Looking for low sugar smoothies? I’ve got 3 for you to try!
Hey, Mamas! For some reason, I was feeling the need to create some low sugar smoothies today. It’s not that I find anything wrong with fruit sugar in smoothies, but gosh, they do add up quickly!
I was having a chat with my father a few days ago and he made a comment about how much he missed munching on fruit as much as I do. Every time we talk, I’m munching on some bananas, grapes, or watermelon. My father is a diabetic and has to watch his sugar intake very closely. I remember him loving bananas when we were growing up but his entire life was turned upside down when he got the news. He watches his carbohydrates and sugars very closely.
This made me think.
When my father comes to visit, I want to be sure that I can make him a smoothie that he will approve of, both nutritionally and yum worthy.
I’m going to be super upfront here: This was not easy. I played around so much and I’m sure I could have done a much better job (I’ll update these as I continue on this low sugar recipe journey) but these have enough playroom for you to add even more fruit sugar if needed. These recipes range from 8g of sugar to 12g of sugar.
These smoothies are amazing for folks like my father who need to have lower sugar smoothies and also for children. There is no need for our kids to have 25g+ of sugar per smoothie. Their taste buds are so innocent and even the slightest sweetness in smoothies can satisfy them. I had the boys taste test all of these, and even though they have some pretty sweet smoothies, they still loved all three of them! Score!
Before we jump into the recipes, let’s break down which fruits are high in sugar and which fruits are low in sugar. I will also chat about how we can sneak in some amazing vegetables into our smoothies without even tasting them!
These recipes range from 8g-12g of sugar per serving. This leaves enough room to add even more sugar if needed! Feel free to leave as is or toss in a bit more banana, a Medjool date, or any other sugary substitute that you wish to use.
A few extra fun additions: Lemon, lime, and mint!
Fruits come in all shapes, sizes and nutritional values. I love them all! When it comes to creating a low sugar smoothie, it is imperative (for taste purposes) to smartly combine a big chunk of the low sugar fruit with just a tiny bit of the high sugar fruits. Below you will find a list for both of these!
Fruits naturally lower in sugar (-10g/100g)
Avocado (0.7g per 100g)
Limes (1.7g per 100g)
Lemons (2.5g per 100g)
Cranberries (4.3g per 100g)
Raspberries (4.4g per 100g)
Blackberries (4.9g per 100g)
Strawberries (4.9g per 100g)
Grapefruit (6.9g per 100g)
Pineapple (9.9g per 100g)
Fruits naturally higher in sugar (+10g/100g)
Medjool Dates (66.5g per 100g)
Grapes (16.3g per 100g)
Lychees (15.2g per 100g)
Pomegranate (13.7g per 100g)
Mango (13.7g per 100g)
Bananas (12.2g per 100g)
Apples (10-11.7g per 100g)
Passion Fruit (11.2g per 100g)
Pears (10.2g per 100g)
Sneaky Veggies to Hide in Smoothies!
When the boys were in my belly, I loved to experiment with adding lots of different veggies to my smoothies for the added nutritional boost. My cravings were pretty stubborn and so the hiding of vegetables was a lifesaver! I took these same nutritional sneaky vegetables and used them when the boys began their smoothie journey as well. Here are a few of my favorite vegetables to sneak into our low sugar smoothies or any smoothie!
The key to not tasting the vegetables is to have them frozen. That is key in my opinion. You can easily freeze your own veggies with a simple blanch, ice water bath, and baking sheet layout before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container. I’ll explain this more below.
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Zucchini
Peas
Spinach
To freeze your own vegetables, you will need to blanch them first. Bring a pot of water to a boil and prep the veggies. Slice and dice and prepare them how you would like them to be frozen (in slices or florets). Fill up a large bowl with ice and water and set to the side. Once the water is boiling, toss the vegetables inside and blanch for 1-5 minutes (times can vary, simply use your search engine to get the correct time) and scoop out with a slotted spoon and place directly into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Lay a towel flat and scoop the cooled down vegetables onto the towel and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and lay the veggies out in an organized manner. Freeze for 1-2 hours until set and then transfer to a freezer-safe bag (I love these). There you have it!
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk canned
- 1 cup fresh strawberries frozen works as well
- 1/2 cup frozen peas **Check notes for information on frozen peas
- 1 tbsp chia seeds or any superfood you wish
- 1/2 banana ripe
**Frozen peas have an interesting reputation and it should be noted that the manufacturers of many pea companies state on their bag that they do not recommend eating frozen peas. While the peas are blanched before being frozen, they recommend cooking the peas first. We have never had a problem with frozen or raw peas and use organic frozen peas in many of our weekly recipes. If you are worried about the peas, you can simply cook the peas for several minutes in boiling water and then freeze all over again!
**Full fat coconut milk is also great in this recipe! Sodium: 48mg | Calcium: 58mg | Vitamin C: 59mg | Vitamin A: 277IU | Sugar: 9g | Fiber: 6g | Potassium: 329mg | Calories: 149kcal | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fat: 6g | Protein: 4g | Carbohydrates: 22g | Iron: 1mg
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup fresh strawberries or mixed berries I find that fresh is sweeter but go ahead and use frozen as well
- 1 small handful spinach or 1 frozen block of spinach. I prefer to use the frozen block of spinach
- 1/4 avocado
- 3 medium cauliflower florets frozen
- 1 tbsp flax meal or chia seeds (feel free to add any superfood here)
- 1/2 banana ripe
**If you are looking to freeze your own cauliflower at home, you will need to blanch the cauliflower florets first. Bring a pot of water to a boil and slice up the cauliflower into florets. Have a large bowl of ice water waiting on the side. Toss in the florets and boil for 2 minutes. Remove with a strainer ladle (or something similar) and let sit in the ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove from the ice and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lay the florets out in an organized fashion (not touching) and pop in the freezer to set for about an hour or two. From there you can place into a freezer-safe bag (i recommend these). Sodium: 36mg | Calcium: 96mg | Vitamin C: 57mg | Vitamin A: 209IU | Sugar: 8g | Fiber: 6g | Potassium: 497mg | Calories: 133kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 7g | Protein: 4g | Carbohydrates: 17g | Iron: 1mg
- 3/4 cup light coconut milk canned
- 1/4 cup 0% sugar soy yogurt any 0% sugar yogurt will do
- 1.25 cup pineapple chunks I prefer fresh but frozen works!
- 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1 tbsp chia seeds any superfood will do
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
**I find spirulina, matcha, and even wheat grass to work well in this smoothie.
Sodium: 73mg | Calcium: 57mg | Vitamin C: 61mg | Vitamin A: 60IU | Sugar: 11g | Fiber: 4g | Potassium: 212mg | Calories: 166kcal | Saturated Fat: 7g | Fat: 9g | Protein: 2g | Carbohydrates: 20g | Iron: 1mg
Find more smoothie recipes below:
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
Vegan Raspberry Morning Smoothie
Nourishing Pear Smoothie
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Find more smoothie recipes below:
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
Vegan Raspberry Morning Smoothie
Nourishing Pear Smoothie
