Adding delicious, healthy nuts to a smoothie is a great way to enhance already delicious-tasting foods! Today, we will teach you all about the nutrients you can find in nuts, and the different types of nuts, as well as how you should think about using them in your smoothies.
We will also provide you with our favorite recipe for a nut-packed, nutritionally rich smoothie that will absolutely blow you away.
Why Should You Add Nuts To Smoothies?
So, why should you think about adding nuts to your smoothies? For a start, they are highly packed with dietary fibers, healthy fats, and protein. They also make smoothies much more satisfying and filling.
Simply adding a handful of nuts into your smoothie is sure to give it a boost of nutrition that will enhance and support your health overall.
Nuts and nut butters alike also have the ability to alter the texture of any smoothie, they make it have a creamier texture and flavor.
What Are The Types Of Nuts & What Are Their Benefits?
The nut type that you choose to use for your smoothie will be down to your personal tastes, however, we do have a list here of the most common nuts/ favorite nuts, and the benefits they have on your health.
You should always try to shake things up, like we do, much like fruit and veg. Too much of the same thing can easily get really boring, and mixing things up can prevent you and your taste buds from getting bored. It will also help you to enhance the variety of nutrients you get in your diet too!
No matter the nut type, you should always use unsalted, raw nuts, but in some cases using whatever you have available is just as acceptable.
You could also use nuts to make dairy-free homemade nut milk for smoothies as well. Keeping raw nuts on hand can mean you can make your own nut butters, such as cashew butter or almond butter.
- ALMONDS: Almonds are a superb source of fiber, healthy fats, and protein, as well as magnesium and vitamin E. They can help you to stabilize your blood sugar levels and lower your cholesterol.
- CASHEWS: Cashews are a delicious nut, one of our favorites, and they are high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber. They are a uniquely good source of copper too which is critical for energy metabolism and blood cell production.
- PECAN NUTS: Pecans are high in antioxidants, helping your body protect cells from getting damaged. They also have plenty of fiber, healthy fats, iron, and zinc. These are mild nuts too, so are perfect for those who do not enjoy most typical nuts.
- WALNUTS: Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for brain health. They are also important for magnesium, vitamin E, and fiber.
- HAZELNUTS: These nuts are high in fiber, healthy fats, copper, and manganese. They protect the cells in your body from getting damaged.
- MACADAMIA NUT: These nuts are great for fiber and healthy fats, and are also a brilliant good of thiamin, which is an important part of metabolizing your energy.
- BRAZIL NUT: Brazil nuts are a fantastic source of selenium, which is very important for the functioning of your thyroid. They are very high in copper, magnesium, and healthy fats.
- PISTACHIOS: These nuts are high in potassium, protein, vitamin B6, and fiber. They are also full of antioxidants too!
- PEANUTS: While peanuts are not technically a nut, most people do enjoy a peanut smoothie. They are great for protein, fiber, and healthy fats, as well as niacin, important for energy metabolism.
How Should You Use Nuts In Smoothies?
There are two basic ways that you can and should use any nuts in a smoothie, aside from as a nut butter (of course), as we aren’t going to cover that as it is just so simple as adding how much you want into the blender.
Adding Nuts: Straight To The Blender
If you own something like a Vitamix, you can just pop your nuts right into the blender without needing to soak them. It is super easy and quick to do, just add how many nuts you want to the blender along with your ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Adding Nuts: Soaking Before Blending
If your blender is not as powerful as a Vitamix, then you will need to soak the nuts before you put them into the blender to ensure the smoothie ends up smooth.
Place the nuts you want to use in a bowl, drench them in water and let soak for 2 hours or longer (we leave them overnight).
Then drain, rinse, and add them to the blender with your ingredients and blend until the mix is smooth.
Top Tips For Using Nuts In A Smoothie
Want some tips on how to get started? No problem!
- With a powerful blender like a Vitamix, you can just add the nuts straight into your blender. But, if not you need to soak your nuts for a few hours first.
- Always start with a small amount and add more gradually.
- Using raw nuts, always rinse before blending.
- For more flavor, add some nut butter.
- For a creamy smoothie, add a handful of soaked nuts with some milk or water.
Ingredients That Work With Nuts In Smoothies
Here are some ingredients which work well with nuts in a smoothie:
- Banana.
- Coconut Milk.
- Pitted Dates.
- Cinnamon.
- Mango
- Orange.
- Strawberries
- Flax Seeds.
- Peaches.
- Spinach.
Get inventive, many things go well with nuts in a smoothie!
Nut Smoothie Recipe
Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 Blender We used this one
Ingredients
- 1 cup/150g of frozen strawberries
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 tbsp of peanut butter smooth
- 1 tbsp of chia seeds
- 1 cup/250ml of almond milk
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Overall
Putting nuts into your smoothies is a great way to add some extra body to your smoothies and bring some additional health benefits to your diet. Nuts are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats, but one has additional nutritional values that can perk you right up.
Try adding nuts to your next smoothie.
Note: If you are using brazil nuts, do not put too many in as too much selenium can be a bad thing!
Additionally, she spent a few years working for Smoothie King, where she gained extensive knowledge about making smoothies.
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