Easy 5-Minute Carrot Apple Smoothie

Carrots in a smoothie? Yes! You won’t believe how delicious this no-cook carrot apple smoothie is. Nourishing and easy to make, it is a great way to get fruits and veggies into your day right off the bat! Made with grated raw carrot, chopped apple, banana, citrus, and a hint of cinnamon, this easy 5-minute breakfast smoothie is a refreshing way to jump start your day.

I love smoothies with fruits and vegetables. They are an easy and affordable way to get more plants in. However, it can be hard to know which fruits and veggies will go well together.

When creating a veggie-loaded recipe, I always remember this saying

What grows together goes together.

Meaning, basically, things that have a similar growing season often compliment together!

Take this Apple Carrot smoothie. Apples and carrots are often harvested about the same time and, true to the saying, apples and carrots taste great together in recipes. However, people don’t often think about tossing carrots or apples into breakfast smoothie recipes….well, not until now!

This breakfast smoothie is made from just 6 simple ingredients that you might already have on hand or can easily find all year round. Carrots and apples are often affordable at the grocery store, making this a really great veggie smoothie recipe to try out without breaking the bank or running to multiple stores. Done with 5 minutes of work with no cooking required, this easy carrot smoothie is vegan, plant based, vegetarian, gluten free and easily adaptable. The perfect breakfast smoothie or quick healthy snack.

Love a good smoothie too? Be sure to add my popular blueberry spinach smoothie recipe to your morning smoothie rotation!

Frequently asked questions

Can you put carrots in a smoothie?

Absolutely. Hence this recipe!😉

Carrots are delicious and easy to digest raw, so they are a great addition to a smoothie. But since they a hard veggie, you might find it is easier on your blender to grate carrots before putting them in smoothies.

Can I use frozen carrots?

I haven’t tried but I like how you think! If you have a bag of those diced up frozen carrots that don’t have any seasoning, you might be able to toss those as a sub for the grated carrots. Because the carrots will be frozen and carrots can be a little tricky to break down in a blender, I would suggest combining the carrots and plant milk in the blender first before adding the remaining ingredients to help make this carrot apple smoothie, well, smooth!

Can I used dairy milk?

I prefer to use plant milk in this smoothie recipe because of the citrus. I find the acid in oranges and other citrus fruits can cause dairy milk to split. It is edible but a bit visually unappealing.

What can I use to replace the banana in this apple carrot smoothie?

I find frozen mangos work great as a sub for bananas in smoothies! I’d use about 1-1.5 cups of frozen mango chunks in this apple carrot smoothie if you omit the banana.

Do I have to grate the carrots?

I highly suggest it for helping it break down evenly in this smoothie, even if you have a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix). If you really don’t want to grate the carrot, cut the pieces small and blend them with the non-dairy milk alone so you can be sure they are throughly pureed before adding fruit.

Do you need to peel the carrot for this smoothie?

I just trim off the ends and and give them a good washing (since they are a root veggie), but I often skip peeling carrots in most recipes. Some people don’t like the taste of the peel or feel like their carrots are not clean enough with the peel on, so you can peel or not peel the carrots for this apple smoothie recipe….whichever you prefer.

Do you need to cook carrots before putting them in a smoothie?

Nope. You can add them to this breakfast smoothie raw. However, if you prefer or find it works better for your body, you can lightly steam the carrots without seasoning and let them cool before adding them to this apple smoothie.

Can you taste the carrot in this smoothie?

A bit but it is not overpowering. The fruit in the carrot smoothie plus the cinnamon really balance out the carrot flavor beautifully.

Will carrots blend in a regular blender?

Yes, but they need to be grated so that your blender can break them down easily.

Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!

Suggested adaptations

• Replace the banana with frozen mango. I’d suggest about 1 to 1.5 cups of frozen mango chunks in this apple carrot smoothie.
• Sub the clementine with a small, peeled orange. Or you could use about 1/2 cup of orange juice.
• Add some Greek yogurt to boost the protein and thickness.
• Toss in some ground flax or chia seeds for extra healthy fats and omega-3s.
• Add a scoop of peanut butter or almond butter for some healthy fat.
• Replace the apples with applesauce. I’d suggest about a 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce in this apple carrot smoothie.

Tips and tricks

• Don’t skip grating the carrots. Yep, even if you have a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix). Grating helps the carrot break down in this apple smoothie evenly and easily. Otherwise, you might end up with chunks of carrot in a sip.
• If you are worried about your blender not being able to handle the grated carrot, you can use steamed (and cooled) carrots instead.
• Grate the apple or use applesauce to make it easier for blenders that don’t have a ton of oomph.

Other veggie-loaded smoothie recipes

• Simple Spinach Mango Smoothie
• Creamy Cauliflower Blueberry Smoothie
• Cherry Smoothie (with spinach)
• Blueberry Spinach Smoothie
• Vitamin C Immune Boosting Smoothie
• Pink Beet Smoothie

Loving this apple carrot smoothie recipe and now you’re hungry for more?

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