How to Make TikTok Banana Coffee Even Better
Eating a banana with a cup of coffee is a simple treat (and my boyfriend’s favorite light breakfast). It’s the perfect combination of sweet and bitter, and it’s one of the quickest morning meals you can make together. However, instead of consuming the two separately, various TikTokers have started mixing them together to make #bananaicedcoffee, a cup of coffee mixed with two frozen bananas.
As a lover of cold coffee drinks and bananas, I tried it. It was, as TikTok user Ellie Gervais promised, “more than the sum of its parts.” It was creamy, sweet, caffeinated and slightly bitter, with more nuance than you’d expect from a two-ingredient smoothie. However, I thought it could be better.
The benefit of banana iced coffee is that you can easily customize it. I used a ripe banana and found the sweetness to be a bit more intense, but two teaspoons of cocoa powder softened and rounded it up while (obviously) giving it a chocolate flavor that I like. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla, because vanilla makes everything better, and found that these two additions made the taste of the drink complete and full, without excess fat or refined sugar. (I’m not one to follow such things, but it’s noteworthy that I didn’t feel compelled to add half and half , which is my habit.) I poured it into a glass and garnished with a slice of banana and some cinnamon sugar, and breakfast was filed.
All you need to make banana iced coffee is two frozen bananas and a cup of cold drip coffee (add a cup of cold brew concentrate if you want to hear the sound). If you’re lazy like me and never want to peel bananas before you freeze them, don’t worry, a frozen banana is easy to peel .
You could mix the two together and be perfectly satisfied, but a little cheating will make the drink better. For inspiration, think banana bread and move on. The vanilla extract is good, but the almonds are a bit more unexpected. If you love chocolate, you can add the aforementioned cocoa powder or a spoonful of Nutella. Finally, don’t ignore baking spices – a pinch of cinnamon, a little fresh nutmeg, or a dash of cardamom can make the drink a little warmer and more inviting (in spirit, not temperature, because it’s frozen).