Raspberry Banana Smoothie

5 from 3 votes

Implement your knowledge of smoothie basics with this simple and simply perfect raspberry banana smoothie. Vegan and refined sugar- and gluten-free.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Smoothies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: raspberry banana smoothie, smoothie basics

Servings:

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Place all ingredients (except cacao nibs, if using) into a regular or high-speed blender and blend until perfectly smooth.
Pour into a glass, garnish with cacao nibs if you like, and serve right away.

If using a regular blender, slice the frozen banana before adding it. If using a high-speed blender, you can just break it into two or three large pieces.
How thick or thin you like your smoothies is a highly personal decision. Feel free to add more or less water to suit your taste, as long as there's enough to satisfy your blender.
Maca is a Peruvian root vegetable long considered to increase virility. These days it's used as a superfood since it's jam-packed with micronutrients that can be lacking in the standard diet. It has a subtle, almost malt-like flavor that I enjoy in smoothies. It's 100% optional in this recipe.
Cacao nibs are also totally optional. They, too, are full of health-promoting micronutrients, and they add a subtle depth and earthiness to smoothies if you blend them in (and a nice crunch if you garnish with them). They're unsweetened and therefore quite bitter (like taking a bite of baking chocolate), so don't snack on them — but they work very well in combination with this and many other smoothies.
If you have leftovers, you can pour them into ice cube trays, freeze, transfer the cubes to a zip-top bag, and then re-blend them with a little more water or add to other smoothies.