from the freezer.

If you'd like, you can also make this smoothie ahead of time as a freezer-pack smoothie, like I do with my Caramel Apple Protein Smoothie and my PB&J Protein Smoothie.

Why This Coffee Smoothie Is A Healthy Breakfast

Here are a few reasons why this coffee banana smoothie sits high on the scale of healthy breakfast smoothies:

• It’s vegan
• It’s gluten-free
• It has 0 processed sugars
• It has coffee (duh!)
• It's super easy and simple
• It's high in protein (for help on protein powder, check out my post Protein Powder | The Ultimate Guide For Beginners)

But, that's just from a high level -- let's dive deeper into WHY the main ingredients are each so good for you, specifically, the coffee, banana, and peanut butter.

P.S. If you'd like to try my green smoothie, check out my Mango Green Fruit Smoothie, too.

Is Coffee Healthy?

Coffee increases your energy level, which means drinking coffee = feeling less tired. But I bet you knew that already.  So let's discuss some other amazing things you should know about coffee.

Coffee is:

• Low in calories – 1 or 2 calories per ½ cup
• A great source of potassium - 92 mg per ½ cup
• A good source of magnesium - 8 mg per ½ cup
• A rich source of antioxidants

Remember: PLAIN coffee is low in calories, and good for you in moderation. Coffee drinks that are high in sugars and fats are not good for you.

How Peanut Butter Makes This Smoothie Healthy

I'm a huge fan of adding nut butters into my smoothies.  In fact, it's rare for me not to include some sort of nut butter.  In this coffee smoothie recipe, I use peanut butter because it is:

• Absolutely delicious (duh!)
• A great source of energy
• A good source of protein (25 g protein per ½ cup)
• Great source of healthy fat
• Helps make a creamy texture

It will also leave you feeling fuller longer, which is an important part of a smoothie for me.

Why Add Bananas To Smoothies?

And the all-powerful banana.  Ever wondered why bananas work so great in smoothies?  That's because they are:

• naturally fat-free
• high in potassium
• A great source of carbs
• A great source of natural sugar
• high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin A
• the perfect texture when blended, especially if frozen

Hate Bananas?  Read this post on alternatives to bananas in smoothies.

Can You Put Coffee Grounds into A Smoothie?

Yes, you can add ground coffee into your smoothie and it's totally ok (and even good for you!) to eat coffee grounds.  It's not only a great way to add extra flavor and texture into your smoothie, it'll also provide that added caffeine without needing to brew any coffee.  Plus, you get the full benefit of coffee beans without having it be diluted in the brewing process. 

That being said, we ALSO add chilled brewed coffee because we want to maximize the coffee flavor in this coffee smoothie. BONUS: coffee grounds contain antioxidants, which is an added bonus for your smoothie.

Just make sure you're using un-brewed ground coffee for your ground coffee in this smoothie.  If the coffee grounds are already brewed, they will lack flavor and caffeine, which are the two main reasons to be adding the grounds into your coffee to begin with!

NOTE: We are talking about ground coffee here, NOT instant coffee.  While you could use instant coffee, that is not how this recipe is intended.

Want A Decaf Coffee Smoothie?

Just use decaffeinated ground coffee and decaffeinated brewed coffee, and you'll easily make your coffee smoothie a decaf.  This is a great option if you're trying to avoid caffeine or you want to enjoy this as an evening snack, but still want to sleep.

What Type of Coffee Should I Add To My Smoothie?

Now that we've discussed whether or not coffee grounds are okay to eat, the next question is what type of coffee is best for smoothies?  This question is pretty variable, depending on your tastes and coffee preferences.  In general, the better quality coffee grounds, the better taste you'll have in your smoothie.

KEEP IN MIND: If you buy the cheapest beans you can find, the chances are higher you’ll be consuming pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers. Look for high-quality coffee beans.

How To Make This Coffee Smoothie Ahead Of Time

It’s not hard to make smoothies in the morning, but the process can be even easier if you want to plan ahead. Here's how to make this coffee smoothie in a freezer pack:

• Add the ground coffee, banana, vanilla extract, and peanut butter to a sealable freezer-safe bag (I love these re-usable storage bags or mason jars).
• Press the air out of the bag.
• Place the bag in the freezer.

When you crave a coffee smoothie in the morning, all you have to do is to add almond milk followed by the frozen ingredients to your blender.

This also means your breakfast drink will be ready in 2 minutes now.  You can see all about smoothie freezer packs here.

OR if you wanted to blend everything fully ahead, you can pour it into a mason jar, and freeze.  Then, grab it the night before and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.  When you wake up, it'll be ready to grab and enjoy.

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Are you developing a strong sense that healthy breakfast smoothies are the way to go during busy mornings? Good. I’m glad to hear it. Here are some other great healthy smoothie recipes: