Homemade avocado smoothie

Avocado smoothies are not a Chinese recipe. They are a fusion drink that came into my kitchen after I moved to the US, and they now sit on my breakfast rotation next to the more traditional Chinese dishes I cook the rest of the week. The three ingredients I use cover creaminess, sweetness, and body without any added sugar or protein powder.

I’ll never forget the first time I made this smoothie. I needed something I could hold in one hand on a busy morning while my son ate his own breakfast at the table. These ingredients are staples in my house, so this smoothie quickly became part of our routine. I know it’s incredibly simple, but I promise it’s so nutritious and delicious that you’ll keep coming back to it.

Ripe avocado gives the drink a milkshake texture without dairy fat doing the work, and a frozen banana adds enough sweetness that I never add honey or syrup. My husband takes his to the car when he is running late for work, and my son drinks half of a small cup, so if you have kids, I highly recommend giving this smoothie a try.

Best part? I make it in one pass with a standard blender. Yes, that’s all you need. I cube the avocado, drop in the frozen banana pieces, pour the milk over the top, and blend until the drink is smooth and pourable. It takes only 5 minutes start to finish, and my recipe below walks you through the ripeness cues, blending order, and thickness adjustments I use so the smoothie turns out consistent every time. Enjoy it!

Why Avocado?

Avocados are often referred to as a superfood, and for good reason. They’re rich in healthy fats, particularly monounsaturated fats, which are known to support heart health. Additionally, avocados are packed with vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin K, vitamin E, and B vitamins. The creamy texture of avocado blends beautifully into smoothies, adding a luscious consistency that’s hard to achieve with other ingredients.

Avocado smoothie close up

Ingredients

Three ingredients are all you need, and the balance depends on how ripe the fruit is. I keep the ratios flexible because avocado size and banana sweetness naturally vary from week to week.

Ingredients for making avocado smoothie

Avocado: I use a ripe Hass avocado for the base and I check the skin color, which should be very dark, almost black. When I press the fruit lightly with my thumb, the flesh should give a little without turning to mush.

Frozen banana: I peel and chop a ripe banana ahead of time and freeze the pieces in a zip top bag. Frozen banana pulls double duty here because it thickens the smoothie and sweetens it without any added sugar, which is why I never go for honey or syrup.

Milk: I use whole dairy milk when I want a richer drink and oat or almond milk when I want the smoothie to lean lighter. Cold milk straight from the fridge blends better than room temperature milk because the drink stays cool while the blades work, and I start with a little less than I think I need so I can adjust the thickness as the blender runs.

How to Make

1. Prep the avocado: Cut the avocado in half around the pit with a paring knife. Twist the halves apart, lift the pit out with the tip of your knife, and scoop the flesh into a small bowl. Cube the flesh into small pieces so the blender pulls the fruit in without stalling.

2. Load the blender: Add the cubed avocado, the frozen banana pieces, and most of the milk to the blender jar. Hold back a splash of milk so I can adjust the thickness at the end.

chopped bananas in a blender

3. Blend: Run the blender on medium until the mixture starts to move, then push to high and blend until the smoothie is fully smooth and no green flecks show. If the blender stalls, add the reserved milk a splash at a time until the blades catch again.

all ingredients blended

4. Serve: Pour into two chilled glasses and drink right away. The smoothie thickens as it sits, so I do not blend it in advance.

avocado banana smoothie

My Cooking Tips

Check ripeness before you cube: I pull the stem cap off before I cut. Green flesh underneath means the avocado is ripe and mild, brown flesh means it is past the point I want for a smoothie.

Freeze the banana pieces flat first: I spread the banana pieces on a plate in a single layer and freeze them uncovered before I move them into a zip top bag. This keeps the pieces separate in the freezer so I can grab exactly the amount I want without prying frozen fruit apart.

Start with less milk than you think you need: A thick smoothie is easy to thin out but a thin smoothie is hard to fix. I hold back a splash of milk in the measuring cup and add it during blending only if the drink is not moving.

Give the blender room to work: If the blender is not high powered, I turn it on with just the avocado and half the milk to break down the fruit, then add the frozen banana with the rest of the milk. The banana blends more easily this way and the blades do not choke on ice-hard pieces.

Add-ons stay on the side: I keep the base drink to 3 ingredients and add extras on the finished pour. A small spoon of cocoa powder, a handful of spinach, or a few frozen berries all work, but I stir them in glass by glass so my husband and I can each customize our own.

How to Serve

I usually drink this straight from the blender jar as a fast breakfast on a weekday morning. I pour a tall glass for myself and a smaller one in a spill-proof cup for my son, who is still learning to hold a full glass steady.

For more healthy breakfast ideas, check out my zucchini pancakes and steamed egg with minced pork, one is packed with vegetables and the later one is packed with protein. For more drinks recipes, make Chinese jujube tea if you crave something warm instead of cold. And if you’re looking for something fun, whip up a matcha boba tea as a weekend treat.

Frequently Ask Questions

Can I use fresh banana instead of frozen?

Fresh banana works but the smoothie will be warmer than I want it, so I usually add a few ice cubes to the blender to make the drink cold. Freezing the banana ahead of time is the single change that makes the biggest difference for me, so I keep a bag of pre-sliced banana pieces in the freezer at all times.

The smoothie tastes grassy, what went wrong?

An underripe avocado is almost always the reason. The flesh should be soft enough that a paring knife slides through it without pressure, and the skin should be very dark. A slightly overripe banana helps cover a marginal avocado, but a firm avocado is the one variable I cannot fix at the blender.

How long does the smoothie keep in the fridge and freezer?

The smoothie is at its best right out of the blender, but I have kept leftovers in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 day. I do not recommend longer than that because the avocado starts to oxidize and the drink turns dull green under the surface.

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Homemade avocado smoothie

Avocado Smoothie Recipe

By Maggie Zhu
4.76 from 29 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Print
My easy avocado smoothie is a creamy 3 ingredient drink I blend from ripe avocado, frozen banana, and milk. I have it ready in 5 minutes and it's thick enough to drink through a wide straw or spoon out of a glass.

Ingredients 

  • 1 Avocado , cubed
  • 2 frozen banana , chopped
  • 1 2/3 cups milk , or plant-milk (Footnote 1)

Instructions

  • Combine avocado, banana and milk in a blender. Blend until smooth.
  • Serve immediately.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. Depending on the size of the avocado you use, you might want to adjust the amount of milk. Pour in a bit more milk if the smoothie is too thick to your taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 293kcal, Carbohydrates: 37.1g, Protein: 8.7g, Fat: 14.3g, Saturated Fat: 4.7g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 717mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 21.7g, Calcium: 253mg, Iron: 1mg

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