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
um have you taken a pregnancy test?! lol
I was thinking the same thing… Katie must be pregnant! 😉
Thank you! I couldn’t believe I was the only one thinking this!! 🙂
I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind. 🙂
With summer coming up in my side of the world this recipe is absolutely perfect! Thanks for your yummy and healthy recipes! 🙂
Welcome to the dark side katie!
Oh this sounds delish!!! I was the same way… used to never eat avocado. Then one day I had something, don’t even recall what it was, and I was off… couldn’t get enough of it, put it on everything! Even now I’m smacking my head that I didn’t put any on my hamburger for dinner this evening. I might make this yummy smoothie for breakfast in the morning!
It really is like my dad used to tell me: “When you get older, you like the tastes of more foods and can eat less” (without gaining any weight). Life’s little irony. But yes, I have had the same experiences, some out of necessity (beans, for ex.). I HATED beans as a kid. Looking back, I think it was the lack of seasonings (not just the texture). Your post has given me hope that someday soon, my husband (40) may like avocados… Here’s hoping! Thanks for the recipe.
Yes yes yes i agree! Taste buds definitely change. up until the last two years i hated avocado, olives, green tea and mushrooms….but now i love them, erm though i’m still working on the mushrooms! 🙂
I used to hate mushrooms, but now I think they are the most incredible food on the planet 😀
Funny point – in Australia, we don’t call it cilantro, it’s coriander. It took me so long to figure out that they were the same thing!
Hi Katie! I have always loved avocado, but like you I used to hate cilantro. I recently learned that there is a genetic component to cilantro aversion, but apparently this can change over time. I love it now but the taste used to remind me of soap. Many other cilantro haters describe it this way too. Here’s an article about the phenomenon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?_r=0
I also used to dislike onions but use them in everything now. Although, I can still get a little overwhelmed by too much raw onion.
I’m so intrigued by this. I never thought of making a smoothie from an avocado, but I really want to try this out! Thank you for sharing!
xx
youngmildandfree.com
Katie, I just love your recipes! I mean I am obssessed with chocolate (which is why I was drawned to your blog on the first place) and now you are posting recipes with avocado!! I could not be happier, I eat avocado everyday and this smoothie tastes so good, this is the first time that I have ever tried its´ sweet side and I have a crush on it. Needless to say I found my new breakfast to-go; tried it with half of coconout milk and regular and it was heavenly.
Can’t wait for your book to come out!