This cherry almond vanilla smoothie is a cheerful, creamy fruit smoothie with sweet cherries, cozy vanilla, and a nutty spoonful of almond butter. It is bright enough for a sunny afternoon snack, filling enough for a simple breakfast, and pretty enough to save to your favorite Fruit Smoothies board. The banana adds natural sweetness, Greek yogurt makes it extra smooth, and frozen cherries give it that gorgeous pink-purple color without much effort.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen pitted cherries
- 1 medium ripe banana, sliced
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
- 1/2 cup ice, optional for a thicker smoothie
For the best flavor, use sweet dark cherries or a frozen cherry blend with no added sugar. A ripe banana works especially well here because it gives the smoothie a mellow sweetness that pairs nicely with the almond butter and vanilla.
How To Make It
1. Add the almond milk and Greek yogurt to the blender first. This helps the blades move smoothly and keeps the almond butter from sticking at the bottom. 2. Add the frozen cherries, banana, almond butter, vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup if using. 3. Blend on high until the smoothie looks creamy, colorful, and completely combined. 4. If the smoothie is too thick, splash in 1 to 3 tablespoons of extra almond milk and blend again. 5. If you want a frostier snack-style smoothie, add the ice and blend until smooth. 6. Pour into a glass and enjoy right away while it is cold and velvety.
Tips
- Use frozen cherries for the brightest color and thickest texture. Fresh cherries work too, but you may want to add extra ice.
- For a sweeter smoothie, use a very ripe banana or add the optional teaspoon of honey or maple syrup.
- For more almond flavor, add a tiny splash of almond extract, about 1/8 teaspoon. A little goes a long way.
- If your almond butter is very thick, warm it for a few seconds or add it right on top of the yogurt so it blends more easily.
- Make it a smoothie bowl by reducing the almond milk to 1/2 cup and topping it with sliced banana, granola, chopped almonds, or extra cherries.
- Taste before serving and adjust the texture. More almond milk makes it sippable, while more frozen fruit makes it spoonable.
Blend it up and enjoy every cherry-vanilla sip!