sweet potato vs banana to create a creamy smoothie

For the perfect sweet and creamy smoothie, you need to add frozen banana. That’s what most of us are used to, right? Banana is the key ingredient to most smoothies, and bananas are not everyone’s favourite. Even though we love banana, and the texture that it creates for a smoothie, we were keen to shake it up a little. We wondered what else could give the same (or even better?) results in our office smoothies and found the perfect substitute: sweet potato!

If there’s one root vegetable that deserves the spotlight, it’s sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse when it comes to nutrition: they are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, B6, fibre, and this in combination with healthy complex carbs manages blood sugar levels and adds substance without adding extra sugar. Sweet potatoes are also just as inexpensive as bananas. The table below breaks down how they compare.

But we get it: nutrients are important, however at the end of the day it’s about flavour and texture! To test this, we compared bananas to sweet potatoes using a fruitless recipe, with cauliflower and carob powder giving it an extra creamy chocolate taste. The result? The sweet potato smoothie was thicker, creamier and had a lovely velvety texture with just the right amount of sweetness. We also found that it was more filling compared to the banana smoothie.

Bananas are obviously easy to peel and freeze for use in your smoothie later. Sweet potatoes aren’t that much different: all you have to do is peel them, cut them into slices then boil them for 8-10 minutes until just cooked and still firm. Allow to cool and then freeze in an airtight container, ready for a quick smoothie. Try our creamy carob smoothie, to experience the rich thick texture that frozen sweet potato creates. The warm flavours make it a great recipe for breakfast, a nutrient dense snack. Also a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies!

How to substitute:

1 Cup of sweet potato = 1 Banana

Creamy Carob Smoothie

(1 big, or 2 smaller portions)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ C Milk 
• 1 C Sweet Potato
• 1 C Cauliflower
• 1 Tbsp Carob Powder
• 4 Dried Dates
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• ½ Tsp Cinnamon

 Directions:

Prepare your sweet potato ahead to have it ready any time you need it.

Peel and cut the sweet potato into slices, then steam or boil them for 8-10 minutes until soft, not mushy. Allow to cool before freezing in an airtight container.

Now to make your smoothie:

Add all the ingredients to your OmniBlend jug. Blend from low-to-high for 45 to 60 seconds or use the 60 second timer of the OmniBlend V.