Smoothies are a kitchen staple for many. They can be an excellent source of nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and protein. Additionally, smoothies are also a great way to sneak more fruits and veggies into a kid’s (or adult’s!) diet.
If you’re looking for new smoothie recipes or need help figuring out where to start, you’ll want to check out our 5 healthy smoothie recipes for summer 2023 below.
Tips To Make Incredible Smoothies
Before sharing our favorite healthy smoothie recipes, you’ll want to follow these tips to make your drinks taste even better:
- For a cold smoothie, use frozen fruit instead of ice cubes to maintain flavor.
- To naturally sweeten, use bananas or dates, adjusting the quantity to your preference.
- Include leafy greens like spinach, kale, or chard for added nutrition – they don’t significantly affect flavor.
- Use water or non-dairy milk as liquid – choose based on your desired texture.
- Add seeds or nuts for protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
- If using flax or chia seeds, consume immediately to avoid texture changes.
What If I Have Allergies?
These recipes are easy to modify to accommodate those with food allergies or sensitivities. Additionally, they are not made with any of the most common food allergens such as gluten, soy, and dairy. For example, if you are allergic to pineapple, choose another fruit in its place. Similarly, many of these recipes call for non-dairy milk, so if you are allergic to nuts, use oat milk instead. If you cannot eat bananas, dates can sweeten the smoothies. However, adding another fruit instead of the banana would still be helpful to add more nutrition and flavor.
Five Healthy Smoothie Recipes
For all the smoothies below, combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tropical Fruit Smoothie
- 1 small banana
- ½ cup frozen mango
- ½ cup frozen pineapple
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup light organic coconut milk
- ½ cup filtered water
Mixed Berry Smoothie
- 1 small banana
- ⅓ cup frozen blueberries
- ⅓ cup frozen blackberries
- ⅓ cup frozen raspberries
- ⅓ cup frozen sliced strawberries
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or water
Chocolate Smoothie
- ½ of an avocado
- 1 medium, very ripe banana (preferably frozen*)
- ½ of a small zucchini
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 pitted dates
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
*if the banana is not frozen, you can add in a couple of ice cubes to make it chilled
Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
- ⅔ cup frozen pineapple chunks
- ½ of an avocado
- 1 small banana
- ½” by ½” piece of fresh ginger
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup non-dairy milk or filtered water
Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
- 1 medium banana
- ¼ gluten-free rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- ⅛ tsp of cinnamon (+ more as needed)
- ⅔ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 pitted dates
- 4 ice cubes
Conclusion
You may have noticed some trends in these recipes. In general, an easy blueprint for your smoothies can be fruit + Seeds + Leafy Greens + Liquid + Other Add-Ins. Although not mentioned earlier, protein powder is another excellent addition to smoothies.
It will help with satiation and make the smoothie a complete meal. If you’re not a fan of protein powders, that’s fine; you can add extra seeds or nut butter if your smoothies need to be filling more. Happy blending!
