Healthy Smoothie Recipes You Should Try

With all the incoming health fads, it’s easy to dismiss a smoothie as a periodic fad that comes and goes. But the truth is, a smoothie is a delicious and – if you do it right – healthy drink that you can use to fortify your diet.

What are Smoothies?

A smoothie (also known as a smoothy, and earlier usage had it as a smoothee) is a thick beverage made of pureed fruits or vegetable, and an added liquid base like fruit or vegetable juice, milk or yogurt. One can also use ice if the fruit or vegetables weren’t frozen.

The thickness of the smoothie is determined by the ratio between the liquid base and the pureed fruits or vegetables.

Some people even have protein powders and vitamin supplements included in the mix.

The difference between a smoothie and a shake, though, lies in the fact that smoothies don’t have too much added dairy or sugars, and a smoothie is different from juice in the sense that the pureeing process includes the whole fruit, not just the juice.

Healthy Smoothies

Some smoothies aim to maximize nutritional content, but this doesn’t mean that they have to be dreary concoctions. Here are some healthy smoothie recipes you can use.

For all recipes, combining the ingredients are simple, all you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a blender, then puree until smooth. Recipes will indicate if preparation is otherwise.

Special Orange Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 cup of yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions

Peel the orange, and then combine it with all the other ingredients in the blender. You can use fat-free or fat-free half-and-half yogurt, and ice cubes should be added to your preference of thickness.

Banana and Cinnamon Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 2 cups Kefir (drinkable yogurt, found in most supermarkets; contains calcium and probiotics)
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  • Ice cubes

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 10 oz. skim milk or plain soymilk
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1 tsp. natural peanut butter
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions
Don’t use as too many ice cubes, to keep the consistency thicker.

Green Tea, Blueberry, and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp. water
  • 1 bag of green tea
  • 2 tsp. of honey
  • 1 and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 medium banana
  • 3/4 cup soymilk
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions
Use a microwaveable cup to heat the water in the microwave until it is steaming, then steep the tea bag in it for 3 minutes. Stir the honey into the tea until fully dissolved. Add this to the other ingredients in the blender. You can also use vanilla-flavored soymilk, and have the option for high-calcium variants as well.

Pomegranate and Berry Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of pomegranate juice
  • 2 cups assorted mixed berries
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1/2 cup of cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup water

Special Directions
You can use nonfat cottage cheese as a healthier option. Do experiment about which berries you want to include in the mix to taste.

Kiwi-Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1 kiwi fruit
  • 1 cup of yogurt
  • 2 tsp. maple syrup
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions

Do remember to peel and slice the Kiwi fruit. You should cut the banana into chunks for a faster time pureeing. Consider the maple syrup as optional – try it first without the syrup to see if it’s okay with you.

Berry Amazing Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of frozen raspberries
  • 3/4 cup of almond or rice milk
  • 1/4 cup of cherries
  • 1 and 1/2 tbsp. of honey
  • 2 tsp. of ginger, finely grated
  • 1 tsp. of ground flaxseed
  • 2 tsp. of fresh lemon juice

Special Directions

You can use unsweetened versions for the raspberries, cherries, and the almond or rice milk. You can also remove the cherries and just concentrate on the raspberries.

Cucumber and Kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 2 ripe kiwi fruits
  • 1 cup of ginger-flavored kombucha
  • 1/2 cup of yogurt
  • 2 tbsp. of fresh cilantro leaves
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions

Chop the cucumbers, and peel the kiwis before putting them into the blender. You can also use low-fat plain yogurt. Kombucha tea is a refrigerated tea, usually found in supermarkets or natural food stores.

Strawberry, Banana, and Flax Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries
  • 1 and 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 tbsp. of ground flaxseed

Special Directions
For a healthier smoothie, use unsweetened strawberries and skim milk or even light soymilk.

Classic Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 cup of orange juice
  • 6 frozen strawberries

Special Directions
Use plain nonfat yogurt for a healthier option.

Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 2 cups of frozen, diced mango
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup of lime juice
  • 3/4 cup of silken tofu
  • 1 tsp. of grated lime zest

Special Directions

Do make sure that your tofu is silken tofu, and that your zest is freshly grated.

Choco-Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup of frozen assorted berries
  • 1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of chocolate soymilk
  • 2 tbsp. of all-natural peanut butter

Special Directions

For a healthier option, use low-fat variants for all the ingredients, aside from the berries. You can also choose which berries are better to taste.

Basic Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients
  • 1 cup of yogurt
  • 1 cup of pineapple chunks
  • Ice cubes

Special Directions

You can use light vanilla yogurt or low-fat yogurt for a healthier option. Be sure to add the pineapple chunks last when pureeing.