Here are six healthy superfood smoothie recipes that are affordable, nutritious and will give you energy throughout your day.
These healthy smoothies are delicious and one of the easiest homemade drinks you’ll ever make. This superfood smoothie guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make the best healthy smoothies!
Below are six delicious smoothie recipes, tips on making the best smoothies, and favorite superfood ingredients. There’s something here for everyone no matter what you’re craving!
Smoothies are a staple in my home. I drink one every morning as a nutritious breakfast. My 5-year-old daughter loves them too! Keep reading to see how you can easily start to make healthy smoothies for yourself.
Healthy Superfood Smoothie Recipes
Did you know that many store-bought smoothies are very high in sugar and calories? I used to grab one for a “healthy boost” all the time when I was in my twenties not knowing that they were doing the opposite. Most store-bought smoothies use juice, way too much fruit and flavored yogurt. These ingredients can add up to your daily recommended sugar intake in just one drink! But the truth is that it’s much healthier and cheaper to make your smoothies at home.
There’s actually a simple trick that you can use to make healthier smoothies: Use less fruit, no fruit juices, and no flavored yogurt. Fruit juice (even the organic ones) are high in sugar and totally unnecessary for a smoothie. The same goes for yogurt – if you’re going to use it, which I do in the raspberry yogurt recipe below, then you only want to use plain yogurt with no added sugar or flavorings.
Free Superfood Smoothies Cookbook
Before we go any further, make sure you grab my free smoothie recipe cookbook! Inside you’ll get all six delicious flavors you see here.
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Healthiest Things To Put In A Smoothie
I am a huge fan of smoothies. In fact, I drink one every morning! I love that smoothies can give you a healthy boost first thing at the start of the day. You can add ingredients that you wouldn’t normally eat on your own. For example, I love to add raw zucchini to my morning smoothies. Yes, it might sound weird but you can’t even taste it and I love the consistency that it creates.
My goal is always to load up on as many vegetables as possible with a very small amount of fruit. Especially if you’re having a smoothie in the morning as this will set the tone for the day. The less fruit you have, the slower the smoothie will take to digest. This means a longer-lasting energy versus a blood sugar spike and crash. Have you ever started yawning at 10 am and don’t even know why? You’re not tired, but are yawning non-stop? It’s because of your blood sugar. So to help balance that out you want to have smoothies with more greens and less fruit.
Here are some of my favorite things to add to smoothies for an energy boost:
GREENS – Spinach, kale, and lettuce can all be used in a smoothie. I’ve tried them all – spinach is the easiest to use so if you’re new to smoothies, start with this. Next, try kale! Make sure to remove the stem of kale before adding it to the blender. Try lettuce last – you can definitely taste the lettuce in a smoothie, but I actually quite like it! I tend to alternate between these three to give my body more variety.
AVOCADO – Add 1/4 or 1/2 of a ripe avocado to your smoothie and it will create the most beautiful creamy consistency. Avocados are a great source of healthy fats which provide our bodies with longer lasting energy.
SEEDS – You can add hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds. They’re all high in protein and healthy fats. I tend to buy all three from Costco to use in my smoothies. I store each bag in my freezer to preserve freshness.
PROTEIN POWDER – I’m a big fan of Iron Vegan Sprouted Protein Powder. It contains 17 grams of plant protein from brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet and pumpkin seeds. Other protein powders have left me feeling bloated before, which is why I prefer a sprouted plant-based protein powder. I’m sure there are other brands available, but this is the one that I personally love and use every day.
NUT BUTTER – Adding 1 Tbsp of nut butter or seed butter to your smoothies will add more healthy fats. Choose a nut butter with little additives and no added sugar.
FRUIT – Bananas, berries and tropical fruit like mangoes are all delicious in a smoothie. But to avoid the dreaded sugar crash (especially in the morning), keep the fruit to 1/2 cup or less per serving.
Secrets To The Best Healthy Smoothies
- ADD A CREAMY INGREDIENT – My favorite thing to add to a smoothie is 1/2 of an avocado. It adds the perfect creamy consistency that I can’t get enough of. I just love it.
- FREEZE YOUR BANANAS – This trick will take your smoothie from a 7 to a 10. Chop a banana into three pieces and freeze them on a baking sheet for 2 hours. After that, place it in a freezer bag. Then use these frozen pieces to add to your smoothies. This will make your smoothie extra cold and creamy. It’s totally delicious.
- TRY ZUCCHINI OR CAULIFLOWER – No really! Both have no added taste in your smoothie but will provide added nutrition. In fact, I used both in my smoothie this morning and couldn’t taste either one. There’s no need to cook them as both can be added to the blender raw. Start with 1/2 of a zucchini (chopped in half), or one cup of cauliflower florets.
- ALWAYS ADD PROTEIN – Protein will give you that long-lasting energy. You can use protein powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds or seed butter – all are great protein sources.
Is Having A Smoothie For Breakfast Healthy?
Yes! But as we discussed earlier in this post, not all smoothies are created equal. I highly recommend a green smoothie in the morning, with minimal fruit. This is my favorite morning green smoothie recipe.
If you’re going to use fruit, stick to berries like blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries and banana. Try measuring your fruit and using 1/2 cup or less in total. This will help to prevent a blood sugar spike.
Fruit smoothies like the ones I’ll share below are best enjoyed as an afternoon treat. I love to share one with my daughter after school. Either way, making your own smoothies at home are way more healthy than the store-bought versions!
Best Healthy Superfood Smoothie Recipes
Now let’s get on to the delicious smoothie flavors you can make. Here are six easy recipes to get you started…
Mango Turmeric Smoothie
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Mango turmeric ginger smoothie is made with frozen mango, banana, fresh ginger and turmeric powder. You’ll love how refreshing this delicious smoothie is. It’s perfect for kids and adults. I love to use it as a mid-afternoon snack in our house.
The ginger definitely adds a bit of kick to the smoothie. So you might want to add more or less depending on what you will enjoy. My daughter happens to love it and calls this smoothie “spicy”.
- 1 cup milk – dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1-inch fresh ginger – peeled
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Green Avocado Smoothie
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Green smoothies are always my go-to first thing in the morning. If you’re new to green smoothies, then this is a great one to start with. It’s made with frozen banana, spinach, avocado and chia seeds.
The spinach has no added flavor at all, so you won’t even notice it. The avocado will make this smoothie creamy. And the banana adds natural sweetness.
- 1 cup milk – dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- 3 cups spinach
- ½ ripe avocado
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds – optional
Chocolate Banana Smoothie
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Whenever I’m craving chocolate, this chocolate banana smoothie is my go-to recipe! It’s simple and REALLY delicious. I love to use clean protein powder in smoothies because it’s a great energy source, even if I’m not working out.
This smoothie recipe uses cacao powder to add the chocolate flavor. Cacao powder is healthier than cocoa powder. Yes, they look the same but they’re actually not. Cacao powder is a healthier substitute for your baking recipes. It’s actually a source of protein, magnesium, iron, potassium, and fiber.
- ½ cup milk – dairy, non-dairy, or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 scoop protein powder – optional
Blueberry Antioxidant Smoothie
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Blueberry smoothies are a classic and great for anyone that is new to drinking smoothies. Not only do they taste great, but blueberries are high in antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K.
I prefer to use frozen blueberries in smoothies as they create a better smoothie consistency and tend to be less expensive. This recipe uses avocado or nut butter as a healthy fat. You can choose which ingredient you’d like to try with it. To add even more healthy ingredients, add 1 Tbsp of chia seeds and 1 scoop of protein powder – these two are optional.
- 1 cup milk – dairy, non-dairy, or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ ripe avocado – or 1 Tbsp nut butter
- 3 ice cubes
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds – optional
- 1 scoop protein powder – optional
Carrot Cake Smoothie
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This smoothie reminds me of carrot cake, all thanks to the added cinnamon. Carrots are a great source of beta carotene, vitamin K1, potassium, antioxidants and fiber.
Steam your carrots the night before and store them in the fridge so that they’re nice and cold. This will give a much better consistency. If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, then raw carrots will also work.
- 1 cup milk – dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- 1 cup chopped carrots – you can use cooked or raw, but I prefer cooked carrots as they blend easier.
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 3 ice cubes
Raspberry Yogurt Smoothie
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Raspberry yogurt smoothie is a delicious healthy treat that is also a good source of protein. This smoothie is great for kids as an afternoon snack, or for us moms when we need an energy boost.
There’s no added sugar, just the natural sugars from the banana and raspberries. This recipe is one of my daughter’s favorites because of the beautiful pink color and sweet berry taste.
- 1 cup milk – dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana – sliced into three pieces
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 2-3 ice cubes
Six Healthy Smoothies
Ingredients
Green Smoothie:
- 1 cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- 3 cups spinach
- ½ ripe avocado
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds - optional
Mango Turmeric:
- 1 cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1 inch fresh ginger - peeled
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
Chocolate Banana:
- ½ cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 scoop protein powder - optional
Blueberry:
- 1 cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- ½ ripe avocado - or 1 Tbsp nut butter
- 3 ice cubes
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds - optional
- 1 scoop protein powder - optional
Raspberry Yogurt:
- 1 cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 2-3 ice cubes
Carrot Cake:
- 1 cup milk - dairy, non-dairy or water
- 1 frozen banana - sliced into three pieces
- 1 cup chopped carrots - cooked or raw
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 3 ice cubes
Instructions
- Add the flavor ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glasses, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- You can use regular milk, dairy-free milk (almond, cashew, hemp, oat, etc), or just use water. All of these will work!
- Frozen banana gives better consistency in this smoothie than a fresh banana. I recommend chopping it into 3 pieces, then freezing overnight.
- For carrot cake smoothie: use cooked carrots if you don’t have a high-speed blender (ex. Vitamix) for a smoother consistency.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.