Try this thick and creamy avocado smoothie recipe for breakfast or a healthy snack!
5 ingredient avocado smoothie
Adding avocado to a smoothie might sound unusual, but the results are surprisingly delicious.
This secretly healthy avocado shake is so unbelievably creamy, it honestly tastes like drinking an actual vanilla milkshake.
I do not know how that is even possible, but it really does remind me of a classic vanilla shake, both in taste and texture.
Make one for yourself, and see if you agree!
With only five ingredients and less than a minute of prep time, the recipe is absolutely worth a try at least once, because it might just become your new go to smoothie recipe.
You may also like these Avocado Brownies
Ingredients to make the avocado drink
You will need half a ripe avocado, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and sugar or your favorite sweetener.
For a vegan avocado smoothie, use your favorite nondairy milk for a dairy free and plant based shake. I like canned coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Soy milk and oat milk also work.
Avocados are naturally low in carbs. If you are looking for an added sugar free and keto avocado smoothie, simply use stevia or your favorite sugar alternative for the sweetener of choice. Be sure to choose a keto friendly milk without sugar as well.
Turn it into a chocolate avocado smoothie by adding a spoonful of cocoa powder. I recommend Dutch cocoa for a brownie-like flavor. Increase the sugar to taste, to counter the bitterness of the cocoa powder.
Or if you want a healthy avocado protein shake, blend in a scoop of your favorite flavored or unsweetened protein powder. Try vanilla, chai, cookies and cream, coffee, or pumpkin pie spice protein powder.
Feeling adventurous? Make Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Healthy avocado smoothie recipe video
Above, watch the step by step recipe video
Frequently asked questions
Can you taste the avocado?
Avocado adds unbelievable thickness and creaminess, without any noticeable flavor whatsoever for most people.
If you have super tastebuds, you might be able to tell it is in there. But even then, the flavor is only slight and will not detract from the overall tastiness of the shake.
Can you use frozen avocado?
Frozen or fresh avocado will both work here.
Just be sure to peel the avocados first. If you have a high speed blender, try freezing your milk of choice in an ice cube tray and using that for the avocado drink instead of refrigerated milk.
This is especially good with canned coconut milk, because it tastes like an actual avocado milkshake.
What about adding other fruit?
You can add fresh or frozen blueberries, cherries, strawberries, apple, cucumber, banana, or pineapple. Play around with different foods that pair well with avocado.
I love adding a ripe frozen banana, which gives even more thickness to the recipe.
Avocado smoothie health benefits
Besides the delicious creamy texture, you can also get so many added health benefits from avocados.
They are cholesterol free and contain nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, including potassium, folate, and B vitamins.
Just one serving of avocado provides eight percent of the daily value for fiber, and they have the least amount of sugar of any fruit.
Over 75% of the fat in avocados is the unsaturated heart-healthy kind (good fats).
Of course if you are on a doctor ordered nutrition or weight loss plan, it is always recommended to consult your doctor.
For the general population, replacing some of the saturated fat in one’s diet with avocado can possibly help to reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and inflammation.
Depending on the specific ingredients you use, this smoothie can be low calorie, low in saturated fat, high fiber, high protein, nondairy, high in calcium, vegan, and gluten free, with no sugar required.
How to make an avocado shake
Be sure to start with a ripe avocado.
You can tell if the fruit is ripe by squeezing it very gently. It is ripe if it yields slightly to the pressure and feels just a little bit soft but not mushy.
If you buy an avocado that is still hard as a rock, just wait a few days for it to soften.
If you wish, you can place it in a brown paper bag for a day or two with another fruit (such as apple, banana, or kiwi) to speed up the ripening process.
To make the smoothie, first peel the fruit and discard the pit. Blend everything together until smooth, and serve cold.
Feel free to double the recipe!
More healthy avocado recipes
Avocado Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 large avocado
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or sweetener of choice to taste
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
Instructions
- To make different flavors, including a chocolate avocado smoothie, see the notes earlier in this post.Peel the avocado and discard the pit. Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. Feel free to blend in a few coconut milk ice cubes for a super thick and ice-cream-like shake if desired. (To make coconut ice cubes, just freeze canned coconut milk in an ice cube tray. Do not add regular ice cubes, because that would dilute the flavor of the smoothie.) Serve cold. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The recipe makes about 2 cups.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Easy Blender Recipes
I really want to like coriander (cilantro) too! I adore indian and thai cookery which tends to involve a lot of the stuff. Adore avo’s though 🙂
I loath avocado too! I’m so glad to hear that you hated it as well and that there may be hope for me. I know that avocado is packed full of nutrtional goodness, but can’t seem to get myself to try it again. Maybe in smoothie form it might be better. On this note of loathing avocado, do you have any advice for substitutions in recipes using avocado?
maybe try adding a frozen banana with some spinach? The banana will contribute the creaminess (and some sweetness) and the spinach will keep it green!
I also hated avocado as a kid! And now I can’t get enough. I also never liked cheese much, but it’s slowly growing on me. SLOWLY.
I used to hate vegetables and fruit. Now I have to make it up of 15 years not eating them haha .. (I’m 16 )
This is a very popular drink in Vietnam. Usually we use condensed milk in avocado smoothie.
I love avocado chocolate pudding! And just plain avocado with salt and hot sauce. I used to HATE onions as a kid but love them now. Still hate anise and arugala. Hoping that will change one day.
Hello, Katie. The chocolate cheesecake I have done turned out delicious. I am not sure if it is suppose to be soft, but it is when left in the fridge. What I did is freeze it the whole time to maintain its shape. My daughter said it taste like almond joy. BTW I posted the Healthy Oreos I made. It was a hit in my house, that I am making it again today.
I might just have to have one for an afternoon snack! I bought a couple of avocados with the intention of making guacamole (with parsley instead of cilantro…I still hate it, lol!) but I haven’t made anything that requires its presence.
I used to hate avocado, too. I used to hate a LOT of foods that I like now: beans, super dark chocolate, any type of pureed or cooked fruit, bananas…it changed recently when diabetes forced me to change my horrible eating habits. Now I have midnight cravings for kale chips, I’d rather have a piece of fruit than a piece of cheese, etc. I think it was a defense mechanism: adapt, be miserable forever, or die. My mouth chose to adapt!
I love the green color!! I had avocado in a smoothie once and it tasted funny, but I bet this one would be wonderful!! I can just tell 🙂
I used to hate coconut anything, bananas and garlic of any sort. Now I love all of these things! Well, maybe not raw garlic but cooked ones r yummy 🙂
For me it’s beans. While growing up the only beans I would eat were green beans. Now I love all of them. I even make certain kinds of casseroles and soups just so that I can add beans to them.
I have never liked cilantro and can’t imagine that changing. It’s horrible and tastes like soap. 🙁 Wish I could since it’s in so many foods that would otherwise be delicious. Even one tiny leaf ruins the whole dish.