Smoothies are a favorite snack among adults, but they make great healthy snacks for kids, too. Depending on the ingredients, smoothies are packed with protein, vitamins, and other essential nutrients your kids need to thrive, yet they taste so amazing, your kids will ask for more. Whether you’re looking for a tasty way to sneak some extra fruits and veggies into your child’s diet or are simply in search of a tasty anytime treat that’s not packed with sugar and unhealthy ingredients, smoothies are a go-to choice for many health-conscious parents.
There are many smoothie varieties to choose from, such as protein smoothies, banana smoothies, and strawberry smoothies, so it’s easy to find a smoothie recipe your kids will love. But, it’s not always easy to find the time (or the blender) to whip up your own delicious smoothie recipes. When you just want to grab a healthy, filling, yet still so satisfying snack your kids are sure to enjoy, stop by your local Edible Arrangements® store for a delicious, done-for-you smoothie anytime. Our Edible® Treats menu includes a variety of delicious smoothies like Strawberry, Pineapple & Banana, tasty Pineapple & Orange, Pineapple, Honeydew & Kale, and so much more.
For more delicious smoothie recipes for kids you should try, we put out a call for ideas and curated responses below. (Note: Edible Arrangements® is not endorsing any of the companies or ideas discussed below, but we asked for suggestions to get some different perspectives.) Keep reading to find out what the contributors who responded to our query had to say.
Sarah Almond-Bushell
Sarah Almond-Bushell is a Registered Dietitian and Children’s Nutritionist with 20 years of experience of helping children and families. Through her blog and social media she aims to cut through the nonsense to give parents evidence based information about food and feeding so that they can make informed decisions about feeding their kids.
“My favorite smoothie recipe for kids is:
- Half an avocado
- 100g frozen mango or half a fresh mango
- 20g oats
- 1 tsp peanut butter
- 200ml cows milk
“Place all ingredients into a blender jug or Nutribullet and whiz. Add more milk to thin down if needed. Can be frozen into popsicle moulds too.
“I like this because if provides slow release energy, healthy fats, protein, calcium, a little iron and two of their 5 a day. The avocado gives it a really creamy texture, not unlike soft ice-cream and with the sweetness of mango and PB flavor kids love it! It makes a great on the go breakfast option for busy weekday mornings or frozen as a popsicle makes an after dinner treat.”
Becky Beach
Becky Beach is an entrepreneur that has been featured in the New York Times, Business Insider and the Huffington Post. Her goal with Mom Beach is to help moms find work from home or start their own home business so they can stay home with their kids.
“My 3 year old loves this smoothie that I make for him.
“Berry Nana Choco Blast Smoothie
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1/2 of a banana
- 1/4 cup of chocolate chips
- 2 cups of baby spinach
- vanilla low fat yogurt
- 2 cups of 2% milk
“Directions: Add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Garnish with a banana wedge if desired.”
Emily Tills
Emily Tills, MS RDN CDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a BS Nutrition and Dietetics and a MS in Applied Exercise Science-Sports Nutrition.
“My favorite kid friendly smoothie recipe is a Chocolate Cherry Smoothie!
- 1 cup chocolate milk
- 1 1/2 cups frozen pitted dark cherries
- 2 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
“Blend on high school and enjoy!”
Jessica Wilke
Jessica Wilke writes on her blog ThriftyFitMom.
“My toddler LOVES this smoothie. This smoothie tastes great and is the perfect way to pack in the greens for your little ones and they’ll never know.
“Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. frozen strawberries
- 1/2 c. frozen pineapples
- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 c. green juice (Trader Joes “Green Plant” juice green food juice blend or similar product)
- 1 scoop of protein powder of your choice
Lisa Richards
Lisa Richards is a nutritionist and author of The Candida
Diet. She has been featured on Today, US News, Women’s Health magazine, Healthline, the San Francisco Chronicle, Reader’s Digest, Insider, and Well+Good, among others. Through her website, thecandidadiet.com, she explains the benefits of a low-sugar, anti-inflammatory diet.
“Kids are getting more than enough sugar in their diets today, making it important to find ways to provide them with nutrient dense calories without added sugar and refined carbohydrates.
“Smoothies are a great way to get even the pickiest eater to take in some necessary nutrients, but avoiding added sugar is important. A diet high in refined carbohydrates and added sugar, like what many kids are consuming today, can lead to Candida overgrowth among other health conditions. This overgrowth can cause fatigue, mental fog, inflammation, and many other issues that children, nor adults, should have to manage.
“The Very Coconut Smoothie is a smoothie recipe void of sugar and full of healthy fats, essential fiber, plant-based protein, and just enough sweetness to keep kids full and satisfied at the same time.”
Abe Navas
Abe Navas is the General Manager of Emily’s Maids, a house
cleaning service in Dallas, Texas. Our mission is to make families happier by creating a clean and healthy home environment.
“The best one is a banana smoothie. They are used to the flavor and the color is so neutral that they will not think about it.
“Recipe (serves 2):
- 500 ml of milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 ripe banana previously frozen
- A touch of cinnamon
“Blend it all except the cinnamon, when it’s the smoothie is ready and then just server it and add the cinnamon on the top of the glass.”
Ashley Nunez
Ashley Nunez is a cookbook author with an eclectic style, from a perfect blend of her worldwide travel and living across the united states, and marrying into a Cuban family. Recipes have carb and protein counts. Perfect for Keto or Type 1 Diabetics like Ashley and her Son.
“Smoothies for kids should be healthy and flavorful. I love this because it uses fresh fruit and no added sugar. Has fruits children love and the Cardamon adds a little something that will set this smoothie apart from others.
- Spears fresh mango
- 2 spears fresh pineapple
- 2 pods of green cardamon
- 2/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt (organic preferred)
- Handful of ice
“In a blender put in your mango, pineapple and ice. Open cardamon pods and take out the seeds. Smash all the seeds in a mortar and pestle. Add to blender. Blend thoroughly, stopping to push everything down. Add your yogurt and pulse a couple of times. Now it is ready to enjoy. This will be thick, so you might want a straw. If you want it sweet add some honey. I liked it not being sweet.”
Kelly McPeak
Kelly is the owner of Natural Balance Gymnastics in Colmar, PA. She has more than 35 years of gymnastics experience, and is a former competitive gymnast. Her teaching and coaching experience span more than 30 years from preschool through competitive Level 10 gymnasts.
- 32 oz. plain whole milk yogurt
- 16 oz. strawberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 mango
- 1 banana
- 1 fresh orange
- Honey to taste
- Vanilla extract to taste
“Place all ingredients in Vitamix. Gradually increase speed to 10, blend until smooth, and Enjoy! Keep refrigerated for up to 12 hours.
“It’s delicious, healthy, and easy to make!”
Diana Gariglio-Clelland
Diana Gariglio-Clelland is a Registered Dietitian at Balance One Supplements. She has experience counseling people in all walks of life, from newborns to the elderly. She has worked in the hospital, public health, and primary care settings and finds satisfaction through supporting her clients in their pursuit of sustainable, healthful changes to improve their wellness and quality of life.
“Here is my preferred smoothie recipe for kids, including my own! I like it because it’s lower in sugar than most prepared smoothies made outside of the home, and it helps teach kids not to judge something by only its looks (yes, it’s green but it tastes sweet!) Plus, it’s a nice way to get kids over their hesitation of trying anything green, which is oh-too-common despite our best efforts as parents!
“Green Monster Smoothie
“Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana (the more ripe, the higher natural sugar content, which helps balance out the spinach)
- 1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh, frozen or canned in 100% juice)
- 1 generous handful spinach
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (cow’s milk, almond, etc.; any choice is fine for this smoothie, as long as it’s rich in calcium and vitamin D)
“Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth. If mixture isn’t blending, add more milk.
“Tip: Peel and freeze overripe bananas to use in smoothies like this;
it’ll make your smoothie thicker and colder whenever you use frozen ingredients!
“Additional add-ins:
- Add a slice of avocado to boost the green power of the smoothie, and to add more creamy heart-healthy fat.
- Stir in whole oats, ground flaxseed or chia seeds after the smoothie is prepared to boost the fiber content.
- Sprinkle unsweetened coconut flakes on the top of the prepared smoothie as an attractive garnish.”
Melanie Musson
Melanie Musson is a writer for autoinsurance.org. She has four children and enjoys making delicious and healthy food for them.
“My favorite smoothie recipe for kids is:
- 1 orange
- 5 frozen strawberries
- ¼ cup frozen raspberries
- ½ frozen banana
- 1-inch slice of pineapple
- 1 carrot
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach
- ¼ inch thick slice of red cabbage
“Add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
“I make this for my kids all the time. The red cabbage does an amazing job of turning the smoothie pink, so my kids think it is a berry smoothie. They have no idea that it is loaded with veggies.”
Maya Krampf
Maya Krampf is the founder of Wholesome Yum, the largest low carb and keto blog in the world. We have over 6 million views per month, over 22 million monthly reach across all platforms, and over 350,000 subscribers.
“The best strawberry avocado smoothie recipe needs just 4 ingredients!
- 1 lb frozen strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 large avocado
- 1/4 cup erythritol (or other sweetener of choice – adjust amount to taste)
“Puree all ingredients in a blender, until smooth. Adjust sweetener to taste as needed. For a richer, creamier smoothie, swap out half of the almond milk with coconut cream, or heavy cream if you’re not dairy-free.”
Christine Rokos
Christine is the founder and creative behind the family lifestyle blog, Normal Life Mom. The blog explores all facets of motherhood and focuses on all things food, family, and fun related! She is constantly looking at ways to provide nutritious, and delicious meals for kids and families of all shapes and sizes with allergies, health and budget in mind.
“I have experience in recipe development, and also sneak veggies into my kid’s food whenever and wherever possible. Smoothies are a huge hit in our house, and I have several posts on my site/social channels that focus on smoothies, including creating this popular smoothie bowl bar.
“My favorite smoothie recipe for kids is to create an epic smoothie bowl! Sneak nutritious and delicious fruits (AND veggies) into the base of the bowl, while allowing your child to ‘decorate’ it with their favorite toppings. The base is ¼ cup frozen raspberries, ½ a frozen banana, ¼ cup yogurt, 1/2 a cup vanilla almond milk, a handful of spinach, and 1-2 pieces of cauliflower (I promise your kids will never know) and blended together and then poured into a cereal bowl. Allow your child to top the smoothie off with kid friendly-mother approved toppings like: cereal, chocolate chips, fresh fruit or nuts. Serve your smoothie bowl with a spoon and watch your kids enjoy a nutritious and delicious breakfast treat.”
Bart Wolbers
Bart Wolbers is a researcher and chief science writer at Alexfergus.com, where we investigate the scientific validity of
different health interventions. I hold degrees in Clinical Health Science (MS), Philosophy of Science and Technology (MS), and in Philosophy (BA;MA).
“What’s the easiest and simplest recipe for kids to make in a blender?
“Chocolate!
“Add:
- 1 cup of coconut milk (can be regular milk if children tolerate milk products) as a base liquid
- 2 egg yolks, preferably from pastured chickens that eat organic feed if feed is added
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1-2 squares of dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder
- 1-2 tablespoons of whey protein powder (optional). The whey should come form pasture raised cows that eat organic feed, once again.
- 1/4th – 1/2 of an avocado (optional). Adding an avocado will turn the smoothie into mousse, which is great for desert a few tablespoons of honey (optional). Honey will make the smoothie sweeter, but will detract from it’s health benefits.
- 1 cup of berries (optional). Berries are great in combination with the chocolate.
“If you’ve got the ingredients at home, this delicious smoothie is finished in under 5 minutes! Moreover, any of the optional products can be included or excluded based on your personal preferences.”
Joe Powell
Joe Powell is the Community Lead at Daddilife.
“My little one is good with her food but doesn’t eat much meat (it seems to be a texture thing).
“To boost her protein intake we make a a quinoa based smoothie:
- 100 ml milk
- 50g yogurt
- 1 small banana
- 125g berries (we use frozen mixed)
- 50g cooked quinoa and a squeeze of honey (manuka if you want an extra boost of goodness)
“This will make 1 to 2 servings.
“Bottom Line: Boosts protein and tastes delicious.”
Daniel DeMoss
Daniel DeMoss is the Founder of Dumbbell Reviews. He is also a Personal Trainer at a gym in Denver.
“My favorite smoothie recipe for kids is Strawberry & Cream Oatmeal Smoothie.
“Kids are a big fan of strawberries and cream, but they hardly like eating oats. What I do is blend a cup of strawberries with cream and ground oats. This makes a thick, creamy, and loaded smoothie that is also a wonderful quick breakfast or snack. Oatmeal is a nourishing source of energy and will help keep your kiddo full and focused, and is also fiber-rich and packed full of healthy nutrients such as Manganese, Zinc, and Phosphorus which are important for development, growth and bone health of your kid. This smoothie requires only four simple ingredients (strawberries, milk, oats, and cream) and contain around 430 Calories, Carbohydrates 63.5 and Fiber 11. You can also add banana and honey and blend until smooth and combined.”
Patti Tucker
Patti Tucker is the Owner, Editor, and Writer at Oh, Mrs. Tucker!
“Kids can be picky – so picky!
“I have found this simple two-ingredient strawberry smoothie to be a hit. It’s creamy and decadent like a shake, yet packed with nutritional goodness of fresh fruit. Kids think they’re having a treat and we’re happy to agree! The Best Strawberry Smoothie Recipe.”
Valerie Lobas
Valerie runs a blog called Thoughtful Neighbor. She loves to share reviews and recommendations to help parents spend less time researching products, tips, and activities, and have more quality time with their families. On her blog, she shares the kind of tips and advice you would get from friends, family, or (you guessed it) your neighbors.
“My kids love making and drinking smoothies. I let them help put the ingredients in the blender, turn on and off the blender, and decide how long to blend. I love making smoothies with them because I know all of the ingredients we use are healthy. We don’t have a specific recipe we follow. We use whatever fruits and veggies are on hand. Here is a basic template that we use:
- 1/2 to 1 cup of plain or strawberry organic yogurt
- 1/2 cup of almond milk or juice
- 1 to 2 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen fruit (i.e. apples, strawberries, bananas, peaches, blueberries)
- Up to 1/4 cup of kale, lettuce, spinach or celery”
Colleen Wysocki-Woods
Colleen Wysocki-Woods, MS, RDN runs a virtual private practice for those managing dietary restrictions. Whether diagnosed with celiac disease or food allergies, eating a vegan diet, or just trying to choose healthier substitutions, Colleen is an expert at finding affordable, delicious alternatives to meet your nutrition needs.
“Here’s my favorite smoothie recipe for kids:
“Because smoothies are fun to drink and mask the ‘nutritious’ aspect of food, I like smoothies that provide kids with the nutrients they might miss out on otherwise.
“A favorite is ‘Green Slime.’ It’s simple to make with just 4 ingredients; is packed with iron, calcium, protein and antioxidants- nutrients essential for children’s immunity, growth and development; and the sweetness is all natural.
“Children 4-8 years old should eat 1.5 cups of dark leafy green vegetables per week (ages 9+ should get 2.5 cups/week), but the average child of any age only eats about ¼ cup of these.1 Spinach smoothies are a great way to increase this incredibly important food group. The apple and orange juice not only add natural sweetness, but also calcium and Vitamin C. The hemp seeds provide a non-animal protein source.
“Here’s the ‘Green Slime’ recipe:
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup fortified 100% natural orange juice (no sugar added)
- ½ apple
- 3 Tbsp hemp seeds
“Blend ingredients and enjoy!
“Nutrition for 8 year old child: 333 Calories, 12g Protein (35% DV), 42g Carbohydrates, 4g Fiber, 0g Added Sugar, 1g Saturated Fat, 81mg Calcium (8% DV), 4mg Iron (39% DV).”
Kirstin Chock
Kirstin Chock is a writer for EffortlessInsurance.com and former NCAA Division I athlete with a background in nutrition and fitness. This recipe was inspired by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and sourced from Food Network Chef Ina Garten.
“My favorite smoothie recipe for kids is the Simple and Healthy Kid Approved Orange Banana Smoothie.
“Ingredients:
- 1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (need 4 oranges)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup of strawberries (cut in half when measuring)
- 1 banana
- Optional: Ice, ½ cup of low fat yogurt
“Directions: Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until desired texture
Refrigerate until cold if no ice is added and serve.”
Mary Koczan
Mary Koczan is a writer at Gift Card Granny. Her work deals with real-life issues that she faces as a parent, a daughter, a wife, and a friend. With research and actionable ideas, her work is focused on creating articles that are accessible to all readers.
“My daughter is a lively 2-year-old. On mornings when it’s particularly hectic, this smoothie is our go-to for breakfast. It combines all of the things she loves, is nutritious, and keeps her content in the car while driving to daycare. She happily sips it while we listen to Elmo songs on repeat.
“Lila Smoothie
“Ingredients (Full disclosure – this is a rough guess. I typically eyeball the measurements and hope for the best. Smoothies are pretty forgiving as you can add and subtract items depending on personal taste and preferred thickness.):
- 1 banana
- 2 cups frozen berry blend (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- A teaspoon of honey
“Directions: Combine all ingredients into a blender and hit the blend button until smooth.
Pour into your kid’s favorite cup and don’t forget the cool crazy straw.
“What’s great about this recipe is that it’s basic. As my daughter gets older (and hopefully less picky), I can add new ingredients like chia seeds, an avocado slice or two, or some vanilla.”
Michael Crowder
Michael Crowder is the Owner of Core Fresh. Core Fresh exists to help people eat healthy but not have to spend time at the store or in the kitchen getting there. Healthy take out and custom menus delivered. Simple concept.
“Here is the recipe for the greatest smoothie that any 9 year old will ever have.
- 1 cup mixed antioxidant berries ( blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, pomegranate seeds)
- ½ banana
- ¼ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup honey vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp acai powder
- ½ cup ice
“This smoothie comes out of the blender the color of a pink Strawberry Blow Pop and tastes exactly like you imagine. Tart berries followed by subtle banana cream and hints of vanilla inside the smooth texture of oats and yogurt. Having the chia seeds and the acai powder is just the superfood additive that you need to feel great about drinking it, even though 9 year olds do not care about that stuff.”
When your kids are hungry for a snack and you don’t want to resort to unhealthy treats, but you don’t have the time to chop a bunch of ingredients and blend it yourself, stop by your local Edible Arrangements® store for a delicious, done-for-you smoothie you can grab while you’re out and about. Your kids will love it because it tastes great, and you’ll love it because it’s a healthy, yet oh-so-satisfying snack!
