This cherry smoothie is packed with the goodness of frozen cherries, yogurt, and banana and comes together in just 5 minutes. Serve this creamy, delicious, kid’s friendy smoothie for breakfast, snack, or as a dessert.
In summers refreshing smoothies are a savior, therefore you will find an array of similar recipes on my blog. Here are a few from my favorite lot for you – Mango Kale Smoothie, Apple Spinach Smoothie, Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie, Cantaloupe Smoothie, Strawberry Spinach Smoothie, Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie, Beet Smoothie, and Apple Smoothie.
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About This Recipe
This 5 ingredients and 5 minutes cherry smoothie is creamy, delicious, kids friendly, and great to serve for breakfast, evening snack, or as a dessert post meals. Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder and you have a delicious post-workout snack ready in no time.
Smoothies are a great way to start your day. They are filling, nourishing, and loaded with good ingredients. This pink cherry smoothie is also no exception.
Made using frozen pitted cherries, banana, milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract, this cold sweet treat is best to sip on warm summer days.
Make it using fresh cherries in summers or buy frozen cherries and make it round the year. Make sure to buy the dark red sweet cherries to make the smoothie. The tart ones will not taste very nice.
The best part about this recipe is that it is easily customizable. You can make it vegan, can choose the sweetener you want to use, add other fruits or greens or make it into a smoothie bowl.
Ingredients
Cherries – Pit the cherries and freeze them for 6-8 hours. Freezing the fruits makes the smoothie creamier. You can also buy frozen cherries to make this smoothie.
When buying the cherries, look out for the dark red sweet variety and not the tart ones.
In case you forget to freeze the cherries, then add in some ice cubes along with fresh cherries while blending.
Banana – Banana, and cherries go really well together! Peel, chop, and freeze a large banana for a gorgeous creamy and rich texture. They also add natural sweetness to the smoothie.
Yogurt & Milk – Plain, Greek, vanilla-flavored, or cherry-flavored yogurt will work fine. To make the smoothie vegan, use any vegan yogurt.
The same goes for milk. I like to use whole milk as it makes the smoothie really creamy but you can choose skin milk or plant based milk for vegan option.
Vanilla Extract – Add in a little for that hint of vanilla flavor. Maybe swap it with almond extract, for a little different flavor.
If you feel that your smoothie is not sweet enough, then feel free to add a little maple syrup or honey. Sugar-free substitutes like monk fruit or stevia also work great.
Variations – Add in your preferred choice of protein powder/collagen peptides and enjoy it as a pre or post-workout snack. Cocoa powder is another great addition to that extra chocolaty taste.
Want to make it more nutritious? Add in a boost of some greens such as spinach, kale, etc. The addition of color will change the color of the smoothie, but the taste will be as delicious as the previous one.
You can also add almond butter, peanut butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds while blending.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
How to make Cherry Smoothie?
Place ½ cup milk, 1 cup frozen pitted cherries, 1 large banana (frozen), ½ cup yogurt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract into a high-speed blender.
Note – Thaw the frozen cherries and banana for 5 minutes if they are too hard, to ease the blending process.
Blend until smooth.
Pour the smoothie into 2 serving glasses. Garnish with cherry and mint leaf and serve.
Cherry Health Benefits
- Cherry is one of those fruits that are high in fiber and low in fat. Therefore it is perfect for your weight loss diet, as it will keep you filled for longer.
- This tiny goodness helps to reduce inflammation and might also help in the recovery of muscles. Therefore, it is advised to consume after a heavy workout.
- They are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C.
- When in season, include it in your everyday diet as it is great for your heart health too.
- It might also help in improving the symptoms of arthritis and gout.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make it vegan, replace the regular milk and yogurt with vegan milk and yogurt.
Peel the banana and cut it into slices. Arrange the slices on a baking tray in a single layer and freeze for 6-8 hours. Once frozen, collect the slices in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you own a cherry pitter, then you can use the same. But if you don’t own one, the easiest way to remove the pit is by using a chopstick, straw, or anything similar. Hold the cherry in between your fingers. Insert the straw or chopstick into the spot where the stem attaches to the cherry, and push it until you feel the pit. The pit will fall down and you will have the pitted cherry to use. You can put a bowl under the cherry so that the pit falls in the bowl.
Wash and pat dry the cherries. Remove the stems using your fingers and pit the cherries. Spread the pitted cherries on a tray and flash freeze them for about 2 to 3 hours. Add these frozen cherries into freezer-safe ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Whenever I am in the mood for a smoothie bowl instead of a smoothie, I prefer to skip adding the milk and make the smoothie a little thick. Once the smoothie is ready, you can top it with your favorite toppings. Some of my preferred toppings are,
1. Nuts – almond, walnuts, pistachio, pecan, etc.
2. Seeds – flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
3. Granola of your choice
4. Fruits of your choice, chopped
5. Nut Butters – almond butter, peanut butter, etc.
6. Cocoa Nibs & Coconut Flakes
7. Edible Flowers
Storage Suggestions
Try to make it fresh as far as possible. You can freeze the fruits beforehand though.
If you still have leftovers, store them in a mason jar or a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for upto a day.
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Recipe Card
Cherry Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup pitted cherries (frozen)
- 1 large banana (sliced and frozen)
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place ½ cup milk, 1 cup frozen pitted cherries, 1 large banana (frozen), ½ cup yogurt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract into a high-speed blender.
- Note – Thaw the frozen cherries and banana for 5 minutes if they are too hard, to ease the blending process.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour the smoothie into 2 serving glasses. Garnish with cherry and mint leaf and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!