My niece Kylie cringed at our dairy-free diet when she first came to live with us, but she adapted rather quickly. One of her favorite treats was this banana orange strawberry smoothie. It’s a no added sugar blend that’s naturally sweet, particularly when the berries are in season, like now!
Kids Can Customize this Banana Orange Strawberry Smoothie
I originally shared this recipe back in 2007. Since then, Kylie has tried it countless ways, and helped me update it with this list of ingredient tips. I’ve also added nutrition facts and options.
The Best Milk Alternative
To my surprise, Kylie really liked this banana orange strawberry smoothie with hemp milk. She also gave almond milk the thumbs up, but rice milk didn’t go over as well. It wasn’t rich enough for her tastes, and added a little bitterness. For the nutrition facts below, we used unsweetened almond milk.
Make it Creamier
As mentioned in the recipe, you can use a frozen banana, broken into chunks. You can also swap in coconut milk (lite or full fat) for the milk beverage. The latter suggestion will add a coconut vibe to the flavor. This will add fat and calories to the smoothie.
Use In Season Berries
Right now is the perfect time to enjoy this banana orange strawberry smoothie, as strawberries are just hitting their stride. This strawberry orange banana smoothie is still good with less sweet berries, but it truly shines when they are ripe and juicy. We usually make this smoothie without blueberries, since I don’t always have them on hand. But Kylie insists that they make it better. We think summer raspberries would also be delicious.
Ripe Bananas are Key, but Not Too Ripe
Your banana should be ripe with no green remaining. It can range from all yellow (mildly sweet) to spotted (quite sweet). But both of us didn’t like this smoothie with overly ripe bananas. Save those for dairy-free banana bread!
No Juicing is Required
Kylie peels the orange, but then then just throws the sections in. You don’t need to peel the individual sections or juice them. But if you want a very smooth finish, I would juice the orange instead.
Special Diet Notes: Banana Orange Strawberry Smoothie
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, plant-based, paleo-friendly, added sugar-free, and vegetarian.
- 1 medium banana
- ½ medium orange, peeled and sectioned
- 6 large strawberries, hulled
- ¼ cup blueberries (optional)
- ¼ cup dairy-free milk beverage
- Ice (optional)
- Put the banana, orange, strawberries, blueberries (if using), and milk beverage in your smoothie and puree until smooth.
- Add ice, for a frostier treat, and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy.
For More of My Kid-Friendly Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
