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Medically Reviewed
Unfold Today articles that require additional medical expertise are reviewed by a qualified member of our Expert Review Network, a group inside Unfold Today's team that verifies content to guarantee that the information delivered to our readers is thorough, authoritative, accurate, and fact-based.
Iulia Serban, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life.
Making a high-calorie peanut butter banana smoothie that's suitable for weight gain diets is easy since bananas are calorie-dense fruits while peanut butter counts among the nut butters with the most calories.
Yet, you can ruin the taste of your smoothie by messing up the ingredient ratio. To explain, because peanut butter and bananas are two ingredients with intense flavors, one of them can easily overpower the other, changing the smoothie's final aroma.
Luckily, given we've created many high-calorie smoothies, and built a guide for creating weight gain smoothies from scratch, we have the tools and knowledge to create a recipe that hits the "sweet spot" every time.
Besides, to make following the recipe easy and enjoyable, we attached pictures illustrating the most important steps. Moreover, we got registered dietitian Iulia Serban to review the recipe for healthiness.
Smoothie's calories
Our classic High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie yields one serving of 683 calories.
If you require additional calories, however, you can adjust ingredient quantities by following these guidelines:
Ready? Let's explore the recipe.
To make the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, you need three pieces of kitchen equipment:
Each ingredient in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie is intentional, meaning that it was included in the recipe for a reason.
First of all, bananas are the main ingredient because our smoothie needs to be partly based on bananas to get the flavor we're looking for.
Secondly, peanut butter complements the banana flavor and boosts the total calories of the smoothie.
Next, whey protein powder ensures the smoothie has enough proteins to be efficient at building muscle.
Moving on, honey brings a plus of calories and added sweetness.
Furthermore, whole milk improves the creaminess of the smoothie while leveraging calories.
Lastly, water is in the recipe to thin out the consistency of the smoothie.
In case you're vegan, on a dairy-free diet, or allergic to nuts, you need to substitute some of the ingredients in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie to make it fit your diet.
For vegans and dairy-free diets:
For nut allergies:
Peel and break (or cut with a knife) the bananas so they will fit in your blender.
Think whether all the ingredients will fit inside your blender.
If you use a small blender with a capacity of less than 800 ml (27 fl oz), break the ingredients into two or more identical portions, then follow the next instructions for each of them individually.
Add the ingredients to the blender making sure whole milk and water end up at its bottom.
If you own a blender with an ingredient recipient that installs upside down on the blender, always add the whole milk and water lastly. This way, the blades will work smoothly without clogging in other ingredients.
Blend the ingredients until the smoothie develops a fine texture (about 30-60 seconds).
If you own a less powerful blender, you may need to mix the ingredients for longer than 1 minute. Still, to prevent overheating your blender, abide by the recommended blending duration in your blender's manual.
Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shaker bottle, and serve.
You're done!
In terms of taste, the smoothie has a silky texture with a flavor that flawlessly blends the aroma of peanut butter and bananas while having just the right amount of sweetness.
As a rule of thumb, although we recommend drinking the smoothie right after blending it to have the best experience, you can safely store it in the fridge for about a day. Alternatively, if you need the smoothie for a later date, you can freeze it.
Out of the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie's 683 calories, 47% come from carbohydrates, 30% from fats, and 23% from protein.
Consequently, this smoothie is a large source of energizing carbohydrates that also delivers a substantial amount of fats and a high number of proteins, which aid in building muscle.
To go in more depth, let's explore how each ingredient contributes to the smoothie's overall nutrition facts.
Source: FoodData Central - Raw bananas.[1]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The bananas bring 64% of the carbs in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Creamy peanut butter.[2]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Peanut butter brings 69% of the total fats in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie. Also, PB is responsible for 20% of the smoothie's proteins.
Source: FoodData Central - Whey-based protein powder.[3]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
The whey protein powder brings 58% of the total proteins in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Honey.[4]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Honey, which counts among the high-calorie snacks, is responsible for 14% of the total carbs in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
Source: FoodData Central - Whole milk.[5]
Name: FoodData Central
Type: food database
Operated by: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Characteristics:
Whole milk brings 26% of the total fats in the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
Our High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie is packed with health benefits, from gaining weight and building muscle to improving cardiovascular and eye health.
Explore 9 of the smoothie's benefits below.
One of the main benefits of adding the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie to your diet is that it can help you gain weight easier without filling up your stomach for a long time.
As proof of the smoothie's efficiency in developing body mass, according to the top of the best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the females who gain weight successfully drink smoothies.
For more facts, let's explore the two reasons why our smoothie makes gaining weight easier.
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie increases caloric intake significantly because it has 683 calories per serving. These calories will help you achieve a daily caloric surplus, the essential condition for gaining weight.
Besides leveraging total caloric intake, the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie helps you eat more throughout the day by satisfying your appetite only for short periods of time.
As evidence, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. They concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks that are less alike to food (e.g., water and milk) but less filling than solid foods.[6]
Name: A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks
Type: journal article
Published in: Nutrients (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: University of Bristol
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie can increase your capacity to build muscle because it has 40 g of proteins. Most of these proteins come from the whey protein powder in the smoothie's composition.
As scientific proof, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is sufficient to support muscle growth.[7]
Name: Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (peer-reviewed journal)
Since it has between 20 and 40 g of protein, the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie can serve as a replacement for pre-workout meals for muscle gain.
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie increases energy because it's full of carbs, most of which come from the bananas in the smoothie's composition.
After all, as stated in a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.[8]
Name: Carbohydrates as a source of energy
Type: journal article
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (peer-reviewed)
Made at: University of Lausanne
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie can strengthen bones because it contains whey protein powder, a source of calcium.
Since it contains 150 mg of calcium, this smoothie provides 15% of the daily recommended intake of calcium.
Our High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie can improve your digestion because one of its main ingredients are bananas, which contain plenty of dietary fiber.
A study on the dietary fiber of bananas at different stages of ripening showed that unripe bananas contain around 4 times more fiber than ripe bananas.[9]
Name: Dietary fiber, starch, and sugars in bananas at different stages of ripeness in the retail market
Type: journal article
Published in: PLOS ONE (peer-reviewed journal)
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana will load you with antioxidants, given that all of the smoothie's ingredients are sources of antioxidants.
Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.[10]
Name: Antioxidants: Molecules, medicines, and myths
Type: journal article
Published in: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (peer-reviewed journal)
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie is good for the heart because it lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, and regulates blood pressure.
More specifically, the ingredients that can regulate blood pressure in our smoothie are bananas and whey protein powder. Bananas contain potassium while whey protein contains bioactive peptides.
As scientific proof, a review of the effects of potassium says that potassium lowers blood pressure.[11]
Name: Beneficial Effects of High Potassium
Type: journal article
Published in: Hypertension (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: Medical College of Wisconsin
Regarding whey, a study exploring the effects of whey protein on the blood pressure of overweight and obese individuals found that whey protein improves blood pressure.[12]
Name: The chronic effects of whey proteins on blood pressure, vascular function, and inflammatory markers in overweight individuals
Type: journal article
Published in: Obesity (peer-reviewed journal)
Made at: Curtin University of Technology
Regarding whey, a study exploring the effects of whey protein on the blood pressure of overweight and obese individuals found that whey protein improves blood pressure.[12]
Furthermore, a JAMA study on the link between peanut consumption and mortality claims that peanuts, including the peanut butter in our smoothie's composition, can be a cost-effective way to improve cardiovascular health.[13]
Name: Prospective Evaluation of the Association of Nut/Peanut Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality
Type: journal article
Published in: JAMA Internal Medicine
The High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie improves eye health because bananas contain vitamin A.
A lack of vitamin A, according to a Brazilian scientific review of the link between vitamin A and eye health, can lead to numerous optic diseases.[14]
Name: Vitamin A and the eye: an old tale for modern times
Type: journal article
Published in: Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia
A financial benefit of adding the High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie to your diet is that it saves you money. The ingredients used to make the smoothie cost a total of just $1.7.
After all, the most important ingredients of the smoothie, bananas and peanut butter, count among the cheapest high-calorie foods.
For comparison, a 20 oz (600 ml) Peanut Power Plus smoothie costs around $7.89 at Smoothie King, which is 464% more expensive than our homemade smoothie.
To follow our High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie recipe in a compressed format, check the summary below.
If you decide to make this High-Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, let us know by taking a picture of the result and tagging it @unfoldtoday on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook.
Also, don't forget to leave a comment and a rating in the comment section found at the very end of this article.
And if you haven't already tried the recipe, we encourage you to do so and share the result with us.
Now, why don't you explore other smoothie recipes below?
In case you want to switch to a banana smoothie without peanut butter, try our High-Calorie Banana Smoothie.
Alternatively, if you want other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes,
And if you want to get creative, you can build your smoothie recipes for weight gain. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.
But, if by chance you get bored with smoothies...
Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes or other calorie-dense drinks.
Unfold Today has rigorous sourcing principles adhering to the top journalistic standards, so our writers always look for official, experienced, and first-hand sources. Read more about how we keep our content trustworthy and updated by reading our editorial process.
