Do you love banana milk but can't seem to find this Korean beverage on store shelves? Are you looking for nut-free and dairy-free milk that you can enjoy? Do you just like eating bananas and think that banana-flavored milk sounds like the best thing in the world? Never fear! You can make your own banana milk at home without the use of any added sugars, chemicals, or allergens! Here is a great recipe to make this favorite drink.
What Is Korean Banana Milk?
Flavored milk has been around for a while, but the typical flavors you see are chocolate and strawberry. Banana-flavored milk is most popular in South Korea and other Asian countries. It was first introduced by the company Binggrae in 1974 and is made of milk, water, sugar, banana juice concentrate, carotene, and the artificial flavors of banana and vanilla.
In the United States, you might be able to find Korean banana milk on the shelves of an Asian market, but it's unlikely. The company Nestle made a "Banana Quik" at one point, which was nothing but sugar, artificial flavors, and emulsifiers - and didn't give that Korean banana milk taste.
So, if you want to drink banana milk but can't buy Korean banana milk and don't want to try a knock-off store-bought version, what are you to do?
Make your own!
Why Should You Try Banana Milk?
Bananas Are Nutritious!
Homemade banana milk is healthy because bananas themselves are nutritious! They are full of magnesium, potassium, vitamin B9, and tryptophan. And the riper the banana, the more nutrient-dense it is!
You Are Dairy-Free.
People might need to cut dairy out of their diet for many reasons. There are many alternative kinds of milk out there nowadays, but it's always nice to have another one to try! As an added bonus, many nut milk options are expensive to buy or time-consuming to make. Banana milk uses cheap ingredients and comes together in less than two minutes!
You Are Nut-Free.
Regular milk isn't off the table for you if you have a nut allergy. However, if you are both dairy-free AND nut-free, there are many milk options! There is oat milk and hemp milk, but banana milk is an even easier nut-free option.
You Like Flavored Drinks.
Honestly, sometimes you just want to get away from water and drink something with flavor! The problem is that many flavored drinks or water powders are incredibly unhealthy. Banana milk, on the other hand - at least the homemade version - uses only whole and healthy ingredients. You can drink banana milk regularly with no guilt!
Ingredients You'll Need To Make This Recipe
To make your own banana milk, you only need two ingredients!
Banana (1) - You can use either fresh banana or frozen banana. Ripe bananas are the sweetest, so if you want a sweet flavor without adding anything else, use fresh bananas that are at the peak of ripeness!
Water (1 Cup) - Water is the simplest, most versatile way to add liquid to the bananas. If you're trying to avoid dairy or nuts, water is the way to go!
However, there are different ingredients you can add to the mix - to enhance the flavor or to add some sweetness!
Syrups - Bananas have a natural sweetness, so adding more sugars is a matter of personal preference. Give this banana milk recipe a taste as is first, and then add a drizzle of pure maple syrup or date syrup and give it another blitz in the blender!
Milk - Instead of using water, you can blend your bananas into the milk of your choice. Nut milk (such as almond milk), or soy milk, enhance the creaminess of the banana milk while keeping the recipe dairy-free. Or, if you need to avoid nuts, try using whole milk! To avoid nuts, soy, and dairy but still bump up the creamy texture, swap in oat milk instead.
Vanilla Extract - The vanilla extract, oddly enough, helps get your banana milk to have that trademark artificial banana flavor! Use pure vanilla extract, so there won't be anything artificial about your drink.
Spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg naturally pair well with the banana flavor. They're frequently in banana bread recipes for a reason!
Seeds - You're not making a banana smoothie with this recipe, but banana milk. If you want to thicken it up, look for chia seeds or flax seeds to do the job!
Nut Butters - This is another way to add flavor and thicken the texture. A spoonful of any nut butter will do.
How To Make Your Homemade Banana Milk
Making a delicious glass of banana milk couldn't be simpler! Here's the easy banana milk recipe:
Add one banana, one cup of water, and any other optional ingredients into a high-powered blender.
Blend until smooth! This takes about one minute.
Serve immediately.
A Few Tips For Perfect Homemade Banana Milk
Blender can heat things up, so makes your swaps
Blenders can really heat things up! If you're not already using frozen bananas, cut up fresh bananas into slices and pop them in the freezer for a bit. This will help keep your milk cool. No time? Simply swap out half the amount of water for ice cubes instead!
Banana Milk Is Not Shelf Stable
Make your banana milk right before you want to drink it. It's not shelf-stable. It will separate and discolor in pretty short order, so drink up! You can keep banana milk in the fridge for two days, but you'll need to give it a thorough shake before you use it.
Finding the perfect consistency for you
This Korean banana milk recipe has a bit thinner texture than regular milk. However, if you completely trade out the water for regular milk, it gets too creamy. The sweet spot for hitting that milky consistency is to use half water and half milk!
