This butterfly pea smoothie is an all-new and exciting way to use butterfly pea other than for tea. And the great news is you can make it with either dried flowers or powder. Let us show you how to do it!
Also called blue pea or Asian pigeonwings, butterfly pea is a vivid deep blue flower found in South and Southeast Asia and praised for its health benefits in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
Butterfly pea is also used in Thai and Malay cuisines as a natural food colourant for rice dishes and desserts and to brew a soothing blue tea.
You can find culinary butterfly pea as dried flowers or a finely ground powder at your local Asian food store or online.
The blue pea powder is also called "blue matcha" as it tastes similar to matcha. Just like its green counterpart, butterfly pea tastes grassy and earthy but it's not as bitter.
In today's recipe, we'll use butterfly pea powder to whizz a delicious tropical smoothie with bananas and coconut milk. It's quick and tasty!
If you don't have the powder, worry not! You can make also this blue smoothie with the butterfly pea flowers if you already have them at home. Just follow the steps below, and we'll explain how!
You can increase or decrease the butterfly pea quantities to change the colour of your smoothie from a sky blue to a deep blue hue.
Have fun experimenting with it, and let us know what you think in the rating section at the bottom of the page!
By the way, this butterfly pea smoothie is dairy-free and vegan, as we used coconut milk instead of cow's milk. So it's perfect if you have a dairy allergy or are following a plant-based diet.
As for the bananas, you can replace them with yogurt (regular or plant-based) for a low-sugar option.
Once ready, serve this blue smoothie into your cutest glass and enjoy! And if you're looking for more tropical smoothie recipe ideas, check out our guava pineapple smoothie and papaya smoothie bowl. You'll love them!
Ingredients
| Option 1 | |
| Butterfly Pea Powder | 1 tsp |
| Option 2 | |
| Butterfly Pea Flowers | 4 tbsp |
| Others | |
| Coconut Milk Drink | 480 mL |
| Bananas | 2 |
Step 1
Depending on what you already have at home, you can use either the butterfly pea flowers or powder to prepare this blue smoothie.
If you have the powder, skip to the next step and follow our recipe as is.
If, instead, you have the butterfly pea flowers, add them to a pot with the coconut milk drink.
Then, bring the milk to a boil and simmer it for a few minutes until the flowers have released all their blue pigments and you have bright blue milk.
Filter the milk with a sieve and let it cool down completely.
Once cold, use it in the steps below.
Step 2
Add the butterfly pea powder and coconut milk drink to a blender. If you made the blue milk in the step above, you don't have to use any powder.
Next, tip in the bananas (1).
Then, whizz all into a smoothie (2).
Step 3
Your delicious butterfly pea smoothie is ready for sipping!
If you like, you can swirl the smoothie with yogurt as we did.
To do so, add a few spoonfuls of yogurt into a glass or jar and pour the smoothie over it. Then, stir the bottom a few times to create a pretty swirl pattern.
Tips
You can swap bananas with coconut yogurt, soy yogurt, or Greek yogurt; use about 100g (3.5 oz) of yogurt for each banana.
You can turn this smoothie into a balanced breakfast, perfect to enjoy on the go. Simply add 30g (1oz) of oats and one tablespoon of peanut butter per person to the blender and whizz all until smooth.