This Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie blends creamy pistachios and sweet cherries into a delicious powerhouse, delivering a surge of antioxidants, fiber, and protein – perfect for a healthy breakfast, post-workout refuel, or even late night treat. Discover how to create this easy, delicious “antioxidant power smoothie” that’s naturally sweet and packed with superfoods.
The flavor combination of this Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie is absolutely delightful. Nutty pistachios pair with sweet cherries and just a hint of vanilla. This smoothie is naturally sweet without any added sugar. Plus it packs lots of fiber, protein, antioxidants, and vitamins giving you a nutrient boost perfect for anytime of day – from a super breakfast to a perfect afternoon pickup or even a sweet after dinner treat.
The inspiration for this smoothie recipe came to me while I was eating a bowl of pistachio gelato (always one of my favorites!). I was contemplating the rich, nutty pistachio flavor and the thought popped into my mind that this would pair perfectly with cherries. Inspired by this dessert, I wanted to use these flavors to develop a nutritious and flavorful treat that I could enjoy any time of the day. So I took inspiration from my Vanilla Bean Pistachio Smoothie when developing this recipe.
This Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie combines some of my favorite healthy smoothie ingredients including Greek yogurt, hemp seeds, frozen bananas, plant based protein powder, and beet root powder with sweet frozen cherries (you can also use fresh) and nutty pistachios. The result is a beautifully rich, nutty, and sweet smoothie that packs lots of healthy nutrients.
How Do You Make This Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie?
This Antioxidant Power Smoothie combines a variety of nutrient rich super foods for a powerful and health boosting smoothie. It includes lots of antioxidant rich ingredients that are great for boosting health and immunity.
Antioxidants work on a cellular level to protect cells from damage and help reduce damage caused by oxidation. Studies have shown that antioxidants may be beneficial for reducing the risk of many diseases.
Some of the key antioxidant ingredients in this Cherry Pistachio Smoothie include:
- Pistachios: Not only a complete source of protein with all nine amino acids, pistachios are rich in a variety of antioxidants and phenolic compounds. These include lutein and zeaxanthin, polyphenols and tocopherols, beta-carotene, selenium, and flavonoids.
- Frozen Cherries: Frozen at peak ripeness, frozen cherries are always sweet and delicious. Cherries contain a variety of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, polyphenols, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
- Frozen Banana: Bananas have a high antioxidant content including flavonoids, phenolic acids, vitamin C, and carotenoids.
- Hemp Seeds: Also known as hemp hearts, hemp seeds are tiny little powerhouses packed with omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
- Beetroot Powder: Beet powder gives this Cherry Pistachio Smoothie a nice pink color, and if you are worried about the taste, don’t worry you won’t taste it in this flavor packed smoothie. Beetroot also contains many antioxidants, including betalains, which are phytonutrients that give beets their red color, anthocyanins, and other phenolic compounds. These antioxidants may help reduce inflammation, prevent cancer, and lower blood pressure.
Other ingredients that help round out this smoothie recipe include Greek yogurt for probiotics, calcium, and protein, protein powder for an extra protein boost to help satisfy, and vanilla and almond extract for an extra boost of flavor. Finish it off with your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk (some of my favorites include oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk).
Can You Blend Up Whole Pistachios in a Smoothie?
To make this Cherry and Pistachio Smoothie, you just combine together all of the ingredients in a high powered blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. For the perfect smoothie consistency, I use the personal blender cup attachment that came with my high powered blender. I feel like this results in a smoother consistency. If you are using a regular blender, you may need to blend a little extra to ensure the pistachios and hemp hearts blend up nice and creamy. Another simple tip is to soak your pistachios and hemp seeds for about 15 – 20 minutes in the milk before making this smoothie. This should help soften the nuts and seeds so they blend easier.
What Other Substitutions Can I Make to This Cherry Pistachio Smoothie Recipe?
This smoothie recipe can easily be customized to suit your tastes and preferences with some easy swaps or substitutions. For example:
- Swap almonds for the pistachios if they are more your taste
- Substitute fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries for the cherries
- Make it vegan by using plant based yogurt and milk (almond, oat milk, or even pistachio milk would be delicious)
- Replace the hemp seeds with chia seeds or flax seeds
Looking for More Healthy Recipes?
Smoothies have recently become one of my go-to favorites for a quick breakfast, snack, or anytime I want to pack in some extra protein, fiber, and nutrients in a sweet treat. In addition to this Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie, some of my other favorite healthy recipes and smoothie recipes include:
- Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie
- Healthy Apple Pie Smoothie
- Vanilla Bean Pistachio Smoothie
- Healthy Summer Salad with Mango and Black Rice
- Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tahini Dressing
- Mediterranean Kale Caesar Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oatmeal (High Protein)
If you make this Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie, don’t forget to comment and rate the recipe below to let me know what you think! You can also share your photos and tag me @NamasteHomeCooking on Facebook or @NamasteHomeCooking on Instagram.
Cherry Pistachio Antioxidant Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup roasted salted pistachios (shelled)
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen cherries
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 scoop berry protein powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- ¾ cup milk (dairy or plant based)
- 1/4 tsp beet root powder (optional)
- 1 handful ice (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.