If you search for breakfast smoothie recipes, you’ll find a great many that contain a diary — something that is obviously off-limits for vegans. Luckily, it’s possible to make some adjustments for delicious vegan smoothies. These healthy drinks are an important aspect of a vegan diet, especially in the morning. That’s why every vegan should have some good, high-protein vegan smoothie recipes on hand.
If you’re still searching for just the right vegan smoothie recipes, here are eight to add to your collection.
The Unhealthy Vegan Smoothie
Have you ever been to a coffee shop with a friend who orders a cup of coffee and doctors it up so much that it resembles a desert instead of coffee?
The same thing can happen to a smoothie.
Some vegan smoothies are so high in sugar that you may as well eat a bag of candy. Those aren’t the types of vegan smoothie recipes I’ll include in this article.
Because let’s be honest: A good vegan smoothie recipe that’s full of fruit may not be the best way to start your day. All that natural sugar will still boost your blood sugar levels, and that could lead to insulin spikes.
But the good news is that it’s possible to make healthy vegan smoothie recipes that will do your body good.
Here are a few tips that will help you make a healthy vegan smoothie.
Not all fruit is created equal
As vegans, we love fruit, don’t we? However, what makes it taste so good is that it contains sugar. Lots of it. And while the sugar is natural, it’s still sugar, and too much of it will affect your body negatively.
That’s why you should choose your fruit wisely when making vegan smoothies.
Some fruits that are low in sugar are berries — such as raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries — cantaloupe, papaya, and grapefruit.
But some fruits contain a lot of sugar and you should use them sparingly in your vegan smoothies. For instance, bananas have 10 grams of sugar in just 3 ounces. Yikes!
People like to use bananas to thicken up a smoothie, but you can use some frozen fruit or fresh fruit with a couple of ice cubes to give you that frothy texture you want. That said, bananas are a great addition to many vegan smoothie recipes — just change up the recipes, so you don’t eat them every day, or otherwise limit your sugar intake.
And figs, grapes, mangos, and cherries all have high sugar content.
Don’t juice it up
While adding store-bought fruit juice is an easy way to make vegan smoothies, it’s not the healthiest. In fact, store-bought fruit juices, even those with no sugar added, often contain more sugar per serving than the fruit they came from because it’s concentrated in the juice.
One word of advice: step away from the store-bought juice.
Instead, use something healthy as your liquid. Coconut water is a healthy choice, as are nut milks such as almond milk and hemp milk. Just be sure to use the unsweetened versions. You can also use the juice from a young coconut but only if you like your vegan smoothies very sweet.
Don’t skip the good stuff
To make your vegan smoothies as healthy as they should be, add some protein and fat to them. This will also help you stay full until your next meal. You can add pea protein or chia seeds as a protein source, and nut butter and avocados are great sources of fat.
Green is such a pretty color
Surely by now, you’ve heard about green vegan smoothies. People are drinking them every morning to get all the good fiber and antioxidants that greens provide. That’s why it’s important to include a handful or two of greens in your breakfast smoothie.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to develop a taste for spinach or kale first thing in the morning.
Instead, add some lemon juice to help cover the bitter taste, or use a low-sugar fruit to change the taste of the greens completely.
Don’t ruin it at the end
Some people fill their vegan smoothies with the right ingredients only to add too much sweetener at the end.
That kind of defeats the purpose — after all, anything with too much sugar is unhealthy.
You can use cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, or even flavored protein powder to sweeten your vegan smoothies and get that extra kick of nutrition.
Don’t forget the tools
Besides healthy ingredients, you need a couple of things to make a vegan smoothie the right way. You can choose to use a blender, but if you want vegan smoothies that are mixed properly, you’ll need to use a Vitamix, or if you don’t have the budget, an alternative, less expensive smoothie blender.
Grow your own goodness
Finally, if you want the freshest ingredients for your vegan smoothies, think about growing your own. With a little time and patience, you can grow your own greens and even the fruit you need to make those delicious breakfast smoothies!
Are you ready to learn about some healthy vegan smoothie recipes?
Let’s take a look at a few now.
Recipes for Savory Vegan Smoothies
Not everyone likes to start the day off with sweet smoothies. In fact, savory smoothies are a great way to start the day. And if you can get some healthy protein and fat in that smoothie? It’s a definite win.
Here are some nutritious savory vegan smoothie recipes you can make that will start your day off right — and keep you full until lunchtime.
The green protein power breakfast smoothie
If you’re looking for a vegan breakfast smoothie that will you help kick start your day, look no further than this recipe. Full of nutrition and healthy fats, it will not only keep you full but give you the energy you need to get stuff done.
Here’s how to make this nutritious recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of nut milk such as almond milk (Oat or rice milk if you have nut allergies)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup of frozen mango
- 1 to 2 handfuls of spinach or other greens
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts
- 1/2 scoop of protein powder
Directions:
Place the spinach, banana, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seeds in layers in the blender’s container. Then add the nut milk and blend until smooth. This recipe makes one large smoothie — the perfect size to start your day!
Fat melting protein vegan smoothie
Who doesn’t want to start the day off with a vegan smoothie that actually melts the fat away? This recipe is full of good things for your health. It has vitamin C to boost your immunity, vitamin A to help your eyes stay healthy, manganese to keep your bones strong, and fiber to help you stay regular and digest protein.
Oh, and did I mention that it helps you lose weight?
Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 chopped banana
- 1 cup of chopped pineapple
- 1 cup of spinach
- A scoop of vegan protein powder
- 1/2 cup of water
- 3 to 4 cubes of ice
- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and blend.
Yes, it’s that easy to make this fat-burning vegan smoothie!
Blueberry, avocado, and lime vegan breakfast smoothie
If you like savory in the morning, but don’t mind a little fruit, this blueberry, avocado, and lime vegan breakfast smoothie recipe might become one of your go-to choices. It has all the nutrition you need, plus a little berry love to freshen things up.
Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of nut milk or nut-free milk such as rice milk if you have allergies
- 1 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1/2 an avocado
- The juice of one lime
- ½ teaspoon of a sweetener such as maple syrup or agave
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix things up! This recipe will give you two small vegan smoothies or one large one.
Detox vegan breakfast smoothie
If you want to start your day with a savory vegan smoothie that detoxifies your body, look no further. This breakfast smoothie contains turmeric, flaxseed, and lemon — all of which are excellent for reducing inflammation and detoxing your body.
Here’s the Detox vegan breakfast smoothie recipe:
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened nut or nut-free milk such as rice or oat
- Single frozen banana, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
- Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of flax seeds
Directions:
Add everything to your blender and mix it up. This will make enough for a large vegan breakfast smoothie.
Recipes for Sweet Vegan Smoothies
Some people like the taste of sweets in the morning. For all you sweet types, here’s a list of tasty vegan breakfast smoothies that will appeal to your sweet tooth — but keep you healthy at the same time.
Mocha smoothie
If you can’t decide whether you want to drink a cup of coffee in the morning to get your caffeine fix or down a healthy vegan smoothie, this Mocha smoothie recipe is the best of both worlds. It gives you that caffeine kick and all the health benefits of a smoothie.
Here’s how to put it together.
Ingredients:
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 1/2 cup of nut milk or another non-dairy milk such as oat or hemp
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder (you can substitute this with one shot of brewed espresso)
Directions:
Blend it all together and enjoy an amped-up and healthy caffeine fix!
Banana peanut butter protein vegan breakfast smoothie
If a high-protein smoothie is what you want, this one has loads of important nutrients. Every single ingredient in it has protein, which makes it a great way to start your day.
Wait, did I say every ingredient has protein? Including bananas?
Yep, a banana contains 1.3 grams of protein. Tell that to the next person who says vegans can’t get enough protein!
How do you make this protein powerhouse vegan smoothie? Follow the recipe below.
Ingredients:
- 1 sliced banana
- 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons of plant-based chocolate-flavored protein powder
- 1 cup of ice
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend them until they reach a smooth consistency. Then drink it for a powerful start to your day!
Very cherry vegan smoothie
If you want to add some iron to your diet first thing in the morning, check out this vegan smoothie recipe. It not only tastes great for those who crave sweetness first thing in the morning but it’s delicious, too!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of frozen dark cherries
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- 1/2 cup of plant-based milk
- 1/2 of a collard green leaf with the rib removed
- Single frozen banana, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
- 4 ice cubes
Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth. Once it is, add the ice cubes to make it icier and thicker. Pour it into a glass and enjoy!
Blueberry maple protein vegan smoothie
If you’re a traditionalist and like the taste of maple syrup pancakes — but you want a healthy protein-filled vegan smoothie, listen up. This vegan smoothie recipe has 28 grams of protein, but it tastes like you’re eating an old-fashioned pancake breakfast.
Here’s how to make the magic happen.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of non-dairy milk or non-dairy yogurt
- 3 tablespoons of vegan protein powder
- 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract, depending on taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons of flaxseed meal
- Large handful of spinach
- 10 to 15 ice cubes
- Sweetener to taste
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed well. If it’s too runny, add more ice. If it’s too thick, add a little water. Adjust the sweetener to your taste.
Vegan Smoothies for Every Taste
Did you find a vegan smoothie recipe you want to try? Maybe you found more than one! If you try one of these delicious recipes, be sure to leave a note in the comments below and let us know how you liked it.
Do you have your own vegan breakfast smoothie recipe? Be sure to share it in the comments so others can enjoy it, too!
Featured Image: PIxabay License, by marijana1, via Pixabay
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