Coffee Banana Breakfast Smoothie

Before you start

This smoothie puts your morning coffee and a filling breakfast into one cold drink. Frozen banana gives sweetness and a milkshake-like body, rolled oats make it more substantial, and Greek yogurt adds protein and a little tang that keeps it from tasting like coffee candy.

The coffee needs to be strong and cold. Hot coffee melts the banana into a thin, lukewarm drink, and weak coffee disappears behind the fruit. Use chilled cold brew concentrate, leftover drip coffee you refrigerated overnight, or coffee frozen in an ice cube tray. Frozen coffee cubes are the best option because they add flavor while chilling instead of diluting.

Ingredients

• 120 ml (½ cup) strong cold coffee or cold brew concentrate — or 6 to 8 frozen coffee cubes
• 1 medium frozen banana — sliced before freezing
• 20 g (¼ cup) rolled oats
• 120 g (½ cup) plain Greek yogurt
• 120 ml (½ cup) milk
• 1 tsp maple syrup or honey — optional
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 ice cubes — skip if using frozen coffee cubes

Method

1. Put the oats in the dry blender jar and pulse 5 or 6 times until they look like coarse flour. Grinding them first keeps the smoothie from having chewy flakes.
2. Add the milk, cold coffee, yogurt, cinnamon and sweetener. Blend on low for 10 seconds so the oats soften in the liquid.
3. Add the frozen banana and ice (or the frozen coffee cubes in place of both the liquid coffee and ice).
4. Blend on high for 40 to 60 seconds until creamy, with no banana lumps visible.
5. Taste. Add a splash of coffee for more kick or a teaspoon of sweetener if the coffee is bitter, then pulse to mix.
6. Pour into a glass and drink soon. Oats keep absorbing liquid, so the smoothie thickens as it sits.

Tips for success

• A very ripe banana with brown spots gives the most sweetness, which means you need little or no added syrup.
• Cold brew is smoother and less acidic than chilled drip coffee, which suits the yogurt better.
• For a café flavor, add a pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla extract.

Substitutions

Greek yogurt

Silken tofu or a plant-based yogurt keeps it creamy and dairy-free. Regular yogurt is thinner, so reduce the milk by 30 ml.

Rolled oats

Use 1 tbsp chia seeds or 1 tbsp almond butter for body. Quick oats work the same as rolled; steel-cut oats stay gritty.

Coffee

Two shots of espresso, chilled, give a sharper and stronger coffee flavor. Decaf works one-for-one for a caffeine-free version.

Variations

Mocha

Add 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and a little more sweetener.

Peanut butter coffee

Blend in 1 tbsp peanut butter for a richer, more filling glass.

Troubleshooting

Watery and not cold

The coffee was warm or the banana was not fully frozen. Chill the coffee first and freeze banana slices for at least 4 hours.

Gritty texture

The oats were added whole. Grind them dry before adding liquid, or soak them in the milk for 10 minutes.

Too bitter

Strong coffee and no sweet fruit. Use a riper banana, add a date or a teaspoon of maple syrup, or cut the coffee with more milk.

Storage

Drink within 30 minutes for the best texture. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 24 hours, but it will thicken; stir in a splash of milk. Frozen coffee cubes keep about 2 weeks in a sealed bag before tasting stale.

Safety notes

Contains caffeine. A 120 ml serving of strong coffee typically holds roughly 80 to 150 mg, and cold brew concentrate can hold more. The FDA cites 400 mg per day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults; sensitivity varies.