Strawberry Banana Matcha Smoothie
Sweet and pretty, you’ll love sipping on this Strawberry Matcha Smoothie. With rich flavor, creamy texture, and a delightful matcha green tea swirl, it makes a fun and vibrant breakfast or snack.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Blender
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
One year during cherry blossom season in the Washington, DC area, Starbucks was offering the Cherry Blossom Frappuccino. It was described as a Strawberry Frappuccino with a white chocolate and matcha green tea syrup swirl. I decided to turn that sugar, frosty drink (that is no longer available anyway) into a lighter copycat Strawberry Matcha Smoothie.
It starts with a basic strawberry smoothie that gets a bit of a richer flavor from a splash of vanilla extract. But what gives it that extra something special is a sweet matcha swirl made with pureed bananas and milk (along with some spinach for good measure). The combination of bright berries with grassy green tea gives it a fresh and vibrant flavor that is sure to put a little spring in your step.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Matcha Smoothie
- Better than Starbucks. Nevermind that you can’t even get it at Starbucks anymore, this version has all the great flavors, but it’s made with fresh fruit instead of a bunch of syrups.
- Customizable. I add protein powder and some leafy greens to my strawberry matcha smoothie, but you can easily swap or add mix-ins to meet your personal needs.
- Fancy or simple. The swirl of green through the light pink smoothie is just so pretty that it makes it even more fun to drink. But you can easily just toss all the ingredients in the blender at once, and it’ll still taste amazing.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to blend up this strawberry matcha smoothie, plus helpful info and some quick tips. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full amounts and complete instructions.
For the strawberry smoothie
- Cottage cheese. Believe it or not, this is my favorite way to add creaminess to a smoothie, as it blends up super smooth and rich. But you can use plain Greek yogurt if you prefer. Also, feel free to use a plant-based yogurt for a dairy free option.
- Almond milk. Or your preferred dairy or nondairy milk.
- Vanilla extract.
- Chia seeds. You can leave these out, but they do help thicken the smoothie nicely.
- Protein powder. I will usually use a plain collagen or whey protein powder. But you can use any you like, even a vanilla one, and then you can omit the vanilla extract and any additional sweetener.
- Frozen strawberries.
- Honey, sugar, or other sweetener. Sweeten to taste, depending on the sweetness of your berries and whether your protein powder has sweetener.
For the matcha swirl
- Baby spinach. I like to add spinach because it amps up the green color, but you can leave it out or use another leafy green.
- Frozen banana. Cut into chunks
- Matcha green tea powder.
- Almond milk. As mentioned before, you can use any milk you prefer.
Quick Tips
- Adjust as needed. This recipe makes two snack-size smoothies. If you are looking for a meal replacement, enjoy the entire thing. Or cut the ingredients in half if you only need one smaller smoothie.
- Customize your mix-ins. You can skip or swap the protein powder, use flax or hemp seeds instead of the chia, add creatine, add more greens, or use whatever meets your particular needs.
- Skip the swirl. If you don’t want to fuss with making two separate blends to give it the pink and green swirl, just toss all of the ingredients in the blender at once. It may not look as pretty, but it’ll still taste delicious.
Strawberry Matcha Smoothie
Ingredients
For the strawberry smoothie:
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup almond milk or your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 scoop protein powder (unflavored or vanilla, if using vanilla, omit vanilla extract and additional sweetener)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup ice cubes (more or less depending on desired texture)
- honey sugar, or other sweetener, to taste
For the matcha swirl:
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 frozen banana , cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
- 1/2 cup almond milk or your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Combine 1/2 cup cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon chia seeds, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup ice cubes, and honey sugar, or other sweetener, to taste in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Using about two-thirds of the smoothie mixture, divide between two glasses and set the remaining smoothie aside (in a separate cup if you do not have two blender containers).
- Combine 1 cup baby spinach, 1 frozen banana, 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder, and 1/2 cup almond milk in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Using about half for each smoothie, pour the matcha swirl mixture down the sides of the glass.
- Divide the remaining strawberry smoothie mixture between the glasses. Enjoy right away!
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