Your blender is about to meet an unripe banana on purpose. Green bananas taste starchier and less sweet than the yellow spotted ones, but blended with frozen mango and a scoop of oats, that starchiness disappears into a thick, mellow smoothie you'd never guess was built around an underripe fruit.
Ingredients
- 1 green (unripe) banana, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Ice cubes, as needed
Instructions
- Add the green banana, mango, oats, almond milk, almond butter, flaxseed, and cinnamon to a blender.
- Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth.
- Add ice cubes and blend again if a thicker, colder texture is wanted.
- Pour into a glass and serve right away.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories | 390 |
| Total fat | 13g |
| Total carbohydrates | 60g |
| Dietary fiber | 10g |
| Protein | 10g |
| Sodium | 190mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
Unripe bananas are rich in resistant starch, a fiber type that skips digestion in the small intestine and travels intact to the colon, where it ferments into butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that fuels the cells lining your gut; oats add beta-glucan on top of that, giving your gut bacteria two different fibers to work through at once.
Underripe fruit, finally getting some respect. Blender in hand? Try Kefir Chocolate Smoothie next, or start your morning with more ideas in 5 Fast Gut-Friendly Breakfast Ideas.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
