Cherry Beet Detox Smoothie
Ali Segersten 33 comments
Beets in a smoothie? Yes—and when balanced with the right ingredients, the result is surprisingly delicious. The secret is using a small raw beet to avoid overpowering the flavor. Paired with dark sweet cherries, the color is stunning and the taste is vibrant and refreshing. One sip, and you’ll feel both grounded and uplifted.
This smoothie is a beautiful addition to Phase 1 of the Elimination Diet. It’s also ideal during seasonal detoxification protocols or the postpartum period, when your body benefits from extra support in clearing excess hormones and metabolic waste.
What makes this smoothie so powerful? It’s filled with whole-food compounds that support phase 2 liver detoxification, soothe inflammation, and bind to toxins for safe elimination.
Why This Smoothie Supports Detoxification:
Pears:
Rich in soluble fiber, pears help bind toxins that are released through bile during liver detoxification. Without enough fiber, these toxins risk being reabsorbed into circulation. Pears help mop them up and escort them out—gently and effectively.
Beets:
Beets contain unique antioxidants called betalains that support both the structure and function of your liver’s detox pathways. They’re also a surprising source of lutein and zeaxanthin—carotenoids that protect your eyes and reduce oxidative stress. Lightly cooked or raw beets preserve the most beneficial compounds.
Cabbage:
This cruciferous vegetable is packed with healing compounds. It’s high in glutamine, which helps repair the gut lining, and glucosinolates, which convert to powerful isothiocyanates like sulforaphane. Sulforaphane activates the body’s Antioxidant Response Element (ARE), turning on genes that code for detoxification and antioxidant enzymes—offering up to 72 hours of cellular protection.
Cherries:
Deep red cherries are loaded with anthocyanins—antioxidants that reduce oxidative damage and calm inflammation. These compounds have been shown to inhibit COX-2, the same pro-inflammatory enzyme targeted by NSAIDs like aspirin. But instead of pills, nature offers this sweet, healing fruit.
Cherry Beet Detox Smoothie
This vibrant beet-cherry-cabbage smoothie is more than just beautiful—it’s deeply nourishing and powerfully detoxifying. Rich in phytonutrients like betalains, anthocyanins, and glucosinolates, it helps support liver function, bind toxins, and calm inflammation. Whether you enjoy it as part of your morning detox ritual or a grounding afternoon snack, this smoothie delivers a refreshing boost of vitality. Use fresh or frozen cherries, and either green or red cabbage—whichever you have on hand.
- Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Add more water if desired and blend again. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3 cups of smoothie
Use this recipe in our Meal Planner
About the Author
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 2,000 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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Comments
I live beet smoothies. I parboiled the beets and use the beet water and add whatever fruits and veggies I have on hand. Yum
This was delicious. Made for breakfast day 1 of our elimination. I didn't tell my husband what the secret ingredient(s) were. He thought it was tasty. Blending just the cabbage and water for a while first made for a smooth texture.
Unfortunately, he had an immediate allergic reaction. Ugh.
Maybe to the cherries. He is allergic to raw apples and peaches. I will have to try cooking them first.
This doesn't bode well for this experiment for us. Raw foods are a challenge with allergies. :-(
Can you recommend a good source for cherries in Whatcom County? I'm trying to get my resources lined up for fruit season this year and want to do a lot of freezing for year round fruit enjoyment!
Yes, the beet goes in raw. Enjoy! :)
mommykinz, I had the same question...I'll look back for a response!!
I hope this isn't a dumb question but here goes - I want to make the cherry/beet smoothie. Do I cook the beet or put it in raw?
I saw this smoothie recipe and was very excited to try it and it was delicious! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes! I just purchased your book to help my husband out on the elimination diet and even though I'm not doing the elimination diet like he is I am really enjoying all of the wonderful fresh foods! Thank you!
I just used up the case of organic cherries I pitted... Next year I will have to try 60 lbs like you :)
Confirming - the addition of chocolate is yummy! I added a few spoonfuls of cocoa powder and some chocolate-flavored stevia drops. Delish! Like drinking a healthy red velvet smoothie :) I may post that one on my blog...
What a wonderful smoothie, both my boys loved it too. That is amazing b/c they are both didn't l currently balking on most veggies.. Thanks for a healthful snack for all of us!
Finally made this smoothie this morning after a long run. So good! And I am feeling wonderful. I love the bright red color, especially since I had only red cabbage on hand. Next time, i'm going to add a few scoops of raw cocoa powder and give that a try...
i always have such a hard time with beet because of the fact that it is so cleansing...especially for the liver. every time i make a juice with beet in it, i get terribly sick and nauseous! Beet's definitely have POWER haha. this looks great nonetheless <3
Tried a variation of this yesterday morning, and beet in smoothie was surprisingly good!
Didn't have cabbage or cherries, so I used an apple and some cranberries and raspberries instead... Delicious!
Ali,
This smoothies looks amazing. I'm wondering if I can use apple in place of pear for similar results as I can't have pears. Any recommendation would be great.
Thanks for keeping your recipes so nutritious. I make them for my 2 1/2 year old grandson who has autism and he loves the breads, cookies and scones. I love that they are good for him.
Hello! I am on Day 1 of Phase 1 of the elimination diet and I am wondering if rice milk is ok. The questionable ingredient in most rice milks is the canola oil. Does anyone know if this fits within the restrictions of Phase 1?
Thanks!
Andrea
Ali,
This is awesome. The cherry flavor just screams! Love it!! Is it possible to drink too much of this smoothie?! I used kale instead of cabbage and that worked, too. Thank you (and Tom) so much!
Thanks for this recipe! I've been doing pretty much the same green drink smoothie in my Vitamix for over a year now & needed a new but simple change.
I couldn't find frozen cherries but found a frozen cherry mix with raspberries, blueberries & blackberries too & it worked well although was I'm sure less Cherry-like than your version!
Thanks also for the interesting info about cabbage, while I knew a lot of good reasons to eat it, I was unaware of what you wrote about.
Blessings ~ Christy
Evaline - yes I am working on a second cookbook! I'll let everyone here on the blog know as soon as it is available for pre-order. We are looking at a late spring release date. Possibly early summer at the rate I'm going now! :)
What a great way to pack in some veggies! With a smoothie that color, you can fool all the kids too :)
I absolutely love beets with bananas in smoothies a perfect match, but for some reason beets (raw or cooked) tend to give me a stomachache.
Looks like a fantastic way to use up my half beet from super green salad!
Ali, I have a reeeeeeally important question for you. Are you really doing a second cookbook? Because I have recommended your first to everyone I know, and I would happily pre-order one if it's in the works. Just curious!
Looks great--I love to add beets to my berry-based smoothies, but must admit I've never done cabbage! I'm going to give this one a try. I am in need of a good detox smoothie about now! :)
Nicola is right! You need to create an iPhone app with that kind of information! I'm not sure I could do beets in a smoothie, but I will give it a shot!
Thanks everyone for the lovely comments. By the way, it was Tom who added the detailed nutritional info, so please thank him! :)
I love it when you hit me with all the nutritional/health benefits of ingredients and recipes made from them, Ali! Maybe this will be the recipe that gets me to stop being afraid of beets. I'll definitely heed your warning and stick to one small one. Your smoothie looks divine! Oh, and can't believe the kiddos went through all those cherries already--wow, and cool!
xo,
Shirley
That sounds and looks just delicious. We will add this one to our recipe collection, thank you!!
We just guzzled down a dandalion cherry smoothie which I just finished posting about in fact!
Peace & Raw Health,
Elizabeth
www.rawlivingandlearning.blogspot.com
We're on the same wavelength. Just returned from early morning yoga and am now sipping a golden beet, cherry, blueberry, pear and romaine lettuce smoothie (with a handful of walnuts, some cinnamon and coconut water). It's such a good way to load your cells up with vital energy and as you mention, detox your body. I'm a total beet lover, have been since I was a baby (my mom has stories about me insisting on beets and spinach), so it's hard for me to imagine a "too many beets" scenario. =) I put them in everything.
Great post with lots of good information!
Cheers!
Melissa
P.S. Thanks for the linkup-love. xo
This looks awesome... I love beets!
Thank you for sharing, I'm just going through a detox now and need all the encouragement I can get!
Thank you for such a wonderfully informational post! Am wishing that I could have that type of nutritional information to hand for every single fruit and vegetable. I see an iPhone app in there... ;-). Thanks for the link to D-tox January!
I have to say that this unusual combination of ingredients looks and sounds delicious! I love your explanation of the nutritional benefits - it always is a good reminder of why we should be eating this way. And it's SO gluten free!
So gorgeous! I love beets, so I'm not sure I wouldn't love the flavor of more than a small beet in here. But I love cherries even more - so it's a match made in smoothie heaven. :)
yum.. this looks so good. Thanks. I'm always looking for ways to use cabbage. I picked cherries too in the summer and froze them so this will be a great drink to make.
I know this an old post but I have some questions...is the beet cooked first? and then are you using red cabbage or green cabbage? Thanks!