Give your taste buds a wake up call with a Kiwi Smoothie

Kiwis are an amazing fruit.  From a rather uninviting furry brown shell on the outside, they reveal a bright green interior filled with juicy fruit with its distinctive pattern.  

They also pack a punch nutrition-wise.  A type of berry, they have a delicious taste without being overly sweet, which makes them ideal for smoothies.  Kiwi fruit is usually added to other fruits and flavorings when making smoothies.   

What Other Fruits Can Be Used?

Almost any other fruit can be added to kiwi smoothies.  Fruit such as blueberries, bananas, melon, pineapple, strawberries and apples are ideal.

But because kiwi fruit are almost always used fresh rather than frozen, it is a good idea to add frozen fruits to give that necessary cold element and creaminess to your smoothie.

Other Flavorings

Kiwi fruit also goes very well with dairy or dairy-like products such as milk, nut milks and plain or vanilla yogurt.  Almond milk is a great alternative to dairy and if you don’t have frozen fruit, try using frozen yogurt.  To give your kiwi smoothies that tropical feel and taste, you can also use coconut milk or coconut water.

For a non-dairy alternative, try fruit juices such as pineapple, apple, orange or lime juice.

I absolutely love mint with kiwi fruit as well as spices such as cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.   If you need extra sweetness, add honey.

Preparing Kiwi Fruit

Storing Kiwi Fruit

The fruit should be stored at room temperature until they ripen.  They are ripe when the skin indents slightly when touched.  You can hasten the ripening process by placing them in a paper bag with an apple or banana.  Once ripe they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Leafy Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients

1 handful of leafy greens
6 mint leaves, torn
3 frozen strawberries
2 kiwi fruit
1 tablespoon chia seeds
½ cup coconut water

How to Make

Blitz together the leafy greens, mint leaves, strawberries, kiwi fruit, chia seeds and coconut water until all the greens are well blended.

This makes one glass.  Double the recipe to serve two.

Kiwi Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients

1 frozen banana
2 kiwi fruit
2 slices of pineapple
½ c coconut milk

How to Make

For a tropical taste, place banana, kiwi fruit, pineapple and coconut milk into a blender and blitz until smooth.  Garnish with slices of kiwi fruit.

Kiwi Mango Smoothie

Ingredients

1 c frozen mango
2 kiwi fruit
1 c vanilla yogurt
1 c coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice

How to Make

Peel and chop your kiwi fruit then add to your blender, together with the frozen mango, vanilla yogurt, coconut milk and lime juice.  Blend on high until all the fruit is blended and your smoothie is thick and creamy.

Pour into 2 glasses.