How to Prepare Beets for Smoothies ?

Lose Weight, Smoothies / By

Beets are one of those foods that has everybody on different sides of the table. There are those who don’t like them at all, like me, who don’t really have an opinion, but for the lovers of beets, how they are prepared and served can be a hotly defended preference.

So how to prepare beets for smoothies ?

Some prefer them roasted, some like them pickled, some even prefer the leaves to the root. One thing few people have an opinion on yet, is beet smoothies.

Interestingly enough, I am now amongst those who argue about how to prepare beets, because of the smoothie version. But being such a tough vegetable.

First off, let me just defend my stance.

Beets are amazing for smoothies for a couple of reasons, most noticeably, the wonderful colour. Should you be getting tired of the same bland green or off brown colour of your smoothies, just a small amount of beet can give it the most delicious, deep red colour.

They are also great for adding a very natural sweetness to your drinks, although it does come with that signature earthiness. The earthy tones can be muted and masked however, but I actually kind of like it as it tastes healthy.

It has to be noted that these strong beet flavours has a tendency to overpower more subtle flavours, so beware of how much you use.

Another great thing about using beets in smoothies is that it is insanely high in fibre, which means it is a great natural way to thicken up your smoothies.

It can for the same reasons also make a smoothie too thick, so take care to not add too much to one of your favourite existing recipes that may already be quite thick.

Finally, tying in with the fibre content, beet has some amazing micronutrients that can give an already healthy smoothie that little extra something.

It has lots of antioxidants to help rid your body of pesky free radicals, has Vitamin C, Betanin as antioxidants and anti-inflamitories, and Folate to support brain and nervous system health.

So now that you know why using beets in your smoothies is an awesome idea, let’s look at the how of this tough little vegetable.

First off, if you have a really, REALLY strong blender – we are talking Vitamix levels here – then your beets can be blended raw, maybe after a bit of prep chopping. For the majority of blenders out there, a bit of cooking prep is in order.

First, start by cutting off the tops and scrubbing them with a brush. They are a root vegetable and there is bound to be some dirt and manure, amongst other things, on it. This step is then also a recommendation for when you will be using them raw.

Second, cut your beets up into 1 to 2 inch squares. Now at this point you can either choose to

  • Bake them in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes
  • Steam them for about 15 minutes until they are soft enough for a knife to jus barely get stuck and lift it
  • Grill them over medium heat, once again until just before it slides off of a knife stuck into it. This will impart a bit of a smoky/earthy flavour mixture.

Now that you know how to prepare your beets for the smoothie making process, here are some awesome recipes for a variety of beet based smoothies for you to go and try out:

Zingy-Earthy Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 2 cups spinach
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 ripe pear
  • 1 banana
  • 1/4 cup roasted beets
  • 2 tbsp nut butter

Instructions

  1. Blend spinach and coconut milk together
  2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth

Berry And Beet Smoothies

Ingredients

  • 1 medium steamed beet
  • 1 medium Raspberries
  • 1 Banana, ripe
  • 3/4 cup of ice

Instructions

  1. Simply blend together all the ingredients to the desired consistency

Beet and Date Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 small baked beetroot
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 and a half frozen pears
  • 3 soaked dates (soak dates in overnight)
  • 1 scoop raw meal powder
  • 2 soaked prunes (soak prunes in filtered water overnight)
  • 1 cup fat free milk

Instructions

  1. Blend the chopped beets with the milk for 1 minute.
  2. Slowly add the rest of the ingredients one at a time and process until smooth.

Root Veg Fruity Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 small red beet, grilled or raw
  • 1 large apple
  • 1 tbsp of nut butter
  • 1 cup carrot juice
  • Ginger

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop beet and apple.
  2. Add all ingredients in a blender, and mix until you have reached your desired consistency.

Quick Tangy Beet Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 small beet, steamed
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup strawberries
  • 1 cup lime juice
  • 8 ounces almond milk

Instructions

  1. Blend the blueberries and lime juice together first.
  2. Slowly add the beet, strawberries and almond milk.
  3. Add ice to adjust consistency to preference.

Spicy Healthy Beet Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Handful of chard
  • 1/4 cup beet, peeled and steamed
  • 2 small apples, quartered
  • 1 medium sized pear, cored
  • 1 orange, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cm piece of ginger
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 to 2 cups ice

Instructions

  1. Blend ice, chard and ginger together.
  2. Add apples and pears.
  3. Add other ingredients and blend until you have reached your desired consistency.

Beet Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 frozen peach slices
  • 1 cup cubed beets, boiled or raw
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

Instructions

  1. Layer ingredients in blender in the order listed. Pulse together until combined, adding more milk if necessary. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.