Plant-Powered Purple Smoothie, a simple smoothie recipe featuring purple superfoods like acai, blackberries, grapes, and goji berries. A powerful purple blast of antioxidants!

acai smoothie in a glass with flowers, berries, and grapes

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!

Table of Contents hide

1 🍇 How to make a purple smoothie

2 🍆 What gives purple foods their color?

3 💜 Purple superfood benefits + examples

4 🥤 More superfood smoothie recipes

5 Plant-Powered Purple Smoothie Recipe

bowls of purple foods like blackberries, grapes, goji berries, and acai in small bowls on a white table — Ingredients: acai, frozen berries, banana, grapes, banana, plant-based milk

🍇 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.

a purple smoothie in a glass with edible flowers on a white table

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!

a purple smoothie on a white table and a blue background with a bowl of berries

🍆 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.

a berry smoothie on a white counter with a bowl of goji berries

💜 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!

the top of a purple smoothie with goji berries and colorful edible flowers

🥤 More superfood smoothie recipes

Looking for more plant-powered smoothies? We’ve got you covered: