Vegan smoothies are a wonderful way to enjoy maximum nutrition and taste, with a minimum of time and effort. This makes them an especially appealing option for busy people who follow a vegan diet, which often involves lots of prep time.
If you’d love to incorporate healthy smoothies into your daily routine, but aren’t quite sure how, here’s all you need to become a vegan smoothie expert—along with some yummy, super-easy smoothie recipes to get you started.
Vegan Smoothies 101
Brand new to smoothies? Relax! Most smoothie ingredients are gut healthy foods you’ve already got at home. And aside from a liquid component (essential for all smoothies) and a dry superfood mix-in, the recipes presented here contain only three additional ingredients, to keep things truly simple.
Smoothie preparation isn’t an exact science—there’s lots of wiggle room, and you’re the one who gets to call the shots:
• Thickness: The thickness of your perfect smoothie is a matter of personal preference, and there’s no right or wrong. So feel free to use a little less liquid for a denser smoothie—or a little more liquid if you prefer a thinner one. These three ingredient smoothie recipes all have an approximate liquid measurement range so you can tailor the thickness to your taste.
• Sweetness: We all have our own unique threshold for optimal smoothie sweetness. Most people should find these recipes sweet enough without additional sweeteners, but it’s fine to add a spoon or two of a healthy vegan sweetener such as date sugar, agave nectar, or stevia if your palette craves more sweetness.
• Creaminess: Creaminess (or lack of it) is also a matter of personal taste. For a heartier, creamier, more rib-sticking smoothie, choose a richer liquid such as coconut milk. If you’d like a lighter drink, go with a thinner plant based milk like almond milk—or perhaps just plain water or iced green tea. You can also up the creaminess factor of any smoothie by adding a bit of avocado.
• Temperature: Love thrillingly frosty smoothies? Substitute frozen fruit for fresh, or throw in an ice cube or two. On the other hand, to battle brain freeze, simply opt for ingredients straight out of the fridge.
Finally, if you’re not achieving that super-smooth texture you love in restaurant smoothies, don’t blame yourself; blame your blender! Investing in a quality high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) will give you the ability to dependably create smoothies with the same velvety texture as the ones that cost top dollar when you go out.
Seven Totally Amazing Three-Ingredient Smoothies
For a truly functional smoothie, you want to make sure you are giving your body the nutrition it craves without sending your blood sugars through the roof. We’ve taken extra care to create seven delicious smoothies that have the perfect mix of fiber, good fats, and protein to counteract the impact of the natural sugars found in the whole fruits we use. We’ve also intentionally avoided fruit juices and sweetened milks so that you can enjoy a beautiful rainbow of color, taste, and nutrition, with full confidence and zero regrets. These seven smoothies only take minutes to prepare and will likely ignite your imagination to what else is possible:
1. Creamy Green Endurance Machine
This sweet, hearty smoothie packs the nutrition you need to keep you going strong through long, hectic days. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats, potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin E. Hemp seeds contribute high quality plant protein along with omega 3s, and the banana adds additional prebiotics, potassium, magnesium, folate, and a host of other vitamins and minerals.
Enjoy this smoothie as a hearty breakfast, or anytime you need a snack with staying power.
Basic Ingredients:
• ½ ripe avocado
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 3 tablespoons hemp hearts
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup plant based milk
• ½ scoop Vega Essentials Vanilla Protein Powder
Instructions: Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
2. Drinkable Nutty Chocolate Cake
For the taste of a peanut butter cup cake—with none of the usual guilt—try this decadently rich chocolate smoothie. Prebiotic-rich frozen bananas give this smoothie its creamy sweetness, and the peanut butter introduces a grounding, savory contrast, along with protein, antioxidants, vitamin E, and magnesium. Cacao powder is a nutrition powerhouse in its own right, adding iron, calcium, antioxidants, and even phytonutrients that support positive moods!
Enjoy this smoothie as a healthy breakfast or dessert—or anytime you’re in the grips of a powerful chocolate craving.
Basic Ingredients:
• 2 large frozen bananas, broken into chunks
• 1 ½ tablespoons raw organic cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon organic creamy peanut butter
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup chilled coconut milk
• 1 scoop Hyperbiotics Organic Prebiotic Powder
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
3. Carrot Mango Tango
This vibrant smoothie has a distinct tropical vibe, and a brilliant happy orange color to brighten even the grayest of mornings. Since the smoothie also is full of vitamin A, antioxidants, B vitamins, vitamin C, prebiotics, amino acids, and minerals to encourage healthy eyes, skin, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and immune systems, you’ll have even more to feel happy about!
Enjoy this smoothie to start your day off right, or anytime you could use some sunny energy.
Basic Ingredients:
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 cup frozen organic mango
• 1 small chunk fresh lime
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup water or plant based milk
• 1 teaspoon Sari Foods Organic Maca Powder
• 1 tablespoon Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
4. Jade Jewel
This gentle green smoothie is an absolute treasure trove of taste and nutrition! Prebiotic greens are naturally rich in folate, calcium, iron, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals—and kale actually contains more nutrients per ounce than just about any other food on earth! Grapes are also high in phytonutrients, and they contain lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health. Kiwifruit (in addition to its wide variety of nutrients) contains digestive enzymes to keep your tummy feeling comfortable—as well as chemical components that support restful sleep. Superfood green powders add additional chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals to this already life enhancing nutritional mix.
Enjoy this smoothie for a late afternoon pick-me-up that won’t keep you awake at night, or anytime you want to instantly reap the benefits of green vegetables and fruits.
Basic Ingredients:
• ¾ cup lightly steamed organic baby spinach or kale (chilled)
• 1 cup organic green seedless grapes
• ¼ cup kiwifruit (peeled and sliced)
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup water or iced green tea for a light smoothie, or pea milk for a heartier, protein-rich smoothie
• 1 teaspoon organic spirulina or wheatgrass powder (Sari Foods Co has them both and they are delicious!)
• ½ scoop Vega Essentials Vanilla Protein Powder
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
5. Powerful Pink Dragon
For a truly dramatic presentation, this powerful pink dragon recipe won’t disappoint. Dragon fruit gives smoothies the head turning, intense magenta hue of those childhood crayons we remember—without any sort of artificial coloring!
But dragon fruit is more than just a tasty head turner—although it certainly does its part to help you turn heads with so many nutrients that support beautiful skin, eyes, and hair. Dragon fruit is filled with B vitamins, vitamin C, antioxidants, and protein. The addition of hydrating watermelon increases the phytonutrient content of this smoothie even further, and the vegan yogurt introduces helpful microbes to the mix.
Basic Ingredients:
• 2 3.5 oz packets frozen organic dragon fruit
• 3 tablespoons organic plain vegan yogurt of your choice
• 1 cup organic watermelon chunks
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup plant based milk
• 1 scoop Hyperbiotics Organic Prebiotic Powder
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
6. Liquid Gold Recovery
In addition to the expected host of electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, pineapples are also rich in bromelain, which helps muscles, joints, and tendons bounce back after you’ve worked them hard. Apples increase the nutrient and electrolyte content, while the bright yellow turmeric in golden milk powder protects your entire body from free radicals, all the way down to the cellular level.
Enjoy this smoothie after challenging workouts to help your mind and body recover, or anytime you could use some replenishing nutrition.
Basic Ingredients:
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
• 1 large, crisp organic apple, diced
• 1 teaspoon vegan golden milk powder (such as Gaia Herbs)
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to 1 cup coconut or cashew milk
• 1 scoop Hyperbiotics Organic Prebiotic Powder
• 1 tablespoon Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
7. Cruciferous Creamsicle
Who doesn’t love creamsicles? This comforting smoothie combines sweet, vitamin C-rich orange segments with plant based milk, and the calming antioxidant vanilla for that distinctive creamsicle flavor—and then takes things up a notch by adding just a bit of steamed cauliflower and creamy frozen banana.
Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower are wonderful for gut health, and they also contain lots of protective carotenoids, tocopherols, ITCs, prebiotic fiber, vitamin K, folate, and pantothenic acid for glowing overall wellness.
Enjoy this smoothie whenever you get the urge to revisit childhood creamsicle memories along with some quality grown-up approved nutrition.
Basic Ingredients:
• 1 frozen banana, broken into chunks
• 1 large, sweet navel orange, peeled and separated into segments
• ¼ cup steamed cauliflower, chilled
Liquid and optional superfood mix-ins:
• ½ to one cup plant based milk
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla powder
• 1 teaspoon Sari Foods Organic Vitamin C Acerola Cherry Powder
Instructions:
Process all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy, adding additional liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
Vegan smoothies make it easy to breeze through hectic days—keeping hunger at bay without compromising nutrition. You may find, though, that these smoothies are so satisfying and delicious, that you want to include them in your meal plan even on days when you’ve got all the time in the world.
For more gut-healthy recipes, check out The Hyperbiotics Cookbook.
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Roberta Pescow is a writer at Hyperbiotics and proud mom of two amazing and unique young men. Natural wellness is a subject she’s passionate about, so she loves sharing information that helps others discover all the ways probiotics support glowing health and well-being. To learn more about how a healthy microbiome can enrich your life, subscribe to our newsletter.