Healthy Almond Vanilla Spiced Christmas Smoothie Recipe

Emma Lisa
Nov 20, 2022
11 min read

Updated: Oct 20

Ready for a real simple holiday treat? There are only a few weeks left until Christmas, and before the holiday season kicks off is the perfect time to add in healthier meals to your weekly menu. So, today I am sharing one of my favourite holiday smoothie recipes that'll get you in the Christmas spirit and your body loving the nourishment. Grab your blender and favourite serving jar, let's make it together!

🏠︎ JUMP TO RECIPE ↓ HOLIDAY RECIPES » SMOOTHIE RECIPES »

HOLDIAY RECIPES: Healthy Almond Vanilla Spiced Christmas Smoothie Recipe by Eat Nourish Glow

Smoothie are a quick and easy meal to prepare as the days get super hectic in the lead up to Christmas. There'll be no skipping breakfast only to binge later in the day on all the delightful holiday fare if you nourish first thing. Blending the goodness is also an excellent way to provide your body all the nutrients you need to combat stress, as well as keep your appetite in check. I love sharing my holiday themed smoothie recipes with clients at this time of year to also help them rebalance after any overindulgences.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

quick & easy: blend, pour and done; perfect high protein breakfast, lunch or dinner
hormone + gut support: easily add probiotics, adaptogens, or superfoods for extra wellness benefits
healthy seasonal recipe: made with wholefood, clean eating ingredients that taste like dessert
suits all diets: make it dairy-free, low sugar, plant-based, or customise to your dietary needs

With the festive season fast approaching, it’s easy to skip breakfast only then binge later in the day. This holiday-themed smoothie gives you a nourishing boost first thing, helping you stay fully energised and balanced through the increasingly busier days ahead. Loaded with wholefood ingredients like almonds, cinnamon, vanilla and lean protein, this creamy and delicious smoothie recipe supports gut health, steady blood sugar, and will keep your cravings in check all through the holidays.

What Makes A Healthy Smoothie?

A well-balanced smoothie isn’t just fruit + liquid. Healthy smoothie recipes are a mini-meal in and of themselves, and provide a balance of lean protein, fibre and healthy fats. I shared a big tutorial on smoothie making in this post, Smoothie Hacks To Make Your Morning Breakfast Quick & Easy where I go step by step teaching how make healthy smoothies, but ideally a healthy smoothie should include the following:

a liquid base: filtered water, coconut water, dairy or plant-based milk
frozen fruit or vegetables: for texture and nutrients
leafy greens or veggies: kale, spinach, carrot/beet tops
protein: grass-fed whey or vegan powder, Greek yoghurt, protein-rich seeds
healthy fats: avocado, nuts, nut butter, seeds
spices or flavourings: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all-spice, vanilla
super-foods / fibre boost (optional): acai, macro root, spirulina, chia seeds, psyllium, flax

When you blend all of the above ingredients, you’re not just making something delicious, you’re supporting your body with essential fibre, vitamins, protein and healthy fats. Blending all this smoothie goodness retains the fibre (unlike juicing) and can mean better fullness, improved gut health and more improved nutrient uptake.

What Should You Add To Smoothies?

As a Recipe Creator, I say the sky is the limit as to what you can include in healthy smoothie recipes. You can honestly add just about anything to your smoothie recipes to create some of the most delicious and Instagram worthy shakes and bowls. Typically, as explained above, a smoothie will contain a few fruits and a vegetable or two. Many health conscious people also add in extra dietary fibre, protein powder, and healthy fats to create a well-balanced meal out of smoothies. You can do this too by preparing smoothies and simply rotating wholefood ingredients (see below) to make round up of healthy, homemade smoothie-based meals. It's a fantastic and densely nutritious way to enjoy a variety of flavour and nutrients.

Smoothie Ingredient Ideas

To get you started, here's a few easy ingredient ideas to help you start building your own smoothie recipes especially if you are a beginner. If you'd like a more in-depth tutorial, read this post How To Make The Perfect Smoothie Every Time that I wrote, which will help you to make the best smoothies every time. In the meantime, start with some or all of these clean ingredients:

high fibre, low carb fruits such as banana, berries, citrus, kiwi, mango, and pineapple
vegetables of all types either raw like broccoli or steamed like sweet potato and cauliflower
leafy greens such as beet and carrot tops, leaf lettuce, kale, spinach, or watercress
protein powder from organic, whey-based or plant-based sources (brown rice/pea or soy)
extra protein from food sources like chia seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, silken tofu
healthy fats from avocado, coconut oil, nut like almonds, cashews and pecans, or flaxseeds
superfood powders and ingredients to boost the nutrient profile or supplement your diet
plant extracts and edible-grade oils provide many benefits and wonderful flavourings

Blending wholefood ingredients together into homemade smoothies retains all the raw dietary fibre found in plant-based foods. If consumed immediately, you also get the most antioxidants out the berries and fruit used. For this reason smoothies are a quick and easy way to nourish on wholefoods and get more fresh fruit and veggies in your belly.

📖 Want to go eat higher protein, healthy and more clean? You’ll find plenty more nourishing recipes just like it inside my latest Clean Eating Cookbook which comes with a suggested meal plan, easy, delicious, and blood-sugar–friendly meals to support weight loss, PCOS, and diabetes naturally. Grab your copy here.

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Key Ingredients Used

Healthy Smoothie Making

This creamy, plant-based smoothie recipe is one of my holiday favourites and for good reason. The ingredients used provide a hearty protein boost to balance blood sugar levels (great for diabetics like myself) with all the flavour of a creamy vanilla dessert. The easy to make recipe promises the right nutrition to keep you powering through your day with reduced food cravings, and quite possibly, the ability to resist over doing it on all the festive fare. Have this for breakfast and you can say goodbye to afternoon food cravings and brain fog!

Healthy Smoothie Recipe Ingredients

almonds: not only add a nutty flavour to smoothies, but they are also a wholefood source of healthy fats, fibre, clean protein, magnesium and vitamin E
cinnamon: is rich in antioxidants and contains beneficial compounds that help support blood sugar control (this a popular spice is a staple in my diabetic-friendly kitchen)
protein (powder): an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage and skin. You can only get this macro-nutrient in the foods you eat every day. Adding a little protein powder to smoothies makes a well-balanced meal and reduces spikes in blood sugar levels.

When you combine all these smoothie ingredients together, you end up with a deliciously good smoothie recipe that not only tastes good, but has many health benefits. It's the perfect holiday meal substitute for those crazy busy days when you know you'll have only a few minutes to grab a bite to eat.

Food Sensitivities

Wait, what if I am allergic to nuts? A quick caution, if you have a sensitivity or are allergic to nuts, you will need to adjust this smoothie recipe and remove the almonds and swap out the almond milk. Instead, try the same smoothie recipe with coconut, cow or goat's milk, and oat or soy as healthy plant-based and vegan alternatives. If you want that nutty flavour without the risk, try flax seed, sunflower seed, tahini butter instead of the almonds used. Peanut nut butter is also a tasty option if you are able to tolerate peanuts.

How To Make Healthy Smoothies

Easy Step-By-Step Guide

How To Make Smoothies For The Holidays — SMOOTHIE MAKING: How To Make Healthy Smoothies In Minutes | Smeg Blenders

I swear once you try a few smoothie recipes, you'll be hooked on experimenting to make them on repeat, especially around the holidays. They are that quick and easy. All you need to do is grab your blender and round up the ingredients. To make, simply add the liquid first to a high-powered blender like a Ninja , Smeg or a handy Portable Blender for on the go. Top with the remaining ingredients, blend and serve. As easy and delicious as that!

Wash & Prep The Produce

Start with fully ripe fruit and vegetables, and wherever possible, use organic. I only suggest this because in case the recipe uses one of the dirty dozen or keeps the skin on. This is where all the highly nutritious extra fibre in many fruits and veggies is hiding. If you can't afford organic, or prefer supermarket veggies to stay on top of your family's grocery budget, give the produce a good rinse in warm water before using.

Add Liquid First

Always add the liquid to your blender to save the blades. Top with the harder, more tough ingredients like apples, carrots or ice, so as the blender blades have the chance to start to spin with some kind of lubrication. This practise will help the blades grasp the other ingredients better and create a creamier smoothie consistency.

Add Ice For Creaminess

If you love that ice cream consistency like a Maccas soft-serve, then you'll want to add ice to the recipe. In fact, you can add a handful of ice to almost any smoothie recipe to get that scoopable ice cream-like texture in minutes. Using frozen fruit, especially banana, is also another way to create a super creamy smoothie.

Pour & Serve

Once blended, pour or spoon the smoothie mixture into a glass, dessert bowl or fun ice cream sundae glass. You can drink through a straw if it's more drinkable, or consume like a dessert with healthy toppings as a smoothie bowl.

Superfood Smoothie Ingredients

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Almond Vanilla Christmas Smoothie

Healthy Holiday Recipe

SMOOTHIE RECIPE: Almond Vanilla Spiced Christmas Smoothie | Eat Nourish Glow

This creamy and delicious holiday Almond Vanilla Spiced Christmas Smoothie will become a fast favourite. You can choose to make it either using a good quality whey or plant-based protein for that all-day energy. I enjoy mine with a heaping handful of ice to make a thicker, soft-serve ice cream-like smoothie, but it is also just as yummy served without in a festive mason jar with a cinnamon stick straw.

Ingredients

250ml almond milk, unsweetened
1 small banana, frozen
1 scoop (30g) whey or plant-based protein powder (vanilla recommended)
3 tbsp raw almonds, skin on, organic
2 tbsp psyllium husk, ground
1 tsp maca root, powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/2 all spice, ground
1/2 cup crushed ice (optional, gives a thick texture)

Cooking Instructions

Add the liquid first, then all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and process on high until all the ingredients are well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Spoon or pour into a serving bowl and top with your favourite crunchy and fruit toppings. Omit if you prefer a more drinkable smoothie, and pour the mixture in a mason jar glass; serve with a raw stick of cinnamon (as pictured) to be a little fancy, because why not!

Nutrition & Serving

Batch Cook & Meal Prep

Yes, you can meal prep and batch cook smoothies! Many of the ingredients used in smoothies can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the freezer until you are ready to blend. During the holidays, I cannot stress how valuable it is to spend a little time on healthy meal prep to create fast, easy garb-and-go meals for you and the family. I love preparing pre-portioned zip-lock sandwich bags with my favourite smoothie recipes ready to go. I store them in my freezer door for those crazy morning when I am hustling our five kids out the door. Absolute life-saver!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I replace a meal with a smoothie?

Yes, but best if it is properly balanced. A good meal-replacement smoothie should include clean, lean protein from protein powder, seeds, nut butter, a small portion of healthy fats such as avocado, chia, or flax, and plenty of dietary fibre (think berries, leafy greens, chia seeds or rolled oats). These provide plenty of micronutrients and a well rounded meal replacement when needed. If you want a smoothie meal plan to get started, come try my detox smoothie cookbook where you feast on two smoothies per day and clean eating dinner for a gentle detox.

Do I need a high-speed blender?

Not necessarily, but it sure helps. A high-speed blender like this one I love by Smeg or a robust Ninja Blaster Portable Blender will make smoothies extra creamy and prep time less than a minute to blend. However, a regular food processor can also work fine, just blend longer and use smaller chunks of frozen fruit. If you are new to smoothies, I'd work on creating a little recipe collection you'll find in my detox smoothie cookbook fist, then decide what type of blender will suit your needs morning forward. You might like to check out this article I shared called, How To Make The Perfect Smoothie Every Time

to help you get started.

What’s the best liquid to use for a plant-based smoothie?

Depending on your dietary preferences, try an unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, coconut water, or soy milk if you are plant-based or vegan. Stick with the unsweetened varieties to avoid extra sugar and choose brands that have minimal ingredients. There is nothing wrong with just plain water either, don't be shy to experiment to find what works best for you.

Can kids have plant-based smoothies?

Most definitely, kids can enjoy nutritious smoothies too! Plant-based smoothies are a fabulous way to sneak in extra fruits and veggies for those fussy eaters in your household. Just skip protein powders with artificial ingredients for young children, they aren't necessary or recommended for children under 12 years old. Focus on high fibre fruits and veggies, a little natural sweetness from dates or berries, and a little healthy fats from avocado. Always provide kids with a glass a of water after enjoying their smoothie to help with digestion and assimilating the extra dietary fibre.

Are smoothies good for weight loss?

Most definitely, you just need to bare in mind a few things. Smoothies are nutrient-dense and when the macros are well-balanced with protein, fibre, and healthy fats, they can help control cravings, boost energy and boost the metabolism and help with fat burn. Start with a clean protein powder that is at least 30g of protein per serving. Add 1-2 low carb, high fibre fruits to this and a low calorie milk such as unsweetened almond to balanced out the nutrition. Combined with nut and seeds for add healthy fats, smoothies can help support your weight loss goals.

Nutritionist Note

I'd love to know if you make this smoothie recipe, and what variations you come up with experimenting in your kitchen. Tell me in the comments, hit the chat button to send me an update or come join our Facebook Community and share your photos.

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes

If you liked this healthy holiday smoothie recipe, bookmark this site to check out all of my quick and easy to meal prep smoothie recipes made with body-nourishing, clean eating ingredients. Here's some of my other popular recipes posts you might like to try this week.