Core Power Banana Returns in 2027 as Strawberry Joins the 26g Shake
fairlife is bringing Banana back to both Core Power shakes and moving Strawberry into the 26g line, with bottles due in January 2027.
fairlife Core Power is bringing Banana back. The Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand says the returning flavor is coming to both the 26g and 42g protein shakes. It's also adding Strawberry, until now a 42g flavor, to the 26g line. The new bottles are due to start reaching U.S. retailers in January 2027, so you won't find them in the cooler yet.
If you're new to the line, the Core Power High Protein Milk Shake (26g) is fairlife's original ready-to-drink protein shake. All of its protein comes from filtered low fat milk, with no scoop of powder or protein blend.
The more useful change is that the menu is getting simpler. Right now, which fruit flavor you get depends on which protein level you buy. This update brings the two sizes in line with each other.
Banana Returns, Strawberry Crosses Over
fairlife says Banana is its most requested flavor to bring back, and it's coming back in both protein levels instead of just one. Strawberry has been part of the 42g lineup and now moves into the 26g shake. The company says both flavors use real fruit puree.
Here's what's been announced:
- Banana - Returns in both the 26g and 42g Core Power shakes and is made with real banana puree.
- Strawberry - Expands into the 26g line after being sold in the 42g lineup and is made with real strawberry puree.
- Bottle size - 14 fl oz, the same size Core Power already uses.
- Timing - Rollout to U.S. retailers starts in January 2027, with wider distribution after that.
- Base - fairlife's ultra-filtered milk. The company describes the drinks as lactose-free, gluten-free, and made without artificial growth hormones.
The part fairlife hasn't confirmed is what happens to Strawberry Banana, which is the 26g line's current fruit option. It's been reported that straight Strawberry will replace it, so both protein levels would carry the same fruit flavors. fairlife's announcement calls the Strawberry move an expansion and doesn't say whether Strawberry Banana is leaving. Until the company confirms it, treat the swap as likely but unofficial. If Strawberry Banana is your usual pick, keep an eye on your store's shelf this winter.
fairlife also hasn't said which retailers will get the bottles first, how quickly the wider rollout will happen, or whether this Banana uses the same recipe as the version that left.
Core Power 26g: The Quick Breakdown
Banana and Strawberry are new flavors on an existing shake, not a new formula. The numbers below come from the Vanilla 26g bottle, and other flavors vary slightly. The full label breakdown is on our Core Power 26g product page.
- 26g protein - All of it comes from filtered low fat milk, with no whey isolate or protein blend. That's 52% DV in one bottle.
- 170 calories, 5g sugar, 0g added - The sugar occurs naturally in the milk, and fat stays modest because the base is low fat.
- Lactase enzyme - Breaks down lactose before you drink it, which gives lactose-sensitive drinkers a better chance of handling the shake. It's still a dairy product and carries a milk allergen statement.
- Calcium and potassium - The milk base supplies 670mg of calcium (50% DV) and 780mg of potassium (15% DV).
- Vitamins A and D3 - Each is added at 25% DV. We'd be happy to see the preformed vitamin A dropped.
- Sweeteners - Monk fruit juice concentrate, stevia leaf extract, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose. Four sweeteners stacked in one bottle is the main thing to know if you avoid non-nutritive sweeteners.
- Texture agents - Carrageenan, cellulose gel, and cellulose gum give it the milkshake body. Carrageenan is the one people debate most.
Flavor Lineup
Banana and the 26g Strawberry aren't due until January 2027, so the list below shows the current 26g lineup, which still includes Strawberry Banana.
- Chocolate (12 14 Oz. Bottles: $41.88)
- Strawberry Banana (12 14 Oz. Bottles: $40.99)
- Vanilla (1 14 Oz. Bottle: $3.88)
- Variety Pack (12 14 Oz. Bottles: $59.00)
One Menu for Both Protein Levels
Matching the fruit flavors across both protein levels is a small change, but it fixes a real annoyance. You'll no longer have to choose a different flavor just because you want more or less protein. Banana also coming back in the 42g shake gives higher-protein drinkers something new to try.
What to watch next is whether Strawberry Banana actually leaves the 26g line, and how quickly Banana spreads beyond the first retailers after January 2027.
