Why it works: Banana and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,430 recipes. Both carry ethyl isobutyrate, which smells fruity, ethereal. The science ↓
Cherry Smoothie
2 glassesIngredients
Directions
Place the juice, banana, cherries and yogurt in a blender.
Blend until completely smooth.
Pour into 2 glasses and serve, topped with fresh cherries and mint sprigs if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Banana | 1 medium (118g) | 105 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Apple Juice | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Cherry | 1 cup (138g) | 87 |
| White Grape Juice | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Banana + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,430 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
-
Cherry + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together890 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Cherry + bananatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together187 recipes
Shared aroma: n-butyl acetate (pear, banana).
-
Banana + yogurttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together508 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Cherry + minttop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together206 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Frozen dark sweet cherries
- Give the smoothie its cold thick body and its main cherry flavour.
- Banana
- Adds natural sweetness and creaminess, helping the smoothie blend smooth.
- Vanilla greek yogurt
- Adds thickness, creaminess and a mild tang that balances the fruit sweetness.
- Cherry juice
- Supplies the liquid so the fruit blends, and adds more cherry flavour and sweetness.
Swap the mint
The recipe marks mint as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cherry, banana, vanilla, yogurt):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Peppermintfits better
- Clovefits better
- Mintthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cherry, banana, vanilla, yogurt. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Vegetable Soup350 recipes
Raspberry Vinegar214 recipes
Brown Coffee with Egg175 recipes
Blackberry Cordial129 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.