Drink this cherry smoothie whenever you’re craving a cold and sweet treat. It takes just 5 minutes to make this 4-ingredient smoothie at home in a blender.
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Recipe Highlights
- Perfectly sweet, tart, and nutty, cherry smoothies are a delicious and healthy snack.
- This cherry smoothie is a blended cold drink made with unsweetened almond milk, date syrup, chia seeds, and frozen cherries.
- Cherries are a nutritious smoothie ingredient. They’re high in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins.
- See how to make a simple cherry smoothie in just 5 minutes.
RELATED: Almond Milk Smoothie
Cherry Smoothie Health Benefits
Reduces Oxidative Stress
Cherries are high in antioxidants. These are compounds that lower the risk of chronic disease by fighting oxidative stress.
Examples of cherry antioxidants include vitamin C, polyphenols, and anthocyanins. They keep you healthy by protecting cells from damage.
Date syrup and chia seeds also offer some antioxidants, making this smoothie an antioxidant-rich drink.
Supports Immune Function
Your immune system needs vitamin C. It works by helping your body destroy sickness-causing germs.
The cherries in this smoothie is a great source of vitamin C. So, when you drink the smoothie, you’ll be helping your immune system.
Helps Digestive Health
Cherries offer fiber, an essential nutrient for digestion. Fiber is needed to form regular bowel movements.
There’s also a lot of fiber in chia seeds, making it a good smoothie add-in if you want to eat more fiber.
Supports Better Sleep
As a natural source of melatonin, cherries can help you sleep better. Melatonin is a hormone that makes you sleepy.
Your brain naturally produces melatonin when you’re exposed to the dark. But if your levels a low, it might be hard to sleep.
Melatonin is available as supplements. But if you want a natural option, cherries are a tasty alternative.
Reduces High Blood Cholesterol
Fiber, which is found in this smoothie, can help lower high cholesterol.
This is important because high cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease.
In this smoothie, the fiber comes from the chia seeds and cherries.
RELATED: Berry Smoothie
Ingredient Notes
- Unsweetened almond milk
Cherries have a slight almond flavor, so they work well with almond milk. However, you can use other types of milk, like oat milk or cow’s milk. - Date syrup
A natural sweetener, date syrup will make this smoothie extra delicious. It also has some antioxidants and fiber. - Chia seeds
Instead of chia seeds, you can use hemp seeds or flax seed. - Frozen cherries
The only fruit in this recipe is frozen cherries. Avoid using fresh cherries, which will make the smoothie too watery and thin.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Pour almond milk into the blender.
For the smoothest blend, add the liquid first. - Add date syrup.
- Add chia seeds.
- Add frozen cherries.
- Blend until smooth.
Begin on a low speed, then increase to high. - Pour smoothie into a cup. Serve immediately.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Optional Add-Ins
Protein powder
Add protein powder to make this smoothie even healthier. This will help increase your protein intake, which will promote fullness and muscle growth.
Vanilla protein powder, chocolate protein powder, and unflavored protein powder will all taste great in this recipe.
Another option is powdered collagen, which is good for skin and joint health. Powdered collagen will make the drink extra thick and filling.
Nut butters
Nut butters will intensify the natural nutty flavor of cherries. They also contain healthy fats, plant-based protein, and antioxidants.
Almond butter, cashew butter, and peanut butter are great choices. Use 1-2 tablespoons to avoid overwhelming the smoothie.
Leafy greens
To make this smoothie even more nutritious, add a handful of greens. It’s an easy way to increase the antioxidants and vitamins in the drink.
Spinach and kale will work best in this recipe.
Spinach has a milder flavor, which might be a better choice if you’re new to green smoothies.
RELATED: Kiwi Smoothie
Blender Tips
Layer the ingredients in the correct order.
The trick to a good smoothie is to load the ingredients properly into the blender.
Add the liquid first, followed by any liquid add-ins like date syrup.
When you run the blender, the liquids will suck in the other ingredients to make sure they’re fully pureed.
Next, add any powders or seeds, leafy greens, fresh fruits, and heavy ingredients like frozen fruit or ice, in that order.
Use a tamper tool.
Another way to encourage a smooth blend is to use a tamper.
This allows you to push the ingredients toward the blades.
As long as the lid is on, the tamper tool will not touch the blades as they move.
The tamper will get rid of any air pockets as long as you move the tamper in a circular motion, creating a vortex.
Avoid blending on low speed for too long.
Start the blender on low speed, then quickly increase to high.
Don’t use low speed the whole time, as this can overheat the motor.
Get every last bit.
A blade scraper will help reach under the blender blades to get every little bit of the smoothie into your cup.
RELATED: Watermelon Smoothie
Expert Tips
- If freezing your own cherries, remove the pits and stems first. Cut the cherries in half before freezing.
- Avoid freezing cherries that are mushy, damaged, or discolored.
- Feel free to omit the date syrup for a less sweet smoothie.
- Add a splash of almond milk and blend for 10 seconds if your smoothie is too thick.
- For the best flavor and texture, drink your smoothie fresh. If you need to store leftovers, keep it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 2 days.
Questions You May Have
Yes. Frozen cherries are already pitted, so you don’t need to worry removing the pits. As always, add the frozen cherries as the last ingredient.
This smoothie only uses frozen cherries for the best flavor. But if you want to add other fruits, try replacing some of the cherries with frozen bananas or peaches.
Cherries are a healthy smoothie ingredient. They’re packed with fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
You can, but only use a few ice cubes to avoid watering down your drink. Another option is to use ice cubes with fresh cherries, but this might result in a more diluted taste and texture.
Related
- Raspberry Smoothie
- Raspberry Mango Smoothie
- Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie
- Strawberry Smoothie
- Blueberry Smoothie
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Cherry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon date syrup
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 ½ cups frozen cherries (pitted)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put unsweetened almond milk, date syrup, chia seeds, and frozen cherries into a blender. Secure lid.Place ingredients into the blender in the order listed.
- Blend until smooth.Start the blender on LOW speed for 10 seconds. Increase speed to HIGH for a full minute.
- Pour smoothie into a cup. Serve immediately.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- You can use other types of milk, like oat milk or cow’s milk instead of unsweetened almond milk.
- Instead of chia seeds, you can use hemp seeds or flax seeds.
- If freezing your own cherries, remove the pits and stems first. Cut the cherries in half before freezing.
- Avoid freezing cherries that are mushy, damaged, or discolored.
- Feel free to omit the date syrup for a less sweet smoothie.
- Add a splash of almond milk and blend for 10 seconds if your smoothie is too thick.
- For the best flavor and texture, drink your smoothie fresh. If you need to store leftovers, keep it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 2 days.
NUTRITION
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