This Healthy Banoffee Milkshake is, well, healthy. But you wouldn’t think so, it’s super tasty and loaded with banana and toffee flavour, aka banoffee (not banana and coffee which is what my husband seems to keep thinking!). This milkshake is vegan, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and nut-free. 

I do need to point out that even though this recipe is healthy and refined sugar-free, that doesn’t mean it’s low in carbohydrates. You’ll find a whole banana as well as date paste in my banoffee milkshake which do have a decent amount of carbs. All up there are approximately 87.4 carbs for one milkshake, including the salted caramel drizzle. So that’s quite high, however if you aren’t too fussed about that, then please read on. 

How is this Banoffee Milkshake Healthy?

Firstly, I generally don’t measure how healthy something is by carbohydrate count. This is because you get good (complex) carbs and bad (simple) carbs. If something is loaded with bad carbohydrates it’s probably not going to be healthy. Examples of bad carbs are candy or lollies, white bread, cakes and biscuits, potato chips, soft drinks, etc. However foods high in good carbs are actually a really essential part of the diet. Examples of good carbs include fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts and oats. Good carbs provide the body with energy and fibre and help the cells and organs to function correctly.

Good carbs also contain lots of vitamins and minerals.  I personally believe good carbs should definitely be a large part of everyone’s diet.

My Healthy Banoffee Milkshake includes banana which is high in potassium, a mineral needed for a healthy heart, reducing blood pressure and preventing stroke and osteoporosis. Bananas are also high in fibre, antioxidants and Vitamin B6.

Next is date paste. I use Cinderella Date paste, which is pretty much just dates blended into a paste. The only ingredient is dates. Dates are high in fibre which is important for healthy digestion, magnesium which regulates muscle and nerve function, as well as iron which helps to provide energy to the body’s cells.

I’ve added tahini to add a bit of creaminess to the milkshake. Tahini is a really great source of both calcium for healthy bones and protein which aids cellular repair, provides energy and keeps you feeling full.

As you can see, despite this milkshake being high in carbs you are going to be getting so many essential vitamins and minerals, hence healthy.

What Sort of Plant Milk Should I Use?

You can use any type of plant milk in this recipe. As this isn’t a recipe which is being baked or cooked the type of milk you use won’t affect the final result of the milkshake, other than potentially the taste. I used soy milk because it doesn’t have a strong flavour when mixed with other things and it’s also on the lower carb end. Oat or almond milk also won’t really alter the flavour of the milkshake, however something like coconut milk will provide a slight coconutty flavour.

Whichever plant milk you choose to use, I recommend looking for one which is unsweetened. And remember if you are carb counting you will need to count carbs for the specific milk you use. The carb content I have accounted for in this recipe was using Vitasoy Soy Milk Protein Plus which has 5.5g of carbohydrates per cup.

Is this Healthy Banoffee Milkshake Easy to Make?

Yes, incredibly easy! Literally just put all of the ingredients (minus the salted caramel drizzle ingredients) into a blender, I used my NutriBullet, then just blend away until it’s all combined.

If you like you can make a salted caramel drizzle to go around the inside of the glass. This adds a little more flavour and just makes the milkshake look pretty! To make the salted caramel drizzle, simply mix the ingredients together in a small bowl until combined and smooth, then use a teaspoon to sort of run the drizzle around the inside of the top of the glass, letting some of it run down. Once your salted caramel drizzle is in your glass, pour in your milkshake then add a straw. Yum!

What Kitchen Tools do I need to make this recipe?

A Blender or Nutribullet

A Glass

Measuring Cups

Measuring Spoons