Healthy Vanilla Avocado Milkshake - Creamy, thick, and delicious, this healthy vanilla milkshake is banana-free and made with just a few ingredients!
The food allergy that saddens me the most is banana.
No nice cream, no banana bread, no delicious and creamy banana-based smoothies...woe to me!
I really don't know what happened.
Throughout my youth, I ate bananas without problem, but now they are typically not my friend. I say 'typically' because there is the occasional day that I can sneak a few bites past the ol' immune system.
While it is a personal travesty, it certainly has inspired creativity in the kitchen. In particular, I've had to get creative with smoothies.
What are good substitutes for banana?
In my experience, the following foods are good replacements for bananas:
-Ripe pears: These add both creaminess and sweetness.
-Papaya: This tropical fruit adds thickness, a bit of sweetness, though papayas can be an acquired taste, and are great for digestion.
-Avocado: A very filling addition to smoothies, particularly because of their fat content; it's helpful to pair a scoop of avocado with some form of sweetness for a great banana replacement.
-Frozen milk cubes: I often freeze my Homemade Milks in an ice cube tray and add them to smoothies for body and 'frosty' factor.
-Pumpkin: A surprisingly neutral ingredient that pairs well with flavors like chocolate and cinnamon; pumpkin also adds body as in this delicious Healthy Chocolate Shake.
The story behind this milkshake actually has more to do with satisfying a personal craving, which is pretty much the impetus for all my recipes.
Chocolate shakes abound here on the blog, but I had yet to create a good vanilla one!
This has become a favorite around here with both me and my girls.
My daughters love to have it for breakfast with a handful of Buckwheat Granola on top, in true smoothie bowl fashion, just like their mama!
Healthy Vanilla Avocado Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk of your choice (we like hemp or coconut; see Notes for links)
- 1 avocado
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla powder (see Notes for link)
- 1 cup ice
- dash sea salt
Instructions
- Blend all until smooth and creamy.
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
For a sweeter shake, add a couple dashes of stevia or more honey as you desire.
We like to use my Homemade Coconut Milk or my Homemade Hemp Milk in this recipe.
This is the vanilla powder I like.
Some of the items I use to make this recipe include:
Natalie
Tastes like a real milkshake! My favorite, thank you so much.😘💕😋🥰😘😋💕😋😋😘💖💕😋p.s. Happy soon to be valentine's day!
Alice.
Hi Lauren! 🙂 Thanks for refreshing older recipes, I like this idea as it brings to me what I may have missed when browsing through your archives. I rarely comment in the recent times but I do read your posts and am always happy to see your newsletter in my inbox. As for the above post - have you ever thought that maybe there's something wrong with the bananas you get and not necessarily you? I used to think I was allergic to carrots, until I got organic ones and had no reaction to them. (And carrots are not on the Dirty Dozen list!) But maybe you do get organic bananas...? Thank you a lot for the summary of banana substitutions!! This is such a great list and so handy, I love it and really appreciate you sharing it!! Stay well and safe, warm regards, Alice 🙂
Lauren
Thanks, Alice! I have tried various bananas over the years from different stores, organic, non-organic, etc., and I haven't noticed much difference. The only thing for me is when my immune system calms down during various times I seem to tolerate them a little better. Thanks for the suggestion, though, it's good thinking on your part! 🙂
Veronica
Hocus Pocus is a classic and i adore vanilla milkshakes! You have great taste young lady! Especially in your treats.. I really enjoyed this recipe!
kimmythevegan
My favourite holiday too! So fun!!! We actually do a Halloween movie marathon for the month of October, it's pretty fun.
This shake sounds awesome!
Sammi
I love everything about this milkshake! And don't even get me started on the Hocus Pocus meme. LOL My kids have been firmly indoctrinated into the fall spirit with that movie. My favorite part is when the Master's Wife says to Sarah Jessica Parker "Now, tart face, take your Clark bars and get out of my house!". It cracks me up every time!
Lauren
Lol, thanks Sammi! Good reference, I always have the part where SJP says 'amok, amok, amok...' go through my head. Such a great movie!
Kim
Can't wait to try this! We make avocado chocolate shakes - don't know why I never thought of vanilla! Thanks for recipe!
Lauren
I hope you like it Kim! 🙂