This blackberry smoothie recipe is the perfect way to start your day. Low in sugar, so you won't feel any sugar crash, and yet also perfectly light + sweet.
One of my favorite memories with my kids is picking blackberries along Spring Lake Highway. A handmade sign scrawled "Blackberries" called to us and we immediately pulled in. Todd Blackberry gave us a tour and buckets then we got to work. The large, juicy berries were calling to us and we did our best to avoid the thorns. I had no clue that blackberries grew on thorny bushes until I picked them that day.
We definitely ate more than we took home that day! I still think of our blackberry picking day whenever I eat these beautiful summer berries.
How to make a blackberry smoothie
I'm keepin' it simple with this smoothie recipe. Only 4 ingredients to a super creamy and delicious creation. If you want a refreshingly cold smoothie, then either the blackberries or the bananas should be frozen.
To boost the protein and turn your blackberry smoothie into a filling breakfast, add in a scoop of plant based protein powder like Protein Smoothie Boost. This adds in 10 grams of protein as well as 4 grams of healthy fat which will help your body break down the natural sugar + fiber.
How to pick the right coconut milk for smoothies
Did you know there are a few different kinds of coconut milk AND they all can be used in different ways? Let's break them down:
Canned coconut milk: comes in full fat and low fat versions that usually have the least amount of additives.
Shelf stable coconut milk: these typically have the most amount of additives, yet are super convenient.
Refrigerated coconut milk: The newest player in the world of coconut milk, also may contain a lot of additives and sweeteners to be wary of. Just make sure to read the labels and pick an option that doesn't have added sugars or a bunch of strange ingredients.
No matter what option you go with for this blackberry smoothie, you'll be okay. Don't stress out about messing up — the fact that you're giving this a shot is a great step! If you want a new challenge, then try making your own coconut milk! It would be a delicious addition to this blackberry smoothie.
Fresh vs Frozen Blackberries
I like using fresh blackberries in smoothies. Since they have seeds and can be a little gritty, they do seem to blend better when fresh. It's also pretty hard to find frozen blackberries!
You can always freeze them yourself to make sure your smoothie will be cold when blended. To freeze your own berries, start by picking them at the peak of their growing season. Then flash freeze on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Once frozen, toss the berries in a freezer safe bag until you're ready to blend a blackberry smoothie.
FAQs
Yes! Berry smoothies are a great low sugar smoothie ingredient. Just make sure you use whole foods and real ingredients in your smoothies. Fruit can naturally sweeten + cream and thicken smoothies without any extras needed.
If you've got a high powered blender like a Vitamix, then just blend away. Still have seeds? Then you probably need to blend a bit longer. If you're blending this smoothie in a non high powered blender, then you might not get all the seeds, yet blending in stages like the recipe below helps more of your ingredients blend smoothly.
Avoid added sugar, as fruit is sweet enough on its own! Also avoid 'smoothie packs' with additives, thickeners, etc as these are not 100% whole foods. Stick to fruits, veggies, and leafy greens and you're smoothie will be great.
Low sugar smoothie recipes
If you're looking for more low sugar smoothie options like this blackberry smoothie recipe, then I've got you covered:
- Apple celery smoothie
- Banana peach smoothie
- Pumpkin fertility smoothie
- Healthy cherry smoothie
- Banana oatmeal smoothie
- Berry smoothie
- Melon smoothie
- Raspberry smoothie
Please let me know how this blackberry smoothie recipe turns out for you, in the comments. I love hearing from you, and hope this smoothie becomes one of your new favorites.
Creamy Blackberry Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup blackberries
- ½ banana
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (optional)
Instructions
- Add the spinach and coconut milk to the blend.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again.
Notes
- Use frozen blackberries or banana to chill the smoothie down.
Megan
I made with water and not coconut milk, but it was still good!!
Simple Green Smoothies
Way to rawk a swap Megan! Using water as a base instead can help to control calories and fat in any smoothie recipe.
Kim
I love how creamy this smoothie is. So, so good!
Simple Green Smoothies
For sure! Thanks Kim! Glad you love it as much as we do.
Kat
This smoothie tastes as good as it looks. Feeling very grateful I have a Vitamix to handle those seeds!
Simple Green Smoothies
Hooray for high powered blenders!!! So glad you loved the recipe.
D.J.
I have made some similar to this, I don't use any milk only water for my base and I added blue errors to it in addition to blackberries, substitute the spinach with , dandelion greens or kale to change up the greens, and most def add chia, flax seeds, I even added 1/4 cup oatmeal with the ingredients, it is delicious!
Lisa
This sounded so good, but was disappointing. I used frozen blackberries and followed the recipe. It was creamy, though not sweet enough for me. The flavor was bland.
Erica
So delicious and creamy! If you don’t like they blackberry seeds then a good swap is raspberries.
Jennifer Leinhos
I love this smoothie. It was simple, yet tasty. I did use coconut water instead of coconut milk, but it’s my personal preference as I prefer it to be a little less rich. Great, easy recipe.
Alissabeth Taylor
Has to sub strawberries. Used spinach. Feel the berry flavor doesn’t come through over the banana, but that could be because when I froze them they were way ripe. I’d do it again though because the creaminess is nice.
Amanda J
I used raspberries since that's what I had. I like the banana and coconut milk creaminess, wish is was a little sweeter (my raspberries were extra tart so I can imagine with blackberries it would be the same) and need a high quality blender so it isn't too seedy. Cannot taste the spinach though and super healthy!
April R Eckert
This was delicious! I accidentally grabbed a berry blend of rasberries, blackberries, and blueberries. They were so good I made a few and shared them. I grabbed the blackberries to see which I liked better. They were both delicious but just slightly different. I'm glad to now know. It'll be easier when shopping. I can grab what's available.
Mickey Cunningham
I did not care for the coconut milk in this smoothie.
LalitaSakthi
Kid friendly a winner
I did passed throughout a sifter to remove the seeds.
JP
Very nice hubby approved!
Suzanne Attig
This was good, especially after I added ice. It was creamy but didn't taste quite as good as I expected. I have lots of unsweetened almond milk, so I didn't buy any coconut milk because your substitutions page said almond milk was a good substitute for coconut milk; and that's what I used.
Holly
Loved the consistency of this one. Used full fat unsweetened canned coconut milk. Yikes! Kinda killed me on the calories and fat. But it was GOOD!
Skada
Soooo creamy! I'm amazed! I just need to get better blackberries next time for amped up blackberry flavor.
Sharon
The Blackberry smoothie was yummy. I prepared it the night before with a scoop of protein powder and stuck it in the freezer for the next day. I took it to work for lunch and it tasted delicious partially frozen!
Lisa Johansen
Not a fan Didn’t hate it but blackberries are not my favorite fruit. Could taste the spinach a little too much.
Dan Paris
Smooth and Creamy
Susan Callahan
Not my favorite. I thought it would be creamier. The color was like mud, found it off putting.
Lynette
Didn’t care for the seeds in it and mine were much darker than the picture and not as creamy. It may have had something to do with the refrigerated coconut milk I used vs. canned. I will try canned next time it is called for.
DeeDee
Creamy and delicious! I used homegrown olallieberries that I had stored frozen. Thankful for my Vita-Mix which did a great job of breaking down the seeds from the berries.
Theresa Osborne
Pretty good. I think I didn't add enough ginger. Overall I like it.
Kathlen Mclaughlin
This so far, was my favorite. Very creamy.
Ana Siguenza
I don't usually buy blackberries or coconut milk so I was interested in the flavor of this smoothie. It's not my favorite but I realize the coconut milk is a good fat and I need that. I still gave it 5 stars because the recipe has good nutritional value. Next time I'll add a scoop of protein.
Mary B
Yummy. Used mixed berries instead of just blackberries.
Stephanie Donovan
This smoothie was a pleasant surprise. I am not the biggest fan of coconut milk. The coconut milk made this combination so creamy and luscious, yet still light.
Jemia
The Creamy BlackBerry smoothie definitely deserves a do-over from me! I usually eat fresh blackberries instead of blending them, so I felt like the smoothie was a little rough. I may have added too much ground flax seed. Overall it was a good smoothie and I’ll be trying it again to see if I prefer using blueberries instead. I was able to make it a meal by adding oats - that’s a plus!
Nat
My favorite so far! I added vanilla protein powder to make it a meal replacement. Delish! Did not use coconut milk as I don’t particularly care for it.
Ashley C.
Very filling with a pleasant taste...not too sweet.
Kim Powell
Did not like the blackberry and banana combination. I would make again, but use the blackberries and leave out the banana. I might add some almonds for additional flavor.
Gina
Delicious! Added some blueberry ans less blackberry because of how seedy blackberries are.
Portia
This is the first green smoothie I've ever made that I did NOT like. It was warm, too thick and gritty. The only thing cold were the frozen berries. Even after I added ice to it that didn't really help. Only drank half of it.
Sarah
Made this smoothie yesterday for breakfast and it was delicious!! Added an all plant based protein powder to make it a meal replacement. Loved the creamy texture of the coconut milk. Next time I'll add a little ginger, too!
Dawn
This was good. Not as creamy due to blackberry seeds.
Alyssa Foote
A nice simple creamy smoothie! I added some Greek yogurt, oats, matcha, and the magic blend of hemp hearts, chia seeds, and flax seeds for a delicious breakfast. Feel like it needs something that will help the blackberry flavour pop but not sure what.
Simple Green Smoothies
Hi Alyssa! If you used fresh, try frozen blackberries next time. They are picked at their peak for optimum flavor before being frozen and usually have a stronger flavor.
Grace
Coconut milk made this one really creamy. I didn’t have blackberries on their own so I used frozen mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries), which probably add a little extra sweetness. Made enough to enjoy for both breakfast and dessert.
Jimmye
I’ve made this smoothie before and liked it more this time. I had frozen coconut milk in ice cube trays a while back & had stored the cubes in a freezer bag, so I used those (had to add 1/2 c of water). It was all very good, the seeds were ground really well.
Simple Green Smoothies
Love your coconut milk cube instincts here Jimmye! Pro blending!
Becky A.
Very good.
Lisa
Nice flavor but I want to play with it... I used oat milk instead of coconut milk and I am curious about what I missed! The color was a bit off putting but that’s nothing a fun drinking vessel can’t hide!
Elena
I replaced blackberries for blueberries. Had a nice coconut with berries note with creamy mouthfeel. Enjoyed the smoothie as a meal replacement as well.
Tammy
I used blueberries instead of blackberries. It was not a pretty color and was a little hard to drink if I looked at it. I’ll do blackberries next time.
Siovhan
This smoothie was okay. Thought it would be sweeter. I also had to add more coconut milk to make it smoother. Will tweak and try again.
Lue Vang
Love the creaminess.
Kitty Oppliger
I have a hard time with the seeds in blackberries. I would definitely prefer this with almost any other berry.. or even black cherry. The coconut milk made it very rich, though! I think it would be much better with blueberries due to the tough seeds in this one.
Simple Green Smoothies
Hi Kitty! A high power blender like Vitamix or Blendtec if available, will def blend those seeds smooth for you next time.