The 7 Best Low-Sugar Smoothie Recipes To Blend Up

Smoothies are considered one of the easiest ways to get in your daily fruits, veggies, and greens. The only problem is not all of them are actually healthy. “Some can contain a lot of added sugar and sweeteners,” says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD. That includes an excess of natural sugar from overdoing it on the fruit.

While fruit is a healthy choice overall, all those natural sugars can add up if you load your smoothie with too many. “Not knowing the portion size or the type of ingredients can unfortunately send you on a blood sugar roller coaster after you have a smoothie that you want to avoid,” she says. Adding in too many added sugars—like maple syrup, agave syrup, and honey—can spike your blood sugar, too.

If you’re wanting a low-sugar smoothie option, just be more mindful of how much natural and added sugar is going into your blender. These healthy options that use plenty of greens and lower-sugar fruits are a great place to start.

The 7 best low-sugar smoothie recipes

1. Simple coconut smoothie bowl

This coconut smoothie bowl is perfectly sweet (thanks to a tiny bit of maple syrup and chocolate chips!), extra creamy, and delicious. It’s super filling, too. “You can have this smoothie bowl for breakfast, or you could have it for lunch,” says Maya Feller, RD.

Get the recipe: Simple coconut smoothie bowl

2. Perfect protein smoothie

Using this formula makes it easy to consistently have a nutritional smoothie, while still keeping things interesting. “It has all of the pieces that will allow you to make amazing smoothies for as long as you want without making the same smoothie over and over again,” says Rachelle Robinett, herbalist and health coach. That means if you want to make a lower-sugar smoothie, you can use fruit like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.

Get the recipe: Perfect protein smoothie

3. Blueberry coconut smoothie

This smoothie—which happens to be Meghan Markle’s go-to!—is rich in electrolytes and antioxidants thanks to the blueberries and coconut.

Get the recipe: Blueberry coconut smoothie

4. Gut-friendly berry smoothie

Candice Kumai’s berry smoothie is great for your gut. “It’s filled with antioxidants and fiber from the berries, which are great for gut health, reducing inflammation, and supporting the immune system. The probiotics (or yogurt) add another dose of gut health support,” she says. “Plus, since it uses frozen berries, it’s the perfect (and affordable) way to eat the fruit even when it’s out of season.”

Get the recipe: Gut-friendly berry smoothie

5. Healthy low-sugar smoothie recipe

Instead of using bananas, Mona Vand, a plant-based pharmacist and wellness expert, created a lower-sugar smoothie option using a handful of simple ingredients: unsweetened açaí, non-dairy milk, raw cacao, chia seeds, Stevia or coconut nectar, and cinnamon. “It’s ready good for midday,” she says. “Have it between lunch and dinner.”

Get the recipe: Healthy low-sugar smoothie recipe

6. Berry cauliflower smoothie

The star of this low-sugar berry smoothie is cauliflower. “If you aren’t a fan of banana, it’s a great replacement to still get that creamy consistency,” says Katrina Scott, co-creator of Tone It Up. “You don’t even taste the cauliflower.”

Get the recipe: Berry cauliflower smoothie

7. Green smoothie

This green smoothie contains spinach, cucumber, mint, avocado, almond milk, chia seeds, and protein powder. And it’s something holistic nutritionist Kelly LeVeque swears by.

Get the recipe: Green smoothie

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