Maca Smoothie: The Liquid Love

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.

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.

1. 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.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Position the lid and blend on high speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. You can adjust the amount of liquid to suit your preference.
4. Pour into a glass and serve right away.

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite smoothies with maca

• The Frozen Monkey
• Superfood Smoothie
• Strawberry Shortcake