Red Velvet Smoothie

This Red Velvet Smoothie is a fun and delicious way to get veggies in at breakfast! It comes together in minutes, easily vegan and Paleo, and super kid-approved!

I have a soft spot for smoothies.

They are easy to make, simple to veggie-load AND they make a veggie-eater out of the most iffy of eaters. Plus, adding a smoothie to our mornings was LITERALLY the first step I took in trying to get more veggies into my own diet.

Also, smoothies can be a healthy treat that dazzle your taste buds, satisfies your sweet tooth and gets bonus fruits and veggies into your belly.

And while January is not exactly smoothie season for most people, this Red Velvet Smoothie has been on repeat in our house as of late.

Why? You mean aside from the constant flow of beets in our weekly CSA box? We are loving this beet smoothie because it combines sweet and slightly tangy mango with good-for-you beets and the two flavors balance one another beautifully. Add some dates for a little extra sweetness and some cocoa powder for a lovely chocolate flavor, and you have the perfect veggie-loaded treat that is also good for you.

What Makes This Beet Smoothie Recipe So Good?

Beets – Beets are a veggie that sometimes do not get enough love because of their earthy flavor, but they are full of amazing nutrients (like folate, Manganese, Potassium and vitamin C) and give this delicious smoothie a seriously beautiful color.
Frozen Mango – The sweetness of mango helps to balance out the beet flavor and, when frozen then blended, give this red velvet smoothie a creamy milkshake consistency.
Milk – I like either dairy or almond milk in our smoothies, but you can use whatever milk you and your crew prefer.
Dates – Also full of natural sweetness, dates not only make this smoothie delicious but add copper, fiber, and potassium. If you are not a date lover or simply don’t have any on hand, you can replace them with a little maple syrup or honey, too.
Cocoa powder– I am a serious chocolate lover and this red velvet smoothie’s flavor makes me swoon.

Tips For Making

• To blend your smoothie, I highly recommend a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. I use my blender daily for so many recipes, but a high speed one just gets a smoothie extra creamy and is so much faster. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, blend your smoothie in stages. First the dates, milk and beet. Puree until everything is totally blended. Add mango and cocoa to blend again until smooth.
• For a vegan or paleo smoothie, use non-dairy milk.
• Roast your beet for best flavor and color. Roasting helps to enhance the natural sugars in beets while cutting down on their bitterness. It also helps the beets to retain their stunning color that give this red velvet smoothie its striking color. To roast your beets, wash and trim the tops off. Wrap them in foil and cook in a 400℉ oven for 40-60 minutes (depending on their size). Once done, the beets should easily peel. I like to do this ahead of time and store my roasted beets in my freezer so I can make this red velvet smoothie easily in the morning or whenever I need a chocolate fix.

Suggested adaptations

• Up the veggies by adding a handful of spinach to the blender before pureeing.
• Use frozen banana instead of frozen mango.
• Add chia seeds or ground flax meal
• Add a scoop of vanilla or plain yogurt for an extra creamy and thick smoothie.
• Replace the dates with 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Other veggie-loaded smoothie recipes

• Vitamin C Smoothie
• Creamy Cauliflower & Blueberry Smoothie
• Creamy Zucchini Smoothie
• Sunrise Butternut Squash Smoothie
• Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie (with greens!)
• Chocolate Banana Smoothie (with veggies)
• Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

Loving this red velvet smoothie and hungry for more?

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