Jump to Recipe

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate citrus season? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that citrus fruit is the best part of winter. There’s nothing quite like biting into a sweet, juicy orange to really brighten up those cold, drab, dreary winter days. Right? Right.

I’ve been thinking about creating a Creamsicle recipe for a long time. I just love the combination of orange and vanilla, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I love those fluorescent orange ice cream treats that you can buy in the store, loaded with garbage, that resemble traffic cones and taste so so good. But I don’t want to eat those all the time, or ever, really, so I figured it was high time to create a similar recipe that an adult could feel good about consuming and good about sharing with their children. And so here we are!

Not that this recipe is Whole30 compliant, because it’s not, but have you ever done a January Whole30 and then bitten into an orange on, say, day 20? It’s almost a heavenly experience. I always used to question why children, when given a single orange in movies set in the 1940’s or before, would absolutely lose their minds over it. Well, one Whole30 and you’ll identify with them entirely, I promise you this.

Personally, I don’t feel a need to add any sweetener at all to these smoothies. I find that the bananas sweeten the smoothies just fine for my own personal tastes, and remember that the riper the bananas, the sweeter they’ll be. So if you’ve got overripe bananas that are staring at you judgingly from their brown heap on the counter, fear not. Peel those suckers, section them, and stick them on a wax paper lined tray in the freezer for a couple of hours. You’ll have the perfect ingredient to make yourself a healthy refreshing snack in no time flat. Genius, am I right?!

But if you DO feel the need to sweeten your smoothies, there are so many good natural options out there. Pure maple sugar or (although not vegan) local honey would be my choices for this smoothie. Pure maple syrup and coconut sugar are other good options, just know that using those may darken the color of your smoothie a bit. And if you aren’t worried about sticking to a paleo diet whatsoever, go ahead and sprinkle some good old fashioned cane sugar into your blender. It’s your smoothie, I won’t tell anyone.

thehungryhungryhiker

Orange Creamsicle Smoothies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup full fat coconut milk from a can
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk from a carton
  • 1 navel orange peeled and sections separated
  • 1 tsp pure orange extract
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 scoops collagen peptides sub your favorite protein powder, or omit
  • 2 bananas cut into sections, frozen
  • natural sweetener of choice, optional see Note

Equipment

  • High speed blender

Method
 

  1. Add all of the ingredients in the order listed with the exception of the sweetener to a high speed blender. Blend for 45-60 seconds until combined completely and smooth (if your blender has a "Smoothie" function, use it). Taste. If you prefer sweeter, add 1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice and blend for 10 seconds more to incorporate.
  2. Distribute into two glasses, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is plenty sweet for me, especially if you use overripe bananas. However, if you prefer a sweeter treat, simply add a few tablespoons of your favorite sweetener to the blender. Some good vegan options are maple syrup, maple sugar, and coconut sugar. If you are not vegan, local honey is another great option.