Beetroot Smoothie Recipes
How to Drink your Beets

Beets may seem an unlikely smoothie ingredient, but in fact they make delicious smoothies.  Their earthy flavor can be masked by fruit, juice or yogurt.  I promise, properly made, your beetroot smoothie will taste nothing like raw beets.  And did I mention the beautifully rich, red and pink colors?   

If you don't much like the taste of beets but want to reap their nutritional benefits, throwing them into your blender is the ideal solution.

How to Use Beets in Smoothies

Beets can be added to smoothies raw or cooked.  Personally, I prefer to use roasted beets.  There’s just something about roasting veggies that adds to the flavor.

The roots of raw beets are hard, so to avoid damaging your blender, I would advise cooking them first.  You can use raw beets if you have a high-speed blender.  Just peel them first then either grate or dice into small pieces.

Use sweet tasting fruits such as citrus, berries, apples, pineapple and bananas.

When adding greens, choose mild tasting leafy greens like Romaine lettuce or spinach that won’t overpower the other flavors.

Buying

When buying look for beets that are firm with the greens intact.  The greens should be fresh looking with glossy, crisp, bright green leaves and the bulb part should be firm and unblemished.   If your beets don’t have their greens, then they should have at least 5 cm / 2 inch of stalk at the top with their whiskers intact at the bottom.  If beetroot is too closely cropped it will bleed during cooking.

Storing

If your beetroot came with its greens, cut away leaving an inch of stem attached to the root (don’t throw those greens away, they are ideal for throwing into your blender).   Store unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Wash just before cooking. 

Refrigerate the beets and greens in separate plastic bags.  Beetroot will last in the crisper section of your refrigerator for several weeks, but the greens should be used within three to four days.

If you plan on cooking them, look for beets that are a uniform size so they’ll cook at the same time.  Small to medium beets are generally more tender.

Nutrition

The health benefits of beets cannot be overstated. 

Naturally sweet (they have the highest sugar content of any vegetable), they are nonetheless low in calories, high in fiber and rich in iron.   Beets are a great source of vitamins A, B, C, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium.

The red pigment that gives beetroot its bright red color, is called betacyanin, a powerful antioxidant that strengthens the body’s defenses giving you a stronger immune system.  Betacyanin is a proven cancer-fighting agent, especially colon cancer.

The leaves, which have the flavor of spinach, provide the body with magnesium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B6.

Although the leaves have the highest nutritional value, the roots still pack a punch.  They are a great source of folic acid, fiber, manganese and potassium.

Mixed Berry Beetroot Smoothie

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mixed berries
½ cooked beetroot
1 ½ cups almond milk
1 tablespoon flaxseed

How to Make

Put the banana, mixed berries, beetroot, almond milk and flaxseed into your blender and process until smooth.

Pour into two glasses

Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie

Ingredients 

Handful baby spinach leaves
½ cooked beetroot
1 ½ cups frozen raspberries
½ - ¾ cup pomegranate juice
½ cup vanilla yogurt

How to Make

Throw a handful of baby spinach leaves into a blender, followed by half a cooked beetroot, frozen raspberries, pomegranate juice and vanilla yogurt.   Whizz together until everything is smooth and creamy.

Pour into two glasses and enjoy.

Beetroot Orange Smoothie

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
1 whole orange
½ cooked beetroot
½ cup pomegranate juice
Juice of ½ lemon

How to Make

Peel and segment the orange.  Add the orange segments to your blender, along with the frozen banana, beetroot, pomegranate juice and lemon juice.  Blitz on high until all the ingredients are smooth and wonderfully creamy.

This will make one large glass or two small glasses.

Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

Ingredients

½ c cooked beetroot
½ c frozen blackberries
½ c frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon cacao
1 c almond/coconut milk

How to Make

Place the beetroot, blackberries, strawberries, cacao and almond/coconut milk into your blender and process until you have a smooth consistency.

Pour into two glasses and garnish with shredded coconut or blackberries.

More Smoothies to Try