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Vitamina de banana (Brazilian banana smoothie)

Banana blended with cold milk and a spoon of oats, Brazil's everyday kids' drink

In Brazil a smoothie is a vitamina, and vitamina de banana is what parents from São Paulo to Recife whizz up for breakfast or when children get home from school hungry. Ripe banana, cold milk and a spoonful of oats make a thick, naturally sweet drink that fills a gap until dinner, so no sugar is needed. It contains milk and gluten (oats, unless labelled gluten free). Chef's tip: use bananas with brown freckles on the skin; they are sweeter and blend creamier than green-tipped ones.
Total time
5 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
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Ingredients

Serves2
  • 2 ripe bananaspeeled and broken into pieces
  • 1 ½ cups cold milk
  • 2 tbsp rolled oats
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 4 ice cubes (optional)

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (2)

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Method

0/4 done
  1. Step 1: Put 2 tbsp rolled oats in the blender first with a splash of 1 ½ cups cold milk and blitz for 15 seconds, so they break down and don't leave a gritty texture, the most common complaint with oat smoothies.

  2. Step 2: Add 2 ripe bananas, the rest of the milk, 1 pinch ground cinnamon and 4 ice cubes, if using.

  3. Step 3: Blend on high for 30–40 seconds, until completely smooth and frothy on top.

    1 min
  4. Step 4: Pour into glasses and drink straight away; it turns grey and thick if left to stand.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
210 kcal
Protein
7 g
Carbs
34 g
Fat
6 g
Fibre
3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does vitamina de banana (Brazilian banana smoothie) take?
About 5 minutes in total.
How many people does it serve?
2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of ripe bananas?
Mango, same weight (in smoothies and shakes).
What can I use instead of cold milk?
Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).

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