Hello everyone! I have been thinking of sharing yummy-healthy plant-based recipes for a while so… Here’s my first shot at it. There will be other smoothie posts soon so keep your eyes peeled!

A while ago I walked past a sign advertising coffee oats smoothies outside a well-known coffee chain; and as I try to avoid buying things in single-use plastic, I decided to try making it myself instead.

A coffee oats smoothie is a healthy and filling way to start your day. You get a boost of energy from the caffeine, fibre from the oats, vitamins from the banana and protein from the optional ingredients (protein powder, butter beans or peanut butter).

My attempt tasted delicious the first time round and has now become a regular feature in my life: I have this at least once a week and it’s still great if you forget an ingredient (making it early in the morning…)!

What you need

To make it you will need a blender (mine is a Nutribullet – you don’t need anything fancy/high-tech)… If you don’t have one, I can’t help you. 🙂

(Note: this blog post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely like. If you click a button or a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!)

Other than that, the list of ingredients can be adapted, as long as you remember to include the three key players: some coffee, oats and a banana, as well as some liquid.

I originally shared this recipe in 2017, and I’ve adapted it since so there’s two versions. Tell me which one you like best!

Coffee oats smoothie version 1

Ingredients:

• A cup (approx. 250 ml) of oats
• Your ripest banana, broken up into smaller chunks if you need to help your blender out
• Coffee – I use two teaspoons of instant coffee and about 50 ml of hot water
• Four ice cubes
• A teaspoon of flax seeds
• A cup of raw spinach – I promise you won’t taste it!
• A large glass of liquid – I fill mine with 2/3 almond milk and 1/3 water
• Sweet goo of choice – I sometimes use maple-flavoured golden syrup (optional)
• A bit of protein powder (optional). Can anyone recommend a vegan protein powder that doesn’t ruin the taste of smoothies? If so, please share in the comments!

Blend all the above for about a minute and enjoy! It works well for breakfast with a slice of toast and an orange. I also like to have a glassful before a workout and the other half afterwards or at some point in the day when I’m feeling peckish – the recipe does make quite a lot, so you could also share it between two people.

Coffee oats smoothie version 2

Ingredients:

• Half a can of butter beans, rinsed and drained
• A ripe banana
• A cup of water or plant-milk (I now use soy milk)
• Half a cup of oats
• A teaspoon of flax seeds
• A cup of raw spinach or other greens
• A teaspoon or two of instant coffee powder
• Peanut butter (optional – makes it extra creamy)

This makes a super thick smoothie, which I wouldn’t personally attempt to drink! Instead pour into a bowl and top with half a cup of oats and whichever other toppings you’d like (nuts, seeds, more banana) for a filling breakfast.

Whichever recipe you use, that’s already five to seven servings ticked off your Daily Dozen list (I love the app: it focuses on abundance of healthy foods rather than restriction – I use it pretty much every day).

One last thing: wash the blender bits as soon as you’re done with them: your future self and the people you live with will thank you… No one likes scraping a blender clean!

This post was all about coffee oat smoothies

You may also like:

• The baby steps guide to going vegan & plant-based
• Fuel your day: refreshing berries, carrot & greens smoothie

Please share your smoothie experiments or recipe suggestions in the comments below or by tagging me on Instagram (I’m @thejessicagoodenough)!

This post was originally published in March 2017, it has been fully updated in April 2023.