The best vegan smoothies give you a healthy and nutritious start to the day. They can replace another meal or make an excellent pick-me-up snack during the day.
You can pack a punch of nutrients into a vegan smoothie, including fruits and vegetables, to make it flavorsome and refreshing.
Remember, texture is everything when making smoothies – it cannot be too runny or thick.
Here are some of the best vegan smoothie recipes with tips for a delicious and nutritious smoothie that can replace any meal.
Top Vegan Smoothie Recipes
Breakfast is an important meal, but if you are always running late, you may find it tempting to skip it, making do with a cup of coffee.
Coffee can form part of a vegan diet since it has antioxidants and plenty of B vitamins that may reduce the risk of some cancers and diseases. However, if you are taking too much caffeine, you may notice that it messes with your mood and increases anxiety, especially if you are skipping breakfast.
For those trying to cut out coffee, there are endless recipes for healthy vegan smoothies to kickstart your day. If you like that morning boost from a cup of coffee, here’s how to combine it in a healthy smoothie that takes five minutes to prepare – an excellent option for starting your day:
Breakfast Coffee Smoothie
Use coffee, bananas, non-dairy milk, and peanut butter for a yummy and nutritious breakfast smoothie. Prepare from the night before by placing the banana in the freezer and the brewed coffee in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 T. unbrewed ground coffee (yes, you can eat coffee grounds)
- 1 T. nut or peanut butter
- ½ t. vanilla extract
- ¾(riper is better) – If out of bananas, replace with avocado, sweet potato, oats, or anything else you fancy
- Ice to thicken
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients and blend.
- Add more ice for a thick smoothie or more almond milk to loosen
- Serve immediately
Note: You can use decaffeinated coffee if you prefer.
Delicious and Easy Vegan Smoothies
One of the advantages of adding smoothies to your diet is that they are delicious and easy to make. Add a few ingredients to the blender, and you are ready to sip. All-in-all, this shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Whether you are using a recipe or creating a smoothie of your own, it’s worth remembering the following tips when creating the best vegan smoothies:
- Frozen fruits and veggies cut into smaller portions break down better in the blender for a creamier texture.
- High-fiber fruits and vegetables add body to smoothies. For example, bananas, pineapples, peaches, mangoes, spinach, carrots, celery, and cauliflower are perfect.
- Start with less liquid while blending to avoid making your smoothie too runny. You can adjust the consistency by adding liquid later.
- Raw oats and chia seeds are healthy additions because they add more fiber and protein to your vegan smoothie and act as thickeners.
- Add healthy fats to your smoothies using avocado for an incredibly creamy texture, a fruit that goes particularly well with chocolate and matcha.
- If using protein powder, blend it with some liquid before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Prevention provides 35 recipes for delicious and easy vegan smoothies in this interesting article on starting your day better and stronger.
Exciting Vegan Smoothie Ideas
Sometimes, it’s not easy to convince the rest of the family to enjoy a smoothie with you, but it’s also not fun to create a smoothie just for you.
The more interesting you can make the smoothie, the easier it becomes to convince the rest to try.
Here’s an exciting vegan smoothie idea: using two different colored layers to make the smoothie enticing.
Fruit and Macha Smoothies
Offer them the rainbow in a glass.
Ingredients for one serving
- ¾ cup cold non-dairy milk, such as almond, coconut, or oat
- ½ cup of one type of frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or mango yield the brightest colors)
- 1 t.of your preferred sweetener (optional)
- 1 t. matcha powder
- 1 t. sugar
- 2 T. aquafaba (the liquid from canned unsalted chickpeas)
Instructions
- Place milk, frozen fruit, and sweetener, if using, in a blender.
- Puree until smooth.
- Pour into a glass.
- Whisk the matcha with the sugar in a biggish bowl.
- Add the aquafaba and beat with an electric mixer until it becomes fluffy and foamy (about 2 minutes)
- Spoon the whipped matcha over the fruit smoothie and serve immediately.
Explore the Best Vegan Smoothies
The ingredients you can use to make vegan smoothies are endless. Besides using non-dairy milk and various fruit and vegetable combinations for fiber, you can also add tofu, protein-rich supplements, non-dairy chocolate, spices like ginger and turmeric, nut butter, oats, and seeds.
These are just a few examples of what can go into creating the best vegan smoothies. Explore the smoothie recipes from the 30-Day Vegan Smoothie Plan from EatingWell and try them all. With 30 different smoothie ideas, you will never get bored of having the same smoothie daily.
Refreshing Vegan Smoothie Options
Summer fruits like berries, watermelon, honeydew, mangos, and apples make great additions to refreshing smoothie options. These fruits taste great in season, but you can also find a good selection of frozen fruit to add to your smoothies.
Using frozen fruits is often cheaper, they are available all year round, and they are convenient, cutting prep time.
Additionally, most people don’t get enough of their daily quota of dark leafy greens. Smoothies allow you to incorporate these and other vegetables into your diet. Sneak them in, and no one will notice they are there.
Finally, remember that cucumbers are refreshing vegetables with a relatively neutral flavor. They team well with tropical fruits like mango, coconut, and pineapple. Here’s a delicious smoothie that combines refreshing ingredients.
Ingredient Refreshing Smoothie
Use strawberries, cucumber, and mint for the best vegan smoothie that’s also refreshing. Add banana and milk to make it substantial. Boost the shake, if preferred, with a handful of spinach or kale, and sweeten it with dates if your strawberries are a bit sour. Finally, add some lime zest or lime juice. if you want a zesty flavor
Ingredients (makes two large glasses)
- 1½ cups frozen strawberries (fresh is also okay)
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ chopped English cucumber
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- a few leaves of mint (optional)
Instructions
Place the ingredients in a blender and blend on high. You want a creamy consistency, so add more milk if it’s too thick.
Serve and garnish using mint leaves, strawberry, and cucumber slices.
Try these Easy Vegan Smoothie Recipes
Even though most people prefer a smoothie for breakfast, the best smoothie recipes are easy to prepare, making them ideal to enjoy anytime. These easy vegan smoothy recipes from LiveKindly are quick to whip up for breakfast, pre- or post-workout, or when you need to feel rejuvenated.
We love the Green Protein Power Breakfast Smoothie, the Creamy Oatmeal Smoothie, the Blueberry Smoothie, the toasted Coconut Smoothie, and the Superfood Smoothie.
If you like papaya, try the Papaya Smoothie. It’s packed with proteins and contains carrots and ginger, helping aid digestion.
Discover New Vegan Smoothie Flavors
Laura Wright is a blogger, author, and recipe developer who inspires vegans with her unique takes on classic flavor combinations. She does no less when developing vegan smoothie ideas.
Here are two of her best vegan smoothies exploring new flavors:
Maca Caramel Frap
For those who need a bit of coffee to start their day wholesomely, this smoothie combines maca powder, a common Peruvian Ingredient that provides an earthy flavor.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw cashews (presoak them in cold water for 4 hours or 10 minutes in boiling water
- 2 pitted Medjool dates, pitted for their caramel flavor
- ½ a frozen banana
- A few ice cubes
- ½ t. maca powder
- ½ t. vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ cup cold brewed coffee
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a blender to create a smooth drink. High-speed works best.
Deep Green Colada
Spirulina, the blue-green algae superfood, has many health benefits and is a great supplement for vegans because of the proteins, iron, and vitamins it contains. Combine it into smoothies to get the benefits and add its pretty color.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of canned light coconut milk or full-fat coconut milk mixed in equal measures of water to ensure the same texture
- ½ a frozen ripe banana
- ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1½ t. spirulina powder
- ¼ t. vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Blend the ingredients until smooth and serve.
Create Amazing Vegan Smoothies
Creating amazing vegan smoothies does not require hard work or a vivid imagination. It’s good not to pack too many ingredients in a smoothie, but consider that you need a combination of fruits, vegetables, plant-based milk, and protein to achieve the best result.
Unless using a recipe, you can experiment with combinations that please you. Remember to write down the best vegan smoothie recipes so you can repeat your signature creation.
The list of vegan protein options is endless. You can try protein powders. Pea protein is ideal for a protein powder without additives and flavors. Other protein options include:
- Vegan yogurt
- Silken tofu
- Hemp hearts
- Green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Nut butters
- Flax or chia seeds
- Soy or hemp milk
Add healthy fat, like nuts or avocado, to your smoothies. Seeds, vegetables, and fruits also add extra fiber to smoothies.
Dieticians recommend limiting your intake to one smoothie daily because the body needs to chew and swallow whole food to feel full. Bought smoothies cannot offer the same nutritional value as a home-prepared one with a good balance of ingredients. When substituting a meal with a smoothie, you need to add a minimum of 25g of protein, halving this if it’s for a snack.
Now that you know more about smoothies, it’s time to create amazing vegan smoothies at home using some of nature’s most delicious and unique ingredients.
