Kiwi Banana Smoothie

This kiwi banana smoothie is an easy and quick breakfast or snack with only a few ingredients. It's got Greek yogurt for extra protein and creaminess, plus a touch of honey for sweetness. This smoothie is super thick, so grab a spoon or a thick straw!

Note: this post was originally published in 2020 and updated in 2022 with new photos and improved instructions.

A refreshing smoothie is a great way to put some zip in your step, and this kiwi banana smoothie recipe will surely do the trick. It's full of delicious tangy and sweet kiwi, which is a great in-season fruit for winter, plus frozen banana and a touch of honey (if you please!) for some extra sweetness. Greek yogurt provides protein and creaminess.

This kiwi banana smoothie recipe also uses ice instead of added liquid (unless you need a tiny splash of water to get your blender going). I love doing this because the smoothie comes out super thick and extra cold, rather than runny and sad. You will definitely need a fat straw for this smoothie!

And, to round out your quick and easy breakfast, check out my recipe for grab-and-go oatmeal raisin bars!

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Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Kiwi: make sure you use ripe kiwi in this recipe! The first time I made this smoothie, I had a sort of under ripe kiwi that I thought would be fine blended, but it was too tart and not very good. Check out the tips and tricks section below for more info on ripening kiwis.

• Frozen banana: the banana must be frozen to add thickness to the smoothie. See the tips and tricks section below on how to freeze a banana for a smoothie!

• Plain Greek yogurt: I like using Greek yogurt in smoothies because it's extra thick and creamy, and helps make the smoothie thick! If you want a sweeter smoothie, try using a flavored Greek yogurt. I think strawberry or blueberry would be delicious.

• Honey: this is purely optional, but I do like to add a little bit just to help counter some of the tartness in the kiwi. You could also use agave syrup instead if you prefer.

Step by step photos

1. Step one is to peel the kiwi. You can do this in a couple different ways. The first way is to cut the kiwi in half across the middle, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Or, you can cut off each end of the kiwi, then use a paring knife to go around the kiwi, cutting off the peel in strips.

2. After the kiwis are peeled, just cut them into quarters to help them blend quickly.

3. Add the kiwi, honey, frozen banana, and Greek yogurt to the blender. I'm using my Vitamix blender here (affiliate link). I highly recommend this blender because it's incredibly powerful and can blend any thick smoothie with ease!

4. Blend just until smooth. These ingredients are softer and wetter than the ice, so they should blend easily. But, if you need to you can add a tiny splash of water to help the ingredients blend. Not too much, or the smoothie will be watery instead of thick.

I also recommend this tamper tool (affiliate link), it is excellent for helping nudge thicker ingredients in the blender, helping them to blend without adding extra liquid. (This tamper tool fits the Vitamix model I linked above, they have different sizes for other blender models.)

5. Now, add the ice cubes to the blender.

6. Again, blend just until everything is smooth and combined. Don't over blend, this will cause your smoothie to get watery as the ingredients start to warm up!

7. All you need to do now is pour out your smoothie and enjoy immediately. (If you like this cool glass, it's the Vardagen 9 ounce goblet from Ikea!)

Tips and tricks

How to tell when a kiwi is ripe

For best results, you need ripe kiwis for this smoothie. When a kiwi is ripe and ready to eat, the flesh will be slightly soft when you press it gently with a finger. I liken it to the same subtle softness of a ripe avocado. Soft, but still holding its shape, with no mushy spots. Although, if you do have a couple overripe spots on your kiwi, it will still taste great in a kiwi smoothie!

How to ripen and store kiwis

Depending on how hard they were when you bought them, kiwis can take a week or more before they ripen at room temperature, although typical kiwi ripening time is more like 4 - 5 days. (I got unlucky this time, I still have some hard kiwis sitting on my counter from over a week ago!)

Storing kiwis at room temperature

To store kiwis at room temperature, just keep them on the counter, out of direct strong sunlight. You can place them in a fruit bowl if you want, but don't pack them in too tightly or put heavy fruit on top, because kiwis are somewhat delicate when they are ripe. If you want to speed up the ripening process, put the kiwis in a paper bag with a ripe banana. This will ripen them a day or two sooner.

Storing kiwis in the fridge

Once your kiwis are ripe, if you don't want to eat them right away, place them in the fridge. You can keep them in a paper bag or a vented plastic produce bag. Ripe kiwis will stay good in the fridge for around a week! (That way, you can make this kiwi banana smoothie recipe all week long!)

Alternatively, if you find yourself with a bunch of under ripe kiwis, maybe more than you could eat at the same time, you can put some in the fridge for later. Under ripe kiwis will stay good in the fridge for two months! Be sure to keep them away from other fruits like apples and bananas though. This will cause them to ripen (unless that's what you are going for).

How to freeze bananas for smoothies

I'm super lazy (or, efficient, let's say). So, I have my own lazy (efficient!) way of freezing banana for smoothies or other frozen treats. Here's what I do:

Peel the ripe banana and place it into a zip top bag. Then remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal it up. Then take your finger and mash along the length of the banana, through the bag.

This way, the banana is broken up enough that when you add it to smoothies, it will blend easily. But, you don't have to get out a knife or get a cutting board or your fingers dirty. I know, I know, that doesn't take that much effort. But some days, every little bit of saved effort counts! And, bonus points if you remember to write a date on the bag! (I usually keep my frozen bananas for 3 - 4 months.)

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