Sweet Potato Smoothie Recipe

It's never a bad idea to whip up a refreshing smoothie. With just the right ingredients on hand, you can create a complete meal that tastes delicious and is so easy to take on-the-go. This sweet potato smoothie is a really healthy, cold, and rejuvenating treat. It tastes amazing, despite blending a unique combination of ingredients you might not think would taste spectacular together, such as sweet potatoes and bananas. Recipe creator Hayley Maclean has made eating healthy undeniably delicious. Plus, smoothies go down easily, making it a perfect meal for an active life. 

"This would make a great breakfast," says MacLean. "It's full of protein and healthy fats, and plenty of complex carbs to fuel your day — especially on some of these dull autumn mornings!" If you have a busy day, start it with this smoothie to fill you up without weighing you down. If you don't, still start it with this sweet potato smoothie, because it just tastes so good. Pack it for a tasty lunch treat or for a quick power up before going to the gym. It's always a great time for a smoothie!

Smoothies have long been a healthy way to pack a nutritious meal into a cool drink that won't slow you down. MacLean, a nutritionist, agrees. "This recipe makes a great healthy breakfast or snack due to its healthy fats and complex carbs," she says. "Sweet potatoes are full of beta-carotene, which helps build up a strong immune system this time of year!"

Obviously, this is a great way to have an actual balanced breakfast that doesn't leave you feeling too loaded up in the morning. It's also great for a midday meal — especially when you're on-the-go and might be tempted to go for something quick and easy. Basically, if you want to live a healthy lifestyle — especially if you don't have a ton of free time — it's prime time to get your smoothie game on point.

Given how quick and easy this sweet potato recipe is, it will probably take you longer to pick up the ingredients than to make it. Start in the fruit and vegetable aisles at your local store by picking one sweet potato, some dates, and a bunch of bananas (although you'll only need one for this recipe). Instead of cubing a fresh sweet potato, MacLean suggests "[purchasing] already-cubed and frozen sweet potato, however if one was using a fresh sweet potato, I would cube it, steam it, and then freeze it until ready for use." MacLean approximates half of a sweet potato would equal about a cup. For the dates, MacLean suggests Medjool dates as "they tend to be sweeter and add a wonderful caramel flavor."

In the milk aisle, get a carton of almond milk and a container of plain Greek yogurt. Then, you'll want to grab almond butter and a small container of vanilla extract. Your shopping will finish in the spice aisle. Get some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves, though you'll only need a little bit of each, so if you have these at home, you'll probably have enough.

This recipe is amazingly easy. About five minutes of prep work and one to two minutes with a blender is all it takes to make a delicious sweet potato smoothie. Start off by dropping the frozen sweet potato, banana, Greek yogurt, almond butter, dates, vanilla extract, and almond milk into a blender. As MacLean says, "I chose almond milk to keep the recipe vegan and accessible for many different diets — however, you can swap out whatever you have on hand, and I am sure it would still be delicious!" Top off the ingredients with your spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Blend the mixture on high, or if your blender has a smoothie button, you can use that. You'll want to mix until everything is well-blended, about one to two minutes. Make sure the frozen sweet potato cubes are completely broken up so there are no frozen solid chunks in the mixture. If it gets too thick, add a little more almond milk to thin it out so you can drink it easily. When fully blended, pour into a 16-ounce cup, and drink immediately.