Sweet And Healthy Beetroot Red Velvet Smoothie
This beetroot red velvet smoothie is a great way to add a little more veg to your day. It's inspired by cake, so you know it's gotta be good.
While I do love beetroot, the idea of a beetroot smoothie doesn't sound like the best thing in the world. To make it a little bit more tasty, I decided that red velvet would be the solution. And while I won't claim that this tastes like a cake, there's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from other great foods. Right? Yeah, I think so.
But yeah, if you go into this expecting a full-fledged cake flavour, you're going to be disappointed. Maybe, try thinking of it more like a healthy take on the classic red velvet experience. Anyhow, if you like cacao, berries, and smoothies in general - I think you'll enjoy it 😉
Beetroot Health Benefits
If you need a little more encouragement to add beetroot to your smoothie, just think about how good for you they are!
We all know that we should try and eat more veggies-and a wide variety of them. But beetroot in particular boasts some amazing health benefits, according to BBC Goodfood.
- may improve exercise performance
- can help lower blood pressure
- can help with digestion
Red Velvet Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie has pretty straightforward ingredients, but here is what you need (and what swaps you can make, if necessary).
- Banana: The banana adds sweetness and creaminess. I prefer a frozen banana to help the texture. You can use fresh if you want, or leave it out altogether, it just won't be as rich.
- Almond milk: Almond milk is a great neutral-tasting option for this recipe. Use any nut or dairy milk you have on hand though, it'll still work.
- Frozen berries: I used a mixed berry blend, but any frozen berries will do. If you want to stick to the red velvet vibe, go for strawberries or raspberries to maintain the red colour.
- Beetroot: I used packaged beetroot from the produce aisle that was vacuum-sealed and already cooked and peeled. I think canned would also work, but make sure they aren't salted. If you want, you can also pre-cook and peel your beetroot, then stick it in the freezer for future smoothies.
- Cacao powder: I used cacao powder, since it's what I keep at home. If you have cocoa powder, you can also use that instead. Chocolate protein powder would also work well in this, if you want more protein.
- Maple: I use a bit of maple syrup (about 1 tablespoon I would guess) to sweeten this up a bit. You can also use agave, honey, coconut sugar, or any other sweetener you prefer. Start off with a little bit and add more to taste. The cacao is quite bitter, so I find this smoothie does benefit from a little extra sweetness.
📖 Recipe
Beetroot Red Velvet Smoothie
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
This beetroot red velvet smoothie takes inspiration from the cake. Part healthy, part indulgent, this smoothie ticks all the boxes.
Ingredients
- 1 banana (frozen)
- 1 Cup almond milk
- 1 Cup frozen berries
- ½ beetroot (cooked and peeled/ frozen)
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup/ coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice)
Instructions
- Add ingredients Add all ingredients to blender.
- Blend Blend everything until smooth, pour into a glass, and enjoy!
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: beverage, Drinks, smoothie
- Cuisine: Australian
Nutrition
- Calories: 306
- Fat: 4.9
- Carbohydrates: 67.9
- Protein: 6.1
Love smoothies? Find more tasty recipes like this, here.
