A delightful combination of sweetly tart bing cherries blended with a hint of vanilla and sweetened with banana topped with cocoa nibs gives this healthy cherry smoothie an extra-special twist. Whether you make it for breakfast or as a healthy dessert, you’ll enjoy this sweet treat!
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Bursting with vibrant colors and a tantalizingly sweet-tart flavor, this cherry smoothie is a refreshing treat that will invigorate your taste buds and provide a burst of nutritional goodness. Whether you’re craving a quick and healthy breakfast, a post-workout refresher, or a delicious snack on a warm summer day, this cherry smoothie recipe is just what you need to satisfy your cravings and nourish your body.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Nutrient Rich: Cherries are delicious and packed with essential nutrients. They contain antioxidants that help fight free radicals and reduce inflammation. Plus, cherries are a good source of vitamins C and A, fiber, and potassium, contributing to overall health and well-being.
Quick and Easy Preparation: You can whip up this cherry smoothie and indulge in its delightful goodness in just a few simple steps. With minimal prep time and ingredients, it’s a hassle-free option for a quick breakfast or snack on the go.
Refreshing and Hydrating: On hot summer days or after a workout, this cherry smoothie serves as a refreshing and hydrating treat. The coolness and smooth texture will help quench your thirst and replenish your body.
Versatile Recipe: This cherry smoothie recipe offers a versatile canvas for customization. You can add other fruits, such as berries or bananas, to enhance the flavor and nutritional profile. Feel free to experiment with different ingredients to suit your taste preferences and dietary needs.
🥤Ingredients and Notes
Almond Milk: I recommend using unsweetened almond milk. You can use vanilla flavored or unflavored. Either will work in this recipe. If you have a nut allergy, use a substitute such as oat milk or soy milk.
Frozen Bing Cherries: I prefer to use fresh Bing cherries I purchase in season. Remove the pits with a cherry pitter and seal them in a freezer-safe bag. You can also find frozen cherries in the grocery store’s freezer section. Trader Joe’s is one place where you can find them.
Frozen Peaches: The frozen peaches add natural sweetness and a creamy texture to the smoothie.
Vanilla Protein Powder: The protein powder adds nutritional value and helps keep you full and satisfied throughout the morning. My favorite protein powder to use is Orgain Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder. If you don’t have protein powder, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for the flavor.
Cacao Nibs: Add a few cacao nibs or dark chocolate shavings for an optional touch.
🛠 Key Equipment
High-Speed Blender: I highly recommend using a high-speed blender like the Vitamix Experian. It ensures that everything is blended and gives this smoothie an excellent texture.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make a Cherry Smoothie
- Add the almond milk, frozen cherries, frozen peach slices, and protein powder to your high-speed blender.
- Start blending on low and slowly increase the speed. If the fruit gets stuck, stir the contents, or use the tamper with your blender to help stir the ingredients around the blade.
- Pour into a large cup and top with cacao nubs and a fresh cherry for garnish. Enjoy!
💡Expert Tip: Using a tamper helps blend the fruit without adding more liquid, resulting in a thick smoothie that is completely blended.
📝 Recipe Tips
- To ensure a smooth consistency, blend the ingredients in stages. Start by blending the liquids and soft ingredients, then gradually add the harder ingredients like frozen fruits or ice cubes. This method helps prevent clumps and ensures an even blend.
- Before serving, taste your smoothie and adjust the sweetness or flavors as desired. You can add a touch of honey, a squeeze of lemon juice, or more fruits to balance the taste.
- Experiment with flavor enhancers such as vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, mint leaves, or cocoa powder to add depth and complexity to your smoothie.
- Add an alternative protein source to make your smoothie more filling and satisfying. Options include silken tofu, chia seeds, or hemp seeds which can help balance the macronutrients and energize you.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Several fruits can complement the flavor of cherries and create delicious flavor combinations. The sweet and slightly tart flavor of apricots can enhance the taste of cherries. The tangy sweetness of blueberries can complement cherries’ rich and sweet flavor. Juicy peaches can add a delightful freshness. Plums and cherries share similar flavor profiles, and their combination can create a harmonious blend of sweetness and tartness. The bright, citrusy flavor of oranges can add a refreshing twist to cherries. Crisp apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, can provide a contrasting texture and flavor to cherries.
Yes, you can use fresh cherries instead of frozen. Ensure you have removed the cherry pits before adding them to the blender. I use a cherry pitter which makes the process easy and fast.
You have more frozen fruit than liquid if your smoothie is extra thick. I like my smoothie extra thick, so I use less almond milk and more frozen fruit. If you want a thinner consistency, cut the frozen fruit by a third or add ½ cup of almond milk.
❄️ Storage
I recommend blending the smoothie and enjoying it immediately. However, suppose you’d like to prepare the ingredients in advance. In that case, you can make containers filled with the portioned frozen fruit and other ingredients, and when you’re ready to enjoy, all you need to do is dump the cherry smoothie ingredients into the blender with your almond milk and blend. Or if you are making smoothies in bulk, then you can blend the smoothie, transfer to an ice cube tray, and freeze. When the smoothie cubes are frozen transfer them to a zip-lock bag, and blend when ready to enjoy.
⚖️ Serving Size
This recipe makes one large smoothie or two small smoothies.
😋 More Smoothies You’ll Enjoy!
Recipe
Cherry Smoothie with Cocoa Nibs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- ½ cup frozen peaches
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon dark chocolate cocoa nibs or chocolate shavings optional
Instructions
- Add the almond milk, frozen cherries, frozen peach slices, and protein powder to your high-speed blender.
- Start blending on low and slowly increase the speed. If the fruit gets stuck, stir the contents, or use the tamper with your blender to help stir the ingredients around the blade.
- Pour into a large cup and top with cocao nubs and a fresh cherry for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
- Using a tamper helps blend the fruit without adding more liquid, resulting in a thick smoothie that is completely blended.To ensure a smooth consistency, blend the ingredients in stages. Start by blending the liquids and soft ingredients, then gradually add the harder ingredients like frozen fruits or ice cubes. This method helps prevent clumps and ensures an even blend.
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- Experiment with flavor enhancers such as vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, mint leaves, or cocoa powder to add depth and complexity to your smoothie.
- Add an alternative protein source to make your smoothie more filling and satisfying. Options include silken tofu, chia seeds, or hemp seeds, which can help balance the macronutrients and energize you.
- I recommend blending the smoothie and enjoying it immediately.
Michelle
Made this for my breakfast this morning and it was so delicious! Definitely a keeper!
Kate
I love that the cherries are mixed with peaches – gives such a great flavor!
Ieva
A very special smoothie! We used dark chocolate shavings and it was delicious! Cherries and chocolate is the best combination!
Stephanie
Cherries, peaches and chocolate – yum! This is smoothie is a simple, delicious and fulfilling way to start my day.