A cold banana licuado with cinnamon is the perfect way to start your day. It’s fast, delicious, and has the right nutrients to keep you energized the whole morning!

I came up with this Mexican banana smoothie recipe while helping my clients brainstorm easy high protein breakfasts.

Keep reading for the recipe, as well as answers to common nutrition questions about licuados.

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banana licuado with ingredients surrounding it

What is a licuado?

A licuado is like a smoothie, except that licuados are typically thinner and more liquidy. A classic Mexican licuado contains milk, blended fruit, and maybe some sugar.

These smoothies are common across Latin America. Batido is another Latin American term for the drink.

Are licuados healthy?

Yes, a licuado can be very healthy. Of course, there are so many varieties, that every licuado is different.

But overall, most licuados have fiber, vitamins, and minerals thanks to the fruit. And milk provides protein and other important nutrients.

Is a licuado a good breakfast?

A licuado can be a healthy breakfast, provided it has enough protein.

As a dietitian, I recommend my clients get about 20 grams of protein at breakfast. A typical licuado made with 1 cup of milk will have 8-10 grams of protein.

I created this recipe to add even more protein to a licuado.

What you’ll need

Here are the ingredients and tools you’ll need to make this licuado de plátano.

Blender: I love my nutribullet because I can blend and drink from the same cup (fewer dishes!) But whatever blender you have will work.
Banana: I recommend ripe bananas with a few brown spots if you like your smoothie sweet. Frozen bananas will provide a creamier texture.
Ground Cinnamon: I add a half teaspoon instead of just a sprinkle of cinnamon. In addition to being delicious, cinnamon can help manage blood sugar (1). Note WebMD suggests not consuming more than 1 tsp of cinnamon a day.
Milk: See section below if you are looking for a dairy free smoothie
Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt provides a lot of protein. See notes below if you are looking for a dairy free smoothie.
Orgain Vanilla Protein Powder: I like Orgain because of the taste. But whatever vanilla protein powder you prefer is fine!

Ingredients for a banana licuado including greek yogurt, protein powder, bananas, oat milk, and cinnamon.

How to Make

This banana licuado recipe is about as easy as it comes! Simply place all your ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.

Can this be made dairy free?

Yes, this licuado de platano can be made dairy free. But we will have to make some tweaks because dairy is a significant source of protein.

Are you lactose intolerant?

I recommend Lactaid milk so you can still enjoy the unique nutritional benefits of milk without the discomfort. Also note, many people with lactose intolerance can still enjoy yogurt without discomfort.

I wrote a blog post about lactose intolerance in Latinos and how to navigate.

Are you vegan or plant-based?

You may still wish to avoid dairy for your own reasons, and that’s valid!

But you need to know that most of the popular dairy alternatives today are not adequate sources of protein. Let’s talk about dairy free options for this smoothie.

Which plant milk do I recommend?

I recommend soy milk over almond milk or oat milk. Soy milk is the closest alternative to dairy milk, when comparing nutrition content. Soy milk is the only plant milk that provides adequate protein.

If you still prefer almond milk or oat milk, please increase the protein powder in this smoothie to 2 scoops.

Are there good dairy free yogurts?

Which one you like is a matter of taste. There are plenty of tasty coconut or almond yogurts on the market.

But, like with plant milk, most plant-based yogurts are pretty low in protein.

Two plant-based yogurts that have a good amount of protein include:

You can also leave out the yogurt entirely. If you do this, please increase the protein powder serving size to two scoops.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Banana Licuado with Cinnamon (High Protein Recipe)

This simple banana licuado starts your day off with protein to keep you energized all day long and cinnamon.

Prep Time5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: 30 minutes or less, breakfast, drinks, smoothie

Servings:

Equipment

Nutribullet Blender

Ingredients

1 banana peeled
1 cup milk see notes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup low-fat greek yogurt see notes
1 scoop Orgain Vanilla protein powder or your favorite vanilla protein powder

Instructions

Place all ingredients in blender
Blend until smooth

Notes

I used whole milk for this recipe. Feel free to sub out for low-fat or skim milk.

If you are lactose intolerant, I recommend using Lactaid milk.

For vegan or plant-based eaters, I recommend soy milk. If you wish to use oat or almond milk, please increase the protein powder serving size to 2 scoops.

If you wish to leave out the greek yogurt, please increase the protein powder serving size to 2 scoops.

Next steps

Love this banana licuado recipe? Looking for more advice on how to eat healthy while enjoying your favorite Latino foods?

Banana Licuado with Cinnamon (High Protein Mexican Smoothie)