Smoothies: the perfect breakfast, snack, or treat whenever you’re craving something easy, fruit and veggie-packed, are running low on fresh ingredients, or aren’t in the mood to cook.
To help you make smoothies like a pro, we’ve compiled our favorite plant-based smoothie recipes, plus our BEST tips for smoothie success! Find ultra-creamy, refreshing green, and colorful fruity smoothies, plus some smoothie bowls and banana-free options, too. Get your blenders ready, friends, and find some new recipes to enjoy!
How to Make the Best Smoothies
Have you ever ordered a smoothie at a café or juice shop and wondered how they get it so thick, creamy, and balanced? It’s all about:
Having a high-speed blender (see our unbiased blender review here!)
Starting with less liquid and adding more as needed
Finding your favorite flavor combinations (recipes below!)
How to Freeze Bananas For Smoothies
Frozen bananas are a smoothie’s best friend. They add a nearly unmatchable creaminess and natural sweetness and make your smoothie perfectly chilled without the need to dilute the flavor with ice.
To freeze bananas for smoothies, it’s best to use ones that are ripe (yellow) with some brown spots, but not overripe or mushy. We like to slice them in 1-inch pieces, transfer to a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet or plate, and freeze until firm. This prevents them from sticking together, and the smaller pieces are easier on your blender’s motor. Once frozen, transfer them to a sealed bag where they’ll keep for about 1 month.
P.s. not into banana in smoothies? Try mango or pineapple for a similar creaminess and sweetness. Also, be sure to check out our banana-free smoothies section below.
How to Freeze Spinach For Smoothies
Friends, whatever you do, don’t buy frozen (blanched) spinach and put it into your smoothies. The flavor will be ruined — you’ve been warned. BUT, if you want to make sure you always have spinach in the freezer and handy for smoothies, there is another way.
Get fresh baby spinach from the produce section and then transfer the container it comes in (or another sealed container) into the freezer. It will keep for about 1 month and is as easy as grabbing a handful whenever you’re making a smoothie. As long as you don’t use too much, you’ll add lots of nutrients without impacting the flavor. This technique also works for kale, chard, and mixed greens, but it’s best to avoid using bitter or strongly flavored greens.
A creamy, versatile peanut butter banana smoothie made with oats! The perfect satisfying breakfast or snack, with just 5 minutes and 4 ingredients required!
Creamy Peanut Butter Banana Chickpea Shake with just 5 ingredients, 5 minutes, and 1 blender required. A satisfying, plant-based treat with plenty of fiber and protein!
Simple 7-ingredient, plant-based shake made with protein-rich whole food ingredients and NO protein powder. Creamy, chocolaty, naturally sweetened, and just 1 blender and 5 minutes to prepare.
Incredibly creamy and nourishing chocolate banana shake infused with adaptogens like reishi mushrooms, ashwagandha, and maca powder! Naturally sweetened with dates and rich chocolate flavor. The perfect pick-me-up!
Creamy PB&J smoothie with ALL the flavor of a classic PB&J. DIY strawberry-chia jam takes the flavor to the next level. Just 7 whole food ingredients required!
A dreamy, creamy smoothie infused with the flavors of carrot cake! Just 7 wholesome ingredients required, including banana, carrot, plant milk, and spices.
Incredibly rich, creamy smoothie infused with the flavors of red velvet cake. Bananas, beets, and cacao powder combine to create this secretly wholesome yet indulgent treat. Just 6 simple ingredients required.
Creamy, nutritious zucchini smoothie with bananas, blueberries, greens, and hemp seeds! Loaded with 8 whole ingredients, plus 1 blender and 5 minutes required! Entirely vegan, gluten-free, and loaded with health benefits.
A refreshing, potassium-rich, plant-based smoothie with banana, pineapple, ginger, greens, and superfoods. Just 1 blender, 10 minutes, and 10 ingredients required.
Creamy, nutritious, 5-ingredient Avocado Banana Green Smoothie loaded with greens, healthy fats, and protein. The perfect plant-based way to start your day.
A nutritious and vibrant green smoothie with 5 ingredients: banana, cucumber, coconut milk, spirulina, and spinach! The perfect plant-based breakfast or snack.
Creamy papaya smoothie infused with lime, ginger, carrot, and coconut milk! Just 6 ingredients in this nutrient-rich, naturally sweetened smoothie — perfect for breakfast or a snack.
A 7-ingredient smoothie with carrot juice, ginger, turmeric, pineapple, and banana! An anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting smoothie that’s perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Simple, 6-ingredient smoothie with fresh watermelon, frozen strawberries, lime, and chia seeds! Refreshing, hydrating, and the perfect summer breakfast or snack!
A creamy, 6-ingredient cucumber smoothie with coconut, lime, pineapple, and greens! A nutrient-rich, refreshing smoothie that will beautify you from the inside out!
Simple 5-ingredient smoothie that tastes like summer in a cup! Raspberries, frozen banana, 2 pure fruit juices, and creamy almond milk make the healthiest tart-sweet smoothie ever.
An insanely creamy, nutritious, 6-ingredient smoothie with wild blueberries, banana, almond butter, flaxseed, and chia seed. A delicious, plant-based breakfast or snack!
A simple, tart-sweet smoothie with detoxifying benefits from grapefruit, vitamins and minerals from spinach, and natural sweetness from apple and banana.
An Ayurvedic-inspired warming smoothie for the colder months. Veggies, fruit, and warming spices nourish the body without cooling it down. A delicious afternoon snack, workout recovery drink, or morning breakfast.
All of the delicious taste and health perks of golden milk in smoothie form! Just 7 ingredients, 1 blender, and 5 minutes required. Creamy, naturally sweet, subtly spiced, and packed with turmeric!
Vegan smoothie with peaches, rolled oats, chia seeds, and a touch of sweetness from OJ and banana. Creamy, nutritious, and lovely for breakfast or a snack.
A nutrient-packed berry smoothie that’s sweet and creamy and hides the taste and texture of kale! The perfect healthy breakfast, post-workout meal, or afternoon snack.
A creamy, sweet vegan green smoothie with banana, peanut butter, spinach, flaxseed, berries, and almond milk. The perfect healthy breakfast or afternoon snack.
A simple, 5-minute smoothie that tastes just like a creamy cherry limeade! 5 ingredients, perfectly tart and sweet, and perfect as a healthy breakfast or snack on the go!
Our inspired take on a classic mango lassi with frozen ripe mango, tangy coconut yogurt, and lime juice! Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes required for this sweet, creamy smoothie.
The flavors of your favorite beach cocktail simplified into a 2-ingredient smoothie. This refreshing smoothie requires just 5 minutes and 1 blender to make. Plus, easy ways to enjoy as a protein smoothie or blended cocktail.
A wholesome (banana-free!) smoothie of mangoes, berries, lime, ginger, and coconut, with a hint of spice from cayenne. Satisfying, delicious, and packed with vitamins and nutrients!
A vibrant, nutrient-packed smoothie made with detoxifying beetroot and fresh fruit. Subtly sweet, perfectly tart, and ready with just 1 blender, 3 ingredients, and 5 minutes.
Creamy dragon fruit smoothie bowl ready in 5 minutes with 5 ingredients! Wholesome, creamy, nutrient-packed, and the perfect healthy breakfast or snack!
A 5-minute creamy green smoothie bowl infused with banana and peanut butter! Packed with vitamin- and nutrient-rich ingredients. The perfect marriage of savory and sweet in a healthy breakfast or snack.
Creamy, nutritious açaí bowls with banana, peanut butter, coconut milk, and spinach! A 4-ingredient healthy breakfast or snack that tastes like a milkshake!
If you give any of these recipes a try or find these tips helpful, let us know! Leave a comment, or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Love your smoothie recipes and these tips are so helpful (you’ve inspired me to stop buying frozen spinach :) Quick question – Do you recommend de-stemming or washing greens (spinach, kale) before freezing?
Hi Carolyn! We’re so glad you’re feeling inspired! We always wash our greens, but if we are going to use them in smoothies we leave the stems on. Hope this helps!
Thanks for these wonderful recipes!!!! is there a way to print ALL at the same time as opposed to individually? I cant wait to try the peanut butter chickpea one!!
Amazing recipes! Most recipes have banana in them which I have an aversion to. Any suggestions for banana substitutions or perhaps can you share more banana-free options in the future?
Hi Amanda, Pineapple and mango are good options for adding sweetness and creaminess! Did you see this, this, this, this, and this? Hope one of those is what you’re looking for!
This is a great compilation. I made the traffic light smoothie with my 4 year old this morning – it’s the biggest smoothie serving he has ever devoured because he wanted to finish each colour! I loved it too – having a mixture of flavours to enjoy in one smoothie was really nice. Have printed off 7 or 8 recipes to keep close to the blender to vary up our daily smoothies. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Love your smoothie recipes and these tips are so helpful (you’ve inspired me to stop buying frozen spinach :) Quick question – Do you recommend de-stemming or washing greens (spinach, kale) before freezing?
Hi Carolyn! We’re so glad you’re feeling inspired! We always wash our greens, but if we are going to use them in smoothies we leave the stems on. Hope this helps!
Sara says
Love your Protein Smoothies! Do you have a general recipe or guide for creating ones own Protein Smoothie (without Protein powder).
For example: Use veg of choice, Fruit of choice, seeds to add, liquids to add, sweetner options
I’m wanting to mix up the flavors but want that boost of protein and am not that into experimenting due to costs.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Sara, the closest we have would be this smoothie recipe. Hope it’s helpful!
sunnysusan says
Fantastic recipes! I avoid bananas, which most recipes include. Could you please share more options for banana-free food in the near future?
Thank you, Susan! We do have some banana-free smoothie recipes – did you see this, this, this, this, and this?
MJ says
Thanks for these wonderful recipes!!!! is there a way to print ALL at the same time as opposed to individually? I cant wait to try the peanut butter chickpea one!!
MJ
Hi MJ, Unfortunately we don’t have a way to do that at this time. We’ll add it to our ideas list for the future. Hope you love the chickpea shake!
Amanda says
Amazing recipes! Most recipes have banana in them which I have an aversion to. Any suggestions for banana substitutions or perhaps can you share more banana-free options in the future?
Hi Amanda, Pineapple and mango are good options for adding sweetness and creaminess! Did you see this, this, this, this, and this? Hope one of those is what you’re looking for!
Becky says
Thank you for all the yummy recipes :)
xoxo!
Katie says
Spinach not kale? Curious about that (I succeed and in growing kale all summer as spinach evades my horticultural skills).
Kale works too!
Becky says
This is a great compilation. I made the traffic light smoothie with my 4 year old this morning – it’s the biggest smoothie serving he has ever devoured because he wanted to finish each colour! I loved it too – having a mixture of flavours to enjoy in one smoothie was really nice. Have printed off 7 or 8 recipes to keep close to the blender to vary up our daily smoothies. Thanks!
Aw, love that! Hope you both enjoy the other recipes too =)
Jacqueline Sattler says
This is awesome!! Thank you so much for all the wonderfull recipes!!
xoxo!