Mocha Banana Breakfast Smoothie — and 9 More Smoothies to Start the Day Right

Mocha Banana Breakfast Smoothie — and 9 More Smoothies to Start the Day Right

To the novice, smoothies seem like the ultimate non-recipe — you just throw a bunch of stuff in the blender, right?! But, as any true smoothie aficionado will tell you, you need the just-right ratios to make it tasty, drinkable and satisfying.

As an eggs-bacon-and-coffee kind of girl, breakfast smoothies aren’t really my go-to. But I live with three rabid smoothie-hounds, which means, — not infrequently — I still need to break out the blender.

The problem is, if you don’t make a lot of smoothies, you don’t have that intuitive sense of proportion or balance. Invariably, when I try to make smoothies on the fly, they end up as what my kids call “goopies” (almost too thick to be drinkable) or worse, “gritties.” That’s why I’m always on the lookout for go-to recipes that take out all the guesswork. Here are a few winners!

Foxes Love Lemons created this Mocha Banana Breakfast Smoothie recipe because it was too hard, some mornings, to choose between coffee and a smoothie. So here, with the help of espresso powder, you get both — all in one. Unless you have a very unique parenting style, you'll want to leave the espresso out if you're serving kids.

Mocha Banana Breakfast Smoothie

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond milk (divided)
  • 1 banana (cut into chunks)
  • 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder
  • 1 cup ice

Soak the oats overnight in almond milk, then blend everything else together the next morning. Voila! That’s the magic of a breakfast smoothie. Want to boost it up a notch? Substitute chocolate protein powder for the cocoa powder for a substantial post-workout pick-me-up.

Orange Banana Breakfast Smoothie

I grew up going to Orange Julius at the mall, and while this recipe from Tried and Tasty isn’t exactly the same, it does make me nostalgic. Blend orange juice, vanilla Greek yogurt, a banana, and some ice cubes until smooth. It’s as easy as it gets.

Orange Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast Green Smoothie

It wouldn’t be a proper on-trend smoothie without some power greens. This recipe, from Everyday Easy Eats, uses a Greek yogurt base sweetened with pineapple and honey, then bumps up the nutrients with kale, spinach, and bananas. Make sure you use a powerful blender to get the right consistency. Like any smoothie recipe, you can use this as a base and add protein powder, ground flax seeds, or chia seeds to your liking.

Breakfast Green Smoothie

Breakfast Energy Smoothie

Frozen berries give this easy recipe it’s electric purple hue. But what takes the recipe from good to great is the extra dash of vanilla extract. “It really helps to bring out the flavors in the fruit,” writes Jenn at Deliciously Sprinkled.

Breakfast Energy Smoothie

Healthy Breakfast Smoothie

Homemade oat flour — which you can also make in your power blender — gives this smoothie from Freebie Finding Mom an extra bit of heft while remaining gluten free. The peanut butter and cocoa powder make the taste downright irresistible. Some people advise swapping one tablespoon of peanut butter for a cup or so of cold brew. Or use almond butter and you've got an almond smoothie!

Healthy Breakfast Smoothie

Good Morning Sunshine Smoothie

If you keep your freezer stocked with frozen bananas and bags of frozen berries or other fruits, the Good Morning Smoothie from Valerie’s Kitchen is a no-brainer. Plus, says Valerie, “Using frozen fruit is the key to making a smoothie with good texture.” Top it all off with fresh berries, and no one is the wiser.

Good Morning Sunshine Smoothie

Super Power Morning Smoothie

In this recipe, Nina Palmer at Eat Well 101 combines some popular heavy-hitters — kale, peanut butter, banana, and almond milk — for a pretty excellent base recipe. Some pro tips: use frozen bananas for thicker texture; use chunky peanut butter for some added crunch; swap peanut butter for almond butter; swap poppy seeds for chia.

Super Power Morning Smoothie

Superfood Detox Smoothie

Certain smoothie recipes forgo the frozen banana or Greek yogurt base completely — like this one, from Well and Full. It’s just pineapple, blueberries, grapefruit, and goji berries blended together for a really tart, extra-colorful breakfast treat — with more antioxidants than you can shake a straw at.

Superfood Detox Smoothie

Chia Matcha Overnight Breakfast Smoothie

Vegans love this recipe written as-is with dairy-free coconut yogurt, but you can substitute any type of yogurt you like — this recipe is super flexible. You can also replace the honey with maple syrup and fiddle with the amounts of sweetener, protein, or matcha powder. “The more matcha you use, the stronger the green tea taste; adjust accordingly,” says Lindsay Cotter at Cotter Crunch.

Chia Matcha Overnight Breakfast Smoothie

Avocado Kale Smoothie

Two cornerstones of clean eating — kale and avocado — together in one glass? Score. This recipe, from The Little Epicurean, was inspired by the green smoothie from Gjusta Bakery in Los Angeles — but costs a lot less. “Don’t omit the lime juice,” says Maryanne Cabrera. “This smoothie needs that pop of brightness.”

Avocado Kale Smoothie

Did you know there are over 22,000 smoothie recipes on Yummly? Try a search for even more breakfast smoothie inspiration!