I first discovered layered smoothies last year on Pinterest and Instagram and I instantly fell in love with the idea of them. I mean what could be better than a smoothie that not only tasted fantastic, but also looked almost too good to eat?
I noticed that some of the recipes for making them were overly complicated and almost made them like a milkshake when you consider how much sugar was in them and they were super complicated! I set out to make an easy recipe that could be done in just a few minutes with only a few ingredients.
The outcome is this delicious red, white and blueberry smoothie that’s layered to perfection, patriotic and tastes amazing. You can even make it completely vegan, too!
Red, White and Blueberry Smoothie
Ingredients:
For the Strawberry Layer:
½ Cup Almond Milk
⅓ Cup Vanilla or Plain Yogurt
Handful of Ice
Handful of Frozen Strawberries
For the Banana Layer:
2 Frozen Bananas (see instructions on how to do this)
2 Handfuls of Ice
⅓ Cup Vanilla or Plain Yogurt
3 Tbsp. Almond Milk
For the Blueberry Layer:
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries
½ Cup Almond Milk
⅓ Cup Vanilla or Plain Yogurt
Handful of Ice
How to Make Red, White and Blueberry Smoothies:
Start by freezing the bananas. You can most effectively do this by lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper and slicing bananas, then laying them as a single layer on the sheet. Place in the freezer for 4 hours. Remove them and place in a zipper style freezer bag. Hint: I like to use spotty brown bananas because they are sweeter.
To make the layers, simply add the ingredients and pulse/crush until smooth. You want it to be thick so the layers don’t melt into each other.
After each layer, place your cup in the freezer as you make the next layer. Smooth out each layer with a spoon.
Top with fresh or frozen berries and enjoy! This recipe makes approximately 4 (8 oz.) smoothies so there’s plenty to share!
Tips:
-Eat it with a spoon if it’s too thick. I like to even leave mine in the freezer and let it get harder to eat like ice cream sometimes.
-You can kick up this smoothie by adding in protein powder (to the banana section since it’s the sweetest). Just add a bit more almond milk.
-Try it with flax seeds! This adds some extra nutrition. I like to add ground flax to the blueberry layer.
-Make it vegan by using yogurt alternative (there are some great rice and soy ones out there).
-If you need a little bit of sweetener, try a couple of drops of stevia extract.
Read more by Christine here.