Looking for ways to incorporate carrots in your toddler’s diet? Here’s a perfect way to do that. This creamy and healthy Carrot smoothie is a healthy and colorful way of making sure your toddler gets their carrot intake for the day.
We all know breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. And I think smoothie’s are one of the best ways to start your day. It is loaded with fruits and veggies, light on your tummy and tastes so delicious. The best part is, it gets done in no time and it can be customized to your taste by adding fruits or sweeteners of your choice.
My youngest is a really picky eater. I have a really tough time getting him to eat veggies and he’s at a stage where he does not even want to try them and decide whether he likes it or not. Most often, he would just look at it and decide he does not want to eat it. So, I am always trying to sneak in veggies by adding it to dishes like muffins, pancakes, smoothies etc.
Since we love smoothies for breakfast at home, I decided to add veggies to them, so my toddler can get his share of veggies for the day. And carrots worked really well in the smoothie.
This carrot smoothie is sweet, has a tropical taste to it, thanks to the addition of pineapples and is loaded with protein and sweetened with natural sweeteners like maple syrup and bananas.
what goes into this delicious carrot smoothie
Carrots – The star of this smoothie is carrot. This naturally sweet vegetable, gives this smoothie it’s beautiful orange color. Not only are they colorful, carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A and beta carotene. Vitamin A in carrots help in maintaining good eye health. It is also important for the proper functioning of heart, lungs and kidneys. Carrots also contain a lot of immunity boosting vitamins and antioxidants. The high fiber content in carrots helps in maintaining good digestive health.
Pineapple – I love adding frozen pineapples to the smoothie to offset the strong taste of carrots. Pineapples give the smoothie a tropical taste and also give a boost of Vitamin C. They are also packed with antioxidants and nutrients that helps to fight inflammation and boosts immunity.
Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt adds a protein boost to the smoothie. It also contains calcium, potassium and vitamin D. The probiotics in Greek yogurt helps in maintaining digestive health and a good immune system.
Bananas- Bananas act as a natural sweetener here. I like to add frozen bananas so the smoothie comes out creamy and thick. But you can easily swap it with a room temperature banana. Bananas not only give sweetness and flavor to the smoothie, but it also packed with potassium, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals.
Milk – Milk of your choice to help blend everything together. I like to add coconut milk or organic whole milk here. Coconut milk goes well with the flavors of carrot and pineapple. Whether you use coconut milk, cows milk or any other milk of choice they are all healthy and help in the well being of our children.
Maple syrup / honey – My kid likes his smoothies to be a little on the sweeter side, so I like to add a touch if maple syrup or honey incase the bananas are not sweet enough.
Walnuts – I was reminded of a carrot cake and decided to add some walnuts to the smoothie to it a nutty taste and added protein. They are also so rich in essential nutrients and minerals. Walnuts are good for our children’s brain health and keeps their heart healthy.
How do I make this smoothie vegan?
This smoothie can be made easily vegan by substituting the Greek yogurt with any plant based yogurt like coconut yogurt, soy yogurt or nut based yougrts. If you want to avoid yogurts altogether, you can substitute it with some rolled oats so it gives some body and thickness to the smoothie. I would also use plant based milk instead of cow’s milk in the recipe.
How to make this smoothie nut free?
You can make this carrot smoothie nut free by omitting walnuts. If your child is allergic to walnuts, you can replace it with almonds or cashews or any other nut of your choice. The smoothie tastes great even without nuts in it.
Substitutions for ingredients mentioned in the recipe –
- Pineapples – pineapples can also be substituted with mangoes or more bananas.
- Walnuts – any nuts of your choice
- Add ins to the recipe –
- Other fruits like apples, mangoes, avocados
- Dates
- Coconut flakes
- Raisins
- Spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice. Ginger or turmeric
- Flavors like vanilla extract
- Pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree if you want to add more veggies in
- Nut butters like peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter or tahini
This carrot smoothie is perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. It’s also a great way to sneak some carrots in our kid’s tummies.
I like to use a high powered blender or a smoothie blender for this recipe especially when I am making this for my kids, so that the smoothie is creamy and smooth. A normal blender might have a tough time blending the carrots into a smooth consistency.
Toddler Carrot Smoothie Recipe:
Yields : 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped/ diced carrots
- ½ cup frozen pineapples
- ½ cup sliced frozen bananas
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup milk of your choice. I used light coconut milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp walnuts
Method:
Add all the ingredients (carrots, bananas, pineapples, yogurt, milk, walnuts, maple syrup) to a high powered blender and blend until the smoothie is smooth and creamy.
Serve as is or with toppings like shredded coconut, nut butter or a sprinkle of your favorite spice.
