Easy Chocolate Red Velvet Beet Smoothie Recipe
Mar 02, 2021 • Updated Mar 07, 2024
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This nutrient-dense Red Velvet Beet Smoothie recipe is a delicious, chocolatey, hidden veggie smoothie that packs in all the good stuff but still tastes like dessert! Full of protein, fiber, healthy fats, tons of vitamins and minerals, and a beautiful, vibrant red color!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This Red Velvet Beet Smoothie Recipe tastes like dessert, is good for the heart, and makes for a balanced breakfast or snack. It’s a gorgeous red smoothie with a rich chocolate flavor. It’s vegan, gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, fruit-sweetened, naturally colored, and has some secret veggies in it, too.
Beets add color and a boost of nutrition, and plant protein balances out the red velvet smoothie. A little pinch of cinnamon and some cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips on top take this smoothie to the next level.
How to Make a Red Velvet Smoothie
Making a red velvet smoothie is really easy and quick! The only prep step to keep in mind is the cooking of the beets. I highly recommend steaming your beets or purchasing pre-steamed or canned beets for convenience. They will become easier to blend and a little sweeter in flavor.
Ingredient Notes
This easy beet smoothie recipe has super simple ingredients and boasts a natural sweetness without any added sugar. It’s full of nutritional benefits and makes a healthy breakfast meal replacement in no time at all!
- frozen super-ripe bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie will be!
- cacao powder or cocoa powder
- cooked beets: Follow my instructions below if you have fresh beets and need to cook them first.
- serving chocolate or vanilla protein powder
- plant milk of choice: Almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk works well.
Optional Add-Ins
- vanilla bean paste
- ground cinnamon
- handful of ice cubes to thicken
- handful of raw cashews for extra creaminess
- sprinkle cacao nibs on top
Step-by-Step Instructions
- To prepare, peel and steam your raw beets and slice them into chunks. The recipe calls for 1 small beet, and I recommend adjusting to taste. Add more beets for more color and earthy flavor, or use less if you prefer the beet flavor to be a little more hidden. I find that alongside the banana and cacao, I barely tasted the beets, and I was able to work up to adding more over time.
- To make the red velvet beet smoothie, add all ingredients into a high powered blender along with a splash of plant milk and blend until the desired texture is achieved. Use less plant milk for thicker smoothie bowls and more milk for a pourable, sippable drink.
- If you’d like to sweeten the smoothie, I recommend adding in a Medjool date or two or using maple syrup. It will naturally sweeten the smoothie, especially if the banana you’re using isn’t super ripe.
- Serve in a tall glass or mason jar and enjoy!
Health Benefits of Beets in Smoothies
Beets are a nutrition powerhouse with lots of health benefits to boast! If a beet smoothie recipe sounds a little strange to you, rest assured they complement chocolate very well, with a mild sweetness and an earthy flavor. Plus, that red color makes the prettiest smoothies!
The result is similar to the combination of coffee and chocolate in that it adds a depth of flavor. So, if you’re not a beet lover, fear not! You will still love this recipe.
- Beets are rich in essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate, vitamin b6, and magnesium, to name a few.
- They are a great source of fiber, which supports digestive health.
- Beets have been linked to increased athletic performance, endurance, and improved blood and oxygen flow. Consuming beets or beet juice a few hours before a workout has been shown to have a positive effect on the body.
- The nitrates found in beets have a blood pressure-lowering effect, which is important for maintaining overall healthy blood pressure and heart health.
Best Protein Powder for Vegan Smoothies
To make this red velvet smoothie recipe, I recommend either a vanilla or chocolate-flavored plant protein powder. Using chocolate will help to play up the chocolate flavor in this smoothie, and vanilla will complement the chocolate notes, too, so take your pick!
My personal favorite plant protein powder is Sprout Living’s Epic Plant Protein. Sprout Living protein is formulated without any added gums, fillers, or natural flavors, which are commonly found in protein powders. It’s smooth, adds nice volume and texture to the smoothie, and makes it more of a balanced drink.
More Healthy Smoothie Recipes
- Peach Pie Smoothie (No Bananas!)
- Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie Bowl
- Almond Joy Smoothie Bowl
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie
- Pitaya Smoothie with Protein
- Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie (Detoxinista)
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Easy Chocolate Red Velvet Beet Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 frozen super ripe bananas
- 2 tbsp cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1 small cooked beet roughly 1/3 cup, more as desired
- 1 serving chocolate or vanilla plant protein
- plant milk of choice to blend
- optional
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- handful ice cubes to thicken
- handful raw cashews for extra creaminess
- sprinkle of cacao nibs to top
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth, adjusting plant milk to achieve desired texture. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Health Benefits of Beets in Smoothies
Beets are a nutrition powerhouse with lots of health benefits to boast! If a beet smoothie sounds a little strange to you, rest assured they complement chocolate very well, with a mild sweetness and an earthy flavor. Plus, that red color makes the prettiest smoothies! The result is similar to the combination of coffee and chocolate in that it adds a depth of flavor. So, if you’re not a beet lover, fear not! You will still love this recipe.-
- Beets are rich in essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, folate, vitamin b6, and magnesium, to name a few.
-
- They are a great source of fiber, which supports digestive health.
-
- Beets have been linked to increased athletic performance, endurance, and improved blood and oxygen flow. Consuming beets or beet juice a few hours before a workout has been shown to have a positive effect on the body.
-
- The nitrates found in beets have a blood pressure-lowering effect, which is important for maintaining overall healthy blood pressure and heart health.
Best Protein Powder for Vegan Smoothies
To make this red velvet smoothie, I recommend either a vanilla or chocolate-flavored plant protein powder. Using chocolate will help to play up the chocolate flavor in this smoothie, and vanilla will complement the chocolate notes, too, so take your pick! My personal favorite plant protein powder is Sprout Living’s Epic Plant Protein. Sprout Living protein is formulated without any added gums, fillers, or natural flavors, which are commonly found in protein powders. It’s smooth, adds nice volume and texture to the smoothie, and makes it more of a balanced drink.Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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