If you dislike the sound of someone slurping through their straw to try to get every last little drop out of their cup, then you probably shouldn’t make these PB&J smoothies. My kids absolutely LOVE them! And it all started when on a recent trip to buy groceries from Earth Fare we decided to also have lunch in their little cafe.
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While paying for our sushi I noticed that they had a surprisingly good smoothie menu, so on a whim, I decided to order their PB&J smoothie for my girls (and me) to share. Well, that was a mistake…I should have gotten a large size for each of us! During the first 5 minutes of the lunch (which was as long as the smoothie lasted) all I could hear—aside from the slurping—was “I want more of it,” ”It’s my turn for some,” “she is drinking it all.” Need I say more?
I, of course, don’t have Earth Fare’s exact recipe so this is just my version that emulates theirs as best as I can. My daughters responded very similarly to this version so I would say it went over well. This is the best invention for kids since the original PB&J!!
PB&J Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup apple juice
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 bananas ((I like using 2, but if you only have 1 on hand, don’t let it stop you!))
- 1 cup frozen berries (or fresh)
- 1 handful spinach (optional)
- ice ((only if you use fresh berries))
Instructions
- Mix well in a blender and serve cold with a straw.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Other Smoothie Recipes You Might Like
Check out the recipe suggestions below or view all smoothie related posts and recipes here.
This was absolutely delicious! I was so happy to find I had all of the ingredients on hand.
This majorly satisfied a pregnancy craving today. Left out the bananas because I don’t like them when I’m pregnant, and added some extra berries. So, so good!!
LOVE these smoothies! They are a favorite of my kids – 1 year and 4 years old.
Can I freeze this? The recipe sounds delicious and I would love to freeze and it stick it in mu daughter’s lunch. Thanks!
Hi Jennie. Sure, you can freeze it.
According to an earlier comment, this is supposed to be 4 servings. I just made this today and it only made enough to fill 3 half-pint mason jars (and they only really fit about 3/4 cup in them). Should there be more liquid base in it to bring it up to 4 servings?
Hi Beverly. It is a very flexible recipe. You can always add more liquid if you want larger serving sizes but you may need to add more of other ingredients as well. My husband and I drink a very similar smoothie for breakfast occasionally with similar measurements and have nothing left over. :)
I like this smoothie. However, the kids were in between about it, and did not drink it after one taste. The kids are not really big smoothie drinkers, although. I will fix this for myself again. I added more milk to get the consistency I wanted.
Made a batch of this today. Substituted 100% organic unsweetened cranberry juice for the apple sauce and it was plenty sweet. Also used frozen bananas (added a bit more milk and some water to get the consistency what we wanted). It filled four smoothie pop moods and 3 small servings for myself, my toddler and my husband.
The color was funky but my daughter loved it!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! IT IS SO GOOD! (to make it even more of a complete breakfast I added oats and flax seeds) I love your blog! I have been on a real food quest for a while and its great to get good ideas from you!!! Many thanks!
It sounds delicious, but that’s about 880 calories! I can’t eat that many calories for lunch!
If you don’t have fresh spinach leaves on hand, will frozen work for this?
Absolutely! :)
I used frozen and had no problems.
What are some alternative can I use for bananas
I substitute avocados for bananas in my smoothies so you still get that creamy texture without the banana.
My boys aged 4 and 3 loved this and I as well. I added a little spinach to give a boost. My 4 yr old will not try any veggies so smoothies are great way for me to boost the nutrition. He loves peanut butter and jelly so this is a win win
Hi Shara. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
How many calories for one serving of this recipe (with a handful of spinach added)?
I just tripled the recipe (before I learned it was already enough for 4) for me and my 3 kids (5,4,1) as our afternoon snack – we all sucked it down. I added a handful of baby spinach leaves when they weren’t looking. This will likely become a staple!
This was delicious! To keep it healthy and vegan, I substituted the cow milk for almond milk. Didn’t have any apple juice around so I just doubled the amount of almond milk, used fresh blueberries, and 1/2 cup of pb instead of just 1/3. I also think almond milk goes better here since you’re mixing it with peanut butter and other whole foods (blueberries & bananas).
I don’t keep juice around, so I threw in an apple and increased the milk a bit. Yummy!
Using, not lacking! Sorry about that, iPhone correction to my typo! Thanks!
Can I substitute Almond milk and still have it freeze ok? Just figured out my 7y girl is lactose intolerant. Thanks for all the great ideas, she loves the 3 compartment ziploc lunches we have been lacking over the last year.
Hi Kristy. The almond milk will work fine. ~Amy
This was A-MA-ZING! My three kids (5, 7, and 9) and I loved it! I bought those push pops that you put in your girls lunches and poured the smoothie inside to freeze. I’m just loving your ideas! :)
I forgot to mention that I only had pineapple juice and used that instead of apple juice, frozen blueberries that we picked last month, peanut butter, and of course milk. Do you have any more smoothie recipes?
Here is another basic smoothie recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/17/recipe-tasty-smoothies/ but don’t be shy about creating your own! ~Amy
I made your recipe this morning using Sunbutter in lieu and it was awesome! I used cherries and blueberries for the frozen berries. (I also added about a tablespoon of ground flax seed too for fiber and omega-3’s.) Oh yummy!!!!
I love this smoothie! A handful of spinach or other greens added to it makes it healthier and doesn’t change the taste. :)
I tried this recipe and my family loved it! We didn’t have any apple juice so I just left it out. We also added plain greek yogurt. Yum!! :)
What are the serving sizes on the smoothies? The PBJ sounds like one serving but the fruit sounds like multiple servings. Thanks. Are all recipes listed for a family of 4? We have 6 boys and I generally double all recipes.
Hi Amy. This recipe makes 4 servings give or take. :) ~Amy
we absolutely LOVE these! i don’t use the apple juice as we really don’t ever have juice in the house. so i do more of a traditional smoothie using milk and yogurt. i also add a little agave syrup and either wheat germ, flaxseed, or oat bran (or all of them!). so yummy and my almost 3-year-old totally prefers this to a regular pj&j sandwich!
Hi. I want to try this. What other alternative can i use for apple juice? one of my kids cant have anything that has apples in it. What can i use for the apple juice.
Hi Mandy. White grape might be a yummy substitute. Enjoy. ~Amy
I’ve used beet and carrot. It makes a great color and is sweet!
Hi Meghan. Sorry, but we do not track nutrition information. There are several “calculators” on line that you can use, however. ~Amy
Do you know how many servings this recipe is and also the calories per servings? Thank you!!
What kind of apple juice do you use? I feel like all the juice I see in the grocery store has sugar in it.
Hi Karen. There is no particular brand we recommend. You can find 100% organic apple juice in most grocery stores. Apple and Eve, Martinelli’s, and Santa Cruz are some popular brands. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Made this for breakfast this morning and it is incredible! A big hit with everyone in the house. It feels like I am havig a milkshake for breakfast, but it is healthy! Yum!
Your recipe doesn’t state natural peanut butter, but that’s what I use, since regular peanut butter is a processed food, with lots of additives. I use natural, unsweetened applesauce in place of the apple juice, and 0% fat greek yogurt (vanilla) in place of the milk. The applesauce and the yogurt help make it a thicker drink.
Wow! Great recipe! I did not use the Apple juice however I did put in a little bit more of the almond milk. What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing this.