I’ve always loved the idea of starting my day with a smoothie, and sometimes, I even wake up with a craving for a cool, creamy drink. But in my hierarchy of morning beverages, coffee nevertheless reigns supreme. While you might be thinking, But you could just have both, I’ve rarely found it in me to brew coffee andwhip up a smoothie before work, particularly when I’m tight on time (read: always). Given that I require caffeine to function, I’ve typically just opted for the coffee over the smoothie. That is, until I had the idea—inspired by a delicious cold-brew coffee-and-banana smoothie at a local juice shop—to (wait for it) combine the two. 

Sure, preparing a coffee-and-banana smoothie would still require me to make coffee in advance. But, streamlining the two drinks into one meant I could satisfy both my need for caffeine and my craving for a smoothie at once. I also just love a blended coffee drink (shout-out to my old pal, the Frappuccino), and the prospect of a coffee smoothie offered me the chance to round out my already-rushed breakfast with a few more nutritious ingredients in no extra time.

Streamlining the two drinks into one meant I could satisfy both my need for caffeine and my craving for a smoothie at once.

To see how the transition from coffee to coffee smoothie might benefit me—not just from a taste and satisfaction standpoint but also from a nutritional one—I decided to give it a try for a month using ingredients that I enjoy on their own and that pack nutritional value. After all, if I was going to overhaul my morning routine (and clean my trusty Magic Bullet every single day), I wanted this experiment to pay off in more ways than one.

The nutritional benefits of swapping a cup of coffee for a coffee-and-banana smoothie

The coffee smoothie that inspired my experiment included a few things that I don’t typically have at home, like frozen coconut milk and cacao nibs—which led me to explore different coffee-smoothie recipes online and experiment with my own version instead.

Ultimately, I decided to swap my usual hot coffee with a dash of French vanilla creamer for a smoothie containing about a cup of cold-brew coffee and a frozen banana, along with some variation of vanilla yogurt or unsweetened vanilla almond milk, rolled oats, chocolate protein powder, and peanut butter to fill the remaining space in my Magic Bullet.

Admittedly, this smoothie experiment was not an exact science. I did shift around the ingredients of my coffee-and-banana smoothie and the quantities of each based on what I had available and what I was feeling that day. (As you can probably guess, I’m that person in the kitchen who prefers to just throw things into a pan, pot, or in this case, blender, and see what happens.)

But what remained constant in every rendition was the coffee, a banana, and some additional source of bulky protein and/or fiber to thicken things up—a combination that registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, RDN, says “allows for a lot more satiety than coffee alone.” In other words, I was bound to feel more satisfied after pairing my typical breakfast (scrambled eggs or yogurt with granola) with my new coffee smoothie than I would pairing it with my usual cup of coffee. (But do keep in mind the effects eating a banana on an empty stomach can have on your digestion.)

All that additional protein I was getting from the protein powder, peanut butter, milk, and/or yogurt would also help inch me closer to the dietitian-recommended 25 to 40 grams of protein for breakfast (more than two eggs alone can provide, ICYWW). And by ramping up my protein intake in the morning, I’d set myself up for a slower, steadier release of energy until lunchtime, says Manaker.

“With this smoothie, you’re already starting your day with fruit, and most people don’t meet the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables.” —Lauren Manaker, RDN, registered dietitian

The other benefits of my coffee-and-banana smoothie over my typical cup of Joe come from the banana, says Manaker. “With this smoothie, you’re already starting your day with fruit, and most people don’t meet the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables,” she says. (That would be *gulp* five, in case you were wondering.) Not to mention, the banana acts as a natural sweetener, Manaker says, making the end result more palatable without the added sugar included in my usual addition of vanilla creamer, which doesn’t offer any nutritional benefit.

The experiment: Switching from a cup of hot coffee to a coffee-and-banana smoothie every morning for a month

Week 1

I’m typically a big breakfast person—I love breakfast foods—and I didn’t cut down on my usual food choices this week while swapping in my coffee smoothie. As a result, I wound up feeling even more satisfied after my morning meal than usual. My energy levels were higher, too; I found myself not reaching for my typical mid-morning snack and having lunch later in the day than I typically would, around 2 or 3 p.m.

I also occasionally get an upset stomach if I drink my coffee too quickly on an empty stomach, and by sipping it in smoothie form while I made the rest of my breakfast, I felt totally fine on the stomach front.

Week 2

As a regular coffee drinker, I know a thing or two about coffee’s effects on…number two. But wow, my daily B.M.s operated like clockwork this week, about a half hour after I finished my smoothie each day.

Part of that may certainly be attributed to the added regularity of my new routine; by this week, I was on a set schedule of having my coffee smoothie every morning at 9 a.m., and as a result, the result of my morning routine, including my wakeup time, was also more consistent than usual.

But, Manaker says the drink itself could also be credited for my newfound regularity. “The oats and the banana add a good amount of soluble fiber, which is another nutrient that a lot of us are missing and that plays an important role in our overall gut health,” she says, referencing its power to move things through your digestive system. “When you drink coffee with other foods, and especially foods that support the gut, like bananas and oats, it can definitely lead to an easier time in the digestion department.”

Week 3

The regular poops and sustained energy through the morning continued into the third week of my experiment. According to Manaker, the various ingredients I had now worked into my everyday diet are basically a recipe for more energy.

“You’re fueling your body with so many different energy-supporting foods at once,” Manaker says, referring to the benefits of my coffee-and-banana smoothie. “So, instead of just drinking coffee, which gives you the caffeine boost, you’re getting that boost plus the slow-digesting oats, plus the potassium-rich banana, plus the protein from the yogurt or plant-based milk and the protein powder or peanut butter, which, again, offers sustained satiety.”

Week 4

By this point, admittedly, I found the coffee-smoothie ritual was getting a little tough to maintain; on a couple days of the week, I forgot to make my cold brew the night before and had to use hot coffee with ice in my smoothie, which watered things down a bit. But once I had my smoothie in hand each day, I found myself grateful to have made it all the same (as was my digestive system).

This week was a busier workweek, which had me glued to my computer screen all morning each day, practically from the moment I flipped open my laptop. As a result, I wound up sipping my smoothie more slowly each morning, which seemed to make the energetic effects of the coffee last even longer (even though I wasn’t drinking any more of it than usual).

Though I occasionally have a second cup of coffee, I also noticed this week that I hadn’t reached for one throughout the experiment. And my poops had remained as regular as can be.

Though I occasionally have a second cup of coffee, I also noticed this week that I hadn’t reached for one throughout the experiment. And my poops had remained as regular as can be.

The only thing stopping me from keeping up this experiment indefinitely is the logistics of preparing cold brew in advance and whipping up a smoothie every morning—and the fact that, on some cold days, nothing hits quite like a piping-hot cup of Joe. But whenever I find myself craving both coffee and a smoothie and looking for a nutritious way to get both, I’ll be smoothie-fying my coffee from here on out.