Looking for a smoothie with a lower glycemic index? Look no further than this cherry smoothie made with just four plant-based simple ingredients.
My family loves cherries and we can’t get enough of them. Of course, nothing beats fresh cherries, but frozen ones are often more affordable and can be used year-round.
What goes well with cherry?
I’ve used coconut milk as the liquid base in this cherry smoothie for a couple reasons. Coconut milk is rich in healthy fats, which helps curb your appetite and give you energy. It also makes the smoothie extra creamy and delicious. And lastly, a coconut cherry combination is hard to beat. It’s delicious!
Can you put cherries in a blender?
When blending cherries, it’s best to use frozen since they are already pitted and will naturally chill your smoothie. If using fresh cherries in your smoothie, you will need to manually remove the pit before blending.
Sweet vs Tart Cherries
Tart cherries are, well, tart, and sweet cherries are sweet. Another is that sweet cherries tend to be bigger and a deeper, darker red, where as tart cherries are brighter red and small. Both are high in antioxidants and great to use in smoothies,
Most studies regarding the health benefits of cherries have been conducted using Montmorency cherries, the most common variety of tart cherries. The cherries, fresh, frozen or dried, and their juice can help with muscle recovery after intense physical activity.
Both types of cherries contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid that we associate with sleep. It is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin, both of which help with mood and sleep. Tryptophan supplementation has been shown to reduce irritability, PMS, and depression and anxiety.
When blending this cherry smoothie, it’s truly up to you which type of cherry you use. All of them are winners in our book!
Low Glycemic Fruits for Smoothies
Berries and cherries are low glycemic foods meaning that eating them won’t drastically affect blood sugar levels. These fruits are naturally lower in sugar and high in fiber which also keeps blood sugar levels steady.
Low Sugar Fruits Include:
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Apricots
- Limes
- Lemons
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Dates
- Pears
- Apples
- Oranges
- Plums
- Blueberries
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Prunes
Fun fact: Bananas are often though of as high on the glycemic index, but they are actually considered low glycemic with an index score of 55. (Anything 55 and under is considered low glycemic.)
Tropical fruits tend to be high on the glycemic index. Pineapple, figs, cantaloupe and watermelon, and guava are especially high in sugars.
Cherry Smoothie With Kale
Yep! We love to blend with kale, but that wasn’t always the case! Spinach and other milder leafy greens are a bit more beginner-friendly. If you’re just starting out blending your greens, feel free to use spinach and work up to kale.
Now, kale isn’t that scary, but it can be an acquired taste. Depending on the season, kale can vary from sweet to bitter. Baby kale is the mildest and sweetest. Mature kale is stronger flavored and can verge into the “cabbage-y” realm.
If you happen to find kale on sale, snatch it up and freeze it. Freezing makes blending kale easier as it breaks down the cell walls without sacrificing the nutrients. And frozen greens tend to have a milder flavor too.
See this post for tips on freezing leafy greens. And check out this post on why it’s important to rotate the greens you blend.
Lots of reasons to blend up a cherry smoothie today!
Cherry Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
Coconut milk is rich in healthy fats, which helps curb your appetite and give you energy. The berries and cherries lower the glycemic index making it a great after dinner treat. This smoothie has also been called Coco-Cherry Berry Cooler.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh kale
- 1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened
- 1 cup cherries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Blend kale and coconut milk together until smooth.
- Add remaining fruit and blend again.
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
- Can substitute cherries with berries.
- Category: Drinks, Beverages
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Healthy
Keywords: cherry smoothie, green smoothie, kale smoothie
This was a hit with my Caribbean hubby and my seven year old daughter – and me! I doubled the recipe and heard them slurping while I was still rinsing out the blender! I loved that it made me feel really full. Can’t wait to explore more recipes here.
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Aw! That’s awesome Megan! We’re so glad you’re blending with us. 🙂
SO delicious and satisfying!! I’m new to smoothies but stumbled onto your website about 6 weeks ago to help with digestion issues. I’ve had one of your smoothies every day for almost a month now. Honestly, it’s becoming a way of life – a healthy lifeI feel great, issues are resolved – my 90 year old mom has a little too every day. We love them – thanks for all your hard work and shared recipes…I’m a huge fan!
One question though: I read in the comments that when you list “coconut milk”, you are referring to regular canned coconut milk. I love the creamy flavor it, but 1 cup is listed as nearly 500 calories. I noticed that this smoothie’s nutrition has 16 ounces listed at 167 calories. Are you using a different kind of coconut milk here? Can you clarify for me.? Thanks again for everything 🙂
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So glad your loving the smoothie life, Bevin!! For this recipe we used our own homemade coconut milk, which is 100 calories per cup. Check out how to make your own coconut milk here :: How to Make Coconut Milk
Terrific – I’ll take a look. Thanks again’
Hi! I’m just getting into the world of smoothies and came upon your site as a beginner’s way to dive into this world on how to get started. I happened to have all the ingredients for your Cherry Smoothie, and wanted to give it a try. Not that I expected it to be bad, BUT–I didn’t expected to be as good as it was!
I love all of the nutritional info you provide on your site per smoothie. It makes me feel extremely comfortable and confident that I am making smoothies that can both complement and supplement meals. I’m looking forward to trying them all! Thank you for creating such a wonderful resource.
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Welcome, Brandee! So glad you found us. 😀
Looks delicious. Guess what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow!
I’m intrigued that dates are considered to be low sugar. I often see them used for a refined sugar substitute.
Hi Sue! Dates have a low GI (glycemic index), which means they’re less likely to spike your blood sugar levels, unlike refined sugars. Enjoy your breakfast smoothie!
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Hi Lissette, we have many great smoothies you can make for all kinds of requirements but I think that would be something you’ll want to speak with a nutritionist about.
I buy huge bunches of kale every week at my farmers market in the summer. It’s a huge bunch and I freeze Ziploc bags of it. I do the same thing with watermelon. I have enjoyed these all winter long
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Cathi, what a great idea!! I wish I had enough room in my freezer to do that.
When you use coconut milk, is it from the can or a coconut milk drink in a carton like almond milk? Thanks.
Smoothie sounds so good.
Hi Bea! We usually prefer to use the full-fat coconut milk from a can but you can use either. It really depends on personal preference. 🙂
Tried that! I am loving smoothies again.
Thanks Jen
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Good smoothie, loved the cherries! Will use the tip on freezing kale next time.
Hey Caroine,
Yay! Freezing your greens makes life so much easier in the smoothie world.
Happy blending!
This was a good one. Used less kale. Seem to get a tummy ache if too much greens
Hey Colette,
Kale can sometimes be hard on your digestive system if you are not use to eating it. I would suggest to do half kale and half spinach in the beginning. Also make sure you are removing the stems from your kale. That is the bitter part that might be too intense for your stomach right now.
Another good smoothie. I love cherries!
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This was my Sunday smoothie in which I used pineapple intsread of blueberry added half an avocado and some flaxseed, yum
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Hey Anita,
Love how you built off this recipe and made it into your freestyle!!
This is one of my favs. So creamy, cherry cola flavored,yummy in the yummy green smoothie
Easy to make, was gone like magic!
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Loving the cherries in this smoothie! I would never have even considered cherries in a smoothie until I tried SGS. Such a rich flavour and colour!! Yummy!!
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Yay for trying new things!!!
Cheers!
Love cherries in a smoothie! This was a good one.
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Thanks Valerie,
SO glad you loved this recipe!!
Happy blending!
I like this. It’s nice and fresh and just slightly sweet.
Not a favourite of mine. I believe the kale overpowers the cherries and blueberries too much. Might add more cherries to boost the flavour next time.
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I usually like cherries by themselves but not really a fan of cherry foods or drinks. But I really liked this smoothie even though you could taste each of the different ingredients.
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Hey Joyce,
I am so glad that even though you don’t usually like cherry flavored recipes, this one was a hit for you!
I love cherries! Great recipe for a delicious, healthy green smoothie, thanks!!
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I love cherries ! Great recipe for a delicious, healthy green smoothie, thanks!!
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Oops! I guess I should have blended, used spinach, had to use up, instead of kale. I used frozen cherries and blueberries, I loved! The flavour cut but found the coconut milk very thick! It’s my first time having coconut milk, I usually have almond, I had to add coconut water for my blender to blend it
I love cherries I just dont think the frozen ones I used were very sweet. I will try this one again
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Love having a smoothie with cherries! Very mild, no bitter taste from the kale.
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This is a great antioxidant-rich smoothie! Really enjoyed it!
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It was good but not my fav.
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This is probably my favorite so far! I used part coconut milk, part coconut water since the coconut milk was too strong last time.
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Way to adjust the recipe to make it work for you. Thank you for sharing!!
This smoothie was nice and creamy, however not my favorite, but not bad.
LOve the cherry taste. I made an extra to put in the freezer for later in the week
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Four stars-a bit to sweet for me yet refreshing
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Hey Anita,
If it is too sweet for you, you can always swap the measurements for the fruits and veggies.
Hope that helps!
Major love from my whole family today. It tastes like a cherry cola float!! Definitely making this smoothie again.
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I love how you described this one. You are exactly right!! 🙂
I didn’t have cherries so used raspberry/blackberry combo. It was good but probably better with the cherries.
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Hey Bonnie,
SO glad you were able to make this work with what you had on hand!
I liked it but I think I prefer spinach in my smoothies.
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Really, Really enjoyed this one!
My favorite non-green smoothie so far.
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It was good..still not sure how I feel about the kale! Might try it with spinach next time!
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Hey Cory,
Make sure you are pick the stems off the kale leaves to avoid that bitter taste. If you prefer to not use the kale spinach is perfectly fine!
This smoothie was good but not my
favorite.
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Love the smoothies, today mine is a combo of blueberries raspberries and blackberries though since I didn’t have cherries. Definitely loving this daily habit!
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Not bad, I love cherries, just not sure if I’m a fan of them in smoothies. This one seemed to lack the creaminess others have.
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Tastes great! Half way done! Feel great with this simple change of a green smoothie a day!
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Coconut milk and cherries!! Loved this one !!
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Love the smoothies it a winner in itself. Thanks