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I’ve got the perfect use for those leftover cranberries this holiday season: a Cranberry Smoothie! If you’ve never tried cranberry in a smoothie then you need to blend this recipe. It’s tart, creamy, tangy and has that classic orange and cranberry pairing.
It’s also a no-banana smoothie that’s dairy-free and can easily turn into a healthy breakfast smoothie or snack.
Once you’ve finished prepping for your Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes or next holiday party, instead of losing those leftover cranberries in the back of the refrigerator put them in the freezer! Then you’ll be ready to enjoy this gorgeous pink berry smoothie whenever the mood strikes, especially if you need something to balance out that pan of Gluten-Free Brownies.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for a Cranberry Smoothie
This fruit smoothie is a party of flavors and hits just right for those of us who like a bit of sharpness. Here’s what I’m putting in the blender:
- Orange juice: Use high pulp (more fiber!) and find one with no added sugar.
- Cranberries: When this berry starts showing up in my grocery store I often grab more than one bag and freeze them to use in my Cranberry Green Smoothie as well as mixed into Steel Cut Oats and more.
- Frozen pineapple: This is a staple in my freezer drawer since it goes in so many smoothies. It’s a great way to get more vitamin C into this smoothie as well as natural sweetness.
- Frozen peaches: I’m adding peaches for added creaminess. Frozen ones work best, and should be easy to find in the freezer section of the grocery store.
- Chia seeds: Since this fruit smoothie is high in natural sugar and a little on the thin side I’m tossing in chia seeds right from the get-go. Chia seeds add protein and healthy fats and turn into a gel that thickens up a smoothie easily.
Cranberries come from the same family as blueberries and have all the superfood powers, too. They have super special plant compounds that can help prevent stomach cancer as well as urinary tract infections.
Easy Swaps in your Cranberry Smoothie
Smoothies are great because you can customize them depending on your taste preferences and the time of day you’re blending. Here are a few easy swaps for this fun recipe to make it fit your nutritional needs:
If you don’t have orange juice on hand then use 1 orange (peeled) + 1/4 cup water.
To turn this smoothie into a meal replacement add Greek yogurt, vegan yogurt or homemade protein powder. Look for yogurt that is sugar-free or has a low sugar content.
Swap peaches with frozen mango. Use fresh or frozen cranberries. If you’ve got a cup of leftover cranberry sauce then you can use that, too!
How to Control the Level of Sweetness
We all have very different taste preferences, and that’s okay! People take the same smoothie and bump up the sweetness or tone it down to make sure it’s just the way they like it. Here are a few tricks to get the sweetness levels in this beverage perfect for you.
If this smoothie isn’t sweet enough for you then add in honey or maple syrup, really any natural sweetener you want. If it’s too sweet then you can swap the fresh orange juice with a whole orange instead or use 1/2 cup orange juice + 1/2 cup dairy-free milk or water.
You can also swap the orange juice with unsweetened cranberry juice and one orange (peeled). It will change the flavor yet still taste great.
How to Make a Cranberry Smoothie
This smoothie is super simple to make since it doesn’t have leafy greens.
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed to ensure all ingredients are fully pureed.
Step 2: Pour into your favorite glass and enjoy!
Depending on the type of blender you have, you may not need to stop and scrape down the sides. If you see some ingredients not getting fully integrated, feel free to take this step. No one wants to drink a chunky smoothie.
Cranberry Smoothie FAQs
Raw cranberries are great in smoothies! Since they are pretty tart, pair them with sweeter fruits like oranges or bananas to help balance out the sharpness. I like to freeze leftover cranberries and then toss them in by the handful into any mixed berry smoothie I’m making.
Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and plant compounds that can help fight cancer, UTIs and heart disease. Adding some to your next smoothie will benefit your body in a wide variety of ways. Plus if you want to enjoy them during their fresh season, they are an inexpensive fruit to buy!
Yes, cranberries are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese and vitamin E, among other vitamins and minerals. They actually have unique plant compounds that help them prevent urinary tract infections. Other antioxidants and nutrients in cranberries can help prevent various cancers.
More Holiday Smoothie Recipes
Using seasonal produce means leaning into what is already available. If you haven’t noticed, it’s hard to find cranberries outside of Autumn/Winter! So don’t be afraid to dive into some new flavors and try a Fig Smoothie or Pomegranate Smoothie, depending on what’s available at the grocery store.
If cold smoothies are hard to sip during cooler months then you can also turn to warm smoothies! My warm Apple Pie Smoothie is a welcome hug while this warm Hot Chocolate Smoothie is a great snack for the family after a chilly day outside.
If you find yourself making sweet potatoes on repeat this time of year, then use the leftovers for a Sweet Potato Smoothie. Sometimes the most unique ingredients make the best smoothies.
Will you rate + review this Cranberry Smoothie once you try it? And let me know if you make any swaps!
Orange Cranberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice high pulp, no added sugar
- 1 cup cranberries frozen
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup peaches frozen
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
For Garnish:
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- cranberries sliced
- pineapple sliced
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy! Top with any ingredients you want for a more elevated finish.
Equipment
Notes
- For lower natural sugar, use 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup water or sparkling water.
- Swap peaches with nectarines or mango.
- Use at least 1 frozen fruit for a refreshingly cool smoothie.
- Feel free to add 1 cup of leafy greens per serving.
- Swap chia seeds with hemp hearts or homemade protein powder.
This is one of my favorites. I tend to like less sweetness so it was perfect. I may try it with cuties next time to see the difference. My oranges were a bit bland. It is definitely in my free play plan.
I can’t leave a full 5 stars because I had to modify the recipe (couldn’t find any fresh or frozen cranberries). I ended up substituting frozen cherries and it was delicious! I love cranberries, so I’m sure it would have been scrumptious had I been able to find them. I’ll be sure to blend this one again once cranberries are back in season!
Three star. I added more cranberries and used half an avocado instead of banana some ground flaxseed and bit of crushed ginger. It was tart with some tang.
I wasn’t able to add cranberries to my smoothie, but I and I’m pretty sure I would have enjoy this one so i has to use berries instead
I really like the smoothie, I did add raw honey to it because the other comments said it was so tart, next time I will try it without the honey because I thought it was sweet.
I could only find packet cranberries (will look for frozen so thanks for the tip) so they didn’t mix properly. My last few gulps of the smoothie were very chewy which is ok as I quite like a tart taste 🙂
Hey Pam,
If you can’t find any cranberries, you can always swap them with blueberries or cherries.
Chewy doesn’t sound that appetizing to me =P
Yum! I replaced the cranberry with cherries, and oh what a yummy summer-y smoothie (it’s summer here in Australia). Just perfect for gulping down after my morning run (in 28°C heat with 80% humidity!! )
The cranberry was a bit tart for me. Next time I might try adding more banana to sweeten it more.
Hey Rebecca,
You can always add some extra sweeteners to your smoothie if it is too tart tasting.
These are some all natural sweeteners that we love:
I love these simple ingredient smoothies…so easy to make and generally ingredients that I always have on hand. No excuse to not have a green smoothie everyday! 🙂
I LOVED this! It’s been a while since I had a green smoothie, and I’ll be honest – when I took this off the blender it smelled like spinach and sadness. I was a little scared, I’ll admit, but it blew me away! Such bright, citrus-y, delicious flavors! This is definitely going into my rotation.
Hey Lynn,
Yay!! I am so happy to hear that this recipe was a winner for you!
That is why we love letting you try so many different recipes so you can find the ones you love and add it to your list of favorites 🙂
Cheers!
Just adding the cranberry was so simple and gave my smoothie some extra zing!
I didn’t like how it had pieces from the cranberry skin. Maybe need to soften them more
Hey Marla,
Depending on what type of blender you have, you might want to blend the cranberries and liquid first and see if that helps.
I liked the sweet tart taste of the holiday cranberry smoothie and that it was good for me. Yum 4 stars
I’m not normally a cranberry fan, but this wasn’t bad. A little tart, but the banana tones it down a bit.
I was hesitant on trying a smoothie with cranberries, but I’m glad I did. If your already a fan of real cranberry juice you’ll love this green smoothie.
This isn’t one of my favorites. But if you love tart tasting things this will be the one for you!!!