A Cherry Smoothie, made with a hint of vanilla, is a refreshing day to start your day. This green smoothie is full of nutrients to help fuel you through the busiest of mornings. You can enjoy it as a healthy snack in the afternoon or even as dessert in the evening. (Think of it as a milkshake!) This super easy recipe is vegan and gluten free.
Vanilla Cherry Smoothie
It's no secret that I love cherries. They're my favorite fruit, and they're only in season for a very limited time each year. When the stores first start stocking them, the price can be rather ridiculous, but I buy them anyway. I just can't pass up a display of fresh cherries in the grocery store.
When cherries aren't in season, I stash frozen bags of them away in my basement freezer. While I like to snack on the fresh variety, frozen cherries are great for smoothies. And I have smoothies for breakfast several days a week, so I pretty much always have bags of cherries on hand.
Chocolate is usually my flavor of choice to mix with cherries, but sometimes I find myself craving something a little lighter. On those days, I reach for the vanilla extract.
This recipe is super simple. It's pretty much just fruit and greens with a few add-ins. I've used ground flax seeds (or flax seed meal) for their omega fatty acid content and hemp seeds for a little bit of protein.
What You Need
- Frozen cherries
- Frozen bananas
- Ground flax seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Vanilla extract
- Vanilla nondairy milk
- Baby spinach or baby kale
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
How to Make a Vanilla Cherry Smoothie
It couldn't be easier to make this recipe! You simply throw everything together in a blender and mix until smoothie and creamy. It only takes in seconds in my Blendtec.
Recipe Notes
I use frozen bananas in this recipe. I don't eat bananas straight – they're far too mushy for me. So I usually put them in the freezer for my smoothies as soon as I get them home from the store. If your bananas aren't frozen, you can throw a few ice cubes in the blender along with the rest of the ingredients, to make sure it's cold. (Because nothing is worse than a warm smoothie.)
Unless you want to pit a lot of fresh cherries, it's best to use the frozen kind in your smoothie. A 10-ounce bag of them says it's actually 3 servings. Mixed with greens and bananas, that would probably mean this recipe makes 4 smoothies. But I since I have my smoothies for breakfast, I like the them on the large side, and I get two servings out of this recipe.
I pretty much never measure my greens. I just plop a couple big handfuls of them into my blender.
How to Customize Your Cherry Smoothie
It's easy to make this recipe your own!
- I had originally created this recipe a few years ago with Vega One French Vanilla protein powder, after they kindly sent me some samples to try. I've used hemp seeds for protein here, but go ahead and add a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder, if you want.
- You can use pretty much any type of leafy green veggie you like. I find that baby spinach and baby kale have the most neutral flavors, and they don't overpower the cherry and vanilla.
- If you can't eat bananas, you can use an avocado.
- Cherries and almonds go together nicely, so you can add a touch of almond extract to your smoothie.
Storing your Smoothies
Store any unused smoothie in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze your smoothies and defrost on the countertop or in the refrigerator when you're ready to drink them.
Vanilla Cherry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen cherries (10 ounce bag)
- 2 frozen bananas
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk or your favorite nondairy milk
- 2 cups baby spinach or baby kale
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. If the seems too thick, add a little more nondairy milk. Serve cold.
Leave a Reply