Posted Aug 21, 2023, Updated May 17, 2024 My oldest daughter is picky about her smoothies, but cherries are her favorite fruit, so I decided to woo her with this cherry smoothie recipe. It totally worked! This cherry smoothie is made with 6 nutritious ingredients. It’s a protein-packed, thick and creamy smoothie bursting with fresh cherries. Plus, it’s easy to make in 5 minutes and will convince even smoothie skeptics that smoothies really are delicious!
Cherry Smoothie: Ingredients & Substitutions
Almond milk. use your favorite milk – whole milk, 2%, coconut milk, etc. Greek yogurt. use your favorite yogurt! I suggest full-fat for the best results. Vanilla or cherry flavored varieties are great choices too. Frozen cherries. you can use fresh summer cherries that have been frozen (preference), or store-bought frozen cherries. You can also use fresh, unfrozen cherries if that is what you have on hand. Frozen Banana. Adding frozen banana to smoothies is the best way to sweeten and impart a smooth texture. Using frozen banana instead of ice ensures the flavor isn’t watered down. Vanilla extract. vanilla beans or paste work well too. Honey. maple syrup is a good substitute for honey.
How to Make a Cherry Smoothie
We’ll walk through this cherry smoothie recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Use a Vitamix
For the best smoothies I recommend using a Vitamix blender. Check out this Vitamix Buying Guide to learn why I chose Vitamix 10+ years ago and never looked back!
Add ingredients to blending container
Begin by adding all the ingredients in the order listed in the cherry smoothie recipe to the container of a Vitamix blender (or another high-powered blender). Add the milk first, then the rest of the ingredients, for easy blending. Then add the honey on top of the frozen fruit so that it doesn’t get stuck to the bottom of the blending container.
Cherry Smoothie Optional Mix-Ins
You can add some nutritional boosters to this cherry smoothie, here are some suggestions.
Cinnamon. I made this optional because not everyone loves cinnamon in their smoothies, however adding ¼ teaspoon makes it taste a little bit like a cold cherry pie – which I am totally here for. Greens. Adding 1 cup of spinach or mixed greens, won’t effect the taste or texture of this smoothie at all. It will change the color, so keep that in mind. Protein powder. Adding a scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder (think black forest smoothie) is a great choice. Chia seeds. for some extra protein and fiber, add 1 tablespoon chia seeds and drink the smoothie immediately. Nut butter. some cashew butter or almond butter (or homemade vanilla almond butter) are great choices. Bee Pollen. I love putting this in my smoothies for flavor and nutrients.
Blend the Cherry Smoothie
Once the ingredients are in the blending container, secure the lid and blend until the mixture is smooth – starting on low speed and increasing to high. Use the tamper to press the ingredients to the blades (if using a Vitamix).
Serve
Then pour the cherry smoothie into 2-4 glasses and serve immediately. You can top with extra cherries, bee pollen, a sprinkle of chia seeds, slices of bananas, etc.
Store/freeze
You can store leftover cherry smoothie in a glass jar with a lid for up to 1 day in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
