Carrot Banana Smoothie

The carrot smoothie is sweetened with a date and a frozen ripe banana that also chills the creamy beverage.  The carrot also contributes to the sweetness and adds a beautiful orange color to the plant-based smoothie.  We then add ground cinnamon, the optional pinch of ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract to make the carrot banana smoothie taste more like carrot cake.  

For more carrot-inspired treats try carrot cake bliss balls or orange carrot ginger smoothie. For more dairy-free smoothies try blackberry strawberry smoothie, arugula smoothie with pineapple, or blueberry raspberry smoothie.

Recipe features

• Vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free!
• The carrot and banana smoothie uses simple ingredients!
• Packed with fruits and veggies!
• Naturally sweetened!
• Perfect fall or winter beverage with ground cinnamon!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

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

Ripe banana - Peel and freeze a ripe brown spotted banana ahead of time.  Make sure your banana is ripe with brown spots for a banana flavor and to add sweetness to the smoothie.  A solid yellow banana may make the smoothie more starchy and less sweet.

I prefer to cut the peeled banana into quarters.  Cutting the banana into smaller sizes can be a little easier on your blender, and if I freeze multiple bananas at once I know four pieces will make up one banana.  The frozen ripe banana will sweeten the smoothie and make it creamy.

For more smoothies with bananas try a strawberry mango and banana smoothie or spinach pineapple banana smoothie.

Carrots - Trim off the root ends and peel the carrots.  Chop up ½ cup of peeled carrots.  I chop up the carrots to be a little easier on my blender.

Dairy-free milk - Any non-dairy milk should work fine.  Using ¾ cup makes a thinner smoothie, you can always use less if you prefer your smoothies thicker. If you do use a sweetened plant-based milk, you may want to adjust for the added sweetener.

Vanilla extract - This adds a lot of flavor to the smoothie and gives it a cake-like flavor.  If you use vanilla-flavored milk, this can be skipped.

Date - One pitted date is needed to sweeten the carrot banana smoothie.  The date needs to be soft.   If it’s not, try soaking it in warm water for about 15 minutes. 

Another option is to measure out the milk for the smoothie, and let the date soften in the milk in the refrigerator for about an hour. Maple syrup can be used instead, I would add it to taste.

Ground cinnamon - A lot of flavor will come from the ground cinnamon, so I wouldn’t leave it out.  

Tips

• Use a frozen banana to have a chilled smoothie without the need for ice.
• The recipe is for one serving, but multiple can be made simultaneously.
• The carrots can be diced ahead of time to be able to make the smoothie quicker.
• Soak the date ahead of time if it’s not soft.
• If you don’t have a high-speed blender, and yours has trouble with carrots or frozen bananas.  Try shredding the carrots and cutting the banana into coins before freezing to reduce the work for the blender.

How to freeze bananas

Use ripe brown spotted bananas for the carrot smoothie.  They are naturally sweet, add creaminess to smoothies, and when frozen they’ll chill a smoothie and eliminate the need for ice.

Once the bananas have brown spots, peel them, then slice them into quarters.  If you’re planning on using some of them for nice cream, slice those into coins.  Then line a baking tray that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Place the banana slices on the lined tray and freeze overnight or until frozen. 

Once frozen, place the bananas into a freezer-safe container, then you’ll have individual frozen banana slices.  If you slice them into quarters, then grab 4 of them for a whole banana when ready to use.  Try frozen bananas in banana ice cream, cherry nice cream, pineapple nice cream, or chocolate peanut butter nice cream.

Instructions

Start the banana carrot smoothie by freezing a ripe banana.  Peel first, and I would cut it into at least 4 pieces before freezing.  If your date is firm it will probably need to be soaked first.  If it’s soft and you can mash it easily between your fingers, then you probably don’t need to soak it. 

For firm dates, I soak them in the milk I plan on using for the smoothie.  Measure out the non-dairy milk, drop a pitted date into the milk, then refrigerate for about an hour to soften.  A quicker method would be softening them in warm water for about 15 minutes.

Dice the carrots or at least slice them into small coins. Add the frozen banana, carrots, dairy-free milk, date, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and pinch of nutmeg (if using) to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.

Serving suggestions

Smoothies tend to be delicious but not very filling.  I use them as an afternoon snack and not as a main meal.  To enjoy this smoothie as a meal try pairing it with vegan avocado toast, vegan toast, overnight oats, or plant-based granola.

Frequently asked questions

Storage

The carrot and banana smoothie is best consumed immediately.  If you need to make it ahead of time then I would leave out the vanilla extract.  A lot of the prep work can be done ahead of time and stored until ready: like freezing the banana, chopping the carrots, and soaking the date if needed.

Related recipes

• Arugula smoothie with pineapple and orange
• Pineapple cucumber smoothie with kiwi
• Spinach pineapple banana smoothie
• Vegan chocolate banana smoothie
• Mango smoothie without yogurt
• Strawberry and blackberry smoothie

I hope you enjoy the carrot smoothie!  If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.