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This delicious, nutritious liquid love maca smoothie is packed with superfoods to give you stamina of all kinds. It’s a great way to start Valentine’s day or any day.
Why we love this recipe
I first published this maca smoothie recipe here back in 2012, when we were living in London. Here’s what I wrote then. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and slightly tweaked the recipe — but just gonna leave the commentary as-is. I stand by it.
Ahem. It’s probably best that I not say too much about this smoothie recipe, and that you just go ahead and purchase the ingredients, blend it up, and get on with things. If you catch my drift.
I will say this: if you are at all on the fence about the powers and pleasures of a healthy diet, this smoothie will put you over the edge. I will also say, as they do here in England, that this smoothie is “good fun” for any day, and it’s especially apropos on Valentine’s Day. And I will say that this smoothie is delicious, but that the taste is almost beside the point. Am I making myself clear? Are you making yourself a shopping list?
Share this smoothie with your Valentine in the morning, let your mind wander during the afternoon, and then go forth and enjoy your evening. You can thank me tomorrow.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Frozen banana helps give this smoothie its dreamy consistency. Whenever you have bananas that get too ripe, peel them and pop them into a zip-top freezer bag. They keep well in the freezer for at least a year and slice easily even when frozen.
- You can use any type of nondairy milk that you like to make this maca smoothie. Here I’ve used my homemade cashew milk to keep it creamy, healthful, and vegan. Soy milk and oat milk also make excellent smoothies, but you can use your favorite.
- Cacao nibs are crushed pieces of cacao beans. They contribute a chocolate flavor (though no sweetness) and some micronutrient goodness to this smoothie. You can swap in raw cacao powder if you prefer
- Maca is a Peruvian root vegetable long consumed for its micronutrient profile and purported stamina- and verility-boosting power. These days it’s sold in powdered form in the U.S. as a superfood. It has a nice caramel-like flavor that I’ve come to crave a bit over the years.
- Pitted Medjool dates are a great whole-food source of sweetness for smoothies. You can toss one into a high-speed blender whole, or chop it and blend with the milk before adding the rest of the ingredients to a regular blender.
Smoothie resources
- Want to level up your smoothie game? Here’s my epic post with everything you need to know get started and to take your smoothies to the next level.
- Prefer to have a little help? I recommend SmoothieBox. Read my review or buy now with discount code UMAMIGIRL for $35 off your first box.
- And here are my recommended products: Vitamix 5200, cacao nibs, ground flax seed, chia seed, and maca powder.
A note on nutrition
I’ve noticed over the years that people searching for smoothie recipes tend to have strong feelings about nutrition, and sometimes to assume that their personal preferences are more universal than they are.
The smoothies on Umami Girl are delicious, generally pretty good for ya, and always presented with nutritional data. They’re also very flexible — so if your nutritional needs are different, feel free to tweak the recipes. Some easy changes include:
- Swapping in different liquids
- Adding your favorite protein powder
- Removing higher-sugar ingredients like dates or jam
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a great liquid love maca smoothie. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Add the blueberries and bananas to the blender. If using a Vitamix or other high-speed blender, you don’t even need to slice the bananas.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Position the lid and blend on high speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. You can adjust the amount of liquid to suit your preference.
- Pour into a glass and serve right away.
Expert tips and FAQs
A high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec makes so many kitchen tasks easier and better, but you absolutely don’t need one to make a basic smoothie like this one. If you’re using a regular blender, just be sure to follow the special instructions in the recipe card regarding the date, and slice the banana before blending.
Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make the Liquid Love in advance, you’ve got a couple of options. Store it in a regular cup in the freezer for up to an hour or in an insulated, lidded cup in the fridge overnight.
More favorite smoothies with maca
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Liquid Love Maca Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 grams) frozen blueberries
- 1 medium frozen banana, 100 grams, sliced
- 1 Medjool date, pitted
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) raw cacao nibs or powder
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) maca powder
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the jar of a blender. (If using a regular blender and including dates, see note 1 below.)
- Blend on high speed until perfectly smooth.
- Pour into a glass and serve right away.
Notes
- Pitted Medjool dates are a great whole-food source of sweetness for smoothies. You can toss one into a high-speed blender whole, or finely chop it and blend with the milk before adding the rest of the ingredients to a regular blender.
- You can use any type of nondairy milk that you like to make this smoothie. Here I've used my homemade cashew milk to keep it creamy, healthful, and vegan. Soy milk and oat milk also make excellent smoothies, but you can use your favorite.
- Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make the Liquid Love in advance, you've got a couple of options. Store it in a regular cup in the freezer for up to an hour or in an insulated, lidded cup in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
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Dee, I’m not sure why you say that, but two teaspoons for two servings is a perfectly acceptable amount of maca powder.
That sure seems like a lot, of maca powder..
That sure is a lot, of maca…
Wow! I am intrigued. The ingredient list looks innocent enough. I wonder what has such magical powers, or maybe it lies in the combination…
I am blushing, and thirsty. And blushing.
And also blushing.
Ha! Every sentence well played – love it!
Interesting to incorporate cacao powder with blueberries. I assume the taste will be rich and balanced!
Sounds great!!!
Oh my, i love how this smoothie looks! Your ‘description’ is great…”just try, trust me and thank me later!” Too funny! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe, can’t wait to try it!