A creamy, tart holiday smoothie to add to your celebrations! This cranberry smoothie is made with a unique blend of healthy fats and natural sweeteners.
Both refreshing and tart this cranberry apple smoothie is made with easy ingredients and comes out a delicious pink to give you a festive mood boost.
Not sure what to do with the fresh or frozen cranberries you have kicking around?
This holiday smoothie is the solution!
An apple cranberry smoothie that's made around whole food ingredients to give you fuel you need and the mood boost!
Packed with nutrition, as a Certified Nutrition Coach, I love that this whole30 smoothie can be used as both breakfast and a snack!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, and whole30
- Can be a wicked protein boost
- Cranberries help the body naturally detox
- Uses only natural sugars
Ingredients You Need
Though a typical apple cranberry smoothie relies on maple syrup, cranberry juice, and orange juice, this whole30 version is made from whole food ingredients instead.
Fresh or frozen cranberries: though frozen is best for a thicker and more chilled smoothie, fresh cranberries will work just as well! If you're a cranberry lover, this cranberry mimosa is a fun one too!
Almond butter: adding in a dose of healthy fats. Make sure to use unsweetened almond butter to keep the refreshingly tart flavor of the cranberry smoothie.
Hemp hearts: some mega omega three fatty acids, hemp hearts are also a potent source of plant-based protein.
Coconut milk: use the coconut milk from the can (the thick cream) to give the smoothie the best texture.
Almond milk: any non-dairy milk will do. We personally use homemade hemp milk the most.
Dates: dates are what helps balance the tartness of the frozen cranberries.
Apple: as part of the base of the smoothie the apple is kind of important. Make sure to use a powerful blender so that the texture is smooth and not gritty.
How To Make The Cranberry Smoothie
- Add all the ingredients into a blender beginning with the almond milk.
- Blend for 1-2 full minutes until smooth.
- Pour into a jar and enjoy.
Step By Step Photos
Bumping Up The Protein
Though there is some plant-based protein in this whole30 cranberry smoothie, you may want to bump it up a bit.
If you want to add in protein (learn more about how to get more protein into your diet), the easiest way would be collagen powder!
Collagen is a beneficial part of bone broth and wonderful for your hair, skin, and nails (learn more about collagen powder).
Collagen powder is odorless and flavorless which is why it makes a better addition to this Holiday smoothie than protein powder.
Plus, it's one of the cleanest sources of protein so great for kids!
I grab my collagen from Perfect Supplements.
Perfect Supplements sources their collagen from pasture-raised (grass-fed) cows. So, I trust it.
Grab some collagen powder and use code mamabear10 to save some money.
Keeping in mind though, that adding either protein powder or collagen powder to the cranberry smoothie will omit some of the allergy or diet-friendly benefits (it wouldn't be vegan with collagen. Likewise, it wouldn't be whole30 with protein powder).
Add Ons And Flavor Swaps
One of the best parts about this Holiday smoothie is that it's so easy to interchange flavors!
Top the cranberry smoothie with whole30 coconut whipped cream, sprinkled cinnamon, or fresh orange zest.
Likewise, if apple isn't your thing, subbing in frozen mango is a really tasty twist as well (though will alter the color of the smoothie slightly.
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Cranberry Smoothie
Typically sweeter fruits pair well with cranberries because the balance out the tart flavor. Fruits like oranges, pineapple, mango, and frozen banana are best.
Though the cranberry smoothie can be made ahead of time it will separate in the fridge and not be as thick or refreshing.
Either frozen or fresh cranberries will work in a smoothie. However, frozen cranberries render the smoothie a bit more refreshing than the fresh ones.
Other Whole30 Recipes You'll Enjoy
- Whole30 breakfast casserole
- Kimchi deviled eggs
- Chocolate cherry smoothie
- Cauliflower rice
- Gut healing smoothie
- Tuna stuffed avocados
- Whole30 whipped cream
- Whole30 ice cream
- Thick avocado smoothie bowl
- Paleo coleslaw
- Anti-inflammatory turmeric mango smoothie
- Scrambled eggs with veggies
- High-protein snack recipes
- Dairy-free smoothies
Whole30 Holiday Cranberry Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ apple
- ⅔ cup cranberries frozen
- 3 Dates
- ⅛ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon Almond butter
- 1 tablespoon Hemp Hearts
- ¾ cups almond milk
- 3-4 ice cubes
- ¼ cup Collagen powder optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender.
- Blend on high until smooth (about 1-2 minutes).
- Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Notes
- The cranberry smoothie recipe makes one large or two small servings.
- Frozen or fresh cranberries can be used
- Collagen powder is not included in the nutritional breakdown.
- If your blender is powerful, you don't need to peel the apple.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
A kid-approved, healthy Holiday smoothie. This cranberry smoothie recipe is the perfect addition to your day in the form of breakfast or an easy snack. Likewise, the smoothie is a fun shade of pink to bring a bit of cheer.
Shelby S says
I love that this smoothie works in the winter with the cranberry flavor but also in the summer because it's so refreshing!
Lucy At Home says
Your opening comment about the colour helping to get kids on board really made me chuckle - when my daughter was little, we could get her to do anything if it was pink-related - she would choose the fibre bran cereal over chocolate cereal because it came in a pink box! Hehe.
And congratulations because someone loved this post so much, they added it to the BlogCrush linky! Feel free to collect your "I've been featured" blog badge 🙂 #blogcrush
fitasamamabear says
Haha ah that's amazing. Yup, kids are pretty particular about a color once they get it in their heads!
Lindsey Dietz says
Never thought of adding cranberries to a smoothie!
Teresa says
Love the color of this smoothie! You're right, pink smoothie's seem to be more of a hit than green ones. I know that's the case with my husband:). I look forward to giving this a try.
fitasamamabear says
Haha yup! I'm a green fanatic but most people like pink better. Makes them think it's not loaded with insane veggies lol
Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says
I LOVE cranberries! I tend to use them all year long and will make this smoothie.. bet it IS delicious!!
fitasamamabear says
I love it! Most people shy away from cranberries but they're so awesome!
Daniela says
I've not used frozen cranberries before but this inspires me to do so! Yum!
fitasamamabear says
Ohh do it! They're great for you and we never eat them!
Megan Stevens says
Wow, the dates and cranberry combination sounds amazing!
fitasamamabear says
The dates take away the cranberry bitterness!
linda spiker says
Yum! Great combination of flavors! And pretty color;)
fitasamamabear says
Thank you! I love the color too