Korean Banana Milk

Discover what banana milk is and how to make it at home with this traditional and authentic recipe! Banana milk is a banana shake delicious, and I would love for you to try it.

If you love plant-based drinks, or if you like bananas and are a big fan of all the benefits they bring, you will definitely adore banana milk. It is a refreshing, filling drink with a delicious flavor. I must confess my children have become addicted to it — it tastes amazing!

Barshine Glasses by Luigi Bormioli

What is Korean banana milk

Banana milk (called in the country of origin "banana uyu", 바나나 우유) is a plant-based drink that basically consists of milk flavored with banana and a light vanilla touch.

Contrary to what many might think, it is not a newly discovered beverage or a recent finding now that alternative plant milks are becoming popular. It is a drink with almost 50 years of history already, since it was introduced in Korea by the company Binggrae in 1974, which still sells it worldwide.

Its flavor and richness made it become popular quickly, and in fact so much that you could see famous and influential people in the country drinking it publicly.

Over time, other brands emerged competing with Binggrae's original formula, but the brand continued and remains the most popular and best-selling in all Eastern countries.

What does banana milk contain?

The original banana milk is the Korean one popularized by the mentioned brand, and its composition basically contains 85% milk, mineral water, sugar, 0.32% concentrated banana juice, carotene, and banana and vanilla flavors.

For preservation and commercial reasons, producers mainly use flavorings to make banana milk, but you can make banana milk practically tasting like the original with natural ingredients we usually have in the kitchen. And that's the recipe we'll see next!

What does banana milk taste like and what is it like?

Basically, banana milk tastes like banana! But mellowed by being dissolved in milk and it also enjoys a subtle vanilla note that suits it wonderfully.

In texture, it's smooth and quite light, very similar to soy or almond milk, or a bit lighter than oat milk.

Keep in mind, and I think this is important, that to make banana milk we use half milk and half water: using all milk would make it a smoothie, and it would also be thicker.

Recipe to make banana milk (how to make Korean banana milk)

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, cut into pieces
• 1 glass of milk (260 ml)
• 1 glass of mineral water (260 ml)
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup (you can also use a light honey)
• 1 tsp or a few drops of pure vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend for a few seconds until you get a smooth mixture.
2. Serve in glasses immediately, or store in the fridge in a well-sealed bottle (maximum 1 and a half days).

Notes

• If kept in the fridge, shake before serving (after a few hours you'll see the milk has separated into two phases and darkened slightly, but after shaking vigorously it will return to normal and you'll see it's still delicious).
• It's common to drink it as the ingredients indicate, but personally I love to add a bit of cinnamon when I serve it.
• The usual and original recipe is made with cow's milk, but you can use another type of milk, either to make it 100% plant-based or to vary the flavor. In that case, I recommend almond milk — it will change the resulting taste and it's also very tasty.