Tart Cherry Pie Smoothie

A refreshing, creamy, and flavorful Tart Cherry Smoothie perfect for breakfast or a nourishing pick me up! Recipe in partnership with Montmorency Tart Cherries.

And when I say pick me up, I mean it.

There's no one you couldn't pick up with this Tart Cherry Pie Smoothie sent from the breakfast gods. And I haven't even been riding the smoothie train lately!

I confess. I confess wholeheartedly that as of late, I've been in a bit of a smoothie rut. I stare at the bazillions of ingredients we have at Alchemy to make quite literally any flavor smoothie on the planet and I'm simply at a loss.

But this. THIS! It's sensationally refreshing. It re-inspired my smoothie imagination. And it's pink! It's also banana-less for everyone like me that loves nanners but not in smoothies.

Are you in or are you in?

How To Make A Creamy Smoothie

How does one make a creamy smoothie, you ask? Fat. Especially if you're not using a naturally creamy fruit or veg like frozen banana or zucchini, fat is where it's at.

Today's fat of choice is almond butter. It adds luscious texture, slight sweetness, nuttiness, and pie-like flavor. It is not optional, that is unless you want to sub cashew butter, which would also be a delight. Perhaps a quarter of an avocado would also do the trick? Let me know if you experiment.

Another key to dream creaminess is making your smoothie THICK. That means a higher proportion of fruit to liquid and not over-blending since blending generates heat.

To make this smoothie even thicker, you could use more tart cherries, a little ice, frozen spinach (be warned that it’ll change the color!), or frozen cauliflower.

Which Cherries to Choose

When you’re choosing cherries, look for U.S.-grown Montmorency tart cherries, a varietal that’s not imported like other types of tart or sour cherries. This helps support local agriculture and preserve generations-old family farms.

About 75% of U.S. Montmorency tart cherry crop is grown in Cherry Capital of the World…Michigan! Other prominent Montmorency tart cherry-producing states include Utah, Washington, New York, Wisconsin, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

I love the token ruby-red color of frozen Montmorency tart cherries. They have a high concentration of anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol in the flavonoids family, to thank for that!  Montmorency tart cherries have a sweet-tart taste that is as unique as the fruit itself, one that must be discovered for yourself in order to describe it!

Research suggests Montmorency tart cherries may help you recover after intense exercise, too. Talk about a perfect post-workout treat. Other studies have examined the impact of Montmorency tart cherries on heart health, sleep and inflammation.

Snag this American-grown superfruit dried, juice, canned, frozen and in concentrate all year long. Chocolate Covered Tart Cherry Rice Crispy Treats, anyone?

Other Goodness in This Tart Cherry Pie Smoothie

But wait, there's more! In addition to antioxidant-packed frozen Montmorency tart cherries and almond butter, we've got some old-fashioned oats to add some texture, body, and more pie-likeness. Pure vanilla extract adds another level of flavor. Do you see how we're layering on here? A dash of cinnamon would also be lovely!

To make this more filling, say for example you're eating it for breakfast and need it to keep you full till lunch, you could totally add a scoop of protein powder. Or slurp it down with a Cherry Almond Baked Oatmeal Cups.

I used unsweetened almond milk as the liquid but whatever milk you have on hand is perfect.

Let's talk servings! This makes one small-ish smoothie so feel free to double or triple. Now since we live in a generation that likes texture on texture and also eating drinkable things with spoon's, this Tart Cherry Pie Smoothie is no exception. I like to sprinkle it with cereal or granola and another drizzle of drippy almond butter to put the cherry on the cake, so to speak.

More healthy smoothie recipes

• Creamy Blueberry Chocolate Shake
• Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie
• Snickerdoodle Chickpea Smoothie
• Chocolate Gingerbread Protein Smoothie
• Grapefruit Smoothie Bowl

Tart Cherry Smoothie Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Alexis Joseph | Hummusapien
• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
• Category: Smoothie
• Method: Blender

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Description

A refreshing, creamy, and flavorful Tart Cherry Pie Smoothie perfect for breakfast or a nourishing pick me up!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 heaping cup frozen Montmorency tart cherries
• 2-3 pitted Medjool dates, to taste (or sub 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup)
• 1 ½ tbsp almond butter
• 2 tbsp old fashioned oats
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond)
• Granola, coconut, almond butter, etc. for topping

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Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender (I had best results with my Nutribullet) and blend until smooth. You can add in a handful of spinach (I like frozen) or protein powder if desired.
2. Pour into a glass. Top with granola, coconut, and more cherries if desired!

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