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It’s that time again! Summer is here — time to barbecue and have fun in the sun. Of course, nothing is better about Summer than the seasonal foods we all love to eat when mother nature allows. If you’re wondering how to get your fix of all those seasonal berries and other foods, we’ve got seven amazing smoothie recipes for you.
Oh man, nothing is better than cherries in the summer, right? The short season yields some of the best cherries you’ll find. If the tartness of cherries needs a bit of sweetness for you, smoothies are a perfect vehicle for you to enjoy the tiny fruit.
Though there are several recipes floating around, we’ve got one that is light and refreshing, and doesn’t take away from the cherry flavor. Take 1 cup of pitted cherries (whichever you prefer, and we always encourage you to source locally if possible), and toss them into a blender. Drop 1 cup of ice on top, then 1/2 cup each of almond milk and coconut water. Blend it up until all the cherries and ice are pulverized to your liking, then pour into a glass and enjoy. If you prefer a creamier concoction, try adding 1/4 cup greek yogurt (John Stamos will thank you).
Oh, strawberries — you complete us. Well, in Summer at least. The rest of the year strawberries are vacationing in Barbados or something. Though it’s tempting to rethink your relationship with the selfish, reclusive berry, we suggest eating them copiously while they’re around.
Strawberry smoothie recipes are a dime-a-dozen, but we’ve found a really neat one for you. It’s a strawberry-oatmeal breakfast smoothie! Not only delightful, it’s vegan, so anyone can take part in this one. We suggest taking one into the office to make your coworkers jealous of your relationship with strawberries.
Cherries, strawberries — maybe it’s all too sweet for you. Smoothies don’t have to be all sweet, they can be refreshing, too! If you need a lighter option, we humbly suggest this cucumber-honeydew recipe. Not only will it satisfy any sweet cravings you might have, it’ll keep things lighter for you. It’s almost pure fruits and vegetable, too. If you can’t find the passion fruit juice called for in the recipe, don’t fret — pineapple juice is a very suitable substitute.
We agree, it’s chocolate time. In fact, we’re going to go one step further and proclaim it’s Nutella time. How do you like ‘dem hazelnuts?!
This one is super simple, like any good Nutella recipe is. Take 1 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt, and a medium to large banana, sliced. Drop that in the blender, then drop 4 TBSP (or 5, or 713, whatever you like) of Nutella on top. Cover, blend, place in glass, and enjoy. If it’s a bit thick for you, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen it up before you pour it into a glass.
You’re already making copious amounts of guacamole this summer, so what’s an avocado smoothie going to hurt? Like the cucumber recipe we shared with you earlier, this is one of the lighter smoothie options on order. We like this recipe from All Recipes, which lets the avocado shine. If you don’t like regular milk, a good soy milk will work just fine, too.
Figs are one of those delicacies that make Summer special. Found in droves at farmer’s markets throughout the country, figs appear for a short time before receding into their winter slumber. Delicately treated, figs are a wonderful part of any meal.
Figs are also delicious beaten to a pulp in a blender with other delicious things, though. We like this vegan-friendly recipe, which keeps it simple, letting the fig be the star of the show. Feel free to toy with the recipe after picking up a few baskets of figs at the store — try new milks, and maybe even some flaxseed tossed in!
Like strawberries and figs, blueberries like to come out in Summer and stretch their sugary arms before retreating for the Fall and Winter months. Blueberry smoothies are a popular way to sneak your way around the tartness of the berry.
This recipe uses kiwi to offset the blueberry tartness, which is clever. If you can’t find kiwi, the other Summer mainstay — strawberries — can be used instead.
These are some of our favorite recipes for a summer smoothie, but we encourage you to try your hand at creating some as well. With a base of banana, yogurt, or ice (or a clever combination of one or more of those), you can add your favorite ingredients and make something you can call your own! Leave your favorites in the comments below!
David is the resident nerd around these parts. Running a popular tech blog (TheUnlockr.com) for the past 6 years, he’s taken his over-analytical mind and made the transition to food.
