Homemade Vegan Smoothies (how to blend your own)

Mixed berry yoghurt smoothie (The Simple Veganista)

Homemade smoothies are far tastier than store-bought ones, plus you can vary up the ingredients (it’s not all berries and mango!) and they work out cheaper with no packaging, once you’ve bought a decent blender. You don’t have to spend a fortune, just fine a good one (cheap ones will burn out after a few months).

Smoothies are a great way to get fresh fruits into reluctant tummies, and you can also ‘hide’ ingredients like spinach (check medication) and vegan protein powders. They make great quick breakfasts or pre-post workout snacks, and also are great to fill you up, to avoid the cake trolley at mid-morning!

For any tinned ingredients, remove lids (or pop ring-pulls back over holes) and pinch tops closed before recycling, to stop wildlife getting trapped.

Issues with store-bought smoothies

Most supermarkets sell smoothies, but they tend to be not very good, very expensive and not even that nutritious. The best-selling brand Innocent is now owned by Coca-Cola, and recently had to remove ads saying their single-use plastic bottles had a positive environment impact?

They also are high in sugar and now owned by a company with a poor environmental record. It’s also one of the most littered brands on our beaches. The ‘Innocent Kids Super Smoothies’ have 3.5 teaspoons of sugar per pouch, without any beneficial fibre of real fruit.

The £2.49 bottles are comparable in sizes to a specimen sample, the brand name innocent is cheeky, given the high price. A single banana costs 20p. You could eat one and save £2.29 (by eating it and swishing your head around!) Comedian Andy Parsons

Basic formula for a homemade vegan smoothie

Once you know the basic formula, you can kind of mix-and-match, so it’s a great way to use up leftover fruits in the fridge or freezer.

• Pour 1 to 1.5 cups of oat drink in your blender.
• Then add 1/2 handfuls of spinach
• Then add nut butter or silken tofu (to thicken)
• Then add optional vegan protein powder
• Top with 2 handfuls of frozen fruit (banana, berries, mango)
• Blend on high until smooth.

Vegan ‘peaches and cream’ smoothie

This peaches and cream smoothie (The First Mess) makes use of seasonal produce, and makes a lovely change from berry smoothies.

To prepare fresh peaches, wash under cool running water (even if you plan to peel them), then trim off bruises with a clean knife. Bin any peaches with mould, slimy surfaces or a sour/boozy smell.

Avoid stainless steel straws for children, dexterity issues or on the move.

Chocolate pear smoothie 

This chocolate pear smoothie (The First Mess) is super-rich. You can use frozen pears (or even underripe ones that are almost frozen in shops). Contains warming cinnamon and vanilla.

Vegan carrot cake smoothie

Vegan carrot cake smoothie (Running on Real Food) is ideal to sneak in veggies to someone you love. You can add some nut butter for extra fat and creaminess, and even blend in cauliflower without them knowing!

Vegan banana split smoothie

This banana split smoothie (The Simple Veganista) is packed with protein. A mix of non-dairy milk, fruits and cocoa powder, top with whipped Coconut Collab coconut cream.