A super-easy thick and creamy healthy berry smoothie that is refreshing and extremely satisfying. The perfect way to kickstart your morning in the summer, or a healthy snack after a workout or in the afternoon!
Anyone else in love with smoothies lately?
I’ve never used my blender as much as in these last few weeks!
It all started with my energizing green smoothie. Since then I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of ingredients.
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And I have to say that this mixed berry smoothie is one of my favorites.
Quick to make (less than 5 minutes) and naturally sweet, it’s packed with omega-3, fiber, and fruit, and is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. It’s so good and creamy that it almost tastes like berry ice cream.
But without the added sugar and calories!
What’s in a berry smoothie?
This incredibly healthy berry smoothie contains only 5 ingredients.
Delicious berries are blended with oat milk, creamy bananas, chia seeds, and flax seeds to create a filling and satisfying breakfast or snack.
How to make a berry smoothie
- Choose your berries. Guess what? We are going to need some berries!
For this version, I used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries but you can use any berry of your choice.
I find that if you buy frozen berries they can be much cheaper, plus they help to create a much thicker texture. Fresh berries work well too, but I would then use frozen bananas.
If you use only fresh fruit, your smoothie won’t be as thick. The same goes for only using frozen fruit: you might end up with a super dense texture that’s hard to drink!
- Add bananas. Bananas add sweetness and help to create a velvety texture. I used fresh bananas here. They balance the smoothie thickness and temperature, as I don’t like my smoothie to be too cold.
- Pick your liquid. I used gluten-free oat milk simply because I love its taste. You can use your favorite plant-based milk, or even water or orange juice if you want a lighter version, but the texture won’t be as smooth.
The best liquids to use in a berry smoothie are:
- oat milk
- almond milk
- coconut milk
- coconut water
- rice milk
- cashew milk
- soya milk
- water
- orange juice
- apple juice
- dairy milk (for a non-vegan version)
- Add your favorite superfoods. For this berry smoothie, I used a combination of chia seeds and flax seeds for a natural boost in omega-3, healthy fats, and protein.
Plus both chia seeds and flax seeds help to give it a thicker texture, especially if you let it rest for a few minutes before drinking it.
Feel free to add in or substitute these with other superfoods from the list below. Of course, you can also leave these out entirely, especially if you don’t have them in your kitchen right now.
- chia seeds – a natural protein boost
- ground flax seeds – more proteins and a dose of omega-3s
- bee pollen – antioxidant, to strengthen your immune system
- almond butter or any other nut butter – for extra nutrition and a dose of healthy fats
- acai berry powder – full of antioxidants
- coconut oil – for more healthy fats and to increase your metabolism
- hemp seeds – for omega-3s, omega-6s, and proteins
- cinnamon – for added flavor and relieve inflammation
- Blend. This really is the easiest recipe ever. Just throw everything in a blender or food processor and blend. Depending on how powerful your blender is, this can take anything from 1 minute to 3-4 minutes.
Then pour into a glass and enjoy!
Is berry smoothie healthy?
Did you know that berries are among the healthiest foods you can eat?
But not all berries smoothies are made equal. It really depends on what you put in it. This berry smoothie is incredibly healthy. It’s rich in fiber, it has no added sugar and it’s loaded with berries.
Berries not only taste great, but are also highly nutritious, and provide many health benefits: they are loaded with antioxidants, help fight inflammation and are incredibly good for your skin.
Tips for the best mixed berry smoothie
- Don’t use any sweetener: this smoothie gets all the sweetness you need from the fructose contained in the fruit. It’s naturally sweet and it doesn’t need anything else added to it. I find it so weird when I see smoothie recipes that call for sugar or other sweeteners. You honestly don’t need any.
- Use frozen berries for the best value: if you want to keep the cost of your smoothie down, just use frozen berries. They can be much cheaper than fresh ones and taste just as good!
- Don’t add greens if you want an incredible color: some recipes mention to add a cup of greens like spinach to your berry smoothie. Sure, you can do that, but your smoothie will start to turn brown. It will still taste great, but not as vibrant to look at. If you want to add greens in a smoothie, you are much better off going for a green smoothie.
Berry smoothie F.A.Q.
Frozen fruit is typically used because it gives the smoothie a thicker texture. You can use fresh fruit if you prefer, it will just be a little thinner!
Some people love adding yogurt to smoothies. It works well, but it’s not necessary to add creaminess. If you love Greek yogurt, you can add half a cup to this recipe, and it will still taste great.
Just make sure it’s natural Greek yogurt and, if possible, without any added sugar. This will help to keep this smoothie healthy and good for you. Any vegan yogurt works well too.
Either orange juice or apple juice work well as a substitute for milk in any smoothie. And if you want to avoid too much sugar, water can be great too.
My favorite substitutes for bananas are:
– Mango
– Pineapple
– Avocado
– Peaches
Healthy Berry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed frozen berries
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp chia seeds - (optional)
- 1 tbsp flax seeds - (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups oat milk - (or any other liquid of your choice)
Instructions
- Peel the banana and cut it into chunks.
- Place all the ingredients in a blender.
- Blend the ingredients in a high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes until you get a smooth and creamy texture.
- Taste the smoothie, adding more oat milk if it is too thick for your liking.
- Pour into a glass, bottle or mason jar.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Instead of oat milk, you can use any other plant-based milk or coconut water to keep this vegan, or use regular milk.
- If you don’t like bananas, try using mango, avocado, pineapple, or peaches.
- Use any superfood instead of chia seeds. My favorites are ground flax seeds, bee pollen, almond butter, acai berry powder, coconut oil, or hemp seeds.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
Liza S says
Been looking for a good berry smoothie with flax, chia seeds, and oat milk and just made this one… DELICIOUS!!! I used strawberries and blueberries and it was awesome boost to the morning thank you!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
So glad you like it Liza! It’s one of my favorite smoothies 🙂