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This carrot smoothie recipe blends fresh carrots with apple, banana, pineapple, and orange juice into a creamy, fruit-forward drink you’ll actually crave. Ready in 5 minutes!
Here’s how to get a healthy dose of carrots into your diet: try this carrot smoothie! I know, this veggie isn’t usually the star of a smoothie. But the bright puree is full of fruity flavor, pairing carrot with orange, apple, and mango. It’s a fun way to make your daily dose of fruits and veggies sippable!
I especially love how the citrus of the orange accents the sweetness of the carrot, and you can punch it up with a hint of cinnamon or fresh ginger. Move over, carrot juice: this is the new best way to make carrots drinkable!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Great recipe…I added the ginger and the cinnamon. I was very excited to find ginger in a tube at Aldi…very easy to use and store. Eating veggies was never so much fun!!!” -Tim
What’s in This Carrot Smoothie
This carrot smoothie needs just a handful of ingredients. They’re all foods I typically stock in our pantry. (Hopefully they are in yours!) Of course, you can throw in some add-ins to take it over the top. Here’s what you’ll need for the base carrot smoothie:
- Carrots: I like to use large carrots (not baby carrots), but either work.
- Apple: Apple adds texture and sweetness, and blends perfectly with carrots.
- Banana: All you need is a room temperature banana: it adds a creamy texture.
- Frozen pineapple or mango: This fruit needs to be frozen to get the right texture! It’s easy to find bags in the frozen section of your grocery store.
- Orange juice: Using citrus juice adds just the right brightness to accentuate the other ingredients.
- Ice: Ice makes a fluffy texture that’s deliciously satisfying.
How to Make It
Making this carrot smoothie really couldn’t be simpler. Peel and thinly slice the carrots, chop the apple into rough cubes, and break the banana into pieces. Add the orange juice to the blender first (always add liquids before solids for smoother blending), then everything else. Blend until completely smooth.
Pro Tip: Thin carrot rounds are non-negotiable if you have a standard blender. If your machine is on the weaker side, consider steaming the carrots first until just tender, then cooling before blending. A reader in the comments confirmed this works!
Ways To Add Protein
Want to add a bit more protein to make this smoothie a satisfying breakfast or post-workout snack? On its own, this carrot smoothie is a vegan smoothie. Here are a few options for dairy and plant-based protein adders:
- Add Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is loaded with protein; it’s also got probiotics for a healthy gut. Add ¼ to ½ cup of Greek yogurt to this smoothie, and use a little less orange juice (start with ¼ cup).
- Add cashew butter or almond butter. Using cashew butter or almond butter works well with the flavors here. Use about 1 tablespoon, 2 for a stronger flavor. This addition also dulls the flavor a bit.
Carrot Smoothie Variations
Here are a few ways to take this carrot smoothie over the top! The first one in particular is my favorite:
- Ginger carrot: Add ½ teaspoon grated ginger to the mix! It adds a spicy brightness and pairs well with carrots. If you don’t have fresh, try ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Coconut carrot: Make it creamy by replacing half the orange juice with coconut milk.
- Carrot mango: Double the mango for more of a mango flair.
- Carrot cake: Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon vanilla for a carrot cake vibe. Top with chopped pecans or walnuts.
Why Carrots Belong in Your Smoothie
Lastly: why blend carrots into smoothies? They’re loaded with good stuff! Here are some of the top nutrition benefits (source):
- Low in calories, high in fiber: One cup of chopped carrots has only 52 calories and 3.6 grams of fiber. (source)
- Packed with Vitamin A (beta carotene): This veggie has 428% of your daily vitamin A in 1 cup! It’s present as beta-carotene, an antioxidant that could help in cancer prevention. Your body converts beta carotene into Vitamin A.
- High in Vitamins C, K and potassium: They’re also are high in these vitamins.
- Potential benefits include lower blood cholesterol, weight loss, and eye health. Read more here.
Storage Tip
Serve immediately for the best texture, or store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Shake or stir before enjoying.
Dietary Notes
This carrot smoothie recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Creamy Carrot Smoothie
This carrot smoothie is silky smooth and full of fruity flavor! This healthy veggie is perfect paired with apple, orange, and mango or pineapple.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 small smoothies or 1 large 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Smoothie
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds
- 1 large apple, chopped into cubes
- 1 banana (room temperature)
- ½ cup orange juice*
- ½ cup frozen pineapple or mango
- 10 ice cubes
- Optional mix in: ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds. Chop the apple, keeping the peel on. Break the banana into pieces.
- Add all ingredients to the blender, adding the liquids first. Blend until smooth. Eat immediately or store up to 1 day refrigerated in a covered jar.
Notes
*To add more protein: add ¼ to ½ cup Greek yogurt and use a little less orange juice (start with ¼ cup).
Hi, Sonja and Alex I want to know if it’s okay to use water instead of orange juice with this recipe? Bernice
You could but the flavor would definitely take a hit.
Great recipe…I added the ginger and the cinnamon. I was very excited to find ginger in a tube at Aldi…very easy to use and store. Eating veggies was never so much fun!!!
What if you have a poor quality blender for those carrots, ice and frozen fruit, so poor quality even if it’s put in last, it doesn’t work? could we use carrot baby food or plainly steamed or boiled carrots?
Steaming them first should do it!
Can I make a large batch and freeze some for later?
I think it would work but we haven’t tried it!
I’m on a low FODMAP diet and have to avoid or severely limit intake of apples. Is there a substitute I can use for apples in this and other smoothie recipes? Thanks!
Yes! Some low FODMAP options: could use 1 more banana or about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, grapes, chopped honeydew melon, kiwi or strawberries.
I’m not understanding the note *To add more protein: substitute ¼ to ½ cup Greek yogurt and use a little less carrot juice (start with ¼ cup)* The star for the note in the recipe is next to orange juice and the recipe doesn’t say anything about carrot juice or yogurt. Can you please clarify this for me?
Thanks for asking! You are correct, it’s a typo! We’ve changed it to “add 1/4 to 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and use a little less orange juice”. Thank you!
Hi
This sounds delicious. Would I be able to make this smoothie with a hand held blender ? I cant wait to try it because I love carrots and these ideas looks great
It should work! Just dice up the carrots pretty small.
A great smoothie, and I will be making it many times, experimenting with things like cinnamon and yogurt. But why orange juice instead of a real orange? The juice in the supermarket is loaded with sugar. And I wonder why you bother dicing and breaking and cubing the apple, carrot, banana, when in a few seconds the blender will chew it all up?
Hi! You could definitely blend up an orange if you like! We dice up the fruit to make sure it blends well but it isn’t necessary for a high speed blender.