Blue Banana Flat Stomach Smoothie

This blue banana flat stomach smoothie helps to reset the digestive tract and reduce inflammation—get rid of bloating quickly with only 5 simple ingredients! Vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free.

Why You’ll Love This Smoothie

• De-bloats and soothes digestion
• Thick and creamy texture
• High in fibre

This banana flat stomach smoothie is not only pretty, but also very healthy. It’s rich in fibre, nutrients, antioxidants and requires only a handful of simple ingredients. The flavour is naturally sweet with a hint of nuttiness from hemp seeds, and the blue shade comes from spirulina powder. But don’t worry, this yummy drink has no algae taste to it whatsoever.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae which is mainly made of phycocyanin. This antioxidant gives spirulina its vibrant blue colour and strong anti-inflammatory effects. High antioxidant foods like spirulina help to reduce oxidative stress, which is what leads to chronic diseases. Antioxidants neutralize free radical cells and prevent further damage. Reducing overall inflammation in the body improves digestion, skin conditions and weight loss efforts.

The base of this smoothie is made of bananas, which is a potassium rich fruit. Potassium regulates sodium levels to prevent water retention (aka bloating). Combining spirulina with fibre rich fruits helps to reset the digestive tract and reduce overall puffy-ness.

Ingredients Needed

These are the ingredients you will need to make this blue banana flat stomach smoothie.

Blue spirulina powder: Choose a high quality spirulina powder to ensure it has no ‘fishy’ algae taste.

Hemp seeds: The hulled kind will produce the smoothest blend.

Green apple: Leave the peel on but remove any seeds.

Frozen bananas: Creates the thick, creamy base of the smoothie and adds sweetness.

Oat milk: The liquid that brings all of the other ingredients together to blend smoothly and adds a creamy consistency.

For ingredient amounts and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Benefits

Hydrating

Staying properly hydrated is a basic requirement for optimal health. By incorporating daily smoothies you can maintain your ideal hydration level more easily. Start each morning with a smoothie for easy hydration!

High fibre

Easily get more fibre in your every day diet! In addition to being generally healthy, getting enough fibre can be extremely helpful for weight loss as it helps keep you feeling full for longer, without adding calories. Fibre also helps improve our gut health.

Nutrient dense

Vegan smoothies are a great way to get more nutrient rich foods in each day. By blending them into a single meal, it’s super quick, easy and fun! Choose ingredients like dark leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds and fruits to make your smoothies nutrient rich.

Variations

Try an alternative plant milk

This recipe uses oat milk but you can try using any plant based milk you prefer. Some alternatives include soy, almond or cashew. You can also make your own plant milk from scratch in a blender.

Intensify the blue

For even more vibrance, try adding up to 3 tsp of blue spirulina powder to this recipe. Adding even a small amount of powder will produce this intense blue shade, but if a lot is used it becomes amazingly vibrant. Add some pink pitaya powder as well if you want a beautiful purple smoothie.

Make it thicker

To make this recipe thicker simply add more frozen banana (or even mango, pineapple or peaches). Try doubling the amount of frozen fruit. Make sure to keep the amount of liquid the same, otherwise it defeats the purpose and it won’t be any thicker! Adding more frozen fruit will also increase the amount of fibre.

Instructions 

• Add all ingredients to blender.

• Start blending at low speed for 5-10 seconds. Increase to high speed and blend for 1-2 minutes. Use the blender tamper to push ingredients down towards the blades.

• Pour into a glass and serve your blue banana flat stomach smoothie.

Prep & Blending

Freeze fruit ahead

Cut up your favourite and smoothie essential fruits to freeze and have on hand. By keeping frozen fruit available, a quick smoothie is only ever 5 minutes away! You can make smoothies without frozen fruit and just use fresh fruit if you prefer. But the cool, thick and creamy consistency of most recipes comes from a base of frozen fruit like banana, mango, pineapple, strawberries, etc.

Add ingredients in the correct order

Always add liquid ingredients to your blender first. Then add powders, nut butters, nuts and seeds. Then add fresh greens and fresh fruit. Finally add your solid ingredients like frozen fruit. If using a small blender container with a twist on lid, reverse the order so that when you turn the container over to blend the frozen ingredients are farthest away from the blades.

Don’t over blend

Try to blend your smoothie for less than a couple of minutes. If blended for too long, even thick smoothies will become thin. This is because the heat generated by the blades and motor of the blender heat up your ingredients while they are being blended.

Use a high power blender

For smoothies that have a perfectly smooth and creamy texture use a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. It can break down any ingredients to much finer particles than standard blenders, and more nutrients are released. A high speed blender also reduces the time you need to blend your recipe, which helps keep it nice and cold.

Chill your glass

By placing your smoothie glass in the freezer for a few moments you can help your smoothie stay cool for longer. This way it won’t start melting instantly while you are eating it. This is especially helpful if you’re in a hot climate. Pop it into the freezer while you are prepping and blending, then take it out when it’s time to pour your finished smoothie!

FAQ’s

Does this smoothie taste like algae?

No, this smoothie does not have any algae taste as long as a high quality blue spirulina powder is used. Very inexpensive powders are probably inferior quality and may have a strong algae taste.

Can I lose weight with smoothies?

Smoothies are an excellent weight loss food! This is because they are generally lower calorie and higher in fibre and nutrients. Due to high water content, the large volume of a smoothie helps your stomach to feel satiated. And the fibre keeps you feeling full for longer, without feeling weighed down or tired like a huge meal would.

Can smoothies be refrigerated?

Smoothies are best enjoyed immediately after blending, while they are freshest. However you can refrigerate most smoothies for 1-2 days in an airtight container such as a jar.

Can I make smoothies without a high speed blender?

Yes, you can still make smoothies with a regular blender. It might take more patience depending on the recipe, but it can work. Turn off the blender to scrape down the sides of the container, and secure the lid before continuing to blend. Repeat as needed. Alternatively you can add a small amount of additional liquid to the recipe, which should help.

How can I increase the protein?

If you wish for your smoothie to have a higher protein content, you can simply add (more) protein powder to the recipe. Plain unsweetened plant based protein will work in any smoothie. Alternatively you can try adding hemp seeds or even silken tofu.

Related

Berry Purple Cabbage Smoothie

Blue Coconut Smoothie Bowl

Mango Blue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl

Ginger Celery Debloating Smoothie

Tropical Green Smoothie for Digestion

Save Recipe for Later