Are you a fan of McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie but have certain questions about it? Good, you are in the right place. In this article, you will get an answer to the following questions:
- What is the McDonald’s Banana Strawberry Smoothie made with?
- What ingredients do they use and is there any real fruit in their smoothie?
- How many calories are in MCD’s Banana Strawberry Smoothie of each size?
- How much sugar, carbs and protein does the Banana Strawberry Smoothie from McDonald’s contain?
- Is McDonald’s Banana Strawberry Smoothie healthy?
What are the Ingredients in a Strawberry Banana Smoothie from McDonald’s?
The main ingredients are:
- strawberry and banana fruit base
- low fat smoothie yogurt
- ice
Now let’s break down each component in more detail.
Strawberry and banana fruit base contains: Strawberry Puree, Banana Puree, Water, Grape Juice Concentrate, Clarified Demineralized Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Sugar, Contains Less Than 1%: Natural and Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Powder, Pear Juice Concentrate, Peach Juice Concentrate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Pectin, Colored with Fruit and Vegetable Juice, Ascorbic Acid (Preservative).
Low fat smoothie yogurt contains: Cultured Grade A Reduced Fat Milk, Sugar, Whey Protein Concentrate, Fructose, Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Gelatin. Contains Active Yogurt Cultures.
McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie Nutrition and Calories
A Strawberry Banana Smoothie from McDonald’s contain between 190-330 calories, depending on your choice of sizes.
Below you will find a comparison table with nutrition facts for the McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie in all three sizes.
The information is obtained from McDonald’s official website.
| Small Size | Medium Size | Large Size | |
| Calories | 190 | 240 | 330 |
| Fat | 0.5 g (1% of DV) | 1 g (1% of DV) | 1 g (2% of DV) |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | 0 | 0.5 g |
| Carbs | 44 g (15% of DV) | 55 g (18% of DV) | 76 g (25% of DV) |
| Protein | 2 g | 3 g | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 5 mg | 5 mg | 5 mg |
| Sodium | 40 mg | 50 mg | 70 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g | 3 g | 4 g |
| Sugars | 39 g | 49 g | 68 g |
| Vitamin C | 15 mg | 19 mg | 26 mg |
| Calcium | 70 mg | 90 mg | 120 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 0.5 mg |
Is McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie Healthy?
Let’s face it, McDonald’s smoothies are definitely one of the healthier items on their menu. They contain very little fat, which is a good thing. However, they are quite high in calories and have refined sugar in them.
According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
- Men: 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons
- Women and kids: 25 grams or 6 teaspoons
McDonald’s nutrition facts for their strawberry banana smoothie doesn’t precise what amount of sugar comes from added sugars and what is fruit sugar. However, the ingredients state that there is added sugar in both the fruit puree and the yogurt base of the smoothie.
If you go to McDonald’s and get yourself a large smoothie, that’s not too bad: you will only consume 330 calories. But if you also get yourself a McDonald’s meal, you will hit closer to 1200 calories. That’s a lot unless you are hitting the gym after the meal!
According to health.com you need to jump rope for 35 minutes to burn 300 calories. As an alternative run up and down the stairs during 30 minutes to get those 300 calories from your system. However, it doesn’t have to be that hard 😀 If you have a garden, 1 hour of raking the lawn will also burn the smoothie calories. Another alternative is to go for a 2+ hour shopping spree (with a cart). Who knew shopping could be so efficient? 🙂 For more information, check out this handy guide by Harvard Medical School% Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights.
How to Make a Copycat McDonald’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie at Home
Are you obsessed with McDonald’s strawberry banana smoothies and would like to prepare it at home?
Nobody knows the secret formula McDonald’s has for their smoothies but you can make yourself a healthier version of the smoothie with fewer ingredients.
Note that it is impossible to obtain identical taste of the McDonald’s strawberry banana smoothie when preparing it at home. The McDonald’s smoothie contains concentrated grape and pineapple juice as well as other ingredients like Cellulose Powder, Xanthan Gum, Starch and Gelatine. I assume you will want to skip those when preparing a strawberry and banana smoothie of your own 😁
Here’s a yummy banana and strawberry smoothie recipe prepared by Tamara from Very Easy Recipes. It won’t be exactly like McDonald’s but definitely healthier so why not give it a go?
Ingredients are the following:
- 200 g or 7 oz of strawberries
- 1 whole banana
- 150 g or ½ cup (5 oz) of sweetened Greek yogurt
- juice of 2 oranges or 2/3 cup
- 1-2 tbs honey or sweet syrup (optional)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- whipped cream for topping
Remember that at McDonald’s they use frozen fruit puree so if you want to achieve the same thickness of your smoothie, use frozen strawberries and/or banana. If you want to use fresh fruit, add ice to get a cooler and creamier drink. However, frozen fruit would do a better job.
Enjoy your homemade McDonald’s-inspired smoothie!
