Korean banana milk, or banana uyu, is a popular South Korean flavored drink that’s sweet, slightly creamy, and very refreshing! It can be served as a light breakfast or enjoyed as a mid afternoon pick me up. My recipe is very easy to make – only 4 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed!
For such a simple drink, Korean banana milk is surprisingly tasty! I didn’t know about this famous Korean drink until I moved to NYC and discovered one of my favorite Asian grocery stores, H-Mart, was selling it. I’m a huge fan banana flavored foods so when I saw Binggrae banana milk displayed in the chilled drinks section, I knew I had to try it. Banana milk was first introduced to South Korea in 1974 and made famous by Binggrae, a famous Korean beverage and snack company. It instantly became a hit after the government encouraged their citizens to drink more milk. And since bananas were considered a luxury at the time, banana milk became a favorite among the nation.
The bottle’s original shape was inspired by a traditional Korean jar although you can now find banana milk sold in small milk cartons. The flavor is both sweet and savory, floral and silky. It takes a minute to get used to the taste but after a few gulps it’s easy to see why it has become such an iconic drink!
My recipe is different than Binggrae’s version – it’s not as complex in flavor but has all of the refreshing and satisfying components. I like to drink it as a midday energy booster.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Banana: Medium size and as ripe as you can find. The riper the banana is, the sweeter the beverage will be!
- Water: Water is used to thin out the consistency so the drink feels more like a drink than a smoothie.
- Milk: You can use whole milk, 2% milk, or skim milk. To make it vegan, I recommend using unsweetened oat milk as it has less of an aftertaste. It’s also good with soy milk!
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar if you want straight up sweetness, or pure maple syrup or honey for sweetness mixed with a hint of floral.
- Pure vanilla extract (optional): Adding 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract will infuse the banana milk with oak and jasmine flavors.
Variations
- Make it fruitier: For a fruitier taste, add a couple of strawberries or other types of berries. Adding a few watermelon slices will brighten up the drink, while adding half an avocado will make it creamier.
- Make it chocolatey: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to give this beverage a chocolate taste.
- Add some spices: Add a little cinnamon powder, nutmeg, or allspice to give the drink some warmth and depth of flavor.
- Make it a frozen drink: Scrap the water and milk measurements and instead use 1 cup of ice cubes and 1/3 cup of milk.
How To Make My Banana Milk Recipe
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
* You will need a blender or an immersion blender to make this beverage.
- Gather all of your kitchen tools and ingredients.
- Peel the banana and put it in a blender along with the remaining ingredients.
- Blend until smooth and serve.
Storage
It’s best to drink banana milk as soon as it’s blended to enjoy its beautiful pale yellow color. To store for later, keep it in a drinking cup covered with plastic wrap, or in a storage container. Keep in mind that the color of the milk will become darker the longer you leave it, and the liquid may also begin to separate. This doesn’t mean it’s bad – it’s just the banana releasing ethylene gas and turning brown.
Shake it well before drinking and enjoy within 24 hours.
What To Serve With Banana Milk
Banana milk can be enjoyed on its own as a drink or a snack. When I want to pair it with a nibble, I like to stick with sweet ones so they compliment the fruity taste of the drink. Some of my favorite foods that I like to eat with banana milk are:
- Magic cookie bar
- Taiyaki
- Castella cake
- Easy vegan banana bread
- Hotteok
- Peanut butter and honey fudge
- Golden vegan brownies
Other smooth and silky drinks you might like: Iced matcha latte, taro milk tea, peanut butter banana smoothie, Thai iced tea, strawberry banana smoothie, coffee banana smoothie, and mango lassi.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this banana milk recipe is 100% gluten-free.
Yes you can. Cavendish bananas are the easiest to find which is why I am using that type for this recipe. However, you can also use lady finger bananas, red bananas, or pisang raja bananas. Stay away from plantains are they are tough and not very sweet.
Yes you can. Frozen bananas are an excellent alternative to fresh bananas because they are usually very sweet and will make the drink ice cold.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Korean Banana Milk (Banana Uyu)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: none
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A deliciously fruity and mildly sweet Korean banana milk recipe that’s perfect for breakfast or as a midafternoon snack.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup water
- 3/4 cup milk or non dairy alternative
- 1 tablespoon sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients: Add the banana, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a blender, or cup, if you are using an immersion blender. Blend until smooth.
- Serve: Transfer the banana milk to a drinking cup and serve immediately.
Notes
It’s best to drink homemade banana milk immediately as the color will change and lose its lovely pale yellow hue.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 237
- Sugar: 39.5g
- Sodium: 104.2mg
- Fat: 0.6g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 51.7g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Protein: 9.5g
- Cholesterol: 4.9mg
Not Banana Uyo, but close enough! as the recipe clearly states itself. Takes 10 seconds to make.
Here in Finland it is impossible to find Banana Uyo from any Asian or other supermarkets, ordering it is pretty impossible as well. We have one soy alternative, which is okay.
As far as this recipe is concerned, it is good, as mentioned easy and fast. For the non-USA natives out there I would cut the honey to 1 tsp, if the banana is well ripened you don’t need any added sugar. Not having vanilla extract I just used 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar. Generally with USA recipes I think I cut sugars by 50-70%.
Good tip, replace water with some ice-cubes, makes it nice and cold.
Add frozen berries / fruits for added flavour combinations. Although keep the banana fresh since that is the base.
So good it tastes so good! I also make this if I have bananas In my house I’m in highschool I drink this during my first class for breakfast also I watched a Korean show where a guy was drinking it looked so good so I wanted to make it so thank you
I’ve been making my own banana shake for years. I let the banana skin turn nearly black to get the real natural sugar content plus 2% milk + some flavour eg; Robinson’s fruit flavor or grenadine. Mix well, drink as is or pour over my cereal. This week fresh grapes are on special so a hand full of them add to the other and blend well.
I think I’m going to have to try this one. Never had banana milk before but the ingredients look great. Adding it to my to try list 😉
when i was a little child in Hawaii, my sister taught me how to make banana milk shake… we just mashed a banana, added a glass of milk and some vanilla… no sugar or water added… was very refreshing… i do not like milk but …. i enjoyed it….
Wonder why all milk is no t used istead of adding water.
Hi Brenda! It’s a textural thing. Too much milk makes the consistency more like a smoothie than a regular drink 🙂