Smoothies are awesome. Drinking a smoothie is an excellent way to get a few servings of fruits, vegetables and protein on the go. Smoothies are convenient and easy. There are even special blenders that come with a smoothie attachment cup for making and drinking your smoothie.
While there are smoothie cafés popping up in every town and city, we suggest making your own smoothies at home. One of the leading smoothie shops nationwide has a very tasty, best-selling smoothie on its menu that has 660 calories and a whopping 132 grams of sugar. That’s a week’s worth of sugar in one beverage. Even their child-sized smoothies have more than 100 grams of sugar in them. These trendy cafés claim to be healthy, but you’re better off stopping for an ice-cream cone than paying $6 for a super sweet cup-o-calories from the local smoothie café.
We’ve created a variety of extremely delicious and nutrient-packed smoothie recipes that will rock your world. We’ve added no refined sugar to these plant-based smoothies. They are full of whole foods and tons of flavor.
A Note on Smoothie Ingredients
To produce a great-tasting, nutritious smoothie, you’ll want to start with high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients:
- Milk: When milk is listed on the ingredient list, we don’t necessarily mean cow’s milk. Consider nut milk, oat milk or coconut milk as a good, plant-based alternative. We wrote a detailed guide to milk alternatives here on our blog. Look at that guide to determine what milk is right for your smoothie.
- Produce: We recommend buying organic produce whenever it’s possible. Check out our blog post about why to choose organic food here. Often, frozen organic produce is less expensive than fresh, and they’re ideal for smoothies.
- Protein powder: There are many varieties of protein powder available these days. We generally recommend skipping soy and whey protein powder. However, pea protein powder is a great option, and we recommend it. Also, hemp protein is nutritious and beneficial. In fact, the proteins that the body absorbs most efficiently are pea and hemp proteins. Be sure to read the labels on your protein powder to avoid additives like artificial sweeteners, sugar, thickeners, and artificial flavors.
Ingredients to Have on Hand for Smoothies
Stock up on organic frozen berries, pineapples, and mangoes. Also, buy a few bags of organic frozen spinach. Buy extra organic bananas each time you’re at the market and when they become ripe, peel and freeze them in resealable plastic bags. Buy organic apples, orange juice, and grapes. Carrots, celery and ginger root are wonderful to have on hand as well.
Keep ice cubes handy in your freezer. You’ll need them if you have a lot of liquid or room-temperature produce in your smoothies. You may also want to freeze some orange, pineapple or cranberry juice in ice cube trays to toss into your blends.
10 Best Smoothie Recipes
Chocolate Salad Shake
This is one of my all-time favorite smoothie recipes. It is easy to make, contains no refined sugar, a nice serving of leafy greens and nutritious chia seeds. This smoothie makes an ideal addition to a dinner that’s lacking in vegetables. It’s also great for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups protein milk
- 4 peeled, frozen bananas
- 2 cups organic fresh or frozen spinach, kale or other greens
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Green Smoothie
If you’ve ever bought a green smoothie at the supermarket or smoothie café, you’ve probably tasted a very sweet combination of fruit with some deep green concentrate thrown in. Our homemade smoothie is much better. Try this.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 3 stalks organic celery
- 1 organic green apple, cored
- 1 cup organic frozen chopped pineapple
- 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1 cup organic green grapes
- 1 cup fresh organic spinach, kale or other greens
- 1 teaspoon moringa powder, chlorella powder or spirulina (or use all three)
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Better Ginger Berry Breakfast Smoothie
This smoothie is a great way to start your day. It’s full of antioxidants from berries and the wonderful healing power of fresh ginger. Add the chia seeds to boost your omega-3 fats and fiber intake.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup ice
- 8 ounces organic pineapple or orange juice
- 1 fresh or frozen banana
- 2 cups organic frozen mixed berries
- 1/2-inch peeled the fresh ginger root
- 1 cup of filtered water
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Creamy Tropical Protein Smoothie
This smoothie is loaded with delicious tropical fruit. Use full-fat coconut milk in this one for an even more tropical flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup organic frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 cup organic frozen mango chunks
- 2 peeled, frozen bananas
- 1 cup organic orange juice
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Mint Chocolate Chip Spinach Smoothie
Now, this one nearly tastes like a dessert. But it’s a dessert loaded with green goodness. You’ll love this one and your kids will too.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups protein milk
- 4 peeled, frozen bananas
- 2 cups fresh or frozen organic spinach, kale or other greens
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Put everything except chocolate chips into a blender and blend on high for about 40 seconds. Add in the chocolate chips and blend an additional 30 seconds.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Peanut Butter and Jelly Protein Smoothie
Everybody loves the classic peanut butter and jelly combination. Of course, you can substitute sunflower seed butter or almond butter for the peanut butter if you prefer. This smoothie can be made with any type of berry or a blend of several. It’s high in protein, thanks to the scoop of vanilla protein powder. The peanut butter and jelly protein smoothie will fill you up and keep you full for a few hours.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups nondairy milk
- 1/4 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
- 2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries or other berries
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Sunshine Orange Pineapple Banana Smoothie
This might be the best way to wake up. It’s a deliciously bright smoothie with a nice blend of orange, banana, and pineapple. We’ve added some protein powder and chia seeds to give it a little more substance.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 peeled oranges
- 2 peeled, frozen bananas
- 2 cups organic frozen pineapple chunks
- 2 cups ice
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Chocolate Raspberry Dream
This smoothie is a creamy, decadent blend of chocolate, raspberries, bananas, and protein. Try this when you’ve got a chocolate craving.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups organic frozen raspberries
- 3 cups nondairy milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 2 peeled, frozen bananas
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Blueberry and Green Tea Antioxidant Powerhouse Smoothie
If you’re looking for antioxidants, look no further than green tea. It’s loaded with potent antioxidants called catechins that fight off free radicals in the body. Blueberries are also loaded with antioxidants. This smoothie is an ideal combination of nutrition and flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup hot filtered water
- 1 organic green tea bag
- 2 cups frozen organic blueberries
- 2 peeled, frozen bananas
- 1 cup protein milk
- 1 cup ice
DIRECTIONS
Brew the green tea bag in the ¼ cup of hot water for 3 minutes. Discard the tea bag and pour tea into the blender. Add the frozen blueberries and the rest of the ingredients. Blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie
Did someone say carrot cake? For breakfast? Yep. Here’s a fantastic smoothie full of vitamin A and flavor. The carrots are naturally sweet, which make them ideal in this protein smoothie. There is also cinnamon in this one. We recommend buying Ceylon cinnamon for its health benefits ― more information on that here. Mexican cinnamon is almost always of the Ceylon variety. You can also find it online and at specialty stores.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 organic carrots, chopped
- 2 peeled, frozen bananas
- 1/2 cup organic frozen pineapple chunks
- 3 cups protein milk (or milk with a scoop of vanilla protein powder)
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on smoothie mode for about 1 minute. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may need to run the smoothie mode twice to get the carrots smooth enough. Another option is to seam the carrots slightly before you add them to the blender.
Makes: Three 12-ounce smoothies
For more amazing smoothie recipes, check out our Summer Smoothie Cookbook, here!
