7 Smoothie Recipes To Try This Summer

It’s not quite Summer yet—we’re just shy of 3 weeks to go—but the beginning of June tends to mark the start of Summer in our brains. Aside from the off day where it’s not quite hot, the Summer weather is already here, influencing the foods that we like to eat and drink. This usually puts hot soups, hot coffees, and heavy dishes on hiatus and brings in lighter dishes, colder coffees, and smoothies to take their places. Out of the Summer-y foods, Smoothies are the most exciting to me. They are simple to put together, totally customizable, and can be virtually anything you’d like. Want one for breakfast? Okay. Need something to cool you down for lunch? Totally works. They are a perfect afternoon snack and can even work as a dessert if you’d like. Out of the many recipes out there, here are 7 of my favorite smoothies for you enjoy this Summer:

Blueberry Blast {via ellie krieger for food network}
Now is about the time that blueberries come into season and, apart from eating them alone, there isn’t really a better way to get unadulterated blueberries than with a smoothie. This is a really simple recipe (FOUR ingredients) so it really lets the flavor of the blueberries shine. Using frozen blueberries like the recipe states means you don’t need to add ice but since it’s the season for berries, I’d suggest using fresh ones and adding 1/2 to 1 full cup of ice to keep it cold.

Image Credit: ree drummond

Sunny Citrus {via whole foods market}
Even though citrus is actually in season during the later Winter months, the Summer months are still associated with fruits like lemons, oranges, and limes. Maybe it’s because of their fresh colors or bright flavors, but either way, citrus smoothies are a very refreshing snack—especially if it’s super hot out and you are looking to cool down. I love this recipe with grapefruit, even though I don’t love grapefruit on it’s own. I find that the other citruses round out the flavor enough, so if you aren’t too keen on grapefruit either I still suggest trying this smoothie. You might just need to add a little more honey (or more lemon zest) to get rid of the bitterness from the grapefruit, and you’ll be good to go.

Green Smoothie {via two peas and their pod}
What a bad rep green smoothies get. Sometimes it is warranted: There are lots of gross green smoothies and juices out there that are pretending they are delicious when they are the exact opposite. But this one is ACTUALLY good, and there is no reason to be scared of it, I promise! It doesn’t have a long list of crazy ingredients which I find most green smoothie recipes do, and it’s very good for you. The only warning this one needs is about the color…when I make this my smoothies don’t come out looking quite as bright green as these pictures show. It still tastes delicious but don’t be concerned if you smoothie looks a little, um, brownish. Everything will be fine.

Chocolate Peanut Butter {via sally’s baking addiction}
This tastes like it’s way more unhealthy for you than it actually is, which is not really unhealthy at all! It’s a very tricky smoothie. It’s the ideal post lunch/pre-dinner snack if you have trouble staying full between those meals as it is quite filling. Because of all the protein (naturally occurring, no protein powder needed, yay!) in it this smoothie also is very nourishing post-workout and will help you recover if you really went hard. I tend to use a very heaping tbsp of PB when I make this, and use a bit less sweetener than the recipe says because between the peanut butter and chocolate I don’t find that it needs it. But this is a very forgiving smoothie and you are free to adjust to your tastes.

Pineapple & Ginger {via martha stewart}
Fellow ginger fanatics—this one is for you! Ginger haters—you can meet us at the next recipe! In my experience I’ve found that ginger gets a response similar to cilantro in that you either really love it or you cannot understand how people think it has any redeeming qualities. For those of us that love, love ginger this smoothie is the answer. Mixing the ginger with pineapple is such a crisp, kind of spicy combination that is kind of addicting. It’s such an interesting combination that I cannot get enough of and I have a feeling you’ll be the same once you try it.

Image Credit: sally mckenny quinn

Easy Peach {via she wears many hats}
One of the best parts about summer is that peaches come into season again. If you try to shop seasonally, it’s a very long 9-ish months without them, and you probably anxiously await the first time you see a drop in price at the store. Unfortunately, I also find that peaches are very hit or miss, many times being a miss. Much like those bad green smoothies, there are lots of mealy and underwhelming peaches out there masquerading as sweet and juicy ones. Fortunately, smoothies are a great place to hide the fruit that just isn’t good enough to eat on it’s own. I find that in this smoothie, even the peaches that aren’t great alone taste wonderful again.

Apricot Mango {via smoothie fans}
Speaking of fruits that are in season, apricots and mangoes are at their most delicious in the Summer months as well. Together they make a yummy, very tropical smoothie that is a great way to wake up on a Summer morning. When I make this one, I add some lemon zest in addition to the lemon juice for some extra lemon power but that is because—much like my feelings on ginger—I am lemon obsessed. If you aren’t as keen on the flavor, it’s just fine (and still very delicious) without it.

After years of making smoothies and almost slicing my hand trying to clean the blender I discovered a little trick that has (not being dramatic) changed my life. After you make your smoothie, pour hot water into the blender, add dish soap, then turn the blender on & give it a few pulses. You’ll see that the blender begins to clean itself! Once it seems like the soap & water has done it’s job, I just rinse the blender out in the sink & let it dry. It makes cleaning the blender so quick that you’ll probably feel like you didn’t even clean it.

What’s your favorite smoothie for the summer?

Featured image is from Ree Drummond