Creamy cashew kale smoothie with banana

You won’t believe there are four handfuls of greens in this mouthwatering kale banana smoothie.

This smoothie was inspired by the Sweet Kale Shake at SunCafe in Studio City, California. 

SunCafe was one of my favorite restaurants when I lived in Los Angeles.

And their kale shake was a major draw.

It’s a bright green shake that drinks like a dessert, not a typical green smoothie. 

The first time I ever tried it, I was amazed.

How could there be so much nutrient-dense kale smashed into this mouthwatering & decadent drink? 

After I moved away from Southern California, I couldn’t bear to go without my favorite pre-workout drink that had powered me through so many Griffith Park hikes.

So I started making it at home. 

My version really captures the sweet mild flavors of banana, raw cashews, and a tiny dash of almond extract for cherry flavor. 

To really complete the SunCafe experience, you can even garnish with goji berries and shredded coconut like they do.

(Over the years, I’ve reduced the amount of banana & cashews I use. So you may notice that the amounts in the video vary slightly from what’s featured in the recipe card.)

In this post:

Bananas: Frozen banana chunks add sweetness. But best of all, they create a wonderful creamy consistency that’s almost shake-like.

Non-dairy milk: Use any unsweetened non-dairy milk that you enjoy. Soy, cashew, oat, or almond milk will all work fine here.

You can use plain or for extra dessert flavor, opt for vanilla flavored.

Chia seeds or flaxseed: Chia or flax seeds lend a whippy viscosity to the smoothie. Plus, they amp up the omega 3’s and protein.

Raw cashews: Raw cashews add so much delicious creaminess to the smoothie. They make it extra full-bodied.

Kale: You can use any kind of kale you like. Curly kale is my favorite.

It adds bright green color & nutrients to the smoothie. Be sure to remove the stems! 

Almond extract: This ingredient is optional. If you’d like a touch of cherry flavor in your smoothie, add a tiny splash of almond extract.

It’s delightful either way.

Ice: Adding ice to the smoothie makes it freezing cold.

The ice makes the smoothie texture even lighter. And it dissipates any lingering bitterness from the kale.

Here’s how to make the recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Peel two bananas, and break them into chunks.

Freeze the bananas in a freezer proof container. 

When you’re ready to make the smoothie, remove the kale leaves from their stems.

Then put the following into a high speed blender.

• Non-dairy milk
• Chia or flaxseeds
• Raw cashews
• Frozen banana chunks
• Curly kale
• Almond extract (optional)

Blend until completely smooth.

If you’re using a Vitamix, you’ll want to get the tamper involved to push the greens into the blade. 

(For tips on making this smoothie with a standard, non high-speed blender, see the notes in the recipe card and/or watch the video.)

Once the smoothie is completely smooth, add about 6 standard-sized ice cubes.

Blend again until totally smooth.

You’ll know it’s done when you stop hearing the sounds of ice crushing.

Pour into 2 glasses and enjoy!

Instead of curly kale, use lacinato (dinosaur) or purple kale.

Or replace some or all of the kale with another dark leafy green like collards or spinach. 

You can also vary the amounts.

I use about four handfuls (or four small leaves) of kale. But you could do as little as one handful or as many as five.

Keep in mind that if you have less bulk from veggies, you can also reduce the amount of liquid, so that the smoothie doesn’t get watery.

Make it sweeter

I prefer smoothies that aren’t overly sweet. And this one is just right for me.

However, if you prefer a sweeter smoothie, add any of the following:

• Another frozen banana in chunks
• 1 or 2 pitted dates
• A squeeze of a liquid sweetener like agave syrup or maple syrup
• Use sweetened non-dairy milk

Replace the almond extract

If you don’t have or don’t like almond extract, omit it. Or use vanilla extract instead.

You can use any non-dairy milk that you enjoy like soy, almond, cashew, or oat milk.

Or you can even replace the non-dairy milk with water. Since you’re adding cashews, it will still have plenty of creamy goodness.

For more vanilla flavor, use vanilla vegan milk.

You can also add more or less milk, depending on if you like your smoothie thinner or thicker.

Keep the smoothies coming with any of these satisfying and refreshing smoothies.

• Cherry smoothie
• Blueberry banana smoothie
• Peanut butter banana smoothie
• Mango banana smoothie
• Pumpkin smoothie
• Sweet potato smoothie
• Chocolate peanut butter smoothie

📖 Recipe

Creamy cashew kale smoothie with banana

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 4 votes

This sweet & full-bodied green smoothie recipe is so creamy and refreshing. It was inspired by the sweet kale shake at Sun Cafe in Studio City, California. Great for breakfast, a late afternoon snack, or to drink before a long hike.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Course: Beverage

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: green smoothie, kale shake

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup non-dairy milk unsweetened, plain or vanilla
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons chia seeds or flaxseed
• ▢ ¼ cup raw cashews
• ▢ 2 bananas peeled, broken into chunks, and frozen
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
• ▢ 4 small kale leaves about 4 handfuls with stems removed (Curly kale is my favorite)
• ▢ 6 standard-sized ice cubes

Instructions

• ▢
  Put the following into a high-speed blender: non-dairy milk, chia or flaxseeds, raw cashews, frozen banana chunks, almond extract (optional), and about 4 handfuls of raw kale.
• ▢
  Blend until smooth. (Stop to stir if necessary)

  If using a Vitamix, get the tamper involved to push all of the ingredients into the blade to blend completely.
• ▢
  Add about 6 ice cubes.

  Blend until smooth & there are no sounds of ice crushing.
• ▢
  Pour into two glasses & serve.

Watch how to make it

Notes

Instructions for standard blender

If you don’t have a high speed blender, you’ll need to do some workarounds for a completely smooth drink in a standard blender. 

1. Blend the kale with non-dairy milk on their own in the blender until totally smooth before adding other ingredients. (Stop and stir, if necessary.)
2. Grind the raw cashews & chia or flax seeds in a clean coffee grinder until they’re the texture of flour or a smooth meal. 
3. Add the ground cashew/chia mixture to the blender along with frozen bananas and almond extract (if using). Blend. Then add ice & continue blending until smooth.

Optionally, you can use ground flaxseed or chia seeds. Then you won’t need to grind them before adding to a standard blender.

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Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 933mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 7023IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 379mg | Iron: 4mg

Content, recipe, and photos updated August 29, 2022. Originally posted July 7, 2011.