The Banana Shake: Humble, Healthful and Deliciously Refreshing

A few years ago on a trip to Thailand, I discovered the banana shake (and blogged about it on my sister's blog). Fruit shake vendors, as I note in that blog post, are a fairly ubiquitous feature of the southeast Asian street (and mall) food scene, and with good reason. Fruits are in abundance, and mixing them with some milk and ice makes for a refreshing antidote to stifling heat.

I confess that after that trip, I purchased my first blender mostly so that I could continue my pattern of banana shake consumption. I've been making them ever since as a post-workout treat, and they are every bit as delicious even four+ years later. Along the way, I've discovered a recipe that works quite well and a few tricks that help.

First, bananas (and particularly the larger varieties that we get in the US) are delicious and have the perfect texture, but aren't quite flavorful enough to carry the shake on their own. In Asia they often add sugar or other sweeteners, but that's not something I wanted to add to a treat that's otherwise pretty healthful and that I consume as often as I do banana shakes. Occasionally I do add a little brown sugar or palm sugar, and it is a nice treat; but mostly I add a generous sprinkle of ground cinnamon instead (maybe 1/8 - 1/4 tsp?). The cinnamon doesn't sweeten but it does bring out the banana flavor and adds a delicious undertone. I've also found that 2% or skim milk work fine in these shakes. I just use whatever I have.

Second, blending time makes a difference. It's easy for the impatient (like me) to turn off the blender right when you no longer hear chunks of ice hitting the blades. That's not long enough. Running it for a couple more minutes (yes, minutes!) works more air into the shake and results in a wonderfully frothy texture.

Third, frozen bananas seem sweeter. If you have perfectly ripe bananas (i.e, deep yellow and covered with small brown spots, but not brown all over; or "fleck'd with brown and [with] a golden hue" in the Chiquita jingle), peel them immediately, put them in an airtight container, and store them in the freezer. These may turn dark brown as they freeze, but they will make fabulous shakes that taste even sweeter than the ones made with fresh bananas. Just add a little extra milk and half the ice.

My banana shake recipe (serves 1):

1 banana
3-4 large ice cubes (or a larger number of smaller cubes)
3/4 cup milk (or enough to fill the blender to the 1 Cup mark when everything else is already in there)
generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Add all ingredients to blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes, or 1-2 minutes beyond the point where the ice is no longer noisy.

This will fill a 12 oz glass with a tiny bit left over, or come within 1/4" or so of the top of a pint glass. A straw is essential to proper enjoyment.

Variations:
This very basic recipe is endlessly malleable and works with other fruits as well. Here are some of my favorites.

For a sweeter shake, add a bit of brown sugar or palm sugar (1-2 tsp is good), or substitute a little sweetened condensed milk for the milk.

For a more tropical taste (or if you just have some extra coconut milk), substitute coconut milk for 1/2 or so of the milk.

Other fruits that I like making shakes with include ataulfo mangoes (regular mangoes don't hold up well; and even ataulfos need sugar for it to taste good), canned Indian mango puree (doesn't need sugar), and avocados (which is more of a Vietnamese treat and also needs a bit of sweetener to get good flavor).

Happy shake-making!