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This carrot smoothie recipe is surprisingly delicious with a variety of fruits and veggies. I’ll show you exactly what ingredient to use if you’re looking to take your health to the next level. Grab your blender and let’s go!
Table of Contents
Health Benefits of a Carrot Smoothie
This carrot smoothie recipe shines most in its vitamin C and fiber content. Fiber is an underrated part of a healthy diet, so I love when one of my smoothie recipes contains a solid amount of dietary fiber.
The other big star in this carrot smoothie is vitamin C. One serving gives you over 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. So not only will this smoothie satisfy your taste buds, it will also boost your immune system naturally. Want to know more? Check out the vitamin C benefits and see why this nutrient is a smoothie superstar.
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Raw vs Cooked Carrots
Someone asked me whether raw or cooked carrots were more beneficial in this carrot smoothie. I laughed, thinking it was a joke… and then I actually researched it. The answer may surprise you!
According to the National Library of Medicine, cooked, pureed carrots actually released more beta-carotene than raw carrots did. So if you’d rather cook your carrots before blending, then go for it! Either way, carrots are a great, sweet veggie to add to all kinds of smoothies.
To Peel or Not to Peel
As with many fruits + veggies, the peel (or outside wrinkly part) of a carrot actually contains some of its nutrients. So I recommend leaving that carrot whole before blending. This way you can benefit from as much of that carrot as possible. If your carrots came with their leafy green tops, then you can even toss those in. For tips on getting the creamiest, most nutrient-packed blends, check out my guide on how to make a smoothie.
Carrot Smoothie Ingredient Swaps
If you’d told me when I started drinking smoothies that I’d be adding veggies like kale or spinach into my smoothies, I’d have told you you were crazy! Yet the more I drink smoothies with leafy greens, the more my body starts to crave other veggies and so I got creative with my blends.
- Swap spinach with another leafy green vegetables. Carrot tops are perfectly edible, and would make a great swap in this smoothie!
- Swap coconut water with regular water, or a brewed herbal tea.
- Switch out those strawberries with another berry (raspberries would be my first choice!). If you want to keep the sugar low, you can use my low sugar fruits list.
- Mango is a great swap for the pineapple. For easy prep, check out my guides on how to cut mango and how to cut pineapple so your fruit blends evenly every time.
Boosting Your Smoothie with Plant-Based Protein
While this carrot smoothie recipe has 4.1 grams of protein, you can boost it to 14.1 grams of protein and make it a complete meal! My homemade protein powder is 100% plant-based with 3 simple, organic ingredients: hemp protein, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. These 3 superfoods are ground into a fine powder, and together provide healthy fats, essential amino acids, and the cleanest protein you’ll find on the market.
More Plant-Based Recipes
Here are some other ways to use up that bag of carrots in your green smoothies. Maybe these’ll inspire you to include a spot for carrots in your next garden!
If you make this strawberry carrot smoothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Strawberry Carrot Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup coconut water
- ½ cup carrot
- ½ cup strawberries frozen
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach and coconut water together until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
- Using steam carrots make it easier to blend, or you can also leave them raw. Either way, the right smoothie blenders make it quick and easy.
- Make frozen meal prep smoothie packs so you have smoothie packs ready to go.
I opted to steam/roast the carrots and only used 1/2c coconut water. I used strawberries that we picked on Saturday. The pineapple, carrots, strawberries and spinach were all frozen. It was just the right consistency and sweet enough for my liking. There wasn’t a single flavor that stood out. Overall, this one was pleasant but on the fence if it could be one that I would make on regular rotation.
I haven’t tried steaming/roasting the carrots, great idea Carissa!
The greens are rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They also contain vitamins A, C, and K, along with antioxidants supporting immune health and reducing inflammation. The carrots are cancer fighting. The fruits add just enouh sweetness to make this drink taste great. This smoothie is perfect for adults and kids too.
Thanks so much for posting all of that info, Patsy. It’s helpful and encouraging for the community.
Very tasty! I omitted the coconut water (I don’t like the flavor) and instead used vanilla oat milk (it’s my new favorite liquid for smoothies). I like the creaminess it gives the smoothie. Another reason I like this one is because it uses 2 veggies, but it’s still fruity/sweet. This one tasted mostly pineapple to me, I didn’t really taste the strawberry, but that was fine with me, I still liked it.
I love that this one has multiple veggies in it, too! I bet this one tastes amazing as a creamy, oat milk smoothie. Great sub!
Love the color of the smoothie! It looks so healthy and refreshing!
First time using carrot and cocnut water. Was just not sweet. However I didn’t have pineapple do that may be why. I threw in a frozen half banana and it was drinkable. I think im not a fan of coconut water. I usually do coconut or almond milks.
Good instinct to add the banana! Coconut water does have a diff taste to it and the pineapple will def add that sweetness and tropical flavor. Hope you can give it another try with pineapple and let us know what you think! 🙂
really like the carrots in this. I used regular water instead of coconut water
Carrot is not my favorite ingredient in a smoothie, but I’m always willing to try it out.
This one is more savory in my opinion. I love carrots and usually find them to be sweet, but in this smoothie I could taste the earthiness in them more because of the strawberries pineapple. Maybe roasting the carrots would make them a little sweeter tasting in this smoothie..?
Hey Alannah, so glad you gave this one a blend! Roasting the carrots would bring out the sweeter flavor – great idea! You could also add a touch of maple syrup to up the sweetness and counteract any earthiness if desired.
This was my least favourite of them so far. I think perhaps because all I tasted was the celery chunks that I added in an attempt to be “wild”. Might have to give this another try and make it the way the recipe says (no celery).
Sweet!-no need to steam carrots if you have a vitamix
I was worried about the carrot, but it didn’t bother me! This smoothie isn’t as flavorful to me as some others, but I still enjoy it. It’s also a great way to use leftover carrots!
This one is really good!
Loved having the carrot in this one! Another favorite I will make again. Added a little lime juice, hemp hearts and chia seeds.
I forgot to rate it
One of my favorite smoothies of the challenge. I really dig the combination of carrot and coconut water flavor. Winner! But I am finding that pineapple makes my throat itch so I may be ditching that fruit in the future.
Prior to the green smoothie challenge I have never put coconut water in a smoothie as I do not like the taste on its own. I love it in this smoothie.
The carrot added a bit of a different element to the smoothie. It was thicker than my smoothies had been previously. The flavors were good – would definitely roast the carrot next to add a bit of sweetness naturally to the drink.