Hey friends! How’s your summer going so far?
Made any rad travel plans?
Crashed a wedding?
Danced into the wee hours of the morning?
If no, why not?
If yes, go you.
My summer has been pretty grand.
So far we’ve gone to wine country, made frequent trips to the farmers market, finished up the content portion of our print cookbook (due out late 2015!), and have just generally been trying to relax. There’s something beautiful about warm afternoons spent on patios, sipping wine, and just taking it easy.
Let’s do more of that. Take it easy, shall we? Yes, we shall.
One of the things I love most about summer mornings is a good, heart pounding workout followed by a seriously nutrient-packed smoothie. Yum.
I’ve been reaching for green things lately, but was in the mood for a switch-up. This recipe did just the trick.
Guess what?
7 ingredients
Super hydrating
Refreshing
Vitamin- + Nutrient-packed
Bright orange
Gorgeous
Zingy
Naturally Sweet
AMAZING
Try this smoothie, OK?
If you’re into slightly sweet-tart smoothies with a kick from ginger, this is the one for you!
Also, does it get more hippie than making your own carrot juice? I think not! Make your mom proud and do it yourself. If the color and flavor notes of this smoothie aren’t enough, here’s a quick rundown of the health benefits:
Ginger // stomach soother, immune booster, infection fighter, anti-inflammatory badass (source)
Banana // Digestion aid, potassium-packed, lowers blood pressure, healthy carbs, tastes like candy (source)
Pineapple // Vitamin C-packed, anti-inflammatory, digestion aid, antioxidant-packed, energy boosting, nature’s candy (source)
Turmeric // Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich, battles cystic fibrosis, free radical-fighting, lowers cholesterol (source)
Lemon // Vitamin C-packed, antioxidant-rich, natural antibiotic, skin brightener, tastes like summer (source 1 + 2)
Carrot // Antioxidant- and Vitamin A-rich, beta carotene-packed, vision booster, free radical fighter (source)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and tagging a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram – we’d love to see what you come up with. Bottoms up!
- 2 cups (~275 g) carrots
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) filtered water
- 1 large ripe banana, previously peeled, sliced and frozen (more for a sweeter smoothie)
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen or fresh pineapple
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger (1 small knob, peeled)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (or sub cinnamon)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) carrot juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (~1/2 small lemon)
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- Make carrot juice by adding carrots and filtered water to a high speed blender and blending on high until completely pureed and smooth. Add more water if it has trouble blending / scrape down sides as needed.
- Drape a large, thin dish towel over a mixing bowl and pour over the juice. Then lift up on the corners of the towel and begin twisting and squeezing the juice out until all of the liquid is extracted. Set aside pulp for smoothies, or baked goods (such as carrot muffins).
- Transfer carrot juice to a mason jar - will keep for several days, though best when fresh.
- To the blender add smoothie ingredients and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Add more carrot juice or almond milk if it has trouble blending. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust flavors as needed, adding more banana or pineapple for sweetness, lemon for acidity, ginger for bite, and turmeric for warmth.
- Divide between two glasses and serve. Best when fresh.
After hating it for so long, I have quickly become a ginger convert this summer! I cannot wait to try this smoothie – so much goodness in one glass just HAS to leave you energized for a long summer day!
Dana this looks incredible! Totally with you on starting a summer day with an intense sweat sesh followed by a nutrient-dense smoothie. It’s the only way to go!! LOVING all of the super-charged ingredients in this orange beauty of a smoothie – carrot juice works WONDERS for the body and ginger is my all-time fav. Can’t wait to give this one a shot!
So wonderful! thanks for sharing, Leah! Hope you give this one a try! xo
LOL “anti-inflammatory badass”. love your descriptive phrases!
you get me ;D
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! What a beautiful orange color! I love how you added the benefits of each item you included. This is perfect for summer!
I think we can all use a reminder of why we eat healthy. It’s so nice to see the benefits behind the delicious foods we eat! xo
I’m so with you. Green is my go-to fave, but there can be something about switching it up that feels so rejuvenating. Luv. It.
i love the combination of carrot and ginger together..so this is pretty awesome.
This sounds like a great combination! I often get stuck in a “smoothie rut.” Time to try something new!
This is the one to try! Hope you love it, Kathy!
You’re right, carrot juice is the pinnacle of hippie-ness! This smoothie sounds so zingy and vibrant, I love ginger in smoothies as well as carrot but I have only put turmeric into my curries. Looks delicious and I have to try it!
haha, I know, right? I feel super hippie dippy when I’m making my own carrot juice. Hope you love this Eve!
How delicious and detoxifying! Carrot and ginger go in harmony!
Will help it stop me from eating at night
Yum! This sounds so refreshing and delicious! I love ginger and lemon in the mornings. It’s so refreshing and zippy. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be sure to try this soon!
xx Sydney
Hope you do, Sydney! xo
Not waitin for breakfast lol… I just came out of 5 hour mouth surgery a few days ago and am bruised and puffy and I have one week to look good and feel healthy for a Christmas party… but I got so excited and accidentally dumped everything together without straining the Juice so I hope it will be just as good
I didn’t have almond milk but I had some coconut milk and I didn’t have any tumeric but I am sure the benefits are just as good
Sounds great! I love your writing voice. So funny. And I’m definitely making this for my afternoon snack today! :)
You get me ;D Hope you love this, Jennifer!
This looks so good. I can’t wait to try it!
Wow! This looks AMAZING!! I am putting ingredients on my shopping list…NOW! Thanks for the awesome and good-for-you recipe :) !!
Of course! Hope you love it, Annaliese!
I’ve been following you on Instagram for a bit but this is my 1st visit to your site. I’m inspired and energized in coming here. Keep up the great work!
Ah, that means a lot, Tyra! Glad you came over and liked what you found. Hope you give a recipe a try! :D
I adore carrot juice and absolutely love ginger so this smoothie is right up my alley! So refreshing and healthy, this may have to be my new go-to post run smoothie!
I hope so! Let me know how you like it, Nicole!
This smoothies look wonderful, Dana! LOVE the addition of pineapple to it. <3
I can’t get enough of pineapple these days. Glad you agree!
I love it, I added turmeric to my smoothie add-ins this year, an amazing sometimes forgotten spice.
Thanks for the recipe.
Agreed! So mysteriously beautiful and delicious in the right combinations. Hope you love this one, Celeste!
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been wanting to change things up in the smoothie department and this is sounds delicious
xx Angie
This is the one! Let me know how it goes, Angie! :D
this looks amazing!! Must try it
Love all these ingredients and their health benefits, looks stunning and oh, that color!!
Right? Swoon. It makes drinking to health so much easier ;D
Hope you give it a try, Alison!
Just made it and it was delicious! I had to sub the almond milk for soy which changed the colour unfortunately but it tasted good. I’ll be sure to try it again to get that fresh orange colour!
Tessa
So great! Glad you enjoyed it, Tessa! xo
I just made this – delicious! I used fresh turmeric, wasn’t sure how much to put in so I held off; will definitely use more next time. Thanks for a great recipe! It’s winter here in Australia so the immune boosting ingredients are great. I used fresh ingredients rather than frozen also.
I’ve never been a great fan of ginger but I want to try this so badly!!! yumm
Ah! Just scale back a little bit to make it more subtle ;D
Made this for breakfast today and omg so good!! I subbed frozen strawberries for the pineapple and cinnamon for the turmeric. Perfect for a hot day here in LA!
So great! Thanks for sharing Leslie! Jealous of your beaches!
Although I LOVE pineapple, my tummy, unfortunately, does not. Can you recommend another veg/fruit to replace the pineapple? Your smoothie looks divine and sounds perfect to have after a morning run! :)
Add more banana! Or mango :D
WOW!! I LOVED THIS!! It was delicous! I didn’t have any pineapple so I just added more bananas. It was so refreshing and yummy! Thank you! Your recipes are incredible and my boyfriend surprised me and made me your no bake brownies with chocolate ganche and they were amazing!
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Molly!
Hi Dana,
I just tried this recipe and it rocked my world. Ive already had it twice!!!
I was also wondering how you came up with your recipe template and how you added your print recipe button. I am having the hardest time adding it to my blog. Could you pass on any helpful tips my way? I would really appreciate it.
Love your blog!!!
Coco
Hi Coco! Glad you liked the smoothie. The recipe template is Easy Recipe plug-in and John customized it to fit the style of our blog. The plug-in includes a print button, which he also customized. He’s kind of a wizard ;D
Best smoothie I’ve ever had! I’ve been craving creamsicle ice cream from my childhood but haven’t been able to find a healthy substitute that reminded me enough of the original and strangely enough sans orange this satisfies that craving! Drool worthy :D
PS, every recipe I try on here is a lifesaver.
Healthy+easy+ridiculously tasty=happy forever!
Whoop! Thanks for sharing! xo
Made this today and love it. My kids like it, too. Will be sure to make again. I love smoothie recipes that taste good without having to sweeten it with honey or some sort of sugar besides the fruit. Thanks!
Dana – you’ve helped me to think outside of my usual mango/pineapple/banana regimen. Peeling carrots (with a peeler) ended up being an entertaining and novel task for my preschooler. Love this smoothie – the ginger was a taste bud delight and a quick energy zinger!
Wow! Amazing! I am so glad I found your website. This juice is delicious, such a unique flavor and perfect for a hot summer day!
Thanks for sharing! So glad you liked it :D
I’m sipping on this as we speak – SO good!!
Oh my goodness. I just made this recipe and yummmmmm! So fresh and vibrant. I cannot say enough about it. Thank you!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Lindsay! I love this one, too! xoxo
I didn’t have a banana, also, I used Orange Juice instead of water and it turned out great! Since the first day I’ve started tweaking the recipe a bit throwing in fresh ground black pepper and, just this morning, half a jalapeno that I had left over from my breakfast.
This has become a great way to start my day! Outside of peeling the ginger and turmeric it’s zero labor plus it makes me feel great and I use my blender for something that doesn’t have tequila in it.
Also, can we talk about the bowel movements? I wanna talk about the bowel movements. Stop reading right now if you don’t want to read about my bowel movements.
After the third day of drinking one of these in the morning I’ve been experiencing the most rewarding, fulfilling, colon cleansing potty sessions that I can remember having. No struggle, no pain, just a nice solid, smooth stool that even the commercial toilets at the office struggle to deal with.
Also, since starting this, my sinus’ are clearing and I’m feeling genuinely better.
Thanks a ton.
This smoothie looks delicious, but I don’t understand why you would want to blend the carrots instead of juicing them. It seems like too much hastle to do when you can just juice them and then use the juice. I think I’ll give it a try with juiced carrots instead. But thank you for the recipe.
Oh, and I have only recently subscribed to your blog and so far I’m loving everything that you do, so thanks for that too :-)
Not everyone has a juicer.
I skipped the juicer and just left the carrot pulp in there, it blended right into the smoothie and is extra healthy :)
This is so delicious!
I was blown away!
Just tried this recipe and love it!
I didn’t bother straining the carrots, just kept them in and blended longer! Oh and I subsituted coconut milk in place of almond milk! Delicious!!!
This is OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!
I’m thinking I’ll switch it up and make the carrot juice with my juicer :) I’m just wondering approx what volume carrot juice for this recipe? 1 cup? More?
Thanks!!
Nevermind! I missed it in the ingredients. About to make this now, woohoo!
I just made this with carrot juice from the juicer and orange juice (fresh) instead if pineapple. My banana wasn’t frozen so I added a cup of ice. A big slug of ginger and tumeric until I felt it was enough (too lazy to measure) oh and almond coconut milk (unsweetened). De-lish. Will be making for breakfast tomorrow – can’t wait!! I love your recipes.
Just drank this for the second day in a row and loving it!! Thanks so much for the recipe. Keep spreading that wonderful spirit and thanks for helping us keep our mind and body healthy! Lots of love.
I blended the carrots with water and kept the pulp and used fresh tumeric it was delicious that way as well :)
can you substitute the almond milk with coconut milk or organic coconut oil?
I subbed unsweetened coconut milk and it was delicious! I’m sure a tablespoon or two of coconut oil would be a yummy addition but I wouldn’t sub coconut oil for milk – especially one cup of it!
I have not made many smoothies but your list of antininflamatory ingredients prompted me to try this one (my R.Athritis doc has me on a vegan food plan) and it is FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! And such a beautiful color! It’s the middle of winter but it feels like the tropics when I drink this. I keep all the ingredients pre-measured out in the freezer in baggies, thaw out the almond milk and the juice(I bought some pre-made)and love the icy smooth texture. I put the other serving in the freezer and work on it another day as it melts. I’m so happy! Thanks, and love your site!
I just love this smoothie! I added coconut almond milk instead of plain almond milk, (that is all I had on hand) and I squeezed half the lemon instead of only 1 tbsp. lemon juice and threw in about 2 tbsp. of pumpkin seeds just for the heck of it and boy does it taste yummy!!
Thank you for the great recipe, I will most definitely be making this again real soon.
Cathi
I propose a modified and much quicker version:
-Half a cup of sliced carrots and 1 sliced banana
-1 cup water
-1 cup milk or coconut milk
-No pineapple
-Didn’t bother peeling the ginger, I love everything about it. I just diced it
-Added a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of coconut oil (could be olive oil, too)
-1 tablespoon lemon juice
-I added both cinnamon AND turmeric
Blend all of that for about 1 minute and the result is angelical and refreshing!
NO need to filter out the carrot pulp/rind as this is all extra fiber!
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing smoothie recipe! Super healthy and We love
the color! We added a little more water for a smoother consistency. Awesome article.
Absolutely Deeee-Licious!!! I forgot the ginger, ill hook it up with that tomorrow for breakfast. Thank you so much for posting this healthy yumminess ?☀️
Delicious! I was recently dx’d with fibromyalgia (last summer) and I seem to be in the midst of a flair up. I’m convinced it’s inflammation because of the way my body feels stiff… Anyway!
I needed an immune boost this am so I decided to try this recipe plus I am obsessed with anything carrot juice!
I didn’t have any frozen or fresh pineapple but I did have a few pineapple juice cubes in my fridge. I threw those in and added some strawberries for the bulk of the frozen fruit. Threw a very ripe banana in the fridge when I started peeling the carrots to chill it at the very least. I actually ended up adding more ginger (obsessed) and turmeric – and then popped in a little cayenne too!
I didn’t strain the carrot juice though when I set it in the fridge to make the rest of the recipe most of the pulp floated toward the top so I used the bottom, more liquid-y part. I also used unsweetened coconut milk in place of almond. Absolutely delish!
Next time I think I’ll attempt to either juice or strain the carrot juice – and I may use more carrot juice and less coconut milk to decrease fat and increase carrot flavor. Delicious as is I’m sure but also a great base to get creative with!
Thank you! You’re recipes keep me inspired until 3 am sometimes when I’m feeling at a loss in my relationship with food. Thank you (and your hubby!) for bringing your genius recipe magic to us!
*Sera not Seea – I can’t type my own name apparently!
Oh and I subbed ground ginger for fresh: 1Tbsp fresh = 1/4 tsp ground (though, ginger lover I am, I did end up adding a little more).
This smoothie was delish! I found it to be slightly too sweet, but my frozen banana was very ripe so that could have been why. Overall though, it was excellent!
Delicious but I omitted the banana and almond milk as I wanted more of a juice than creamy smoothie. I also added half of apple and more water. I threw all the ingredients in my vitamix and blended. No need to strain pulp.
I am all about this! Love trying out new smoothie combos and this one looks amazing!!
We have been making the same smoothie for a while now and I was ready for a change. I just made this (with a few adjustments) and its delish! Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t juice so I just added a large carrot and some coconut water to make up for the liquid. I also had a chunk of turmeric instead of ground so I therew that in there as well. My banana wasn’t frozen and it didn’t seem to make a difference at all. Thanks again…I love the bite that the ginger gives it! :)
This smoothie looks delish! I have a vitamix but have never blended carrots. You dont have to cook them first?
How long does ginger last in the freezer?
Iv been diagnosed with tendinitis, iv tried tablets and gels, but nothing’s working, I came across you smoothie which tastes lovely and fresh, I’m sure this smoothie will help to ger rid of this pain!!, thank you so much Dana!!,
great recipe! loved it, delicious and fresh
We’ve been using moreTurmeric and will definitely try this one! Thanks!
I just made this smoothie and finished drinking it and I loved it! Even my almost 2 year old son is enjoying it. I wasn’t sure if he would like it so i halved the recipe (but kept the ginger and turmeric the same) and it tasted so good! I also used vanilla unsweetened almond milk because that was all i had. I will be making this again!
Despite my juicer exploding at the last stage of making the carrot juice, this recipe turned out to be tasty and amazing !! I have been recovering from a cold for the past 2 days and was craving a smoothie to boost my immune system. I also added a cup of baby spinach leaves and dash of honey to counteract the taste. De-lish!!
Lovely! It’s been my go-to recently as well!
This was delicious!! Thanks for sharing. I added ground flax seed which is a “bad ass” omega 3 booster!!! And used OJ instead of water to make the carrot juice.
Delicious! Just made this smoothie for my family…my little girl is recovering from busting her two front teeth and we needed an immune boosting smoothie that didn’t taste like our usual spinach one. My 2 and 6 year old were not loving the ginger taste (which is my favorite part!) so I added extra lemon and they drank it up. I also just put all ingredients in the vitamix. This smoothie will stay in my rotation! Thank you!!
I don’t have any pineapple so might just try with more lemon as I have a whole tree laden with those…
I tried the carrot smoothie this morning it is great. I am experiencing a drainage from my sinuses down to my throw due to a cold I had last week. The smoothie is clearing up the drainage…
Just made this, such a delicious and refreshing summer treat! :D
So I added oregano, a natural antibiotic, to the mix with beet juice and was wonderful. I am currently battling Lyme disease and I have researched oregano being a powerful natural antibiotic. This smoothie gave me energy and hoping to boost my drained immune system.
Absolutely yummy!! I added 1/8tsp of cinnamon and ground Madagascar vanilla.
Completely addicted!! ! Was lazy and just threw in carrots instead of making juice
Same!
I just wanted to follow up because I have since made this recipe MANY times and it is WONDERFUL. I love that I can stuff so many wonderful ingredients into a delicious glass that help with my hereditary high cholesterol and still feel like it is dessert <3 love this recipe, Dana, and this gal is super happy to have it! thanks!
Been making this for the past few mornings to help with my Mum’s cold. I’ve been omitting the milk and adding more carrot juice, it’s delish!
I have been making this ALOT! It reminds me of an orange Julius!! I sometimes buy fresh squeezed carrot juice, rather than making it. I use fresh fruit rather than frozen. I LOVE adding turmeric wherever I can.
Best smoothie ever!
Thank you!
I tried this tonight. What a boost! Easy, tasty, healthy, and energizing. I should not have prepared it so close to bedtime, but now I know.
Thank you for this recipe. I have made it several times and I love it. I throw the carrots into the blender with the smoothie so I can get the fiber, and because I’m lazy.
Do you think this has too much sugar for a diabetic? I want to try this for my husband because of his sinus problems, his leg cramps but I was concerned about the sugar content?
Hi! Hmm I am not sure! You probably know more than us about this topic, but if you are concerned that there is too much sugar – feel free to change up the ingredients for less sweet fruits!
Great smoothie recipe. Very similar to a juicing recipe I use. I linked to your recipe in my anti-inflammatory smoothie recipe post. Hope that is OK with you.
Nice! I made it without pineapple and with an orange instead of lemon. Also, I added a small teaspoon of cumin powder (increases metabolism) and tossed in a few almonds. (I did not have almond milk) Tasted great!
Yummy! So delicious! I was too lazy to make carrot juice so I just put half a carrot. And used turmeric powder since the grocery didn’t have. Also added coconut water for more liquid since I didn’t use carrot juice! Still turned out fab!
Just made this for the first time today. I’m no juicing expert, just starting really, and it was easy and it is SO good. I even did the carrot juice part, but dropped half the towel in the juice. Ha. :) Seriously delicious, thank you!
HI! I’ve been looking for ways to add a *lot* more turmeric to my diet for its anti-inflammatory properties – I’m not really good with modifying recipes. If I wanted to bump the turmeric up to a teaspoon, what else would I want to adjust to make it still taste fantastic, do you think?
Hi Jennifer! I think adding an additional tsp of turmeric should be okay! Try it out and adjust to your taste! If you are finding it changes the flavor of the smoothie, add more fruit!
Refreshing and delicious, I might try to find some fresh numeric next time. My baby girl (9months) loved it too. Thanks for the great recipe!
OMG, I am drinking this right now and it is SO delicious and refreshing! I used a juicer to make the carrot juice, and made a little extra for tomorrow, or maybe later I’ll make another-yum! The ginger adds such a nice kick. Thanks so much!
So good!!! I didn’t have pineapple so substituted with frzn mango and didnt have frzn banana ready to go so used fresh and I had made cashew milk already so used that instead of almond and still came together nicely… nice light smoothie well balanced yum yum :)
Just tried this today and it is phenomenal! My SO and I make smoothies every morning and I HATE when he puts carrots in mine. This smoothie was my compromise and oh my goodness it is incredible. I am more than happy to drink my carrots today.
Thanks Kate! It’s still a favorite for me, too.