26 Smoothie Recipes
Want a quick breakfast on the go, a healthy snack, or smart way to sneak in veggies? Just whir up a blenderful of smoothies with these ideas from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, our readers and our Facebook friends!
A.M. Power
Start with a base of 1 cup flavored kefir (a healthy probiotic drink in the dairy or natural foods case), and ½ cup juice of your choice. Add baby spinach, a small avocado, protein powder if you like it, and ½ cup or more of frozen berries.
Cranberry Zing
Combine orange juice, kefir or low-fat yogurt, avocado for creaminess and frozen cranberries.
Monkey Around
Give chocolate milk a whir in the blender with a ripe banana and a handful of ice cubes. It’s a great treat for kids—that you’ll actually feel good giving them.
Strawberry-Carrot
Mix 1 cup each carrot juice, orange juice, 2 cups plain yogurt, and 1 cup each of pineapple and strawberries.
—Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, UT
Peach Melba
I use frozen peaches, raspberries, yogurt, peach nectar, wheat germ and vanilla to make my smoothie taste like this old-school dessert.
—Mari Lizzt, Kalamazoo, MI
Chocolate-Cherry Power Shake
Pour in equal parts tart cherry juice and pomegranate-flavored kefir. Add 1-2 scoops of chocolate-flavored protein powder, a handful of frozen tart cherries or cranberries, and, if you have it, baby spinach.
Strawberry-Banana
I make a smoothie almost every day for my oldest granddaughter using 1 banana, 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt, a splash of coconut water and a handful of frozen strawberries.
—Don Mellott, Durand, MI
Apple Cider
Blend 1 cup apple cider and ½ cup vanilla yogurt with apple pie spice and 1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped. Drizzle in caramel if you fancy it.
Sweet Potato-Cherry
There’s nothing like a blend of sweet potatoes, banana and cherries.
—Brenda Nora, Memphis, TN
Coconut-Mango
My favorite smoothie combines coconut milk, mango, pineapple, Greek yogurt and ice.
—Megan Worthington, Birmingham, AL
California Dream
Pulse 2 cups ice cubes in a blender with 1 cup milk, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, ½ cup honey and a 12-oz. can of thawed orange juice concentrate.
—Sonya Labbe, West Hollywood, CA
Peanutty Chocolate
With baby spinach, banana, dark chocolate soy milk, dairy-free yogurt, powdered peanut butter, instant coffee granules and ice, this tasty combo is gluten- and dairy-free.
—Tricia Barlow Walker, Oshkosh, WI
Pineapple-Coconut
Blend a can of coconut milk with 1 cup frozen pineapple, ½ cup frozen mango and ¼ cup shredded coconut. To sweeten, blend in 1 or 2 pitted dried dates or honey to taste.
—Gunjan Dudani, Bellevue, WA
Mermaid
Whir up ½ of a pineapple, ½ papaya, 3 oz. baby spinach, 1-1/2 cups milk and ½ cup ice cubes.
Cucumber-Melon
Place a peeled seeded cucumber, 1-1/2 cups honeydew, 1 cup each Greek yogurt and crushed ice in a blender with honey to taste and fresh mint, if you have it. Add a small avocado to make it extra creamy.
—Crystal Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota
Berry Blast
Blend 2 cups cranberry juice with 2 cups frozen mixed berries, some ice and 1-1/2 cups raspberry yogurt.
—Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, UT
Pumpkin Spice
This tastes just like fall: pumpkin puree, vanilla Greek yogurt, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ice.
—Syndee Yurkanin Mears, Round Lake, IL
