Strawberry-Almond Smoothie (dairy-free)
Back to the blog at last! I am sharing with you today one of our favorite high protein smoothies, without protein powder! Soaked raw almonds: one of nature's most digestible vegan protein sources. We've probably made every variation under the sun when it comes to a soaked almond smoothie, but since it is spring, it is time for the Strawberry Almond Smoothie to make an appearance on this blog.
Soaking raw almonds for about 8 hours in a small bowl of water causes them to soften considerably and plump up. Our kids take much delight in popping the almonds out of their skins and eating them. Basically, you take the amount of almonds you desire, place them into a bowl and cover with about and inch of pure water. If you are planning on making your own homemade raw almond milk, this is how you would begin. For this smoothie I simply drain and rinse the almonds after they have soaked overnight and blend with water until very smooth. If you are making almond milk you would strain the pulp through cheesecloth, but for this smoothie we leave all of the good fiber in the blender and add frozen fruit, blend again, and voila ~ a high protein, nutrient dense smoothie!
Strawberry-Almond Smoothie
Serve this nutrient-dense smoothie for breakfast or as an after school snack! Soaked, raw almonds are an excellent source of plant-based calcium. Use any frozen or fresh fruits you have on hand here. Pears, raspberries, cherries, and blackberries all work very well here!
- Place the almonds into a bowl and cover with filtered water. Let them soak on your counter overnight, or for about 8 hours.
- Rinse and drain the almonds in a fine mesh strainer under running water.
- Place the almonds and water into a Vitamix. Blend until very smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Then add the berries and vanilla, and blend again until smooth. Serve immediately.
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Ali Segersten
Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University and a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. She is a Functional Nutritionist, the mother of five children, a whole foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them. Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book. Alissa is the founder and owner of Nourishing Meals®.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Comments
Hi, I am new to your blog and LOVE it. Just wondering if you can recommend where to order Raw Almonds. Thanks
Is this one serving or two? Thanks!
I can always use more smoothie recipes.
Thanks all for your comments! :)
Maggie - Yes! This recipe works as popsicles! :)
Tasty Eats - Yes this smoothie recipe can be done in a regular blender, it just works better in a vita-mix or other high-powered blender such as the BlendTec.
Hallie - yes, the whole pod - just toss it in. So much flavor and much easier! :)
Lisl - I don't refrigerate my nuts while soaking. I suppose if I lived in a very hot climate that would be a good idea but not necessary in the Pacific Northwest! :)
Ali,
This looks delicious. I'll have to try it later as an afternoon treat. I've read somewhere that the nuts should be refrigerated while they're soaking. Do you think that's necessary??
Thx
Hi Ali,
This looks so good! I'll definitely be making it this morning.
Regarding Tasty Eats At Home's question about making smoothies and almond milk in a blender rather than VitaMix - We have an old (at least 20 years) Oster 400 Watt blender that makes GREAT almond milk and smoothies. I have to admit, that I recently upgraded to a 500 Watt Oster blender (on sale for $50), and it makes even smoother smoothies. I'm not sure if it's the extra power or the sharper blades that make the difference.
Ali - I also LOVE the almond milk recipe in your cookbook! I never liked store-bought almond milk, so I didn't think to make it fresh. Then my 8yo daughter was reading your cookbook one day and decided to make your recipe for almond milk, and I've never turned back - we make it every week!
Hi Ali and Tom,
i really enjoy your blog, however i was wondering if it would be possible for you to post some recipes that would work well for people who have such common conditions as hypo/hyperthyroidism, candida, issues with adrenals, etc. Thank you!
We made this today and it was delightfully yummy. I also made the rice cereal and that was tasty too. We have lots of strawberries growing in our yard this year, so strawberry recipes are always welcome! I think I love them best with the cashew sauce from your book. It's definitely a hit with anyone who comes to our house. We are very grateful for all your efforts thinking of new ways to make food taste so good!
Strawberries are going in everything here...and this will be a fiberlicious addition in the morning!
I have smoothies almost every morning and look forward to trying this one soon! Quick question about the vanilla bean: do you put the whole thing, pod and all, into your vitamix or just the seeds? I guess I didn't realize the pod was edible...do you get a lot of flavor from that?
Wow, this sounds easy and delicious. Can I effectively make almond milk or blend these almonds to a smooth consistency with just my ol' regular blender? I've seen so many people making their own almond milk, but it always seems they have a Vitamix. While I pine for one of those, I'd like to make this NOW! :)
Brilliant as always. You folks are so creative with food. Thanks for the recipe.
:)
Oh my, this sounds so delicious! It's almost strawberry season here so we'll definitely have to try this. I know my husband and daughter will love this. I wonder how this would freeze? I would love to make it into popsicles for my kids. What do you think?
Totally delicious! Love all the pics, especially the one with your daughter so happy with smoothie in hand. :-) Appreciate the advice from Tom, too. I've been adding almond flour to my smoothies, of late, but will try soaking raw almonds first. Almonds are very satisfying and often keep me from wanting anything sugary. :-)
Shirley