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 smooth, 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 a ripe avocado, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and sugar or your favorite granular or liquid sweetener.
Avocado – You can tell if the fruit is ripe by squeezing it very gently at the grocery store. 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. Or place it unpeeled 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.
Milk – Use any milk in your refrigerator, including oat milk, soy milk, or skim milk.
For a plant based and vegan avocado smoothie, go with your favorite dairy free milk. I like canned coconut milk, almond milk, pistachio milk, or cashew milk.
Sweetener of choice – This can be classic white sugar, brown sugar, unrefined sugar (like coconut or date sugar), honey or pure maple syrup.
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 to taste. Be sure to choose a keto friendly milk without sugar as well.
Optional add ins – Turn it into a chocolate avocado smoothie by adding a spoonful of cocoa powder. I recommend Dutch cocoa for a rich brownie 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, or pumpkin pie spice protein powder.
Looking for a caffeine boost or love the coffee vanilla flavor profile? Blend in a fourth teaspoon of instant coffee powder for a refreshing post workout pick-me-up.
Feeling adventurous? Make Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
Healthy avocado smoothie recipe video
Above, watch the step by step recipe video
Frequently asked questions
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.
Frozen or fresh avocado will both work here.
Just be sure to peel the avocados first. If you have a high speed blender like a Vitamix, 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 or whole milk, because it tastes like an actual avocado milkshake.
You may 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.
I do not recommend adding ice, because this will dilute the flavor at the ice melts into water.
However, you can blend in a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt or a handful of homemade coconut milk ice cubes for a super thick and ice-cream-like shake if desired.
To make your own coconut ice cubes, just freeze canned coconut milk in an ice cube tray. It is that simple.
Avocado smoothie health benefits
Besides the delicious creamy texture, you can also get so many added health benefits from avocados.
Packed with vitamins. The superfood fruit is cholesterol free and contains nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, including potassium, folate, and B vitamins.
High fiber, low sugar. 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.
Healthy fat. Over 75% of the fat in avocados is the unsaturated heart-healthy kind (good fats). 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.
Of course if you are on a doctor ordered nutrition or weight loss plan, it is always recommended to consult your doctor.
Customizable to fit different lifestyles. Depending on the specific ingredients you use, this smoothie can be low calorie, low in saturated fat, 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.
- Peel the fruit, and discard both the pit and peel. Slice the avocado into large pieces.
- Add the sliced avocado, milk of choice, pure vanilla extract, salt, sweetener, and any optional ingredients to a small blender.
- Blend on high until thick and completely smooth, then serve cold.
This healthy blender drink yields a large, single serving shake or two small servings. Feel free to double the recipe!
More healthy avocado recipes
Avocado Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 small avocado (100g flesh)
- 1 1/2 cups milk of choice (360g)
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract (4g)
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or sweetener of choice to taste (30g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Begin with a ripe avocado. Discard the pit and peel, and chop into large pieces.
- 2. Add all ingredients to a small blender, and process until thick and creamy.
- 3. Pour into a tall glass or two smaller glasses, and serve cold.
Video
Notes
Easy Blender Recipes
i used to hate avoes too! now i make guacamole and raw chocolate mousse. it’s crazy. ironically, when i was a kid we had a giant avo tree, but i hated avoes. now that i eat them i have to buy the,
As for the question about what foods do you love now? Oh so many. Things like hummus and tabouleh, cold beets, onions, lentils, and on and on. My father used to always try to get me to eat onions in a form other than onion rings. Never worked. He passed away when I was 13 and over the years I have tried and loved onions in many different ways. Each time I’d try something new with them, I’d wonder if he was rolling over in his grave. đŸ™‚
Hi Katie,
I absolutely love getting the emails packed with delicious goodies. I love to experiment with deserts (I don’t do it with main meals – that is another story), however I’m a bit afraid to try this avocado smoothie. Let me explain – since I was a little human I have always had avocado as a savoury dish (in salads, on warm toast with tomato and freshly cracked pepper). So the idea of having a sweet avocado is a no no for my rational mind. Not to mention I would be breaking one of my rules – don’t mix sweet with savoury (that means I don’t add pineapple to pizza, sultanas to rice or apple to salads). Uhmm maybe I am not as adventurous as I think I am…
When is your book coming out?
I am not a fan of aniseed or big chunks of ginger in food.
Keep up the superb work đŸ™‚
I’m pretty sure it’s coming out in late 2014. đŸ™‚
I am the SAME way! I suddenly can’t stop wanting and craving avocado and guacamole. I want it in and on everything. I seriously just made this, and it was AMAZING. So good! I already “Pinned” it. đŸ˜€ Thank you for sharing this and all you do to promote veganism!
To answer the poster above for my own tastes: no, the vanilla doesn’t take over… just kinda marries with the avocado butteriness and creates a smooth, rounded flavor. Perfect. You could of course use more or less if your taste buds vary. I’m a bitter supertaster, so I have extra “bitter” taste buds, and I have to adjust things all the time.
I just started liking avocados in the last year or so, and I just hit the double nickel! I love curbing them up in salads or just tomatoes with a nice light Italian dressing, salt and pepper. (I may have to try Cilantro again now… Never liked it either!) Just bought a NutriBullet cuz I like the idea of getting more nutrients in my diet, but I don’t know if it’s because of my stomach problems or tastes getting stranger, but I could not stomach the ones I made with kale or spinach (not much either!)… Even banana, which everyone loves… Can’t hardly stand drinking it (tried freezing them, too, supposed to taste like ice cream?)… Not for me…. I LOVE them fresh… am worried I won’t be able to stand the avovcado in liquid form… Do you REALLY not taste it? (Cuz I can always taste the greens) Thank you…
Avocado + banana = another wonderful smoothie, with no other sweetener needed. With just those two ingredients, it is almost pudding (my stick blender can handle mixing it …) , add water as needed to thin it to a smoothie. YUM!
You’re 27! You seem so youthful.
Foods I THOUGHT I hated include most vegetables (I would only eat cucumbers and carrots, then I found I could stomach iceberg lettuce, now I can eat a variety of veggies, I don’t think I’ll EVER like kale, tastes like I’m licking carpet). I also thought I hated cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, oranges, spaghetti. I used to hate lunchmeat, then I ate it, but now I don’t I liked rice, boxed macaroni and cheese, breakfast cereal, apples, peanut butter, toast, chicken (not breast), eggs, bacon.
Now, I’m willing to eat an array of foods, no matter how unappetizing they look.
Well avocado and chocolate pair wonderfully in deserts. Heck maybe even adding cocoa powder to this shake would be good.
I did add cocoa powder! Yum!
I make something similar to this myself and it’s tasty! I’ve heard that your body changes drastically every 7 years (including your brain and taste buds!) so you might be on the cusp of that! i know i used to hate peanut butter…what was i thinking?…but now i love it
Hey Katie!
I use to HATE peanut butter, olives, and tofu! Now I love NATURAL peanut butter, and getting use to olives and tofu. Funny how taste buds change!!
xoxo
LP
So funny! I was just talking to someone at the farmer’s market about this today. I can’t stand Cilantro, tastes like soap to me. Apparently that’s a genetic quirk? But the woman at the olive oil booth said she recently started liking it after years! I hope I do…I’m kind of sad that I can’t taste what everyone says they’re in love with!
I don’t like avocados but I’m giving them a chance. I have been drinking avocado smoothies at Vietnamese restaurants. I like the creaminess of the avocado which I think is perfect for smoothies. I haven’t tried eating an avocado on its own yet.
Like your good self I use to detest the cilantro(used to make me retch) herb, it’s a different story now thought!:-)
Avocados have always been a faithful friend and often crave them; love the sound of your avocado smoothie, Katie!
Your list of unliked foods that suddenly became favorites is very similar to mine! I still don’t love mustard or raw onions, but over the past few years I started loving things like avocados and such, I think taste-buds really do change (or pregnancy hormones have had a hand:)! Maybe you’ve got a Mexican food fetish hitting! Either way, its great to be able to explore new food options. And I still wonder how I used to not like some of these things!
I’ve heard your taste buds change every 7 years! Welcome to the avocado-lovin’ world! Looking forward to more avocado filled recipes!
I used to hate cottage cheese. Now I love it with anything and everything!
These avocado smoothies look delicious. I love avocado slushes with boba-this reminds me of those.