Plant-Powered Purple Smoothie, a simple smoothie recipe featuring purple superfoods like acai, blackberries, grapes, and goji berries. A powerful purple blast of antioxidants!
UPDATE: This article was originally posted in May 2019 and was updated in February 2021 with more information and clear instructions.
Are you passionate about purple plants? I love plants of all colors, but purple-colored plants like plums, grapes, berries, and eggplant and some of my favorites. What better way to enjoy purple superfoods than to put them all into a smoothie?
Here are three reasons you should be making purple smoothies:
- A simple superfood breakfast. Pair it with a protein like nuts or coconut yogurt, and a healthy fat like avocado or nut butter for a balanced meal.
- A powerful purple afternoon snack. Sip this smoothie and crunch on nuts for an easy snack.
- A fun way to switch up your usual meals or snacks. Purple superfoods are mood-boosting foods; because who can resist a bright and colorful purple smoothie?!
Ready to learn how to make this powerful smoothie with purple plants? Let’s do it!
🍇 How to make a purple smoothie
1️⃣ Step One: Combine ingredients in blender
First, combine the banana (for smoothness), frozen acai puree (I prefer unsweetened), blackberries, goji berries, and ice (if using) in a blender.
Add plant-based milk of choice (we like pea protein or oat milk) to about half of where the fruit fills the blender. You can always add more milk later if the smoothie is too thick, so we suggest starting small and adding more as you go.
👉 Can you make a smoothie without ice? You can make smoothies without ice. In fact, we prefer to freeze some of the smoothie ingredients before making so that the frozen fruit itself acts as ice to make the smoothie cold. For this recipe we suggest freezing the bananas, acai, and berries before making. However, if your fruit is room temperature then using ice will work as well.
2️⃣ Step Two: Blend, pour, and add toppings
When the smoothie ingredients and milk are added to the blender, blend on high until they are completely blended and smooth (about 30 seconds, depending on your blender).
Next, pour the smoothie into a glass (we like to use frozen glasses to keep the smoothie cold) and top with goji berries or other toppings. And finally, enjoy!
🍆 What gives purple foods their color?
Do you “eat the rainbow,” or eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in an array of colors?
The reason it’s important to eat a variety of different colored plants is that produce obtains its bright color pigments from high concentrations of certain antioxidants, which are small compounds that assist your body is clearing free radicals (or unpaired electrons) that alter cell functions within the body and may trigger disease.
Purple foods, such as acai berries and beets, are high in phytonutrients called anythocyanins, which give plants their deep red, blue, and purple hues.
In nature, anthocyanins protect purple plants like fruits, vegetables, and flowers from sun damage and extreme temperatures, as well as attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
In humans, preliminary research has linked anthocyanins with many health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, cancer prevention, and even anti-aging properties.
💜 Purple superfood benefits + examples
Purple superfoods are abundant in nature and are packed with nutrients beyond just antioxidants, some examples include:
- Acai berries: vitamin C, chromium, zinc, iron
- Blackberries: vitamin k, vitamin C, iron
- Cherries: vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium
- Beets: betalians (antioxidant), folate, vitamin C
- Eggplant: manganese, potassium, folate
- Plums: vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A
- Grapes: vitamin C, vitamin K, copper, thaimine
- Goji berries: vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, zinc
- Red (purple) cabbage: vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese
👉 Culinary history fact: Purple is known as the color of royalty in ancient history, and as you can see purple foods are also powerful foods in nature!
🥤 More superfood smoothie recipes
Looking for more plant-powered smoothies? We’ve got you covered:
- Mellow Yellow Smoothie
- Three Berry Banana Smoothie
- Blood Orange Berry Smoothie
- Spinach Avocado Berry Smoothie
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Plant-Powered Purple Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 packet acai puree, about 100 grams
- ½ cup blackberries
- ½ cup grapes
- 1 teaspoon dried goji berries
- 1 small banana
- 1-2 single ice cubes, depending on desired consistency
- Optional ½ cup plant-based milk, for thinner consistency
Instructions
- Add ingredients to blender: Combine acai berries, grapes, blackberries, banana, and ice cubes (if using) in a blender.
- Blend: Blend ingredients until smooth, about 30-60 seconds, adding more ice or plant-based milk until you reach your desired consistency.
- Pour and serve: Pour the smoothie into a cold glass, top with goji berries, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Make it a bowl! Use this smoothie recipe as the foundation for your next smoothie bowl. Top with colorful superfoods such as strawberries, coconut, goji berries, bee pollen, and more.
- Make it a meal! Make this superfood snack more filling by adding oats, chia, or a protein like yogurt or protein powder, along with healthy fat such as nut butter.
- Tip: Use a frozen banana to reduce the amount of ice cubes needed, which will produce a smoother (less icy) texture.
- Tools needed: traditional blender, food processor, or handheld blender
- Leftovers & Storage: This simple smoothie recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen until ready to serve. However, depending on your freezer it may become hard the longer it’s frozen.
- Nutrition: Nutrition information is calculated without optional milk ingredient. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, high in potassium and vitamin C and, depending on the type of plant-based milk used, may be a good source of protein.
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