This basic vegan breakfast smoothie formula offers enough variety for a different twist each morning!
Recipe Update
I’m updating this post for a few reasons. First, I want to make it clear that mastering this basic formula will allow you to experiment and create your own favorite combinations.
Also, this recipe was one of my first entries when I started this blog in 2015.
I was just learning food photography and I had the hardest time capturing a good photo of a smoothie – as my lame cropped photo below demonstrates.
My food photography skills have improved, but it still takes time. Since this is a universal recipe, I’ve decided to enhance the post with stock images. Aren’t they lovely?
Doesn’t this blueberry smoothie look delicious?
Basic Vegan Breakfast Smoothie Formula
I developed this basic vegan breakfast smoothie formula to entice my daughter to eat breakfast.
She wasn’t much of a morning person. (To be honest, she still isn’t – but now she’s in college.) So, getting her to eat what I consider to be the most important meal of the day was a challenge.
This recipe offered a great compromise because she could drink it relatively quickly. It became her go-to breakfast throughout high school.
It didn’t leave her feeling overly full, stuck with her ’till lunchtime and allowed me to sneak more dark leafy greens into her diet!
Mix and Match Ingredients
The base ingredients are plant milk (or water) and banana. Banana adds a sweet and creamy consistency.
However, if you don’t like banana, you can substitute a handful of chopped mango and one or two pitted Medjool dates.
Then add a handful of leafy greens. Try baby spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard greens and more. Just be sure to avoid using the same type of greens too many days in a row. It’s important to eat a variety of greens.
Next, add a handful of frozen fruit. The type of fruit you select, will impact the overall flavor and color. I like to rotate between blueberries, cherries and strawberries.
Last, throw in some nuts or seeds for a bit of protein and healthy fat. I tend to rotate between hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. Once in a while, I add a some shredded coconut.
Basic Vegan Breakfast Smoothie Formula
Ingredients
- 1 cup plant-based milk (or water)
- 1 small banana (or a handful of chopped mango and 1 or 2 pitted Medjool dates)
- 1 cup fresh dark leafy greens (or 1/2 cup frozen spinach, kale, swiss chard or collard greens)
- 1 cup frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, mixed berries, cherries, pineapple, etc.)
- 1 Tbsp. nuts or seeds (hemp seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
Instructions
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Place ingredients into a high-powered blender in the order they are listed.
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Begin blending on lowest setting and slowly turn up to highest setting.
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Blend on high for approximately 30 seconds.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Flax seeds and chia seeds can act as a thickening agent, so you may wish to use slightly less than a tablespoon when adding these ingredients to your smoothie – unless you prefer thicker smoothies.
Experiment with different ingredient combinations to discover your favorites!
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
Yum! One other suggestion: My daughter, who does not much like bananas, has discovered that golden beets add both body and sweetness to smoothies. She now cooks a bunch in her Instant Pot, then cuts and freezes them so she can toss cubes into her smoothies as needed.
Wow! What a great idea, Cheri! Thank you for sharing!