Breakfast smoothies are a fantastic way to set you up for a great day. They pack a ton of nutrients into your first meal of the day. The great thing about vegan smoothies is that they are suitable for everyone, including vegans, vegetarians, those following a paleo diet, and anyone wanting to get a nutrient dense meal in a cup.

As a nutritionist, I almost always have a smoothie for breakfast, and I recommend drinking smoothies in the morning as your first meal for a number of reasons!

4 Benefits of Breakfast Smoothies

1. Aid Digestion

Drinking a breakfast smoothie sets up the body for good digestion first thing in the morning. All of the fiber in fruits, vegetables, and superfoods are excellent for digestion.

2. Convenience

Another reason I love smoothies is that they are so convenient. A smoothie takes only five minutes or less to make. They are the perfect meal if you’re tight on time because they are so quick to prepare. You can even make a breakfast smoothie the night before and have breakfast all ready in the morning.

If you’re on-the-go, a smoothie is the perfect meal because it’s so easy to take with you anywhere. With a good breakfast smoothie, you’ll never have an excuse to miss breakfast again!

3. Customizable

Another great benefit of breakfast smoothies is that they’re completely customizable. You can make a different smoothie every morning depending on what you’re craving and what your needs are!

If you have a busy workday ahead, ensure your smoothie has some healthy fats for brain health. If you’re exercising in the morning, you can increase the protein levels in your smoothie to suit your needs.

4. Nutrient Dense

There’s no denying that smoothies allow you to make incredibly nutrient dense meals. It’s so easy to pack a ton of nutrients in your drink! If you make a balanced smoothie, you can ensure that you’re getting enough fiber, antioxidants, micronutrients, and macronutrients to get you started off on the right foot.

So what makes a balanced smoothie? Read on to find out how to make the perfect vegan breakfast smoothie and find my recipe for my favorite breakfast smoothie!

What Makes the Perfect Vegan Breakfast Smoothie?

The perfect breakfast smoothie ensures a balance of macronutrients. This includes getting enough carbohydrates from healthy sources like fruits and vegetables, enough protein, and enough healthy fats.

Many people don’t like smoothies for breakfast because they don’t find them filling. You can absolutely make a filling breakfast smoothie with the right ingredients!

Always make sure your smoothie is big enough so that it’s filling. My breakfast smoothies are usually somewhere around 500ml in size. Smoothies digest very quickly, so if you drink a small smoothie, you’ll likely be hungry again soon.

The perfect breakfast smoothie always includes vegetables. No matter what smoothie recipe you’re making, it’s easy to sneak in some form of vegetables, even if it’s just a handful of spinach. If you’re not used to adding greens or veggies to your smoothies, I highly recommend adding spinach to your smoothie because it’s virtually tasteless!

Most smoothie recipes contain some kind of fruit. Bananas are excellent in smoothies because they add a delicate sweetness. They also provide a creamy texture and make an excellent base for most smoothies. Berries provide an excellent source of fiber and antioxidants, and they’re wonderful for brain health. It’s a bonus to choose fruits that are lower on the glycemic index because they will promote steadier blood sugar, but most fruits are wonderful for smoothies.

The perfect vegan breakfast smoothie also has a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. It’s easy to ensure that you’re getting the right balance of macronutrients. The fruit and vegetable base of your smoothie provides healthy carbohydrates.

Add some delicious plant proteins from either whole sources like nuts and seeds or use a protein powder. Finally, always ensure there is some amount of healthy fats from sources like nut butters, coconut, avocado, and more.

Superfoods are always a fantastic option to add extra nutrition to your vegan breakfast smoothies. Aside from nutrition, they can also add delicious flavor! Add raw cacao powder for magnesium, turmeric for anti-inflammatory benefits, and matcha for antioxidants. The possibilities are endless.

Superfoods aren’t completely necessary in a smoothie, but they can definitely complete your meal because superfoods are a nutrition powerhouse that can help ensure that you’re getting adequate nutrition.

For the liquid portion of your smoothie, you can add water, coconut water, unsweetened non-dairy milk, fruit or vegetable juice, and more!

Vegan Smoothie Shopping List

Fruits:

• Banana

• Berries

• Dates

• Pineapple

• Mango

• Cherries

Vegetables:

• Spinach

• Kale

• Zucchini

• Cucumber

• Celery

• Parsley

Protein:

• Vegan protein powder

• Hemp seeds

• Walnuts

• Pecans

• Pumpkin seeds

• Oats

• Cooked quinoa

Fat:

• Chia seeds

• Flax seeds

• Coconut

• Nut butters such as almond, peanut, cashew, etc.

• Cashews

• Vegan yogurt

• Avocado

Superfoods:

• Maca powder

• Turmeric

• Matcha

• Greens such as spirulina, chlorella, and barley grass juice powder

• Cacao powder

• Goji berries

• Camu camu

• Cinnamon

These are some suggested ingredients; however, there are many more ingredients you can use to make a delicious and healthy breakfast smoothie.

The Perfect Vegan Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

Blueberry Protein Smoothie

This is the perfect vegan breakfast smoothie because it is a balanced smoothie that has everything you need to get your day going, and it tastes delicious! You’ll love the benefits of the antioxidants from the blueberries, the phytonutrients from the spinach, and the healthy fats and protein from the hemp seeds and almond butter.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 frozen ripe bananas

• 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened

• ⅔ cup frozen blueberries

• ½ cup spinach

• 1 tbsp almond butter

• 1 tbsp hemp seeds

• 2 tbsp protein powder (optional)

• Superfood such as maca, cacao powder, or greens powder such as spirulina (optional)

Directions

3. Blend all of the smoothie ingredients until smooth.

4. If you like a more frozen consistency, add ice. If you prefer a more liquid consistency, add more non-dairy milk. 

Bonus Breakfast Smoothies

Vanilla Protein Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened

• 1 frozen ripe banana

• ½ cup spinach

• 1 date

• 3 tbsp rolled oats

• 1 tbsp almond butter

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp protein powder, preferably vanilla (optional)

• Superfood such as maca, cacao powder, or turmeric (optional)

Directions

3. Blend all of the smoothie ingredients until smooth.

4. If you like a more frozen consistency, add ice. If you prefer a more liquid consistency, add more non-dairy milk.

Green Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 cup non-dairy milk, unsweetened

• 1 frozen ripe banana

• ½ cup frozen pineapple

• 1 cup kale

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp flax seeds

• 2 tbsp vegan protein powder (optional)

• Superfood such as turmeric, matcha, or greens powder such as spirulina (optional)

Directions

3. Blend all of the smoothie ingredients until smooth.

4. If you like a more frozen consistency, add ice. If you prefer a more liquid consistency, add more non-dairy milk.