Tropical Smoothie Peanut Paradise Recipe
A peanut butter lover’s dream! Make Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Peanut Paradise Smoothie at home. It’s rich, creamy, and packed with protein. A satisfying breakfast or treat.
Why You’ll Love it:
Tropical Smoothie’s Peanut Paradise is a breeze to make at home! It’s only 5 ingredients, plus ice.
It tastes like a decadent milkshake, but it’s made with healthier ingredients like Greek yogurt, bananas, and peanut butter. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Filling and packed with protein! Each serving boasts 21 grams of protein to keep you full and satisfied.
- Tastes like a peanut butter milkshake. But it doesn’t contain ice cream! A healthier choice for sure.
- Easy to customize! You can make it dairy-free with a couple swaps, or add chocolate.
I prefer my homemade version to the original, plus it’s better for you. Tropical Smoothie’s Peanut Paradise contains 92 grams of sugar!
One serving of this peanut butter smoothie contains only 19 grams. Even if you drink both servings, that’s still less than half the amount of sugar.
If you love Tropical Smoothie’s Peanut Paradise, try their Sunrise Sunset, Mango Magic, Avocolada, or Bahama Mama too!
Key Ingredients:
Frozen banana – A frozen banana creates a creamy shake-like consistency. Simply peel a banana, cut it into chunks, and transfer it to a zip-top bag. Freeze overnight. Frozen bananas are easy to cut, so you can freeze it whole too. Just be sure to peel it first.
Peanut butter – For that rich, peanut butter flavor! I haven’t tested this recipe with other nut butters, but my gut says almond or cashew butter would taste delicious too!
Vanilla Greek yogurt – For a boost of sweetness and high-quality protein! For less sugar, use a stevia-sweetened vanilla yogurt.
Vanilla protein powder – I highly recommend a plant-based protein powder OR a protein blend. 100% whey protein tends to get very foamy when blended!
Ice – I don’t typically use ice in smoothies, but Tropical Smoothie Café does! It’s necessary to achieve a similar consistency.
Milk – I used whole milk, but any kind works – plant-based or regular. Whole milk gives you the creamiest results though.
How to Make a Peanut Paradise Smoothie:
This peanut butter paradise is simple to make! Here’s what you need to do:
- Combine ingredients: In your blender, combine the peanut butter, yogurt, protein powder, frozen banana, ice, and milk – in that order.
- Blend: Start the blender on low speed, then gradually increase the speed to high. A gradual increase in speed reduces stalling. Blend until smooth.
- Adjust: If the smoothie’s too thick, add more liquid and blend to incorporate. Smoothies should be thick yet pourable. You can always add more liquid, but you can’t take it out!
- Serve: Pour into two glasses and enjoy immediately.
Expert Tips:
- Use a frozen banana! I know it’s easier NOT to. But it’s worth the ten seconds it takes to throw one in the freezer. Frozen bananas are key to an ultra-creamy texture.
- If possible, use a high-speed blender. You don’t have to spend a mint on one. Even budget-friendly brands carry high-speed models. Look for one with at least a 900 watt base. Ninja is my budget blender of choice.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust the consistency! I like my smoothies on the thicker side. If the smoothie’s too thick, add more liquid – a little bit at a time.
- Avoid 100% whey protein. Look for a whey protein blend instead. Or opt for a plant-based protein. 100% whey protein makes a smoothie very foamy!
Variations & Substitutions:
Smoothies are easy to customize! Try one of these simple variations:
- Dairy-free: Use dairy-free yogurt, dairy-free protein powder, and plant-based milk. The options are endless!
- Gluten-free: Make sure your protein powder is labeled gluten-free.
- Peanut-free: Swap peanut butter with almond or cashew butter.
- Chocolate: Swap vanilla protein with chocolate protein and add two teaspoons of cocoa powder.
- Oats: Add 1/4 cup of rolled oats for added whole grains and a subtle oatmeal flavor.
- Chia seeds: Add one tablespoon of chia seeds for a boost of omega 3 fatty acids.
FAQs:
What’s in a peanut paradise at Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
A peanut paradise contains peanut butter, banana, non-fat yogurt, and choice of whey or pea protein powder. It also contains turbinado sugar. While it’s not listed on the menu, most of Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s smoothies are sweetened with turbinado – a less processed form of sugar.
Should I add turbinado?
You don’t need to add turbinado to this smoothie. It’s perfectly sweet without it. Turbinado is less processed than white sugar, but it still adds a lot of sugar and calories with little nutritional value.
Storage:
This peanut butter smoothie is best enjoyed immediately! Technically, you can store it in the fridge for 24 hours, but the taste and texture won’t be as good.
Another option is to make it into smoothie pops! Pour the smoothie into popsicle molds, add popsicle sticks, and freeze overnight. This is my favorite way to store smoothies! They taste the best when they start to melt a bit.
Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipes:
Peanut Paradise Smoothie Recipe
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
- 1 cup ice cubes
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
- In the pitcher of your blender, combine the peanut butter, vanilla yogurt, vanilla protein, frozen banana, ice, and milk – in that order.
- Start the blender on low speed, then gradually increase the speed to high. Blend until smooth. If the smoothie's too thick, add more milk, a little bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Pour into glasses and enjoy immediately.
