No other food bridges the gap between meal and snack in quite the same way as peanut butter. If you are looking for a quick and easy lunch idea, make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In the mood for a few handfuls of something sweet? You can’t beat miniature peanut butter cups. No time for breakfast in the morning? Peanut butter on a piece of whole-grain toast will fill you up and give you a nice boost of protein to boot. As such, it’s really no surprise that peanut butter has become a staple ingredient among smoothie-enthusiasts. As far as we're concerned, there’s nothing wrong with that.

In fact, we’d like to share nine of our favorite peanut butter smoothie recipes from around the web. So grab that blender and prepare to have your mind blown by these luscious legume-based libations (unless you have a peanut allergy, in which case you probably should have turned back after reading the title).

9 Peanut Butter Smoothies

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or even just, you know, stay alive, your body needs protein. Unfortunately, many of us just don’t seem to get enough of that good stuff in our diets. You can solve this problem by trying your hand at creating the Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein shake.

A common excuse for not getting enough protein is the high cost of protein-rich foods and the time it takes to prepare them. Another doozy is that foods high in protein just don't taste good. Well, this one has chocolate in it so we aren't accepting that reason. 

Special thanks to Sally at Sallysbakingaddiction.com for developing this recipe.

Ingredients

1 large banana (sliced, frozen)
3 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
6 oz Greek Yogurt (flavored or unflavored)
¾ cup skim milk (or your favorite kind of milk or milk substitute)
1 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or agave
1 tbsp peanut butter
Chocolate syrup (optional)

Directions

1. Place the banana, the cocoa powder, the yogurt, and the milk into a blender. Blend.
2. Add the honey and the peanut butter. Blend again.
3. You may have to scrape the sides a few times in order to get everything properly mixed. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve in a tall glass, and drizzle a small amount of chocolate syrup over the top (optional but delicious)

2. Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

Look, we understand. You know that you should always start your day with a nutritious breakfast, but once you’ve hit that snooze button for the fifth time and hauled yourself out of the warmth of your bed, you don’t always have time to prepare a meal on your way out the door.

The Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie—created by Liz at Thelemonbowl.com—may be the perfect solution. Prepare it fast while on the go (it only takes five minutes), or make it the night before and keep it ready in the refrigerator. It will give you the energy you need to make it through the day, and you can even bring it with you to the office.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Place bananas, skim milk, and yogurt in a blender. Blend.
2. Add oats, peanut butter, cinnamon, and ice. Blend until smooth.

3. Blueberry Peanut Smoothie

It's a common misconception that bananas are the only fruit that should be in a peanut butter protein smoothie, but blueberries are one that shouldn't be forgotten. 

The blueberry is one of nature’s wonder foods. It’s incredibly rich in antioxidants, helps prevent bladder-infections, fights age-related memory loss, and may even strengthen the body against cancer! Combined with the fact that blueberries are most beneficial when eaten raw, these factors make blueberries the perfect smoothie ingredients. Mix them up with a little peanut butter—thanks to this recipe by Royal Oak Peanuts via Cookingchanneltv.com—and you’ve got a smoothie that not only tastes great, but one that may also improve your overall health.

Ingredients

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup milk (low-fat)
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt (fat-free)
½ cup ice

Directions

1. Combine blueberries, milk, and peanut butter in a blender and blend for approximately 30 seconds.
2. Add ice and frozen yogurt, and blend until smooth.

4. Peanut Butter and Jelly Green Smoothie

 

According to a 2002 survey, the average American will have eaten 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before graduating from high school. Break the trend—stop eating peanut butter and jelly; start drinking it. That’s right, Brianne at Cupcakesandkalechips.com has created a delicious smoothie that combines the flavors of the sandwich that you love, with the ease and health benefits of a green smoothie (even though the color of the resultant mixture is certainly not green).

Don't let the funky name intimidate you. This ultra-healthy peanut butter smoothie is packed with nutrients and tastes great. 

Ingredients

5–6 oz greek yogurt (vanilla or berry flavored)
1 cup fresh or frozen berries of choice OR ½ cup frozen berries and half of a banana (cut into chunks)
1 Tbsp peanut butter or 2 Tbsp powdered peanut butter OR peanut flour
½ – ¾  cup milk (of your choice)
Handful of leafy greens (baby spinach, kale, etc.)
Small handful of ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine the milk and fruit together in a blender. Mix.
2. Add the peanut butter, greens, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth.

5. Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Peanut butter cups are one of the most popular treats in the United States. There’s a good chance that you feel a craving for some of those aluminum-wrapped rewards from time to time. But if you’d rather not have to ransack your kids’ trick-or-treat bags or sneak one into your grocery cart in the check-out line to get your fix, you can always give this recipe a try.

The Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie comes to us from Health.com, and has all of the taste of traditional peanut butter cups, while somehow still keeping a low count on the calories. Enjoy the magical flavor combination while still getting the benefits of a peanut butter protein shake. 

Ingredients

1 cup ripe banana (chopped, frozen)
1 cup chocolate milk (1% low-fat)
½ cup vanilla frozen yogurt (low-fat)
2 tbsp natural-style peanut butter
1 (8 oz) carton vanilla yogurt (low-fat)

Directions

1. Let frozen banana stand for five minutes to partially thaw.
2. Combine banana with remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve immediately.

6. Peanut Butter Strawberry Smoothie

We tend to keep a list in our heads of what kinds of foods go well with other kinds of foods. Peanut butter, for example, works really well with bananas. But what about some of the foods we don’t normally associate? This smoothie combines peanut butter with two fruits that most people generally neglect to pair with it: strawberries and pineapple. But even though this match up may not be common, we can assure you that the result is delicious. Thanks to Peanutbutterlovers.com for the unique peanut butter fruit recipe!

Ingredients

1 ½ cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat)
1 cup milk (of your choice)
¼ cup pineapple juice
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Combine strawberries, yogurt, milk, pineapple juice, peanut butter, and honey together in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Add honey to taste. Re-blend.
3. Serve immediately.

7. Peach and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Speaking of unusual peanut butter associations, have you ever tried peanut butter with peaches? If not, you've been missing out. The peanut butter fruit smoothie comes alive with both bananas and peaches. This recipe, courtesy of Henry Biagi via Cooks.com will have you changing your entire perspective on peanut butter and peaches, not to mention peanut butter fruit smoothies in general. 

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas (small, frozen, chopped)
1 cup peaches (chopped, frozen)
2–3 ice cubes (chopped)
¼ cup + 2 tbsp peanut butter (reduced fat)
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg

Directions

1. Warm peanut butter until it begins to flow easily. Beat with a fork to prevent separation.
2. Blend peanut butter, chopped fruit, and ice cubes in a blender for approximately 30 seconds.
3. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve cold.

8. Ultimate Peanut Butter Smoothie

This recipe comes to us from Weightlossandtraining.com, and although we’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not this really is the ultimate peanut butter smoothie, we’re willing to go on record as saying that it’s certainly one of our favorites. In addition to being deliciously filling, it’s also a significant source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Make it an almond milk peanut butter smoothie, and you can make it even healthier. 

So, if you need a healthy, nutritious meal but don’t have a lot of time to prepare it, the Ultimate Peanut Butter Smoothie has you covered.

Ingredients

½ cup almond milk or other milk alternative (unsweetened)
1 scoop of protein powder (chocolate or vanilla flavored)
2 tbsp of peanut butter (all-natural)
1 handful of fresh baby spinach
1 medium sized ripened banana
¼ cup water
½ cup ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a blender. Blend until smooth.

9. Basic Peanut Butter Smoothie

Well, we’ve introduced you to some amazing and unique smoothies already, so we’d like to finish off with something more simple. Why? Because we think that the best way to find the perfect smoothie to fit your tastes and lifestyle is through experimentation.

As such, we've created a simple, blank-canvass recipe that is perfect for a little creative manipulation. Feel free to familiarize yourself with this basic recipe, and then see what happens when you start dropping in additional ingredients. Who knows? You might just discover something amazing that no one else has tried before—but if you do, just make sure to send us the recipe.

Ingredients

1 banana (chopped)
2 cups milk or milk substitute (of your choice)
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 cups ice cubes (crushed)
2 tbsp honey or agave nectar

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add any other ingredients you’d like to try, and blend again.
3. Enjoy your own unique peanut butter smoothie concoction!

If you are just getting into the peanut butter protein smoothie game for the first time, we hope this gives you a great baseline!

If you think we missed any intriguing peanut butter smoothie recipes, share your favorites with us and others through our comments section below!

When it comes to snacking, few things are more fun and satisfying than a good salsa. Be it smooth and mild, chunky and mind-blowingly hot, or any variation in between, salsa has a way of bringing people together in a frenzy of chip-dipping madness. However, for many of us, the store-bought salsa never quite compares to the fresh stuff you can get in restaurants. This may be because store bought salsa is loaded with preservatives and is often overcooked, so as to increase its shelf life. While this is important—so that when you open it up, you’re not greeted with the garbage-bin aroma of rotten food—for those who’ve tasted the crisp tang of flavorfully fresh, homemade salsa, the stuff that comes in a jar is simply unacceptable.

But that doesn’t mean that you’ll have to head to the local Mexican restaurant every time you want to be able to enjoy fresh salsa! With some simple ingredients, a bit of know-how, and a food processor, you’ll be able to make amazing salsa right in your own kitchen.

Here are five DIY recipes to help keep your salsa cravings in check while at home. They get hotter as you scroll!

1. Kid-Friendly Fresh Salsa (Spiciness: very mild)

This recipe comes from Amber at Jadelouisedesigns.com. If you, your kids, or anyone on your guest list just can't handle spicy hot salsa, this is the recipe for you. This mild salsa contains all of the fresh taste, but none of the spiciness of traditional salsa, making it perfect for children and adults who have low spice-thresholds.

Ingredients

10 or 11 medium tomatoes (cut in half)
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
¾ tsp sea salt
½ large white onion (chopped)
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
⅓ cup lime juice

Directions

1. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes, and then place them in a food processor and dice them (do this by pulsing the food processor a few times for no longer than a second or two).
2. Remove the tomatoes and set then aside in a bowl.
3. Place the chopped onion into the food processor along with the cilantro and dice them (again, use the pulsing method).
4. Add the onions and cilantro to the tomatoes in the bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt, red pepper, and lime juice.
5. Stir together, and cover the bowl with an airtight lid. Refrigerate the salsa for approximately 2 hours before serving.
6. Of course, you can always add some sliced jalapeños if you want to make things a bit hotter!

2. Fresh Mild Salsa (Spiciness: mild–medium)

This recipe is originally from allrecipes.com, where it currently holds a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5! 

Despite the presence of serrano and jalapeño peppers in this salsa, the recipe itself yields a mild to medium mixture that shouldn’t be too hot for sensitive mouths, while still delivering a delightful little “kick.” The best part? It couldn't any easier. 

Ingredients
 4 ripe tomatoes (chopped)
 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
 2 ½ tsp lemon juice
 2 tsp fresh cilantro
 2 tsp salt  (or to taste)
 1 serrano pepper (seeded and chopped)
 1 jalapeño pepper (seeded and chopped)                                                               1 tbsp ground cumin  (or to taste)                                                                           1 tsp ground black pepper  (or to taste)                                                                ¼ green bell pepper (chopped)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients together in a blender, and then process until desired consistency is reached.

3. Amazingly Simple {Homemade} Gourmet Salsa (Spiciness: mild to hot)

This easy recipe comes to us from Ginny at Organizinghomelife.com. You only need four simple ingredients to make it, yet it manages to end up tasting as fresh and delightful as any restaurant salsa. Be warned, however, that there is quite a range of spiciness in this salsa, depending on what kind of diced tomatoes with chilies you get. Consider using “mild” chilies if you don’t want your mouth burning up.

Ingredients
1 or 2 cans canned diced tomatoes with chilies
½ cup onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
3 tbsp fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the chopped onion, garlic, and cilantro together in a food processor.
2. Blend until the ingredients are finely diced.
3. Add the 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes with chilis, and then continue to blend until the mixture takes on a uniform chunkiness and color.
4. Add salt if necessary.

4. Salsa Roja (Spiciness: medium to hot)

Things are really heating up now. Special thanks to Erin at Oneparticularkitchen.com for this medium to hot salsa recipe. It produces a lovely smooth and aromatic salsa which will absolutely dazzle your taste buds.

The spiciness of this salsa depends heavily on the peppers you use, and some peppers may seem excruciatingly hot, while other may have little to no spiciness at all. If you’re afraid that you might get a batch that is too hot, consider reducing the number of peppers you use, or remove the seeds and the membranes from the peppers before you cook them.

Ingredients
16 full sized tomatoes, or 1 full produce bag Roma tomatoes
2 or 3 yellow onions
20–25 serrano peppers
8–10 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 or 2 tbsp salt
1 or 2 cilantro bunches

Directions

1. Cut the tomatoes and onions in half, and then lay them on a cookie sheet along side the garlic and peppers with the cut-side facing upwards, and bake them in the oven at 375°F.
2. Once the the tomatoes begin to look soft and the peppers have darkened, remove the cookie sheet and allow it to cool.
3. Once the ingredients are no longer hot to the touch, place them, along with the salt and cilantro, into a food processor and blend it until it reached the desired consistency (you may have too many ingredients to fit them all into the food processor, so be prepared to break the recipe up into two batches).

5. The Hottest Salsa in the World (Spiciness: beyond hot)

This may or may not actually be the hottest salsa in the world, but you can bet that it will absolutely knock your socks off. Special thanks to Sarah at Villagevoice.com for sharing it with us.

Seriously, this salsa really is indescribably spicey. Be sure to wear gloves while you prepare the naga jolokia chillies (which may be difficult to find outside of specialty markets), and only try a small amount at first. You’ve been warned!

Ingredients
⅓ cup water
1 tbsp white vinegar
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 oz dried naga jolokia chillies (stemmed, soaked in warm water, and drained)
1 large pinch salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor and puree.

Unique Ways to Use Salsa

Whether you are looking for a mild or a hot salsa recipe, we hope you found one you love! But what if you made too much, or it didn't all get eaten by your guests? Here are some fun, unique ways to use your homemade hot salsa: 

• Have it with your eggs. Mixing hot salsa into scrambled eggs or adding it on top of an omelette is a great way to spice up your morning. 
• Add it into your burger mixture before throwing the patties on the grill, or add it after instead of ketchup. 
• Spread some on your next slice of pizza. 
• Layer it into a grilled cheese sandwich. 
• Add a spoonful into your mac and cheese. 
• Make an entire salsa bar.

If you have any mild to hot salsa recipes that you are dying to share, post them in the comments section and let the world experience the spice!