Cranberry Smoothie

Ingredients in a Cranberry Smoothie

This cranberry smoothie is beautifully bold and tart, featuring the flavors of cranberry, orange, and vanilla. You can adjust the sweetness to your taste, so it can be a very tart or a mildly sweet drink. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Frozen cranberries (or fresh): Frozen berries are key to the smoothie’s texture. If all you have are fresh cranberries, pop them in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
• Banana: Make sure the banana is ripe to capitalize on it as a natural sweetener. You can use a room-temperature banana since the berries are frozen, though frozen bananas work too.
• Yogurt: Yogurt adds protein, making this smoothie have more staying power. You can use Greek, plain, or vanilla yogurt. Or, leave it out and add slightly more liquid.
• Orange juice (or milk or cranberry juice): Orange juice has a nice contrast to the berries. If you use sweetened cranberry juice, adjust with more maple syrup or honey to taste.
• Vanilla extract: It’s optional, but it adds a nice balance to the flavors.
• Honey or maple syrup: Add just enough to balance out the tart berries.
• Ice cubes

Then, it’s just a matter of blending it up! Add a little more liquid if it won’t whiz into a frosty puree. Here’s my favorite blender that makes the best creamy, frosty smoothies.

Customize the Sweetness

Sweetness is needed to balance the tart berries in this cranberry smoothie, but the amount is up to you! The quantity in the recipe below is optimized for Greek yogurt and orange juice, and has a tart flavor. Add more sweetness to taste, or balance with vanilla yogurt or cranberry juice for a sweeter drink.

Notes on Cranberry Juice

I like the zippy flavor of orange juice in this cranberry smoothie, but you can also use cranberry juice! Keep in mind that cranberry juice comes in both sweetened and unsweetened bottles. Here are a few tips on using it:

• If using 100% natural cranberry juice, it has a very tart flavor. Add the specified quantity of honey or maple syrup from the recipe below.
• If using sweetened juice, it tastes very sweet. Omit honey or maple syrup at first, then add more to taste as desired.
• Need more ways to use cranberry juice? Try my Best Cranberry Cocktail Recipes.

Add Orange Zest for Flair

Want to add even more nuance in flavor? Add a hint of orange zest! If you have a fresh orange on hand, it adds a nice, bold citrus flavor. Use just a few grates of zest (about ⅛ teaspoon if you like to measure). Then add more to taste!

Variations to Try

There are many ways to make a cranberry smoothie, and the great thing about smoothie recipes is that they are basic templates. You can add or wrap in ingredients according to a basic template. Here are a few ideas:

• Make a vegan smoothie! Substitute half the quantity of juice or non-dairy milk in place of the yogurt, then add more liquid to blend as desired.
• Add more yogurt. Double the Greek yogurt quantity to add more protein (and add more liquid as necessary).
• Add protein powder. A scoop of vanilla protein powder adds loads of protein and a bit of sweetness.