This Banana Chai Smoothie is a creamy, filling and loaded with delicious chai spices. It's like having a milkshake for breakfast!
One of the things I love about food blogging is that it's rarely a one-sided conversation. There's a lot of back-and-forth and I always appreciate when people share their ideas with me in comments and emails. When I published my recipe for Mexican Chocolate Breakfast Shakes, a lot of the feedback I got went something like this:
"Can I add protein powder to this?"
"I think I would add protein powder to this."
"Have you tried putting protein powder in this?"
And many of the people pinning the recipe on Pinterest said the same thing. I've never bought protein powder, but I figured if everyone else was doing it, it must be a good idea, so when I first tested this Banana Chai Smoothie recipe, I added some protein powder to it.
But, like our moms always tell us, just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean that we should do it too. Because the protein powder? Was gross. Sorry, guys. You can add protein powder to this recipe if you want to, but it's just not for me. What am I missing?! It's bitter. So terribly, terribly bitter.
Despite the lack of protein powder, this recipe does still have protein from almond milk. And it also has the delicious flavors of chai - in shake form!
This quick and easy breakfast shake will fuel you for the long-haul. When you start the day with a breakfast shake like this, you're not going to get the mid-morning hungries.
More Tasty Recipes
If you love this Banana Chai Smoothie, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
- 20 Healthy Green Smoothie Recipes
- Pina Colada Breakfast Shake
- Strawberry and Banana Vegan Smoothie Bowl
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup brewed black tea, cooled
- ½ cup vanilla almond milk, or any other kind of milk
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- very small dash of cloves
- 1 medium banana, frozen overnight
- agave nectar, optional, for sweetening
Instructions
- Combine tea, milk, oats, cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, and cloves in a resealable bowl. Stir together and refrigerate overnight. (If you do not want to soak the oats overnight, see the notes for a shortcut!)
- In the morning, add banana and oat mixture to food processor or blender and process until smooth and well-combined. Add additional ginger and cardamom and sweetener if desired. (I've found that the amount of spice I add depends on the size of the banana that I'm using--start out with a smaller amount and add more if you need to.)
Candace says
I'm a sucker for anything and everything chai. This looks soooo good. I think it will have to be dessert for me though as I can't seem to get away from the Mango overnight oats. I'm still eating them almost every day and I'm still not sick of them.
Kiersten says
I would be making the mango overnight oats more often if I could reliably find good mangoes. They are so hit-or-miss lately! So these past few weeks, it's been mostly breakfast shakes for me. 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
This sounds so lovely and gourmet! I love drinks/shakes/smoothies for breakfast but always worry they won't keep me full enough. I think you have to buy the flavored protein powder for it to not be as bad and then (at least the ones I've tried) it still has an aftertaste.
Kiersten says
I'm the same way--I love smoothies for breakfast, but the fruit alone just isn't enough to keep me going. I always want a mid-morning snack! The oatmeal in this really helps to make it more substantive.
afracooking says
What a fabulous recipe! I must try it!
Maria says
I am so glad to finally have somebody say that. If a recipe is posted there is always someone that wants to add, take-out or make some change to it. Thank you!!!!!!
Kiersten says
Ha! Well, I like getting feedback and suggestions on my recipes and I've gotten some good ideas from my readers, so it really doesn't bother me. But what does bother me is when it's less of a suggestion and more of a criticism!
Naomi says
Try whey protein by body fortress- they have chocolate and vanilla flavors. I usually only use half of the amount it calls for. There's not too much of an aftertaste when you mix in all the other flavors. Looks yummy!
Kiersten says
I will have to try that. 🙂 Even with all the stuff added to this, the dominant flavor when I tried it with protein powder was bitterness!
Jennifer says
Mmm lots of great ingredients in there. I love bananas and cinnamon
Cat Davis - Food Family Finds says
Okay I feel like a turd for asking but what exactly is chai and what does it taste like? I've heard of it but never really knew what it was.
Kiersten says
Ha! You are definitely not a turd. Chai is a spiced black tea. It has cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger & sometimes other spices in it and usually it's brewed with milk.
RJ says
This looks so yummy!!
Ali says
Query: Could you use chai tea (bags) in place of black tea + spices? Im just curious...and lazy!
Kiersten says
Yes! The only difference is that the chai flavor is less intense because it gets diluted with the addition of the banana and milk. So make sure you brew it very strong. 🙂
HilLesha says
Looks really good!
Mandi says
This just LOOKS yum! Those straws are adorable too!
Kiersten says
Thank you! And the straws are from Isakay Boutique on Etsy. They have lots of super cute straws, cupcake liners, etc. 🙂
Mandi says
Awesome! I'm off to go take a peek!
Anna says
Sounds so yummy. Can't wait to try it.
isabella says
WOW. i'm drinking this one as i write. delicious! however i didn't have any oats at home, so i used ground flax seeds instead and some vanilla protein instead of the vanilla milk which i also did not have. But the idea behind this smoothie is great great great!!! Thank you!!
Kiersten says
Thanks for letting me know! I'm going to have to try this with flax seeds. 🙂
Anamika@madcookingfusions says
Hey...I just saw this picture on Foodgawker and couldn’t stop appreciating the clicks!! The recipe sounds too good, I havent tried chai ever this way.Got to give it a try this weekend. Will keep coming back again and again!
Kiersten says
Thanks for the kind words! I hope you like it if you make it. 😀
Emily says
Loved this! I made my own almond milk (easy!) using directions from pureebba.com, and I used another trick that Ebba uses in lots of her recipes which is to sweeten with dates--I put one dried date in the liquid/oat mixture to soak overnight and blended with everything else. Turned out pretty yummy! (I also just mixed the ingredients right in my blender canister to skip a step and an extra dish:)
Kiersten says
Thanks for letting me know--I'm so glad you liked it! I've been wanting to make my own almond milk too. 🙂 And I love your idea of combining everything in the blender canister overnight.
Beth says
Hey, just made this today with a friend. It was super bitter, like there was too much cinnamon? I doubled the recipe, so it was a full teaspoon of cinnamon, ginger and cardamom, and a dash of clove. The only other difference was I used regular almond milk instead of Vanilla.
I ended up adding a touch of vanilla extract, 2 more bananas, MORE agave, and finally...some vanilla ice cream, lol. 🙂
Do you have any suggestions? Do you normally do the 1/2 tsp of spices, or the 1/4 tsp? How much Agave do you put in? I felt like it was a ton, but it didn't help. Also, what brand of black tea do you use? Thanks so much! I love chai stuff, so I'd like to figure this drink out without the ice cream (even though it was delish!) 😉
Kiersten says
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. It probably wasn't the cinnamon; I'm guessing it was the ginger, cardamom, and/or cloves. When testing this recipe, I found that the result would be a little bit bitter if I used too much of any of those spices. But then there were times when more was better--like I said in the recipe, it's hard to say the exact amount that works since bananas vary in size (which can skew all the proportions!), so I start out with 1/4 teaspoon of the ginger and cardamom, taste it, and then add more if needed. And I always do just a pinch of cloves because a little goes a long way! I've used a few different brands of tea (most recently Tazo's Awake) and most of the time, I add maybe 2 teaspoons of honey.
But even if you did put a little too much of the spices in, I can't imagine how it ended up so bitter that you needed to add so many other things to make it edible! I test my recipes multiple times before posting them and I've heard from other people who've made this and liked it. I feel bad that it didn't turn out when you made it! 🙁
Beth says
Thanks for the speedy response! I will try it tomorrow and see if it turns out this time! 🙂
Kiersten says
Crossing my fingers! You totally triggered my OCD with this and I'm making it again tomorrow too. 😉
Brenda says
Tried thiis overnight and am drinking it now - WONDERFUL!!! Someone posted this on Pinterest - it's a keeper on my "Drinks" board 🙂
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! So glad to hear you like it! Thanks for letting me know. 😀
Barb says
I can't wait to try this. I figured out the weight watchers plus points and it comes out to 8 per serving.
Kiersten says
I'm on WW too. 🙂 And while this is a little high in points, it keeps me so full that I don't need anything else to eat until lunchtime.
Cata says
I loved this shake! I recently started drinking shakes for breakfast and this one is definitely a keeper! The second time I made it I also added a handful of spinach and all the wonderful flavors masked the veggies! Thank you Kiersten!
Kiersten says
I was thinking of adding spinach or kale to my breakfast shakes! But I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Now I'm really going to have to give it a try--thanks for letting me know!
Kara says
I made this up the other day, and the first time i tried the shake and directed and it turned out great! I did use instant oats, thought. On the second time around, I used Stash Chai Black Tea, and it tasted just as good! It took less steps i.e. digging through my cupboard looking for all the spices. I think the Stash Chai Black Tea would be a good idea for anyone! Especially when it can be cheaper than going out and buying certain spices if you dont have them!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you liked it! I definitely like it better with the individual spices, but a strongly brewed chai works too! 🙂
Marloes says
Great recipe! You can put in an egg for more fuel. An egg will do a lot for structure too! Will be more like custard!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Heather says
I used to hate protein powder every time I tried it. I think I was trying all the wrong ones. I use one called Tera's Whey, which is an organic whey protein that has stevia rather than sugar or other sweeteners. I love it. I used to get the blueberry, but they reformulated and now it's got double the sugar it used (probably from more blueberries in the mix, but still). The plain and cocoa versions are lower in sugar and if you're mixing the plain with something that has a flavor, I doubt you'd notice it. If you ever get the courage up to try it again. Give this one a go.
Kiersten says
I will have to look for that one! My main complaint about the one I bought was that it was incredibly bitter--not enjoyable at all. Thanks for the tip!
Jenn @therebelchick says
I think that you could actually have this for a meal, it sounds so filling!
Kiersten says
I usually have it for breakfast, but I have had it for lunch too. It really is filling!
Amy says
I am working on different ways and options that fit my nutrition plan, so I tried this shake. OMGosh! It was the easiest, fastest, and most important tastiest I've come across!! I am so adding this as my morning meal, it cut so much time to my morning routine that I'm excited! 🙂 I did add a protein powder, I used a vanilla egg protein...it worked very well and didn't have a weird after taste. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for blogging! These resources are gold to my success! Grateful!!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'll have to look for that vanilla egg protein. I have trouble finding protein powders that I find palatable!