How Many Calories Are in a Banana Smoothie?

Smoothies bars and shops are popping up all over the globe as fast as you can say the words these days. They can also be found in gyms, coffee houses and school lunch lines as well. One of the mainstays of smoothies seems to be the presence of bananas. They add a dynamic that is nutritious, delicious and satisfying. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Features

Let's first talk about the banana itself. It weighs in at about 120 calories on average. So every time you order a smoothie and add a banana you can expect 120 additional calories. I think it is important for you to know this number if you are trying to create a calorie-specific smoothie at your favorite shop or smoothie bar.

Function

Another great thing about adding bananas to smoothies is the fact that they add bulk and consistency. This makes them thicker and more fun to eat. If you go with frozen bananas it's even better. You can actually eat them with a spoon for a certain period of time.

Significance

There are some very important considerations when figuring the caloric content of a banana smoothie. One of these is the base liquid being used. It can be whole milk, skim milk, soy milk, orange juice, fruit juice or plain water. Every one of these will have different caloric contents (the following calcuations are based on eight-ounces):
Whole milk - about 150 calories
Two percent reduced fat milk - about 120 calories
Skim milk - about 95 calories
Soy milk (plain or vanilla) - about 100 calories
Orange juice - about 110 calories
Fruit juice - about 140 calories

Significance

Now let's look at the additions to the smoothies. These consist of peanut butter, other fruits, frozen yogurt, ice cream, sorbet, honey and protein powder.

Peanut butter - about 100 calories per tbsp.
Frozen fruit - Strawberries/Raspberries/Pineapple - about 50 calories per half cup.
Frozen yogurt - about 110 calories per half cup
Ice cream - about 150 calories per scoop
Sorbet - about 160 calories per scoop
Honey - about 60 calories per tbsp.
Protein powder (plain) - about 105 calories per scoop. Flavored is usually about 120.

Expert Insight

As you can see, there are a lot of factors governing the amount of calories in a banana smoothie. They range from as 300 to 750 calories. To make things easier for you, here is a basic banana smoothie recipe:

1 banana -120 calories.
12 oz of vanilla soy milk - 150 calories.
1 tbsp of peanut butter - 100 calories.
1 tbsp of honey - 60 calories.

Total = 430 calories.