Keto Smoothie Recipes with Almond Milk: A Delicious and Nutritious Guide

For those on a ketogenic diet, finding quick, easy, and satisfying meal options can sometimes be a challenge. Smoothies offer a versatile solution, and when crafted with the right ingredients, they can be a perfect fit for a keto lifestyle. This article explores the world of keto smoothies made with almond milk, providing recipes, tips, and nutritional information to help you create delicious and healthy blends.

Why Choose Keto Smoothies?

The typical smoothie is not keto friendly because most use sweet fruits and fruit juices, sometimes added protein powder for satiety. But all these ingredients are high in simple sugars and carbs. The keto diet focuses on keeping carbohydrates low and fats high to help your body go into a state of ketosis. The secret to turning any smoothie keto-friendly is smart ingredient swaps.

The Benefits of Almond Milk

Almond milk is a fantastic base for keto smoothies, offering a creamy texture while remaining low in carbs. It's also dairy-free, making it suitable for those with lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivities.

Key Ingredients for Keto Smoothies

• Low-Carb Fruits: Most fruit has too many carbs to be considered keto-friendly. However, many berries are perfectly fine. The best are strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries for both total and net carbs. Blueberries, unfortunately, are a little higher in carbs and therefore should be limited. Skip sugary fruits like bananas and go for low-carb stars like avocado, raspberries, or blackberries.
• Healthy Fats: Incorporating fats is crucial for keto smoothies. Good sources include avocado, nut butters (almond butter, peanut butter), MCT oil or powder, coconut milk, heavy cream, and seeds like chia or flax.
• Protein: While some may opt for protein powder, MCT powder is a great alternative. MCT stands for "medium-chain triglycerides". The powder is completely unflavored, and full of healthy fats as it is derived from coconut. I use this instead of protein powder to help meet the needed macros for fats, but in a healthy way and also to increase the satiety level of the smoothie. In other words, I don't feel hungry 10 minutes after having one! You can also add unflavored (or flavored) collagen powder to the shake.
• Sweeteners: Replace traditional sweeteners with keto-approved options like monk fruit, stevia, or erythritol. Powdered (confectioners) sweetener - at first I was going to list this as an optional ingredient. However, I feel that strawberries are not sweet enough on their own in a smoothie. So I add sweetener. And I decided that if I add it 95+% of the time, I shouldn't call it optional. LOL However, feel free to make this smoothie without the sweetener and see if you like it.
• Liquids: Besides almond milk, consider using coconut milk, coconut water, or even water as a base.
• Optional Boosters: For an extra boost of nutrition, throw in a handful of spinach, ground flax seeds, or a scoop of protein powder. Herbs and spices - such as crushed lavender flowers or thyme.

Essential Equipment

The only equipment you need is a good blender. If using a Nutribullet, it may be best to let the frozen berries sit in the almond milk mixture for a few minutes to soften them slightly. And, if you choose to use ice in your Nutribullet, it's best to use crushed ice, rather than cubes.

Recipe 1: Keto Strawberry Almond Milk Smoothie

This luscious almond milk strawberry smoothie that’s so good, it fills you up and is ready in just a few minutes.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries (frozen or fresh)
• 1 ½ cup almond milk (vanilla flavored)
• 1 scoop MCT powder
• 1 Tablespoon confectioners sweetener (or to taste)

Instructions:

1. Place the strawberries, almond milk, MCT powder and sweetener in the blender. As mentioned above, fresh strawberries work too. If you can find ripe, in-season berries you will get the best flavor. Especially anything local. But you will also want to add about a cup or so of ice to the blender to get your smoothie to the right temperature.
2. Blend on high speed until well mixed, about 30-60 seconds.

Alternative: Don't have MCT powder? Use 1 cup almond milk plus ½ cup heavy cream instead of almond milk + MCT powder. Or try 1 cup almond milk plus ½ cup Greek yogurt. This works too! The heavy cream or yogurt will provide the fats you need and additional creaminess.

Recipe 2: Keto Blueberry Almond Milk Smoothie

This Blueberry Almond Milk Smoothie is the ultimate quick and easy treat! With just a few simple ingredients, it is ready in a couple of minutes and perfect any time of day. It’s the perfect blend of flavors and thick creamy, slightly sweet, and just the right amount of tang from the lime zest.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Frozen berries make the smoothie thicker and frostier.
• 1 cup Almond Milk: Unsweetened almond milk keeps the smoothie low-carb.
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Adds a hint of sweetness and warmth.
• 1 scoop Whey Protein Isolate: Provides a protein boost.
• 2 tablespoons Double Cream: Adds richness and creaminess.

Instructions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
2. Serve immediately or store for later.

Dairy-Free Variation: Simply omit the Greek yogurt and whey protein isolate and replace with a dairy-free alternative like coconut yogurt and egg white protein powder.

Make it more filling: You can add a tablespoon of chia seeds, flaxseeds, or a half avocado to increase the fibre and healthy fat content, making the smoothie more satisfying. I like to add a couple of raw eggs to my shakes for an added protein and omega boost.

Recipe 3: Keto Cinnamon Almond Butter Breakfast Shake

A satisfying and delicious keto breakfast shake or smoothie that is flavored with cinnamon and almond butter. Honestly, this Keto cinnamon almond breakfast shake can be made and consumed for any meal of the day.

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond Milk
• 2 tablespoons Cashew butter OR almond butter
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Sweetener to taste
• Ice

Instructions:

1. Add half of the milk along with the base ingredients to a blender.
2. Add optional mix-ins, followed by the rest of the milk.
3. Blend until thick and creamy. For a thinner consistency, add more milk.

Recipe 4: Creamy Keto Blueberry Chia Smoothie

This creamy and delicious keto blueberry chia smoothie with almond milk and peanut butter is deserving of a place on your breakfast table!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond Milk
• ½ cup Blueberries - use frozen blueberries if you prefer your smoothie creamy.
• 1 tablespoon Chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter
• Sweetener to taste

Instructions:

1. Add all your ingredients to a blender or a high-speed processor.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add in one cup of ice cubes to the blender and process this with the rest of the ingredients if you prefer your smoothie extra thick.

Tips and Tricks

• Adjusting Sweetness: Taste as you go and adjust the amount of sweetener to your preference.
• Consistency: For a thicker smoothie, use frozen berries or add ice. For a thinner consistency, add more almond milk or other liquid.
• Storage: If you plan to drink it later, store your smoothie in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Just give it a good shake or stir before drinking. For longer storage, freeze the smoothie in ice cube trays. To use, simply allow the blueberry chia smoothie to thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Customization: The fun part is that you can play around with the ingredients and create your own variations! Avocado and spinach - these two ingredients work so well together.

Special Diet Considerations

• Dairy-Free: this keto berry smoothie is made with almond milk and coconut milk.
• Low-FODMAP: Yes - coconut milk and coconut cream are considered FODMAP-friendly milks in serving sizes of ¼ cup. Coconut contains oligosaccharides and may cause digestive disturbance in larger serving sizes. Yes! It makes a wonderful low-FODMAP milk alternative. It's considered FODMAP-friendly in servings up to 1 cup. Yes - they are low-FODMAP nuts when keeping portion size to 10 nuts or less.
• AIP-friendly smoothie: This recipe is so easy to create an AIP-friendly smoothie. Simply use an AIP-friendly sweetener and substitute nut milk for additional coconut milk and/or coconut water. Strawberries are also included on the AIP food list, so whip up a creamy treat and indulge.

Common Questions

• Can you eat bananas on keto? No, unfortunately, bananas are too high in carbohydrates. One single banana has as much as 27 grams of carbs!
• Are strawberries berries? Actually, no. Like raspberries and blackberries, they are considered a ‘false fruit’, or aggregate fruit. A strawberry is a multiple fruit, consisting of tiny individual fruits embedded in its flesh. It also stems from a flower with multiple ovaries, rather than just a single ovary like other true berries.

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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