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Today I’m sharing the secret sauce, er… liquid, that is dairy-free smoothies. Your smoothie doesn’t need dairy to be creamy, delicious, smooth or drinkable. Don’t believe me? Give one of these dairy-free smoothie recipes a blend n’ sip, then try to tell me I’m wrong!
I’m prepared to shock you with creamy Caramel Protein Shakes and thick Cinnamon Date Smoothies with no dairy in sight.
While this recipe list includes smoothies already made without dairy, I’m also giving you all the swaps to turn any smoothie into a dairy-free one with just an ingredient or two. You might even find a new favorite option!
And I threw in a mix of healthy protein shakes, green smoothies and fruit smoothies so you can blend exactly what you want.
Table of Contents
What’s Wrong with Dairy?
Nothing, if you’re one of the 30% of the world’s population that doesn’t have a dairy intolerance. If you’re like me, dairy often gives you issues with digestion. Instead of suffering through the painful side effects of consuming dairy, I started searching for non-dairy options.
Discover the incredible world of plant-based milk and dairy-free smoothies along with me!
The Best Dairy-Free Smoothie Recipes
These recipes are all delicious, whole-food options that can be blended in minutes and enjoyed as a snack, meal or dessert. They are so easy to make and enjoy. Let’s get blending!
A quick note: Just because a smoothie is dairy-free doesn’t make it vegan. Make sure you read the ingredient list to ensure these don’t use honey, collagen powder or another ingredient that’s not what you’re looking for.
What Can You Use Instead of Milk in a Smoothie?
So. Many. Things. I’m not kidding. Once you start exploring the world of dairy-free smoothies, you’ll find a vast amount of liquid bases. A smoothie with dairy milk no longer sounds appetizing to me (or my stomach). I’d much rather reach for lighter nut milk or coconut water.
Nut Milk Options
With the explosion of non-dairy milk brands on the market, it’s no surprise that nut milk is a popular base for dairy-free smoothies. Almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, pecan milk, walnut milk, macadamia milk and more can all be used in smoothies.
Use store-bought or learn how to make your own almond milk (or any other milk) for a creamy texture and to know exactly what ingredients are in it.
Nut-Free, Dairy-Free Milk Bases
If nut milk isn’t an option for you, no sweat. Check out oat milk, hemp milk, flax milk, rice milk or soy milk. The possibilities are endless.
I tend to choose my dairy-free smoothie recipes based on what my body needs that day. If I’m looking for a fiber and healthy fat boost, I’ll make some hemp or flax milk. Rice milk is super thin and great for a tasteless option so that the other smoothie ingredients can shine.
Tea
This unique liquid base totally takes that smoothie to the next level. Choose a caffeinated tea like green tea for a natural energy boost as well as a metabolism mover. Herbal teas work great to soothe the stomach and calm the body. Try a smoothie like my Green Tea Smoothie for a boost of energy without the crash.
Use tea to your advantage by incorporating the one that will help you the most. I believe ingredients should work for us instead of against us, so I typically gauge what my body needs before deciding on the right liquid base for my smoothie.
If using matcha powder, then combine it with water or cashew milk for smoothies. Matcha typically comes in powder form instead of in a tea bag, so I view it more as a supplement instead of a true liquid base. It creates a creamy, light base for smoothies.
Water or Coconut Water
The number one, Best Green Smoothie in the whole wide world uses *gasp* WATER. It’s 100% dairy-free and proud to be and people can’t get enough of it. I know a lot of you hesitate to use water in a smoothie, but trust me, when you’ve got the right formula, water is a great smoothie base.
Coconut water is a unique beverage that has been touted as nature’s Gatorade. It’s loaded with electrolytes and is a must in workout recovery. It can be an acquired taste, so if you’re new to coconut water, try doing half coconut water and half regular water in your first Coconut Water Smoothie, then increase your ratio as you fall in love.
More Dairy-Free Liquids
While the above liquids are more popular, I like to get creative with my liquid bases. Here are a few more super fun and delicious options.
Kombucha– I’m not kidding! This is a great probiotic option, and the sky’s the limit on flavors. My Probiotic Smoothie is equal parts delicious and unique.
Fresh squeezed juice– While 100% juice has natural sugar, it is still a higher sugar option. Remember that when adding it to your smoothie. My Pineapple Smoothie uses both whole pineapple and pineapple juice for the best flavor.
Coffee– This base works great in smoothies including cocoa or cacao, nut butter, vanilla, you name it. I love blending my Coffee Smoothie to combine my morning beverage with my morning breakfast of choice. Need a caffeine-free option? Just use strongly brewed decaf coffee to enjoy the flavor without the buzz.
As you can see, dairy milk is far from the only liquid base for smoothies. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Mix and match any of these bases until you find your favorite.
How to Thicken a Smoothie
A lot of people use dairy milk or yogurt because it naturally thickens whatever beverage is in your blender. You can make an epically thick smoothie with a super creamy texture without the dairy. Here are my go-to thickeners:
- Vegan yogurt: There are several dairy-free yogurts that produce the same level of creaminess as regular, yet without dairy.
- Frozen fruit: This not only chills your smoothie, but it can also help thicken it more than fresh fruit.
- Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flaxseed: These superfoods are great additions to smoothies for extra omega-3s, protein, fiber and can be used to thicken a smoothie that’s on the thinner side.
- Nut butter: Peanut butter, almond butter and more can be used to thicken your drink. Plus, they taste delicious!
- Protein powder: I love turning smoothies into meals using my homemade protein powder. It can be added to any smoothie you make and helps to thicken as well as provide extra protein.
Dairy-Free Smoothies FAQs
Dairy is often used to make beverages creamy, yet it’s not necessary for a smoothie. If I’m looking for an extra creamy base that’s dairy-free, then cashew milk, oat milk, or full-fat coconut milk are all great options. Avocado, coconut cream, banana and dairy-free yogurt as well as hemp hearts and chia seeds are also great smoothie thickeners.
My go-to milk option is currently cashew. It is virtually tasteless, yet adds protein, healthy fat and a creamy texture to smoothies. Although, as you can see from the list above, you can use any dairy-free milk you want!
Honestly, it depends on the smoothie. I like water better in green smoothies and milk better in protein shakes. Everyone’s preferences are different, so there’s no right or wrong answer. Just get in that daily smoothie!
So, which one of the above dairy-free smoothies are you ready to make? Drop a comment and let me know your fav!
Hi girls! This is my green smoothie challenge, round 2! My daughter and I started out pretty timidly, totally afraid of adding well, basically lettuce (kale, etc) to a smoothie, but we have graduated from that and have now started branching out from what had become our standard coconut/almond milk blend base. We have tried coconut water, aloe juices (flavored and unflavored from a Korean market here), and just about every milk substitute~almond, rice, coconut and soymilk, and am getting ready to try kefir and teas (teas! what a aha moment…why didnt I think of that!). Thank you for taking me from wanting whatever was handy to truly craving that smoothie. I havent tried coconut oil in smoothies yet. Instead when I want a little creaminess I have been adding frozen greek yogurt. I don’t really like the taste of the greek style, but frozen its perfect in a smoothie, adding the right texture as a beginner who wanted the smoothie to be more “milkshake-like” and still added the protein I otherwise lacked. love and leafiness!
Green Tea…hands down! I’ve also used almond milk (I make my own with the Vitamix)….delish!
Hi J&J,(greetings all the way from Mayo/Ireland)
I found you on IG and decide to sign up for the April challenge(Im in for the all year :-). yesterday I made my first green smoothies, oh boy it was shamiziiiing. spinach,kale,mango,banana,kiwi,pear,almond milk. I brought some for my colleagues in the office this morning and they loved it. thank you so much for inspiring millions of people to have an healthy living.
keep up the good work.
Why bother to juice your oranges for a smoothie? Wouldn’t it be the same if you just peeled them?
You can do it either way, Gina! Some blenders struggle to get rid of the pulpy texture.
oh well typing too fast – actually i mean …
‘if you LIKE’ and
“ITS sooooo healthy” 😉
You mentioned that you ladies aren’t a big fan of soy milk as a liquid in the smoothies. May I ask why? I’m trying to find an alternative milk source in general and am just trying to gather as much info as possible.
Small amounts of organic, non-GMO soy are fine (like tamari and tempeh) but we recommend staying away from highly-processed unfermented soy products which can interfere with nutrient absorption and leach nutrients from your body. Soy milk, soy burgers, and soy ice cream are all in this category. Two great alternative to soy milk are unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk. We love them both!
This is news to me. Didn’t you recommend soy in the past? I chose it over almond milk because of the additional protein…but still a bad idea? Hmm,… more to think about!
I just tried my first smoothie today, and I love this. I hate spinach, but I couldn’t even taste it, and I finally found something to do with my flaxseed meal. I came across this on Stumble. Good job.
Hi guys,
I’m using yoghurt (not greek, liquid), and water mainly for liquids. You don’t listed yoghurt as liquid, why? I’m making my own yoghurt and we try to drink it regularly..
Hi Ken! We aren’t the biggest fans of dairy, and wanted to give non-dairy options for people to use 🙂
Hello,
I am loving some of the green smoothies recipes. I am glad I found you guys!!! :-). I sometimes use Hemp milk as a base, can you please elaborate more on the benefits/drawbacks of this kind of milk? I am not that educated in that subject and basically bought it just to try it. The taste is pretty mild.
Thank you!!!
Hi Aura,
We aren’t too familiar with it right now. We’ve heard other people used it, but haven’t used it much ourselves 🙂
Hi jane n jadaj, I wanna ask about the cocomut milk u mentioned in the post, do u use raw coconut milk (fresh squeezed) or boiled one? Thx for the answer
Hi! We use coconut milk that is in a carton. You can purchase it next to the dairy section in most grocery stores 🙂
I know I just signed up for the 30 day challenge but I’ve been making green smoothies for a week now.With some good ones and bad ones however I use more then one green item I used 3 pieces of red kale,2 cups of spinach,2 leafs of purple cabbage,1/2 green pepper,2 carrots,2 cups of broccoli then I added 2 fresh tomatoes which was a mistake it made it taste awful so then I added 1 gala apple and some pineapple to try to doctor it up what do you suggest that I might of went wrong do you think the broccoli made it bitter, I drank it anyways as I wasn’t wasting it.
It could be the broccoli, Darlene. We don’t really experiment too much with adding things like peppers, tomatoes, or broccoli…
Do you squeeze your own orange juice? Or buy it?
For this challenge we have been squeezing our own 🙂 Just cutting them in half and using a hand juicer.
Sometimes, I like to add a little sweetener to my smoothies. I usually use a little raw sugar or light agave sweetener. What type of sweetener would you suggest?
Hi Robin!
We don’t normally recommend to add sweetener to green smoothies—we like the fruit to do the sweetening itself 🙂
What is a good green tea that you recommend to drink hot or cold. .? Thank you
Hi Jennifer,
Not too savvy on brands of green tea, but we usually get some green tea bags from Trader Joe’s. Not remembering any specific name brand right now…
I love Celestial Seasoning green tea bags. They also have K-cups. I love them because it’s the only brand I’ve seen at my grocery store that has both regular and decaf versions! In case you have your smoothie at night and don’t want to be kept up!
I just tried one of the smoothies, soooo gooooood. Unfortunately I recieved some bad news from my doctor bout my heart and im only 21….you can imagine my horror when he told me I needed to start loving up on a lot more greens in my life. I’m horrible when it comes to eating veggies but I’m super in love with the green smoothie! Even my boyfriend is drinking one with me as I write this. Thank you guys for making this much easier 🙂 Going to be making these a lot more from now own!!!
We are here for you, Gri! So glad your boyfriend is doing it with you and encouraging you 🙂
FYI Almond milk is NOT a significant source of fiber or protein.
Totally agree Megan, but it’s still a great liquid-base option for green smoothies.
I’m not saying it’s a bad liquid-base for smoothies, but in the main text of the blog you’re claiming almond milk “will provide you with vitamin E, protein, and fiber.” So you might want to edit that.