5 delicious low-carb smoothies for a variety of tastes: including fruity, nutty, desserty and green.
Hey, there, health enthusiasts! Are you looking for some low-carb smoothie ideas to help you stay on track with your fitness goals? Look no further! I’ve assembled five delicious low-carb smoothies for breakfast, snacks, meal replacement, or post-workout.
Here are some quick tips on these low carb smoothie recipes:
Adding ice makes the smoothie thicker and gives it that fuller body smoothie texture you find at mainstream smoothie shops. However, ice is optional, especially if you use frozen fruits or vegetables. Frozen veggies and fruit are budget-friendly and super convenient to have on hand, not just for low carb smoothies, but any type of cooking.
The best low carb smoothie recipes (in our humble opinion) contain protein, which will help you stay fuller for longer. You can use any protein powder you have at home for these recipes.
The brands we love are Sprout Living Epic Protein, GNC total lean, Quest, Isopure, Orgain, and Premier Protein. The ready-to-drink Premier Proteins are delicious and work well even when blended with other things, so feel free to swap them in.
Dairy options for low-carb smoothies:
With low-carb, you also want high protein, so we recommend Oikos Triple Zero High Protein Nonfat Greek Yogurt, which is 15g of protein for a single serving. For milk options, we love Fairlife milk because just 1 cup provides 13g of protein. Most of the recipes below will get you close to 30g of protein or more per serving.
Silk coconut milk or various nut milk are also great replacements if you don’t like milk.
How to make these low-carb smoothies:
The low carb smoothie ingredients vary, but the instructions to make them all are the same. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth, and enjoy! Any handheld blender will do, like a magic bullet, nutribullet, or Blendjet.
1. Green Goddess Smoothie
1 cup spinach
1/2 avocado
1/2 cucumber
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup Fairlife Lactose-Free Milk
1/2 cup ice (optional)
To make this low-carb green smoothie, I often swap out vanilla protein powder for Vital Proteins Matcha Collagen Latte (original) instead – because it includes 10g of protein + 10g of collagen peptides.
This smoothie is packed with nutrients, protein, and healthy fats, making it the perfect option to start the day on the right foot. The combination of avocado, cucumber, and spinach creates a refreshing and light-tasting smoothie. Add Truvia, stevia, or another sweetener substitute to make it sweeter.
2. Power PB&J Smoothie
1/2 cup Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla Greek Yogurt
4oz. Fairlife milk
1 Tbsp. sugar-free jam OR ½ cup strawberries
2 Tbsp. PB2 Powdered peanut butter
½ cup ice (optional)
This smoothie is inspired by Smoothie King’s Peanut Power Plus Smoothie, which we love! However, at a whopping 89g of carbs, it doesn’t love us back. Even ordering the “skinny” version, which removes turbinado and uses unsweetened strawberries, still clocks their smoothie well over 40g of carbs.
Our Power PB&J hits all the right notes: sweet, fruity, and nutty, just like a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We prefer sugar-free jam by Mission Nutrition; it has no weird aftertaste or texture like most store-bought sugar-free jellies.
3. Copycat J.Alexanders Carrot Cake Shake
1 ½ cups water or milk (depending on your thickness preference)
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
¼ cup freshly shredded carrots
¼ cup chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. if shredded coconut (optional)
Although the restaurant cake version is slathered with the dreamiest cream cheese icing ever, we’ll skip that part for this low carb smoothie recipe.
Even without the icing, this smoothie hits all the carrot cake notes. If you feel so inclined (and have 3g carbs to spare), top this with coconut whip for a bit of decadence. Pumpkin seeds are a good substitute if you are allergic or impartial to pecans. (TIP: if you don’t have carrots on hand, you can use carrot juice and add 1/2 cup to the blend).
4. Oatmeal Cookie Shake
2 Tbsp. dry oats (about 14g of carbs)
1 ½ cups milk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. banana extract
Pinch of ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt
Truvia or stevia to sweeten
This one is on the higher side for macros, with the oats totaling about 14g of carbs. However, this smoothie is a 1000% way better option than a pint of Ben& Jerry’s. For some of us, that’s the choice. Skip that wrong decision, and choose this instead. Unfortunately, bananas are not low-carb friendly, so using an extract here adds banana flavor without the unwanted sugar or carbs.
If you’re not worried about carbs, add a bit of frozen banana or double the oats (¼ cup instead of 2 tbsp.) for a richer, thicker shake.
5. Strawberry & Cream Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries or 1 Tbsp. sugar-free jam
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ cup Silk coconut milk
¼ cup Fairlife lactose-free milk
A drop or two of Vanilla extract
1-2 packets of Truvia or stevia to sweeten (recommend tasting first before adding more)
If you’re craving a deliciously creamy and fruity smoothie that won’t derail your low-carb diet, this low-carb strawberry smoothie is a good choice. It is an excellent replacement if you miss your favorite strawberry ice cream.
We hope you love these five delicious low-carb smoothies!
Don’t be afraid to mix and match ingredients to find the perfect low carb smoothie combination.
FAQs
Are smoothies high in carbs?
Depending on the ingredients you use, they can be. For fruit, it’s best to stick with berries which are lower in sugar than bananas and mangos. Be mindful of added sugars in the base liquids. A low carb smoothie should include protein, water or milk (dairy or non-dairy), and substitute sweetener. Any additional ingredients are for variety but should be low calorie and low carb.
What should I put in my smoothie to lose weight?
Adding protein supplements and certain ingredients (like flavor extractsTorani sugar-free syrups, MCT oil, cinnamon, etc.) can keep carbs low and fat-burning possibilities high. Low calorie, high-protein smoothies are great ways to cut calorie consumption, aiding in weight loss.