If you’ve never tried beets in a smoothie, this vibrant Beet and Carrot Smoothie is a great first recipe to try.
Detoxifying Beet and Carrot Smoothie
This New Year, I am trying to incorporate more vegetables into the first meal of the day – breakfast. Vegetables make a rare appearance at breakfast on most tables, unless they are added to omelettes or frittatas. I’ve made omelettes chock full of vegetables and served sauteed kale on top of whole grain toast for breakfast, but I have to admit that I am a newbie to vegetables in my smoothies. Smoothies in our house are fruit-based for the most part. I did try making a green smoothie last year for my kids, but it did not go over well. There’s something about drinking something green first thing in the morning.
I’ve been working up the courage to start drinking green smoothies for breakfast. It’s definitely not something I have an appetite for at 6AM in the morning, but by 8AM, I think I could do it. To start off the New Year, as a warm-up to a green smoothie, I made this bright red Beet and Carrot Smoothie. Visually, it looks like a fruit smoothie, but it has all the health benefits of two super food vegetables – carrots and beets. Beets are on my list of super foods this year and I’ve been enjoying them in salads, soups and pasta, but not in a smoothie until now.
Each of the ingredients in this smoothie has unique and powerful antioxidants that help detoxify our bodies and destroy free radicals that wreak havoc on our systems.
- Carrots contain a rich supply of the antioxidant, beta-carotene, as well other antioxidants that help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer (it’s colon cancer protective qualities have been researched the most). According to a report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, boiling and steaming better preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoid, which is found in carrots, zucchini and broccoli.
- Beets have a unique phytonutrient profile different from many other antioxidant-rich vegetables. They are a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties, and help detoxify our bodies.
- Clementines contain antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and limonene (found in clementine rind) which help destroy free radicals that damage genes, proteins and cell membranes. Free radical damage has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer, so consuming antioxidants that destroy free radicals is believed to lower the risk of developing disease.
- Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants (including catechins), about 8-10 times the polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables. Green tea is prepared from unfermented leaves, versus black tea which is fully fermented. The more the leaves are fermented, the lower the polyphenol content, so green tea has a higher polyphenol content than black tea. Clinical studies indicate that the antioxidant properties of green tea may help prevent atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease, and protect against cancer.
- Red Grapes contain flavonoid antioxidants like resveratrol, catechins and quercetin. Resveratrol and Quercetina act as anti-inflammatory agents and help improve the flow of insulin in response to digested sugars, helping to protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
- Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols.
As I slurped down this clean, antioxidant rich, detoxifying Beet and Carrot Smoothie, I thought about all those free radicals being shut down.
Funny thing…as I was writing this post, my husband stood over my shoulder and saw the title of this post. “Beet and Carrot Smoothie? Why are you putting vegetables in your smoothies now?” he asked. I pointed out that he actually drank this very smoothie the other day, to which he protested, “I did not!” A few seconds later, a puzzled look came over his face. “I thought it was a Strawberry Smoothie…but it didn’t taste like strawberry…no wonder.” Ha, maybe next time I will add a few strawberries.
More Smoothie Recipes:
Sweet Green Goddess Smoothie
Beginner Green Smoothie
Detox Beet and Carrot Smoothie
Peach Green Tea Smoothie and Green Tea Almond Smoothie
Blueberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie
A Healthy Healing Smoothie
Guava Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Mango Smoothie or Lassi (dairy-free)
Easy Fruit Smoothie
Mango Pineapple Smoothie
Detox Beet and Carrot Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 carrot peeled, sliced
- 1 beet peeled, sliced
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1 clementine peeled
- 1 slice of ginger peeled, about the size of a quarter
- 1/2 cup green tea
Instructions
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Steam carrot and beet until just tender, about 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick your slices are. Let cool.
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Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
This recipe has been added to the #citruslove bloghop.
fabulous. I will try this one this week
i love love making smoothies and adding veggies to them, but i’m having troubles enjoying the green smoothies. It’s something about the color. I’ll have to do some more working on it.
Have a wonderful Monday Jeanette
I know what you mean. I just started and make too much. Have little and twice a day mixed with one fruit. Although I say it is still green but not so dark. Put honey or dates in the mix. Hope it works.
Alison – would love to hear what you think.
Roxana – I know what you mean about the color of green smoothies – this red smoothie was a warm-up to a green smoothie.
I have been looking for unique smoothie recipes and i am glad you postred this one. I will have to try it.
Jeanette it’s so PRETTY! I would drink that. 🙂
Thanks Sommer – it’s our start-up veggie smoothie, working our way up to a green smoothie 😉
It sounds so delicious!
Thanks Kalyn – this is a good beginner veggie smoothie since beets and carrots are sweet and mild tasting.
Thanks Jeanette. The only way I’ll ever achieve Mayo Clinic” 4+ servings of vegetables goal is to open up the morning. Grapes and clementines might make me accept beets too. Printing and saving for tomorrow’s breaky.
Yes, smoothies are a great way to add more fruits and vegetables into the daily diet. That’s one of the reasons I decided to try adding some veggies to my smoothies.
Hey! I also started using more veggies in the morning…. but i make it in my juicer.
I usually put: Carrots, beets, celery, a lemon, an apple, and collards or kale.
The lemon really makes it much better (taste-wise)!
Its a lot of work, but i think it’s worth it in the long run….
(I don’t have a blender, so i make it in my new juicer- omega juicer.)
Good luck to you and thanks for sharing!
I just pulled out my juicer this morning, so will have to try adding lemon – I’ve heard that lemon helps a lot.
ahhh i love this detox juice! i used to drink a green juice for breakfast every day!
Junia – I remember seeing a green juice on your blog – hoping to try juicing next.
I have roasted beets in the freezer – do you think that would be weird in a smoothie?
Not sure if beets freeze well or not, but I think they might be fine – I would just throw them in, they’re nice and sweet.
Beets do freeze well. I buy them all summer long at the farmers market, then towards the end of the season I put them in the freezer. I’m going to try them in this smoothie.
That’s a great tip Cheryl – thanks for sharing. I’ve never tried freezing beets.
I would definitely start my day out with this smoothie. Looks delicious – and healthy!
Jeanette,
It took me awhile before I got up the courange to make a green smoothie but now I love making them. It may take me a little while longer before I try the red smoothie–but I’ll get there…I hope.
Those are such eye candy! I’d drink those for sure!!
I love my green smoothies, but to conceal the green you can add purple kale, a few blueberries or even blackberries.
Very clever, I’ll have to try that – thanks!
Beetroot.. my favourite.. looks delicious. Will definitely try this smoothie…
sounds like it would be tasty and good for you.
I am also doing veggies at breakfast. I have been pre-chopping whatever I have leftover and keeping it in a container. Then in the morning I throw a handful of chopped veg and some tofu in a mug with a tablespoon of miso. I am loving it but thinking when the weather gets warm I will need to move to smoothies!
I totally agree with you about eating healthy after the Holidays! Great recipe to start the new year, and so delicious.Thanks for sharing 🙂
Incorporating more vegetables into breakfast meals is a great idea! I need to do this, too. This smoothie sounds like a great way to kick off the day on the right foot.
That’s a clever way to get your veggies in early in the day! I don’t think I could face a green smoothie for breakfast, but I love beets, and I’d love to try this smoothie. I think red is much more a morning color!
This was definitely a warm-up to a green smoothie. It looks like a berry smoothie doesn’t it? We are so visual aren’t we?
Bookmarked! Have seen a few veggie smoothies today and all entice – or you just present it so prettily – I am hooked!
That is a gorgeous color! It looks more like a fruit smoothie than a veggie smoothie. Very nice!
~ Tiffany
Transfer of Health
Healthy Living and Recipes
I totally agree with you about eating healthy!Lovely detox recipe to start the new year and lovely color too!Thanks for sharing.
I have to admit, I’ve never warmed up to beets but I might have to give them another go now that I know what they can do.
I never used to like beets, but after I had them roasted instead of canned, I changed my mind. Now I eat fresh beets, never canned.
Gorgeous smoothie, and I love your husband’s comment-classics! Green smoothies are a tough sell at my house, although I love them. I have a recipe for a blueberry orange kale smoothie that my son actually liked…I think because it was purple instead of green. I don’t know why, but I’d never thought to add green teat to a smoothie-great idea. Definitely want to try this out!
It was funny to see his expression…kids and adults are so visual. Love that your drank a purple smoothie – I’ll have to try that. Green tea has so many antioxidants so I’ve been trying to get in one cup a day.
What a healthy & refreshingly delish drink! Thanks for the recipe, Jeanette! Glad to share the citrus-love with you.
By steaming the veggies you are ‘killing’ the nutrients and enzymes. It looks good though!
Although cooking may reduce the enzymes in vegetables, cooking some vegetables such as carrots better preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoid. However, you should cook them for as short a time as possible to maximize the amount of betalains. I don’t know much about juicing, but the fiber content of juicing (where the fiber rich part of the fruits and vegetables is left in the juicer) is lower than that if the fruits and vegetables are blended together in a smoothie. Generally, I use raw fruits in smoothies, but beets and carrots are hard vegetables and require some cooking (just until tender) to blend smoothly.
Every time I read a recipe for a beet smoothie, I say I need to try it:-) But I always get nervous of the flavor, even though I love beets. Love the addition of the citrus, I can only imagine that this recipe is fantastic! It looks gorgeous:-) Take care, Terra
This beet smoothie is definitely a beginner veggie smoothie. I served it to my husband and because of its bright color, he thought it was a “strawberry smoothie.” For beginners (me included), I started off with more fruit to make it taste more like a fruit smoothie.
I would drink this juiced in a heartbeat…but I’m weird about veggies in my smoothie still, its the texture I think. I have no prob with fruit smoothies…and even leaf spinach, but if it gets too thick I have a hard time. I would try this though 🙂
I laughed when I read the part of your husband being dumfounded about the smoothie you gave him; my husband is pretty clueless too, lol. I didn’t have grapes, so I used apple instead to make your smoothie. It was definitely a different experience! I think the ginger helped a lot with the flavor.
awesome! i will try this, except i dont have red grapes so i will substitute them with apples and strawberries 🙂 i really need to eat more beets!
do we need to cook the beetroots before blending it ? 🙂
Yes, the beetroot is cooked before blending.
I bought a Vitamix blender for the sole purpose of blending the hard vegetables raw. This is the best way to use beets in a smoothie. Raw is best in order to get all the nutrients. My daughter hates beetroot but only has this in a smoothie. She wants them more often.
Hi, I have a fairly high-powered blender that does really well with raw beets, but I need to lightly steam my carrots, and so far even then haven’t loved them in smoothies (even though I love carrot juice!). I love beet-orange-strawberry smoothies. Today I added a bit of celery. I don’t like adding greens to orange/pink/red smoothies because it messes with the beauty of them, but a handful of spinach added to yellow smoothies is beautiful. Pineapple, mango, peach and such. I usually end up doing 2/3 fruit : 1/3 veggie in my smoothies. Oh, and I usually add yogurt and chia seed and a bit of raw honey to take away the tart edge. I’ll have to try this smoothie recipe of carrots and beets next!
If you have a VItamix, there is no reason to cook the veggies first. I just peel them (or in the case of carrots, just scrape the skin off) chunk them, and into the blender they go. That way you get max vitamins and beneficials! Making sure they are refrigerated, and then freeze the grapes and clementines keeps it nice and cold (add water or chilled brewed green tea to get the right consistency). Another nice variation is to add chunks of frozen pineapple.
Wow – been looking for a vegie/fruit smoothie to take the place of my fav green smoothie while on 6 months of blood thinners – Will definitely have to try this one, and I’ll go all raw vegies since I have a vitamix!
Penny – hope you have a chance to try this – would be great to make a raw one in a vitamix – they can blend just about anything.
Do you think ground ginger would work just as well? I don’t have any fresh ginger in the house. Ive got everything else tho. I have Alopecia Aerata & im trying to find yummy ways to detox my body & see if I can turn off the auto immune response that causes the AA.
Sue, ground ginger should work or you can just leave it out altogether. I am not familiar with AA, but I applaud you for trying to use whole foods to heal your body. Best wishes!
I had to improvise a little but it is just as tasty! I used mandarin oranges instead of clementines and I also used V-8 light instead of the green tea since I didn’t have any, I realize I am not getting the detoxifying qualities of the green tea but the beets, carrots, grapes and mandarin oranges are very good together and still detoxifying. I wish I knew how long this would last in the fridge so I could make it ahead and keep it as a refresher throughout the day, it is very satisfying and filling!
Carole – great substitutions – juices and smoothies are best made fresh, but you could probably make a batch in the morning and drink it throughout the day.
There is a company called Love Beets that sells vaccum packed cooked beets and the only ingredient are beets. They are perfect for smoothies.
Costco sells Love Beets organic versions. I also get organic bolthouse carrot juice and hadley pitless dates.
I mix the three ingredients and it tastes greats and its much filling than a green/fruit smoothie.
I will try apples and matcha tea that I have in the fridge next time.
Ike, thanks for sharing about Love Beets. I’ve seen them in the supermarket – great idea if you don’t want to cook your own beets.