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Here’s how to make a beautiful, creamy, protein-packed Greek yogurt smoothie. You can follow the recipe below for a super-tangy version with raspberry and Meyer lemon or the suggestions for creating your own, sweeter adaptation.
Why we love this recipe
Greek yogurt makes a fantastic smoothie base. It’s creamy, tangy, and full of protein, and it goes well with a wide variety of fruits and even veggies. Plus, you can control the fat and sugar content to suit your needs.
You’ve got two great options for using this post:
- Make the raspberry and Meyer lemon smoothie as-is — it’s one of my favorites and is on the tangiest end of the spectrum
- Use the information in the post and recipe card to create your own best-in-class smoothie
You can’t go wrong either way.
I first published this recipe here in 2018 and have since updated the post for clarity. The recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Greek yogurt is a thick, creamy, strained yogurt style. It comes in a variety of flavors, including plain. In the raspberry Meyer lemon smoothie recipe, I’ve called for raspberry yogurt, which adds more raspberry flavor and also some sweetness (since the rest of the ingredients are very tangy). If you’re working with plain yogurt, you can add a spoonful of raspberry jam. You can also choose your fat content, from skim to whole milk. This smoothie will work regardless of your choice — just know that in addition to providing creaminess, fat carries the flavor of other ingredients. If you like, you can substitute Icelandic skyr.
- Meyer lemon is a beautifully floral, less-sour hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange. They tend to be quite juicy and well-behaved, so the 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice called for in this recipe should come from one fruit. You can use the measurement approximately.
- Raspberries pair particularly well with Meyer lemon. Frozen fruit is picked at the peak of ripeness and also adds the perfect amount of icy chill and thickness to smoothies without diluting them.
- Flax seed (also called linseed) has a mild, nutty flavor and packs tons of protein, fiber, and good fats. I like to buy it ground and store it in the freezer along with my other superfoods and frozen fruits. I’ve added it to this recipe for a little extra bump of nutritional value, but it’s optional.
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 Greek yogurt 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 Greek yogurt to the blender.
- 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.
How to create your own Greek yogurt smoothie
Making a great smoothie with Greek yogurt as the base is easy and flexible if you follow a few basic principles.
- For convenience, I’ve calibrated these recipes to use one single-serving container of most brands of Greek yogurt and skyr, which is 5.3 ounces / 150 grams / a generous 1/2 cup.
- Add one cup (about 140 grams) frozen fruit. All types of berries, peaches, sweet cherries, mango, pineapple, and pumpkin puree frozen in ice cube trays all work well.
- Frozen banana is a miracle ingredient in smoothies, but so is Greek yogurt — so banana is purely optional here. Think of it in its own category, rather than as a frozen fruit.
- Add at least 1/4 cup of liquid if using a high-speed blender, and at least 1/2 cup if using a regular blender. Fresh-squeezed and even bottled juices, cold water, milk, brewed coffee or tea, and coconut water are good places to start. You may want to add more liquid depending on your texture preferences.
- Consider sweeteners. You can start with a fruit-flavored yogurt rather than plain, add a spoonful of a jam that complements the flavors of your smoothie, use honey, maple syrup, or agave, include a pitted Medjool date, or lean into yogurt’s tanginess.
- A little bit of ground spice can really elevate a smoothie. Cinnamon tastes great in fruit smoothies and helps regulate blood sugar. Vanilla, nutmeg, and cardamom are also easy to love.
- You can easily add a cup of baby spinach to a Greek yogurt smoothie without affecting the taste too much. Do be sure to consider color. Lighter-colored fruits such as peaches, nectarines, mango, and pineapple do well both flavor-wise and visually in a green smoothie.
- Consider adding one or two tasty “superfoods” like raw cacao and maca
Suggested flavor combinations
- Strawberries + orange juice + vanilla (banana optional)
- Pumpkin puree + water + maple syrup + cinnamon + nutmeg (banana optional)
- Peach + apple juice + spinach
- Mango + pineapple + pineapple juice + spinach
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 using a regular blender, you’ll just need to add a bit more liquid.
Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make your Greek yogurt 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.
More favorite ways to use yogurt
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Greek Yogurt Smoothie with Raspberry and Meyer Lemon
Ingredients
- 5 ounces (150 grams) raspberry Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (140 grams) frozen raspberries
- ¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed, optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the jar of a blender.
- Blend on high speed until perfectly smooth.
- Pour into a glass and serve right away.
Notes
- Greek yogurt is a thick, creamy, strained yogurt style. It comes in a variety of flavors, including plain. In the raspberry Meyer lemon smoothie recipe, I've called for raspberry yogurt, which adds more raspberry flavor and also some sweetness (since the rest of the ingredients are very tangy). If you're working with plain yogurt, you can add a spoonful of raspberry jam. You can also choose your fat content, from skim to whole milk. This smoothie will work regardless of your choice — just know that in addition to providing creaminess, fat carries the flavor of other ingredients. If you like, you can substitute Icelandic skyr.
- Meyer lemon is a beautifully floral, less-sour hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange. They tend to be quite juicy and well-behaved, so the 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice called for in this recipe should come from one fruit. You can use the measurement approximately.
- Flax seed (also called linseed) has a mild, nutty flavor and packs tons of protein, fiber, and good fats. I like to buy it ground and store it in the freezer along with my other superfoods and frozen fruits. I've added it to this recipe for a little extra bump of nutritional value, but it's optional.
- If you're using a regular blender, you will need to add at least 1/4 cup more liquid. I recommend cold water.
- Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make yours 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 recommended flavor combinations for Greek yogurt smoothies
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
