This PB&J Smoothie tastes so much better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s loaded with vitamin-rich fruit and has no added sugar, and is filling enough to be enjoyed as a meal replacement. You won’t want to share it!
If you’ve tried my Peanut Butter & Jelly smoothie before, you might have noticed this recipe has gotten a bit of an update. I’ve started adding a small amount of frozen raspberries to the mix, and they make a world of difference! This updated recipe tastes even more like the original version from Jamba Juice.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie (Copycat Recipe)
This smoothie is inspired by one I tried at Jamba Juice years ago. It’s on their secret menu, which features all sorts of creative flavors, like White Gummy Bear, Sour Patch Kids, Fruity Pebbles, and many more. Our favorite, by far, is their Peanut Butter & Jelly creation.
According to the person making it for us, the store-bought version is made with frozen yogurt and raspberry sherbet– how could it not be delicious? Luckily, you can make a healthier version at home that tastes just as good!
All you need to get started is some frozen fruit, a date for sweetness, and peanut butter. The result is a delicious peanut butter & jelly smoothie that is dairy-free, sweetened with only fruit, and just as delicious as the store-bought drinks I remember. Who needs a sandwich when you can drink this instead?!
How to make a PB&J Smoothie
Making this smoothie is easy! Just add the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. I use water most of the time as the liquid base, but you can use any milk you like, too.
If you have a standard blender, you might want to blend the date in the liquid first, to help break it down, and then add in the frozen fruit. As soon as it’s totally smooth and slushy-like, it’s ready to serve!
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Healthy Smoothie Recipes You’ll Love
The following smoothies are some more fan-favorites that you might enjoy! They are all dairy-free and quick to prepare!
- Coffee Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- My Go-To Smoothie For Kids (banana-free)
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
- Dragon Fruit Smoothie
- Low Sugar Smoothies
How to Make a PB&J Smoothie (1-Minute Video):
PB&J Smoothie (Jamba Juice Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or almond milk
- 1 soft Medjool date , pitted
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen strawberries (about 8 whole strawberries)
- 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the water or milk, date, peanut butter, banana, strawberries, and raspberries. Add a pinch of salt, if using unsalted peanut butter.
- Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape the blender if needed. You can add more liquid if your blender struggles to process the mixture, but added liquid will dilute the flavor slightly, so use as little extra as possible. Serve right away and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
For the whole batch: Calories: 421, Fat: 17g, Carbohydrates: 65g, Fiber: 11g, Protein: 11g
Recipe Notes:
- For a nut-free smoothie, try using sunflower butter or tahini instead of peanut butter. The taste will change, but it should still be delicious! (I’ve also made this with almond butter with great results.)
- You can replace the date with 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup for a similar sweetness.
- If you don’t have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, blend the date in the liquid first, to help it break down completely. Then add the frozen fruit and blend again until smooth.
If you try something different with this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you tried. We can all benefit from YOUR experience!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever ordered off a restaurant’s “secret menu?”
Um, Yes Please! I have never been to Jamba Juice, but this looks fantastic and super refreshing!
Never been to jamba juice either but this looks fabulous. I can appreciate the dairy free aspect (dairy makes me cough!) and how it’s only naturally sweetened with fruit. And of course the peanut butter- oh how I love PB! We had a friend from the Ukraine who had never had peanut butter and who stayed with us in the US for awhile and now wants it shipped over. Loved it. Anyhow, secret menu, we’ll I recently discovered bacon lemonade, but um, that was yucky.
I just made a peanut butte rand banana milkshake last night for pudding – so great minds think alike. Great plan for just switching plain strawberries instead of jam/jelly – I love PB and jelly one of USA’s greatest exports:)
This sounds delish! I may have to try it with the fresh ground honey roasted pb that my hubby is addicted to (and asks that I keep on hand for paleo waffles and pancakes ) 😉 Thanks for the recipe!
This sounds so good! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I drink smoothies all the time so I will be trying it soon.
Great minds think alike! I just posted a similar one on my blog a couple days ago! I added in some GF rolled oats for the “sandwich effect” and used a bit more milk. My husband has it every day for breakfast and loves it!: http://rachelsnourishingkitchen.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/its-peanut-butter-jelly-smoothie-time/
What can you use instead of Bananas? I’m allergic to them as well as all melon, avocado and walnuts?
I have similar sensitivities and usually sub peaches for banana, but I also use mango if I’m out of peaches
Didn’t have all the ingredients this smoothie required but my copycat of your version had milk, frozen banana, frozen raspberries, peanut butter, and hemp seeds for added protein. Uber yummy! Thanks for the lunch time inspiration.
Oooh, this is a nice healthy version! Only 1 date for sweetener – I love it!
Ohh Jamba Juice, it’s so funny because back in the day we all thought we were being healthy ordering those smoothies (not thinking of the sherbet or fro-yo they contained)! I’m not a fan of bananas, but I do love adding peanut butter to my smoothies (delicious and great staying power!) and adding a date would be a nice boost of sweetness!
Never been to Jamba and I certainly don’t need to after making this, YUM!
This looks fun & tasty! I know I’ll enjoy it :0) – thanks! I’ve never been aware of a secret menu at a restaurant! But – maybe this is close – I’ve ordered things when they’ve been taken off one of my favorite restaurant’s seasonal menus, knowing they still technically have the ingredients & want to use them up but don’t want to advertise that fact as they can only make so many till they do so.
I used to eat a pb & j sandwich after school in High School every. single. day. I think this sounds like a delicious and healthier way to feed my addiction! If only I knew 6 years or so ago!
I actually love this, especially now that I know my cells can actually assimilate the great nutrition I am giving it, since cleared all heavy metals from my brain and cells… It is as if years of bogged down energy sucking substances have left my body and I can think clear, have a ton of energy and sleep like a baby~ !!
This is so good. I have had it several days in a row now. It totally hits the spot, and has the perfect sweetness. I have been adding a tablespoon of jam to mine, just as alittle extra and it’s really tasty. Thanks for another awesome recipe.
Wow, this was really tasty. Sunday is normally our breakfast cheat day (out at a cafe or pancakes and bacon, etc.). We had this instead and it definitely felt like a cheat. It also held us over until an early dinner. Thanks for posting.
I’m drinking this as we speak and it is YUMMY! I normally don’t like berries when I’m craving a thick shake but this hits the spot in the healthiest way!
Hey Megan,
Thanks again for so many wonderful and inspiring posts! I noticed some others commenting about this and since you’re the expert of all things healthy, you may have some ideas we never thought of! I am allergic to bananas and didn’t realized others suffered from this until I noticed some other ladies commenting! Any suggestions as to a good substitute for them in smoothies, or have any smoothies recipes with no banana? It is a terrible allergy to have considering how delicious and nutritious bananas are!
Thank you for all the inspiration!
To Christi and others who ask about no bananas, I LOATHE bananas in smoothies so I hear what you’re saying. I don’t know what Megan suggests but I usually use half a chopped, frozen pear as a substitute. I have seen the idea of steamed then frozen chopped cauliflower but nave never tried it. It gives the smooth extra texture of bananas but without the added sugars from fruit substitutes.
Why is it that everything with PB&J that isn’t the regular PB&J utterly delicious? I cannot stand the regular one, but even plain ol’ grilled PB&J sandwich is delicious.
This is the perfect afternoon snack, has that salty sweet thing going on!
I just made this and holy cow, it’s delicious!! It really does taste like a PB&J!
I just made this and holy cow, it’s delicious!! It really does taste like a PB&J!
This was delicious! I used PB2 instead of regular peanut butter. Thanks so much for posting! This will be a repeat recipe for sure.
I just made it now, adding a little all natural all fruit strawberry preserves for sweetness, and it is delicious. I used the date and all the rest of the ingredients, using unsweetened almond milk. Thanks for the recipe!
This is amazing! I used cherries instead of strawberries, but it is a definite repeat recipe. Thank you
OMG!!! I do not live in the US and have never had Jamba Juice but now I know that the next time I’m there I am definitely having it (unhealthy or not!) lol…this was amazing…I can have this every day all day….we have been hooked on your chocolate peanut butter banana milkshake and often refer to it as our cheat smoothie as we are trying to have more of green smoothies…well I think we just found ourselves another cheat smoothie!!
This smoothie was delish!….. I used plain peanut butter, without sugar, Very rich flavour!
Thanks for letting me know, Erika! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This tastes so good! My daughter and I love this in the morning
This is a great combo! I tried it without the date first, but the little boost of sweetness makes a difference. I never used to use recipes for smoothies but I like how it helps me try different ingredients – thanks Megan!
I also started replacing 1/4 cup of the liquid in smoothies with the packaged cage free egg whites from Costco. You can’t taste it and it helps me stay full for longer.
I am feeling confused about the combining, here are proteins mixed with sweet fruit and acid fruit….I am trying to learn this but the recipes don’t seem to line up with the stated rules.
Not all of the recipes on this website are properly combined. The majority of them are intended to help ease people into healthier eating (away from sugary ice creams and milkshakes in this case), while still offering familiar tastes, textures and flavors. I’m feeding two young kids, and they don’t practice food combining, so many of the recipes I share are aimed at picky eaters. I’m working on a labeling system for food combining here on my website, but in the meantime you can find 200 properly combined recipes and several meal plans in my first two books, Everyday Detox & No Excuses Detox. My 5-Day Make-Ahead Reset program is also properly combined.
Made this with frozen mixed berries, honey instead of the date and added a scoop of pb chocolate protein powder (in addition to the pb) and it’s great!
Love it! Thank you for sharing the recipe and your smoothie wisdom with me. I liked the use of fruit (not just preserves/jam) and the almond milk This was my first smoothie (guess I live in a cave!) but now I know that there will be many more great smoothies to come. Wishing you happiness and good health!
This recipe is fantastic! What could be better than a PB and J smoothie?! I love this combination, and it’s great as a smoothie. I used honey instead of dates, and it worked nicely. (But it won’t be vegan) I also added I cup of chopped carrots/zucchini for hidden veggies. These veggies don’t affect the flavor or color. So, very kid friendly!
I had been making all fruit smoothies and was looking for something different. Thought I’d give this a try and I’m so glad I did – it’s amazing!!
I love this smoothie! Sweet and salty, creamy & tangy. I’ve been making it on repeat… feels like a treat.
This is our go to smoothie. Its delicious and the little ones LOVE it!