What Is Banana Milk? Nutrition, Benefits, and How to Make It

What is banana milk?

People typically make banana milk by blending bananas and water until smooth. As you might expect, it tastes like bananas.

It’s an increasingly popular dairy-free milk that fits into a vegan diet, and it’s suitable for those with lactose intolerance or milk allergies. You can also use it as an alternative to nut milks if you have nut allergies.

You can add banana milk to cereal or oatmeal, drink it as a beverage, use it in smoothies, and even stir it into coffee.

Banana milk is easy to make at home, and ready-made brands are available at many grocery stores and online retailers. The price of store-bought banana milk is usually higher than cow’s milk and comparable to other dairy-free milks.

Depending on the brand, it may contain sweeteners, flavorings, preservatives, or other plant-based milks, or a combination of these.

Ready-made banana milks may have a different nutritional or allergen profile than homemade versions, and they may taste differently.

The brand Almond Breeze sells an almond and banana milk blend that’s dairy-free but contains nuts.

Another brand called Mooala Bananamilk is made with sunflower seeds. It’s still allergy-friendly but tastes differently than homemade versions.

Some people may confuse plant-based banana milk with Korean banana milk. This is a beverage made from cow’s milk with banana flavoring, so it contains dairy.

Summary

Banana milk is a plant-based milk made from blended bananas and water. It’s easy to make at home, and you can also find it at grocery stores and online retailers, usually with more ingredients.

Nutrition of banana milk

The nutritional content of banana milk varies depending on the recipe.

Here’s a comparison of the nutrients in homemade banana milk and two store-bought brands (1, 2, 3).

The homemade version is made with 1 medium banana and 1 cup (237 mL) of water. The store-bought brands are 1 cup (237 mL) each:

Homemade banana milk contains the most calories, carbs, fiber, and sugars but the fewest grams of fat compared with the store-bought brands. Note that the sugars in the homemade banana milk come from the banana — not added sugars.

However, it’s difficult to compare the homemade and commercial versions. One banana and 1 cup (237 mL) of water often yield slightly more than 1 cup (237 mL) of banana milk. Thus, the serving sizes may not be equivalent between homemade and store-bought varieties.

What’s more, Mooala Bananamilk contains other ingredients, including sunflower seeds. These contribute more fat and additional nutrients (2).

Almond Breeze Almond Milk with Bananas also has a different ingredient list than homemade banana milk. The almonds in this variety provide more protein and fat (3).

Store-bought brands of banana milk may contain additives, such as gellan gum, which help prevent separation. These would not exist in homemade banana milk. Nevertheless, health authorities consider gellan gum safe (2, 3, 4).

Finally, banana milks have varying levels of micronutrients, such as potassium and vitamin B6, both of which are found in bananas. Some store-bought brands are fortified with more potassium, calcium, and vitamin D.

Summary

The nutritional content of banana milk varies depending on the serving size and whether it’s homemade or store-bought. It’s generally low in fat and protein but higher in carbs.

Potential benefits

The possible health benefits of eating bananas may also apply to drinking banana milk. However, no studies have been conducted on banana milk in particular.

One medium banana (118 grams) provides 25% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin B6, 9% of the DV for potassium, and 8% of the DV for magnesium (1).

Eating potassium-rich foods promotes healthy blood pressure and may lower heart disease risk. The magnesium in bananas also helps protect the heart (5, 6, 7).

Additionally, getting enough vitamin B6 from foods supports brain development, immune function, and protein metabolism (8).

Bananas also contain a type of dietary fiber called resistant starch, which improves digestion and feeds healthy gut bacteria. Bananas that are less ripe, or green, tend to contain more resistant starch than riper ones (9).

Homemade banana milk that uses an entire banana in a serving contains more fiber than store-bought brands per serving.

Finally, banana milk has specific benefits over cow’s milk and other types of plant-based milks when it comes to allergens. Most varieties are nut-free and allergy-friendly, unlike many of the dairy-free milks on the market.

Therefore, people with nut allergies, as well as those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies, can safely consume them. However, be sure to read the label on store-bought banana milks to ensure they’re free of ingredients you want to avoid.

Summary

The potassium and magnesium in bananas may improve heart health, while the fiber in bananas promotes healthy digestion. Banana milk is also an allergy-friendly alternative to nut milks and cow’s milk.

Downsides

Banana milk is likely safe to consume for healthy adults. However, there are a few potential downsides to keep in mind.

Bananas are high in carbs and sugars, albeit natural sugars, which can raise your blood sugar levels. Therefore, drinking a lot of banana milk may be a concern for those with diabetes or blood sugar issues.

To prevent your blood sugar from spiking after you drink banana milk, it’s best to watch your portion size and enjoy banana milk in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Particularly, avoid adding sugar to homemade banana milk or purchasing brands with added sugars (10).

Those who need to limit potassium in their diet due to kidney disease or another health condition may need to limit their intake of banana milk.

People interested in using banana milk as a substitute for cow’s milk should keep in mind that the two are not very similar nutritionally.

Cow’s milk is much higher in protein than banana milk. Compared with homemade banana milk, fortified cow’s milk also contains more calcium and vitamin D (11).

If you replace cow’s milk with banana milk regularly, consider adding other foods to your diet that contain protein, calcium, and vitamin D. This will help ensure you get enough of these nutrients.

Summary

Banana milk is generally considered a healthy and safe addition to a balanced diet. However, individuals with blood sugar issues or kidney disease may want to limit their intake.

How to make banana milk

To make banana milk at home, blend 1 banana with 1 cup (237 mL) of water in a blender for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth.

To ensure that the banana milk is cold, use a frozen banana or add 1/2 cup (about 120 mL) of ice to the blender.

For more flavor or sweetness, consider adding 1 teaspoon (7 grams) of maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon (3 grams) of ground cinnamon, and a dash of sea salt. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings to suit your preferences.

You can drink your banana milk as a beverage, add it to smoothies or coffees, or use it in cereal or oatmeal. It’s best to drink or use homemade banana milk right away, as it can separate and lose its color quickly.

When purchasing ready-made banana milks, review the ingredient list to ensure there are no added sugars or unnecessary additives.

It’s common for store-bought banana milk brands to use some additives, such as gums that prevent separation. However, most of the available brands use gellan gum, which is widely considered safe (4).

If you have a nut allergy, avoid brands that contain nut milks.

If you need to watch your sugar or potassium intake due to a health condition, remember to check the amounts of these nutrients in a serving of banana milk before you purchase it.

Summary

Make banana milk at home by blending a banana, water, and your desired seasonings until smooth. When you’re purchasing store-bought varieties, look for those with no or limited added sugars and additives.

The bottom line

Banana milk is a dairy-free beverage you can make at home by blending bananas and water. Some store-bought varieties contain additional ingredients, such as seeds or nuts.

There’s no research on banana milk specifically, but studies have shown that bananas provide several nutrients that may offer health benefits.

The potassium in bananas helps the heart, while the fiber promotes healthy digestion.

To add banana milk to your diet, make it yourself at home or follow the tips in this article for choosing a ready-made variety.