Blueberry Smoothie

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This Blueberry Smoothie takes minutes to make and only requires four ingredients: frozen blueberries, milk, frozen banana, and almond butter. It’s healthy, filling, creamy, and full of flavor! This smoothie is dairy-free and naturally vegan.

Be sure to try this famous Acai Bowl, the best Green Smoothie Recipe, or this Strawberry Banana Smoothie next.

Blueberry Smoothie in a jar

Blueberry Smoothie

A direct quote from my cute 3-year-old after first trying this blueberry smoothie, “This is DELICIOUS, MOM!” And the caps are to tell you that he was actually yelling that in pure excitement.

Beyond how absolutely delicious this smoothie is and the health benefits it contains, I also make it just to see his cute blueberry smoothie-stache. That boy’s entire mouth gets covered trying to drink one of these! 🙂 This smoothie may seem unassuming with only four ingredients, but I’ll tell you right now, it’s one of our family’s favorites! It’s cold, creamy, flavorful, and perfectly sweet.
Freezing banana slices

How to Make a Blueberry Smoothie

  • Freeze the banana: While this smoothie is crazy simple to make, it does require a bit of planning. I like to prep the bananas right after I get home from the grocery store so I don’t forget! Remove the peel, slice the banana into coins, place in freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze overnight.
  • Measure: While it might seem silly to actually measure out ingredients for a smoothie instead of just throwing everything in, I highly recommend doing so the first few times you make this or until you have a feel for the quantities. (Adding random quantities to a blender can often end up giving you WAY too much smoothie or tasting, well, nasty.)
  • Blend: If you have a high-powered blender (I recommend a Vitamix® or Blendtec®), you can add everything in and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, follow manufacturer instructions for what ingredients to add first to avoid cavitation.

QUICK TIP

Any time you have extra bananas, even very-ripe ones, slice them and freeze them. That way they’ll be ready for use in any number of blender recipes. The squishier the banana, the sweeter it is, so this is a great way to use up ripe ones.

Health benefits of blueberry smoothies

  • Frozen blueberries: This berry has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of all fruits and vegetables*.  Antioxidants help to protect the body from free radical damage (essentially bad molecules in our cells that can come from poor air quality, processed food, alcohol, etc., and can cause cancer). Blueberries are linked to lowering blood pressure, preventing heart disease, and improving memory.
    • A study found that eating a cup of blueberries per week can perhaps speed up metabolism, due mostly to their high levels of anthocyanins. (Anthocyanins are the type of antioxidant that are prevalent in blueberries.)
  • Frozen bananas: This fruit is linked to moderating blood sugar levels after meals, which also means it may reduce appetite, as the stomach empties slower. The frozen banana is also the “secret” for giving this smoothie its creamy texture and sweet flavor.
  • Almond butter: This nut butter is packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. It also gives this smoothie so much flavor and increases the creaminess of it. The almond butter also helps to make this smoothie more filling.
  • Vanilla almond milk: Almond milk is low in calories and low in sugar while being high in calcium and other vitamins. Almond milk is also naturally dairy-free, vegan, and lactose-free. I like using vanilla-flavored almond milk for an extra punch of flavor.

*While I do have my background in health, (B.S. Exercise & Wellness) I am not a doctor or certified nutritionist. Make sure to consult your doctor or certified nutritionist as needed.

Almond butter, almond milk and blueberries

Benefits of starting your day with a smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to get in more daily servings of fruits and/or vegetables and to get your metabolism going at the beginning of the day. While a diet of only smoothies (or really any single food) isn’t healthful, drinking one a day in addition to a healthy diet can be very beneficial to your overall health. Below are some additional benefits to drinking Blueberry Smoothies.

  • One way to boost your metabolism is to eat more protein. Eating more protein isn’t going to make you magically lose lots of weight, but if you pair protein with exercise, it will help you to burn more calories. The almond butter and almond milk in this smoothie are great sources of protein.
  • In addition to being excellent sources of protein, almond butter and almond milk are also packed with fiber. Eating more fiber is a great way to “boost” your metabolism. Fiber can’t be digested by the body, but the body “tries” to digest it anyway. As the body attempts to digest the fiber, calories are being expended in the process. Your body will expend more calories digesting high fiber foods (such as almond butter) than it will digesting refined carbs or sugars.

The ingredients in this smoothie are going to rev up your metabolism and leave your body feeling refreshed, detoxed, and energized!

Blueberry Smoothie

A few blueberry smoothie quick tips

I know, how complicated can making a smoothie be, right?! But I still have a few tips 🙂

  1. Aim to use top-quality ingredients for the best flavor. Since there are only four ingredients, you really want to use the best and freshest of each ingredient.
  2. If needed, add a little honey or maple syrup to additionally sweeten this smoothie. I’ve found with a really good, ripe banana you don’t need the additional sweetener, but this can vary, so give your smoothie a quick taste and add a teaspoon or two as needed. (FYI, honey will make it no longer vegan.)

(Post originally published Jan 2015, photos and text updated Jan 2019)

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Blueberry Smoothie

5 from 5 votes
This Blueberry Smoothie takes minutes to make and only requires four ingredients. It's healthy, filling, creamy, and full of flavor!
Print Recipe

Blueberry Smoothie

5 from 5 votes
This Blueberry Smoothie takes minutes to make and only requires four ingredients. It's healthy, filling, creamy, and full of flavor!
Course Breakfast, lunch, Snack, Vegetarian
Cuisine American, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword blueberry smoothie
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 -2 smoothies
Chelsea Lords
Calories 416kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice - Note 1)
  • 1 cup frozen wild blueberries
  • 3/4 cup frozen banana coins (~1 medium ripe banana)
  • 2 tablespoons almond butter (or peanut butter)

Instructions

  • NIGHT BEFORE: Peel the banana and slice into coins. Place the coins in a sealed bag in the freezer the night before making this smoothie.
  • DAY OF: Combine the almond milk (see Note 1), frozen blueberries, frozen banana, and almond butter in a large, powerful blender. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust if needed. (Depending on the sweetness of the banana you may need to add a bit of honey or maple syrup; we usually don't need to add either!) 
  • Enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: You can use any type of milk you like; just check and make sure it's dairy free if that's a concern. Vegan = no animal products, so vegans will need to use nut milk instead of cow's milk.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 756mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 426mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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22 Comments

  1. I usually make smoothies for breakfast so this recipe is just perfect for me. Loving how healthy it is.. and if you claim that it boosts metabolism too – I have to try it!

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