01.19.2021
7 Spices to Add to Your Smoothies
Smoothies are the perfect no-recipe food to start the day. Plug in the blender, toss in your favorite fruits, add a splash of milk, and a spot of honey before grabbing your favorite cup. Let spices become a part of your smoothie routine as they bring out the best in a fruit’s flavor and add little excitement to your morning. These are the most popular spices for upgrading your smoothies at home. If your favorite smoothie spice didn’t make our list, or you have a smoothie recipe to share, tell us in the comments below.
Vanilla
Fruit tastes fruitier when you pair it with real vanilla. For easy morning additions, we like using our premium Madagascar vanilla extract. A few drops of extract in a 12 oz smoothie makes a world of difference. For extra vanilla sweetness, try a teaspoon or two of our handcrafted vanilla bean sugars, available in original vanilla bean sugar, lavender vanilla bean sugar, and spiced vanilla bean sugar—made with cinnamon and cardamom.
Apple Pie Spice
We wish we could have pie for breakfast every day, and this blend lets us do that. Add a peeled apple to the blender with oat milk and honey for an innocent, but seemingly indulgent, apple pie smoothie. For extra credit, toast some rolled oats and sprinkle on top for garnish. Apples are just the beginning. This blend of cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and clove is life-changing with strawberries and yogurt.
Cinnamon
Fresh cinnamon adds a fiery sweetness to breakfast foods like French toast and granola, but don’t stop there. We love cinnamon just as much in a smoothie, too. One type of cinnamon wasn’t enough for us either. Try bold Saigon cinnamon for orange and banana smoothies, sweet Korintje cinnamon with blueberries, or fresh figs, and subtle Ceylon cinnamon for stone fruits like apricots, nectarines, and white cherries.
Turmeric
This golden root is a known smoothie spice favorite for its anti-inflammatory properties. We like using turmeric root because it has a gentle, earthy flavor that pairs well with smoothie favorites like baby carrots, oranges, tangerines, and peaches. Turmeric root is a member of the ginger family, so it’s no surprise we often pair turmeric’s mellow flavor with zesty ground ginger root in a mango-peach smoothie.
Cayenne Pepper
Nothing wakes you up like a bit of chile pepper heat. Cayenne pepper is most loved in recipes for Cajun shrimp and Buffalo chicken wings, but a pinch of heat brings fresh fruit to life. Strawberries, red raspberries, and mangoes taste even sweeter when you add the perfect pinch of cayenne pepper. You can balance the chile pepper’s heat with creamy flavors like banana or splash of coconut milk.
Ginger
Ginger root is popular in smoothie recipes for its ability to aid digestion, but we love ginger for the lemony zing it adds to our breakfast. Ground ginger root’s bright, tangy flavor goes well with smoothie ingredients like mango, pineapple, banana, carrot, and peaches. We like doubling the brightness with fresh lemon or lime juice before adding ginger to a frozen peach-pineapple smoothie.
Cacao Nibs
Roasted cacao nibs add intense dark chocolate flavor and nutty bittersweetness to all your smoothie creations. We like to pair these with strawberries, black cherries, bananas, vanilla yogurt, and even fresh mint leaves. Cacao nibs add a nice crunchy texture to smoothies when they aren't fully blended into the drink. You can blend them right into your smoothie, or sprinkle them on top for a garnish.
Is it ok to put all kinds of spices into one smoothie with fruit And almond milk and spinach I also put some seeds in
I add nutmeg and cinnamon
I tried the Saigon cinnamon in a smoothie with an orange, a banana, apple juice, and milk. The flavor was good, but next time I will use orange juice, not an actual orange. I peeled the orange, of course, but the membranes gave the smoothie an unappealing texture. But the orange-cinnamon combination was quite good and I will try it again.