Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Chia Seeds

Chia Fruit Breakfast Smoothie

A Chia Seed Strawberry Banana Smoothie is a creamy blend of real fruit, seeds, Greek yogurt and milk.

This 5-ingredient smoothie gets all its sweet flavor from blended fruit and has no sugar added.

When I don’t have time to make a hot breakfast, this quick and easy smoothie is one of my go-to recipes.

You definitely feel full for awhile after drinking it.

All the protein from the yogurt makes it completely satisfying, and the blended whole fruit and chia seeds provide fiber–a healthy way to start the day.

Why You’ll Love this Smoothie

Quick breakfast or snack. I love smoothies for breakfast. It’s like a filling meal in a cup that only takes a minute to blend together. If you have a single-serve compact blender with to-go lids, you can even drink it straight out of the blender cup.

Good source of protein and fiber. This Greek yogurt-based smoothie is packed with protein, about 25 grams, depending on the type of milk you make it with. Plus, it has about of 10 grams of fiber from the fruit and chia seeds.

Kids love them too. Strawberries and bananas are naturally sweet and favorite fruits of kids. This recipe makes enough to divide into multiple, small-size kid servings. For children and teens, you may want to reduce the amount of chia seeds or just leave them out.

How to Make a Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Smoothie

This recipe makes one large, 16-ounce serving or two smaller smoothies to enjoy as a snack or alongside breakfast.

Ingredients

Greek Yogurt – An excellent source of protein, the addition of Greek yogurt makes this smoothie creamy and filling.

My preference is non-fat, plain yogurt.

This banana matcha smoothie and banana chai smoothie are also Greek yogurt-based smoothie recipes you might want to try.

Milk – Add the milk of your choice to the smoothie. You will use it to soak chia seeds first. (More on that in a bit.)

Strawberries – One of the two fruits in this smoothie needs to be frozen so it comes out cold and creamy. Since I’m more likely to have a bag of frozen strawberries in my freezer than bananas, I usually make this recipe with frozen berries.

Banana – A very ripe banana gives this smoothie all the sweetness it needs.

If you use fresh strawberries, then you must use frozen banana.

You can freeze your own in advance or get a bag of frozen banana slices from the store.

Making your own frozen bananas is definitely the cheaper option and it reduces waste (if you’re like me and often throw away over-ripe bananas).

Chia Seeds – I use Navitas Organic Chia Seeds. You can find a bag in the grocery store’s baking aisle or in the area where nutritional foods like protein powder and other seeds are sold.

Chia seeds are a great addition to fruit smoothies. They are an excellent source of fiber, which keeps you feeling full longer. The fiber may also reduce insulin spikes from the carb-heavy fruit. In addition, chia seeds contain healthy, plant-based omega-3 fats–something many of us could use more of in our diets.

Instructions

Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.

1. Soak the chia seeds

Pour milk and chia seeds into a small bowl and stir to combine. Let the chia seeds soak at least 5 minutes before adding to the blender.

I do this step before getting out the blender and other ingredients, so they can soak as long as possible.

It’s best to soak chia seeds in liquid for at least 5-10 minutes before putting them in your smoothie. A gel forms around the seeds which begins the process of breaking them down. This helps you get the most nutritional benefit and makes them easier to digest.

2. Add smoothie components to the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Add the ingredients to the blender in the order suggested for your style of blender.

If your blender has a smoothie button, use it. Otherwise, start blending on low for a few seconds then increase to high power. The pulse button also helps work everything together.

I make single serve smoothies in this Ninja compact personal blender.

3. Pour into cup and garnish (optional).

Garnish with slices of banana and strawberry and a sprinkling of chia seeds. This is entirely optional, but it’s a nice touch, especially when serving to others.

Recipe Notes

Freeze ripe bananas in advance. Whenever I have a banana that’s starting to get black on the peel, I chop it into 1″ chunks and freeze them in a freezer bag. This way I always have frozen bananas on-hand for smoothies.

Watch the amount of chia seeds. The recommended adult serving size per day for chia seeds is 2 tablespoons. This recipe has half that amount.

If you want to increase the amount of chia seeds, do not exceed 2 tablespoons total.

Make note, the recommended serving size for children and teens is far less and I suggest just leaving them out altogether. Additionally, if you have a health condition, check to make sure it’s safe for you to consume chia seeds.

More Smoothie Recipes

• Homemade Banana Matcha Smoothie

Want to save this recipe to make later?
Pin it to your Pinterest board!