The Best Pregnancy Smoothie
Pregnancy smoothies are a yummy, nutrient-dense, and easy way to squeeze more fruits, veggies and healthy fats into your day. We’ll share 10 easy pregnancy smoothie flavors to keep you nourished and hydrated throughout your pregnancy.
Medically reviewed and co-written by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).
Pregnancy Smoothies
Staying nourished and hydrated during pregnancy can be tough sometimes, due to nausea, fatigue or food aversions. That’s why we LOVE pregnancy smoothies. Many expecting moms find it easier to sip on smoothies instead of eating bigger meals, especially during the first trimester.
Drinking smoothies throughout the first trimester and beyond can be a quick and simple way to help get your recommended intake of nutrients for the day. Pregnancy smoothies can be an easy addition to part of your breakfast, lunch, or dinner when you don’t feel like you have the time or energy to cook a large meal.
The base of our pregnancy smoothie includes exactly what you need to stay hydrated, energized, and fight off fatigue, nausea and heartburn. It’s got nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, healthy fats and satisfying protein all blended up into one smooth, yummy drink to support you and your baby’s health.
If you are looking for more easy and healthy recipes to support you while breastfeeding, then check out my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies, my favorite Lactation Brownies, or this entire guide on the Best Foods to Eat While Breastfeeding. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.
Reasons to Love these Pregnancy Smoothies
- Great source of vitamins and minerals
- Energy boosting
- Helps to satisfy hunger without exacerbating nausea
- Quick to make for part of your breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack
- Customizable – swap out different fruits or veggies based on your preferences or what you have in your kitchen
- Make it dairy free as needed, by replacing it with almond, coconut, oat, or soy milk
- Ingredients can be prepped and frozen ahead of time
- Easy to sip on the go
Ingredients of Base Pregnancy Smoothie
- Spinach: fresh works best – rich in fiber and many nutrients, including Vitamin A, C, K, iron, folate and potassium
- Blueberries: fresh works best – provides vitamin C, fiber, potassium, folate and antioxidants
- Banana: makes this smoothie wonderfully creamy and provides fiber, vitamins and potassium, use frozen if you can, but fresh will also work
- Avocado: high in healthy fats and fiber, avocados make this smoothie creamy and filling. Fresh or frozen work in this recipe.
- Milk: you can make this smoothie using any milk you prefer – regular or any plant-based milk such as almond, coconut, oat or soy
- Honey: adding a sweetener is optional, but adding honey is a great way to sweeten smoothies naturally, you can also use maple syrup or agave nectar
- Hemp Seeds: contain plenty of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids
- Flax Seeds: rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds support digestion. I like using ground flax seeds in my smoothie, but whole flax seeds work as well. You can also sub out the flax seeds for chia seeds if you prefer.
Tip: If your smoothie turns out too thin, then add in some ice. If your smoothie is too thick, add more milk.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender, and blend on high until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Taste and adjust ingredients as needed, adding milk or water to thin.
Tools Needed
Nutritional Benefits of Pregnancy Smoothie
Smoothies can be packed with tons of nutrients important for mama and her growing baby but it’s usually best to make them yourself rather than going to a smoothie bar where they are oversized and packed with too much sugar. Here are a few reasons to sip on your smoothie:
- Folate for baby’s brain development and prevention of neural tube defects and growth of the placenta
- Calcium for baby’s bone development
- Fiber to help keep mom’s digestive system regular and prevent constipation and hemorrhoids
- Iron to help deliver oxygen to your baby
- Protein to help support the growth and development of your baby
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids for brain development
- Potassium helps maintain fluid balance in cells
- Choline for baby’s brain development and preventing neural tube defects
- Vitamin A helps form healthy skin and eyesight and bone development
- Vitamin C to help support mom’s immune system
Frequently Asked Questions
Pregnant women require a variety of foods from each food group daily (grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy). Pregnancy smoothies can be a quick and easy way to get several food groups and important nutrients into an easy-to-sip snack or meal. In addition, smoothies are easy to digest, satisfy hunger, and provide variety in your diet. Just be sure they aren’t packed with too much sugar. A good way to avoid this is to make them yourself rather than going to a smoothie bar.
Ideally, a good pregnancy smoothie will include high fiber carbohydrates (i.e. avocados, berries) with protein (i.e. milk, yogurt) and healthy fats (i.e. flax seeds, hemp seeds) to keep you feeling satisfied longer and avoid blood sugar crashes. Fortunately, there are endless ways to mix up a delicious smoothie, so if one particular recipe isn’t your favorite, feel free to adjust as needed!
Smoothies are a great way to get nutrient-rich foods into your routine when you don’t feel like cooking or eating bigger meals – which is a common complaint during the first trimester when many women feel their most nauseated or fatigued.
Additional Smoothie Recipes
Never get bored with these 9 additional pregnancy smoothies ideas! Using the base pregnancy smoothie recipe below, you can easily create other smoothie flavors with just a few easy ingredient substitutions.
- Kale Yay: substitute the spinach for 1 cup, loosely packed, fresh or frozen kale
- Mango-licious: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen mango chunks
- Strawberry Blast: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen strawberries
- Tropical Oasis: substitute the blueberries with 1/2 cup frozen pineapple and 1/2 cup frozen mango (shown above)
- Peachy-keen: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen peaches
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: substitute the blueberries with 1 frozen banana (there will be 2 bananas total) and add in 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp peanut butter (shown above)
- Mix-it-Up Berry: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
- Probiotic Power House: substitute in milk with 1/2 cup of kefir or yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk
- Oatmeal Smoothie: add in 2 tablespoons of instant or old-fashioned oats into any smoothie above as well as 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup (instead of the honey)
Recipe Tips
- Use a good quality, high-powered blender for the best smoothie consistency
- Prep ahead for the week by combining all ingredients except for milk in reusable freezer bags
- Using frozen fruit is helpful to get your smoothie to a creamy consistency – but if you need to use fresh fruit, simply toss in a handful of ice cubes to make your smoothie thick and chilled
- Sip your smoothie slowly throughout the day instead of trying to drink it all in one setting if you are feeling nauseated
- Adding a little bit of ginger can help with nausea, while providing antioxidants
- For more protein, you can add in 1 scoop of your preferred protein powder, or add in 1 tablespoon of your favorite nut butter.
Get the recipe: The Best Pregnancy Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach, loosely packed
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 ripe banana, frozen works best
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 1 cup milk, regular or any plant-based milk
- 2-3 tbsp honey, agave nectar or maple syrup (optional)
- 2 tsp hemp seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground flax seeds
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into the blender, starting with the milk.
- Starting on low and working your way to high – blend smoothie for 1-2 minutes or until creamy and smooth.
- Pour into glass and enjoy!
Notes
- Kale Yay: substitute the spinach for 1 cup, loosely packed, fresh or frozen kale
- Mango-licious: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen mango chunks
- Strawberry Blast: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen strawberries
- Tropical Oasis: substitute the blueberries with 1/2 cup frozen pineapple and 1/2 cup frozen mango (shown above)
- Peachy-keen: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen peaches
- Chocolate Peanut Butter: substitute the blueberries with 1 frozen banana (there will be 2 bananas total) and add in 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tbsp peanut butter (shown above)
- Mix-it-Up Berry: substitute the blueberries with 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
- Probiotic Power House: substitute in milk with 1/2 cup of kefir or yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk
- Oatmeal Smoothie: add in 2 tablespoons of instant or old-fashioned oats into any smoothie above as well as 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup (instead of the honey)
Equipment
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