Beet Carrot Smoothie

This healthy smoothie recipe takes about 10 minutes to make and can be enjoyed as a nutritious snack or light breakfast.  For more dairy-free smoothies with beets, try a blueberry beet smoothie, a beetroot banana smoothie, or a beet and spinach smoothie.

Recipe features

• Simple ingredients!
• Naturally sweet!
• Packed with nutrients!
• Dairy-free and plant-based!
• No need to cook the beets!

Ingredients and substitutions

The beetroot carrot smoothie recipe uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Raw beet - Wash one red beet and remove the ends. Then peel and roughly chop it.  If you're not using a high-speed blender, you may need to dice the beets to blend more smoothly.  

I only tested with fresh red beets. I haven't tried canned beets, so I can't say for sure how they would turn out.  For leftover beets, try a beet and kale smoothie, a beetroot raspberry smoothie, or a beetroot Buddha bowl.

Carrot - Trim off the root ends and peel the carrots, or scrub them well.  You'll need about 1 large whole carrot or 2 small whole carrots.  I dice the carrots to make it a little easier on my blender.  For more plant-based smoothies with carrots, try a banana carrot smoothie or an orange carrot smoothie.

Frozen pineapple - If you use fresh pineapple, the smoothie will not be chilled.  Using frozen pineapple eliminates the need to add ice to cool the smoothie and reduces a lot of prep work.

Orange - Add a peeled navel orange to the smoothie to pair its sweet, tangy flavor with beets and carrots.  You'll need to peel the orange, but there's no need to slice it as it'll be pureed along with the rest of the ingredients.  Navel oranges typically do not have seeds, so if you substitute with an orange that does, you may want to remove the seeds before adding it to the blender.

Ripe banana- Use a brown spotted banana to naturally sweeten the smoothie and make it creamy.  The more brown spots a banana has, the sweeter and more pronounced the banana flavor.  Fresh or frozen bananas can be used. However, if you use a frozen banana, it helps chill the smoothie. 

To make the smoothie without a banana, use 2 tablespoons of whole chia seeds.  This substitution will reduce the sweetness in the smoothie.  You can add a soft, pitted date to make the smoothie sweeter.

Cold water - I use 1 cup of water, but this may need to be altered depending on how large your beets are and your preferred consistency.

Tips

• If you are new to adding beets to smoothies and unsure if you would like them, start with half of the recommended amount of beets in the recipe and add more beets to your smoothie as you get used to the flavor.
• If you use fresh pineapple instead of frozen, the smoothie won't be chilled.
• To make the smoothie sweeter, try adding a soft pitted date.  If the date is not soft, soak it in the water that you'll use for the smoothie for about 30 minutes.
• If you don't have a high-speed blender, you may want to dice the peeled beets small so they'll blend more easily.  You can also pulse the diced beets and carrots to break them down more before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Use 2 tablespoons of whole chia seeds instead of a banana.  This will make the smoothie less sweet.  
• Make sure to remove most of the white pith from the orange.

Variations

Enjoy the smoothie with beetroot and carrot as is, or try a different variation.

• Add fresh kale or spinach.
• Use coconut water instead of water.
• For a little kick, add freshly grated ginger.
• Try adding ground turmeric.
• Add whole chia seeds, hemp hearts, or ground flax seeds.

How to make a beet and carrot smoothie

1. Wash, trim, peel, and dice the raw beet.

2. Peel and dice the carrot.  Peel the orange.

3. Sometimes a piece of diced beet or carrot gets stuck under the blades and doesn't blend up.  You can add the beets and carrots to the blender first, blending just to break them down further. Then, add the orange, frozen pineapple, frozen banana, and water.

4. Then blend until smooth.

Storage

Refrigerator - The smoothie is best served immediately, but store the leftover smoothie in an airtight container with a lid in the refrigerator and consume it within 24 hours.  If there is any liquid separation, stir it back in. 

Freezer - Leftovers can be frozen in ice cube trays and used later to add flavor to another smoothie.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Pineapple beet smoothie
• Beet spinach smoothie
• Beet raspberry smoothie

I hope you enjoyed the smoothie recipe!  If you did, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.