How’s everyone’s new year’s resolutions so far?
I know a lot of people are trying to eat a bit differently this time of year and maybe inspiration is just kind of meh around the third week of January. The enthusiasm is starting to cool a bit. I find smoothies, juices, herbal tea, and the like really help with transitioning to a feel-good mode of living. They’re just super fresh, ready quickly, and delicious!
I think Em von Euw understands what a huge role juices, shakes, and little wholesome bites can play in personal wellness! Their newest book 100 Best Juices, Smoothies and Snacks has so many vibrant and delicious ideas to keep anyone satisfied. Em’s passion for inspiring others to feel their best shines through these pages of inspired combinations and clever observations.
I took their basic nut milk formula, using walnuts upon their recommendation, and I can tell you with certainty that it won’t be the last time I do that. I’ve made almond, cashew, macadamia, hemp, coconut, and brazil nut milk before, but this here is something special. As soon as I tasted that buttery and toasty milk, I knew I had to mix it with banana, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao nibs for a creamy-sweet banana bread feel.
Emily’s ratio of nuts to water for homemade non-dairy milk makes for a richer texture, and with this shake it was so decadent, nourishing and perfect. Other things from the book I’m excited to try: the grapefruit mango immune booster, hippie hemp hummus, the herb happiness juice, and the dark chocolate chip, oat and hemp cookies.
If you like this smoothie, you’ll also love my Chocolate Banana Oat Breakfast Smoothie and my Peanut Butter Vanilla Green Shake.
Vegan Banana Bread Shakes with Homemade Walnut Milk
Ingredients
Walnut Milk
- 1 cup raw walnuts, soaked for at least 4 hours
- 3 cups filtered water
Banana Bread Shakes
- 3 cups walnut milk
- 2 cups sliced bananas, fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- ice (optional)
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
Equipment
Notes
- Walnut milk inspired by Em Von Euw’s 100 Best Juices, Smoothies and Snacks
- You could definitely fill this out with a bit of protein powder and other superfood-y goodies to make this more breakfast-appropriate. It totally drinks like dessert :)
Instructions
Walnut Milk
- Drain the soaked walnuts and place them in an upright blender. Add the filtered water to the blender. Blend the mixture on high for about 2 minutes, or until you have a fluid, creamy “milk.” Strain the milk with a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl or pitcher. Push the walnut pulp in the strainer with the back of a spoon to get all of the milk out. Pour the strained milk into a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- The milk will separate, so just shake it every time you use it. Milk keeps in the fridge for about a week.
Banana Bread Shakes
- In an upright blender, combine the walnut milk, sliced bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla powder and maple syrup (and ice, if using). Blend on high until you have a creamy and smooth mixture. Add the cacao nibs and blend for 10 seconds more–just so that you have little cacao “chips” throughout the drink.
- Pour the banana bread shakes into glasses and garnish with toppings if you like. Serve cold.
A crazy yum shake to me would be an apricot almond with vanilla bean paste and possibly cardamon? Worth a try at least!
Doubletree Hotel cookies! Chocolate chips, walnuts, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Yum!
Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake!
I’ve love a big glass of french silk pie.
Dark chocolate and cheesecake brownie shake!
I would love to have the shake form of cannoli ? or anything with figs
TIRAMISU !!! Ofcourse :-)
Carrot Cake! Yum!
Someone already mentioned some form of Pumpkin Pie. But that would be delectable. If I were to choose a second.. Maybe a Pecan Pie smoothie? Yum.
Kay bye, gotta go not eat either of those things.
oh gosh, i’d love to hear more people talking about healthy eating and healthy ideas about gender and identity and other important things. why do these types of things seem to swim in such isolated currents?
i’m so into drinkable desserts. i used to make a banana bread smoothie with butter. now i’d probably use a teeny bit of refined coconut oil + salt in its place, but i like the touch of silky fat and tenderness it gives to the smoothie to make it really feel like dessert. the walnut milk sounds incredible, too. i like using flaxseed in my dessert/bready-inspired smoothies for its grainy taste. i used to do a blueberry maple pancake smoothie, too. ahh. i could smoothe for the rest of my life forever. i really want to invest in a high powered blender, too.
i think i’d want to see something totally decadent like a double chocolate brownie smoothie. it seems challenging because there are so many distinctive elements to the brownie taste — the crunchy caramelization on the corner pieces, the warm, creamy, definitely not raw chocolate flavor, and the slight bitterness from chocolate cut with the richness of fat.
another dessert i’d totally love to see smoothinated is cheesecake. the tang! oh, the tang. the dense creamy sweetness. oh god! would it be disgusting to put gluten-free graham crackers or pretzels in a smoothie? i think i’d try it.
RAINBOW COOKIES!
oh, girl. my sweet tooth can be seduced in any consistency for sure. my pick would be a blackberry-peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream on top, in all of its tart, creamy, cinnamonny, vanilla-ey, glory.
Ah, you da bomb. Gorgeous recipe + photos as usual. This post made me smile. Thanks so much, Laura <3
Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of the ‘dessert as a smoothie’ concept – that said this recipes looks like it could win me over!
I love, love, love lemon desserts so I think it would be awesome to try a lemon bar smoothie – tart, sweet and refreshing!
How about your dark chocolate and fig cinnamon rolls in drinkable form? Or maybe a slurpable sugar plum……
Can’t agree more with all the other Tiramisu lovers!
Pineapple upside down cake smoothie!
I’d love to try a liquid lemon bar!
I would LOVE to see a vegan strawberry Cheesecake in drinkable form!! (my favorite vegan crust is made with pecans, almonds and dates…sprinkled on top would be yummy!)
hummingbird cake! Or…lemon bars
Mint ice cream sandwiches! I’m going to distract myself with a loose-leaf tea now.
I would love to see smores in a smoothie!
I’m currently obsessed with the chocolate macaroons from Whole Foods. We used to call them chocolate haystacks because they are made primarily of coconut. They’d make a great smoothy flavour.
Key lime pie smoothies would be dangerously delicious!
I think a shake would lend itself well to my favorite glazed kiwi and grape tart in ground almond crust.
Red Velvet Cake!! without the food coloring of course
I just made a dutch baby the other day, I think the flavor would be lovely as a smoothie though I can’t even begin to imagine how to make it :)
oh mama, i am SOOOO making this for my lunch date with a gal pal on monday. (if i can wait that long?! walnut milk!! say WHHAAATTT) dessert: tiramisu would be genius, ’cause you would make it healthy + cool.
OMG these shakes look amazing! I want a copy of the book. I loved her first book and by the looks of this recipe her second book will be amazing too.
speculoos eclairs!
Peach cobbler for sure!!
I would love to drink double chocolate brownies everyday!
I’d love to taste a gooey chocolate fudge smoothie!
Red Velvet Cake would be divine!
Love the flavor combo going on here! And garnished so beautifully too. When summertime comes, I want a peaches n cream pie smoothie. :)
Tiramisu! Yum!
I’d love to see tiramisu in drink form or Derby Pie!!!
Drinkable gingerbread… hubba hubba…
Healthy oreos?? Is it possible??!?
Salted caramel anything!
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream!
[Also: can’t wait to try walnut milk + this shake!]
I’m also going to second any comments that suggest anything cheesecakey.
Lemon meringue pie, fo shizzle. That would be the best. Multi-season. Refreshing in the warmer months and brightening with some citrus sunshine in the colder months.
How about a sugar cookie shake? That would be so yummmm…
Oh yum!!! Going to make this ASAP!!!
I would love to try a drink version of red velvet cake. The slight hint of cocoa and richness of the cream cheese frosting would knock anyone’s socks off!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie!
LAURA! These shakes are everything I want! <3 <3 <3
To be totally indulgent… I think a pancake with a chocolate filling and some strawberries in the form of a smoothie would be quite the treat! :)
Drinkable Oatmeal Scotchies, please!
I would love, love, love to have a plum and fig tart in drinkable form. Yum!
Walnut milk! Yessss. I want to try to make a buckwheat walnut milk for this…