Banana Coffee

From dalgona coffee, to shaken brown sugar espressos, to iced tres leche lattes and everything in between, there always seems to be a new viral coffee. New on the scene is banana coffee.

Banana banana banana banana banana banana, banana banana. I am a banana lover, through and through. I dream about bananas and especially banana bread. Bananas just might be the perfect fruit. Except for those pesky fruit flies. And the fact that you need a banana train for perfectly ripe bananas. Hmm, now that I think about it, bananas are surprisingly high maintenance. Not as bad as, avocados, obviously, but they definitely have their quirks. I love them anyway. And, I now store my bananas in a fruit fly proof container.

Introducing banana coffee

The combination of banana and coffee isn’t completely novel as they’ve been combining coffee and banana milk forever in Korea, via those little yellow bottles of Binggrae, but Tiktok has resurfaced banana coffee into the spotlight and I am absolutely here for it because (dad joke incoming) I am bananas for bananas.

What is banana coffee?

Banana coffee is exactly what it sounds like: coffee combined with banana. There are several ways to make it, depending on the texture you like and what you have on hand. The way that’s floating around right now is essentially a banana milk with espresso or cold brew. The banana milk is made by blending a ripe banana with milk, something sweet, and a touch of cinnamon. From there, banana and coffee come together beautifully.

Why banana coffee?

Does it sounds weird to you? Bananas and coffee? It might sound strange at first, but banana and coffee can make a delicious pair, their flavors and textures complementing each other perfectly.

The key is the contrast. Banana brings sweet smooth creaminess and heft and coffee brings earthy, roast-y bitter acidity. The contrast between the slight bitterness of coffee agains the sweetness of bananas can’t be beat. Smooth, satisfying, and endlessly sippable, banana coffee is the relationship equivalent of the black cat golden retriever relationship, both in color and personality. In other words, banana softens coffee’s bitterness and coffee add a interesting complexity to banana. Plus, the blended banana helps thicken and cream-ify, giving you a smoothie, dessert-like experience. I was a little skeptical until I tried the banana milk and now I am a full convert.

Banana coffee ingredients

• banana – the more brown, the more spotty, the more sad, the sweeter and more blend-able your banana will be. If it’s super-sweet, you might not even need to add any extra sugar/honey/maple syrup to your banana milk
• milk – it’s choose your own adventure milk with banana coffee. If you want something classic, go with full fat milk, otherwise, go wild. Oat, almond, soy, coconut, rice, cashew, the world is your milk.
• sweetener – sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, alternative sweeteners, go with what your usual is. Honestly I didn’t even bother, the banana was enough.
• coffee – use coffee you like, whatever coffee that might be. The only thing is the coffee should be cold. Cold brew, leftover coffee, espresso (add cold water to make it an americano), instant, it’s all fair game. We actually love instant, fun fact: 70% of coffee snobs prefer instant in a double blind taste test. It’s true!
• ice – some may say it’s not an essential ingredient, but I think it is. For this drink, I like medium size ice cubes. Nugget ice is perfect for dirty soda, not so much coffee as it melts down too quick. I have an ice cube tray (shown below) that I specifically use for the ice in my iced coffee, so that’s what I go with. Somehow putting ice in a homemade coffee gives it cafe vibes without going out to an actual cafe.

How to make banana coffee

1. Brew. The coffee needs to be cold, so go ahead and start with brewing your favorite blend or mixing up your instant coffee, or using your nespresso/keurig. You’ll need 1 cup of cold coffee.
2. Blend. Place your super ripe banana, along with sugar/honey/maple syrup to taste, in a blender with milk. For the sweetener, start off with 1-2 teaspoons of sweetener and go from there. If your banana is super sweet, you might not need anything extra at all. Blend until very smooth and silky. For extra bonus points, strain the banana milk through a sieve so it’s lump free.
3. Ice. Add ice to a tall glass.
4. Layer. Add the coffee to the glass and layer on the banana milk. Or reverse that as I did. It doesn’t matter except for #aesthetics.
5. Enjoy. Stir well and enjoy

Tips and tricks

A sad banana makes a happy coffee

For the best results, use an extra ripe banana with plenty of brown spots. The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful your coffee will be. Go ahead and pick out those sad bananas, they’re extra soft which makes them perfect for blending. Sad-nanas are not just for banana bread, they’re for coffee too.

Sweeten as needed

Bananas are sweet but coffee is bitter so if you want a bit more sweetness in your banana coffee, adjust to taste. You can use your favorite sweetener, just put it in the blender with your banana and milk.

Ice or no ice?

I feel like banana coffee is a cold drink so I would never have it hot and I like ice in my coffee so I enjoy banana coffee with lots of ice, but ice is a preference, so you can ice or not ice, it’s your choice.

Lumpy = no

If you don’t like lumps in your coffee may I suggest straining? Straining your banana milk through a fine mesh strainer will give you a silky smooth banana milk. It takes an extra bit of effort, but it’s worth it, in my opinion.

Variations

Looking at the hashtags for banana coffee will get you a plethora of banana coffee recipes out there. I’ve been making the two below on repeat.

Fluffy Banana Coffee

This is a combination of banana coffee and dalgona coffee. Essentially it’s a silky smooth banana milk topped with fluffy dalgona. It’s fun to make and delicious to drink.

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp sugar, maple syrup, or honey

Blend the banana and milk together until completely smooth. Keep cold in the fridge while you make the dalgona top. In a tall cup, mix together the instant coffee, sugar, and 1 tbsp very hot water. Use a milk frother to whip until light, airy and fluffy. Grab your banana milk and a tall glass. Add ice, the banana milk, and a fluffy coffee top. Stir before enjoying.

Korean Banana Cream Latte

Korean banana cream lattes are different from banana coffee in that they use Binggrae Banana Milk. You can find Binggrae at Asian grocery stores and online. The intense sweet banana-ness of Binggrae is the base of the banana cream that floats prettily on top of iced coffee.

• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tbsp Binggrae banana milk
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• double shot of espresso
• 3/4 cup milk of choice

In a tall glass or liquid measuring cup, mix together heavy cream, Binggrae banana milk, and condensed milk. Use a milk frother to froth into a banana cream cold foam. Add ice to a glass, then pour in milk, top with a double shot of espresso, and finish with the banana cream. Stir before enjoying

If your banana train has too many bananas

You can make:

Alright, that’s all I got on banana coffee. I’m actually gonna go out and get some bananas right now to make myself one. I’m gonna grab some extra bananas for banana bread too because bananas.

I hope you have a banana-ful day,
xoxo steph

Classic Banana Coffee

Banana

Serves 2

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Prep Time 3 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 3 minutes mins

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup milk of choice
• sugar or maple syrup, or honey, to taste/optional
• 2 cups coffee cold, extra strong

Estimated nutrition is based on no sugar, nonfat milk.

Nutrition Facts

Classic Banana Coffee

Amount Per Serving

Calories 90
Calories from Fat 4

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.4g1%

Saturated Fat 0.2g1%

Cholesterol 2mg1%

Sodium 69mg3%

Potassium 499mg14%

Carbohydrates 17.5g6%

Fiber 1.3g5%

Sugar 12.4g14%

Protein 5g10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.