Sweet Dark Cherry Smoothie for Muscle Recovery

This tasty sweet dark cherry smoothie is nutrient-optimized for muscle recovery after a tough workout.

Tip

You might also like this purple smoothie and this raspberry chia smoothie, both great for recovery after a tough workout.

From my best self to yours

Well hello there from my best self. Kidding/not kidding, sorry/not sorry. I’m not sure what occasioned this week’s sudden return to yoga and smoothies and all things super-healthy after a weird, uncharacteristic hiatus, but here I am, and yay for that. Maybe it was the 16 scenic but sedentary hours we spent in the car this past weekend. Doesn’t matter. It’s good to be back.

12 of the best vegan smoothie recipes

Last year we released a little limited-edition ebook full of smoothie recipes for fueling, recovering and celebrating hot yoga. Well. I’ve decided to share all the recipes here over the next few months, for free, just because that’s the kind of thing a best self would do. 

First up, this delicious dark cherry smoothie that’s optimized for muscle recovery. It’s quick and easy and makes you feel great. We’ve also got tons more smoothie and juice recipes in the archives, so don’t be shy.

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Yield: 1

Cherry Smoothie (Chocolate, If You Like)

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Frozen cherries are easy to keep on hand and make a vibrant, nutritious, and flexible cherry smoothie. Make it chocolate if you like. Here's how.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups (280 grams) frozen dark sweet cherries (see note 1)
• ¾ cup (180 ml) milk of choice (see note 2)
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon (10 grams) cacao nibs, optional
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) maca powder, optional

Other optional ingredients

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon cherry or raspberry jam

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into the jar of a blender.
2. Blend on high speed until perfectly smooth.
3. Pour into a glass and serve right away.

Notes

1. You can swap in a cherry-berry blend if you like, without making any other changes. Or replace half the cherries with a frozen banana for a change of pace.
2. You can use any type of dairy or nondairy milk that you like to make this cherry smoothie, including homemade cashew milk. I typically use ½ cup soy milk plus ¼ cup water, since soy milk is nice and creamy but tends to freeze up a bit. Oat milk also makes excellent smoothies.
3. If you're using a regular blender and including cacao nibs, you may end up with little bits of nib throughout your smoothie rather than a perfect blend. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're not into it, you can use cacao powder instead. If including banana, it's also important to slice the banana before blending.
4. Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make your cherry smoothie 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 Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 337Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 7gSugar: 35gProtein: 13g

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