This yummy toddler smoothie method is simple to blend up and even easier to customize for breakfast or snack time. It’s a perfect smoothie for kids since it’s naturally sweet, loaded with nutrition from fruit and veggies, and tastes great! Plus: The one master recipe can be made 10 easy ways.
Healthy Toddler Smoothies
One of the best ways to help your toddler and older kids eat more fruits and vegetables is to pack them into smoothies. By starting with one master smoothie recipe and varying it based on what your kids like (and for any food allergy concerns), you can increase the likelihood that they will actually drink it—which is clearly key!
This recipe is flexible and versatile.
To be completely honest, my oldest has never been a fan of smoothies. Because of that, I tried very hard to get my second and third kids to like them right from the start. I make them smoothies a few times a week so they are familiar and I’m happy to report that she’s a total fan.
We love smoothies for healthy breakfasts and snacks. And it’s nice that you can keep almost all of the ingredients on hand in the freezer or pantry.
Smoothies for Kids
One of my best tips for helping kids like smoothies is to avoid packing them too full of extras. Because if you go overboard on veggies and things like chia seeds, a kid smoothie can taste like sludge really fast. But thankfully, you can still make a healthy smoothie that’s packed with nutrition if you know how to balance the ingredients.
TIP: If your toddler regularly drinks milk at breakfast, try switching to smoothies some days. This has the benefit of allowing you to fill their bellies with a range of nutrition and flavors.
Ingredients You Need
There’s one master recipe here, but you can pick which fruits and veggies to use so you can customize it for your child.
Generally you’ll need:
- Milk (I prefer non-dairy)
- Fruit
- Veggie
- Frozen banana
- Optional add-ins
TIP: I like to do half frozen fruit and half fresh fruit to avoid having a smoothie that’s a nice and easy thickness for toddlers to drink.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making smoothies for kids. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for all of the recipes.
- Add the milk to the blender. (We prefer nondairy milks since they seem to have a slightly better consistency and less of a tendency to separate after blending.)
- Add the fruit and veggie.
- Add any optional ingredients.
- Blend the smoothie really well to ensure that it has a very creamy texture.
- Serve it in a reusable pouch, a small open cup, or in a sippy cup depending on what your kid likes best.
TIP: To help ensure a good texture and flavor in our veggie smoothies, we pick just a few ingredients each time and keep the flavors simple.
Smoothies for Toddlers with Food Allergies
If your toddler has food allergies, it’s easy to adjust a smoothie for them. If they are allergic to bananas, use 2 tablespoons avocado instead or try a teaspoon or two of nut butter. Use whichever type of milk you prefer—almond, flax, coconut, rice, dairy, or even kefir.
We tend to use Silk Protein Nut Milk, Ripple Milk, or New Karma Flaxmilk in our smoothies.
Kid-Friendly Constipation Smoothie
If your toddler has frequent constipation or a sudden bout, a smoothie with hidden veggies can help. Consider adding chia seeds or hemp seeds, and a small spoonful of coconut oil, flaxseed oil, or avocado. You can also use full-fat coconut milk as the base.
The healthy fats can coat the digestive tract, making it easier for food waste to pass through. And, since the foods in toddler smoothies are already blended, it’s much less work for their digestive systems!
TIP: This is my best Constipation Smoothie recipe.
Smoothies for Toddlers to Gain Weight
If your doctor has told you that your toddler needs to gain weight, a smoothie can be a helpful mealtime tool. Consider adding nut butters, avocado, healthy oils (flax, fish), full fat yogurt, hemp seeds, and offering a serving of a toddler smoothie at snack time, mealtime, or as a bedtime snack.
Use those in between times to get in a little extra nutrition and calories (though remember that we can’t impact how hungry our kids feel).
TIP: Find more foods to help toddlers gain weight here.
Frequently Asked Questions
After a baby is eating solid foods, they can start smoothies almost right away. Avoid using sweetened milks and opt for a plain unsweetened nondairy milk instead. And serve on a spoon, in a very small open cup or in a reusable pouch. (You just don’t want to substitute it for breastmilk or formula.)
If you have a kid who won’t eat many vegetables, veggie smoothies can be a great option since the veggies are served in a slightly sweet drink that tastes like a milkshake. Resist the urge to add more of any vegetable than my recipe below because that may impact the flavor or texture. And be sure to blend them very, very well.
And try some of the combinations below that aren’t green first, since pink, orange, purple, or even white smoothies are often much less alarming than green ones. Then, once you have a smoothie fan, try offering a green one!
Frozen banana and mango make smoothies very smooth and creamy. Then you can add in almost any other fruit to make a delicious flavor combination
You can add hemp seeds, chia seeds, yogurt, avocado, fish oil, and/or nut or seed butters in small amounts to smoothies.
(I don’t add things like bee pollen or collagen or protein powder because while I know that some swear by these types of smoothie boosts, I find them to be expensive and not very accessible for most people. If you like them or want to try them, by all means, go for it!)
Best Tips for Success
Here are some tips to consider when making a fruit and veggie smoothie for your kids.
- If you can freeze the greens ahead of time, the finished product will taste much less “green” but will have the same nutrition. Just make sure the greens are dry, then put them into a zip top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Blend really (really!) well to get a very smooth consistency, adding a little more milk (or even water) as needed to thin.
- You can get a less thick texture in toddler smoothies, which some kids prefer by using fresh fruit rather than frozen—and this is also a good option for winter days when a frozen drink is less than ideal.
- You can use yogurt in place of milk if you add a fruit with a lot of liquid like a clementine or orange.
- Try using half milk and half yogurt for a creamier texture some toddlers may prefer.
- Serve toddler smoothies in a reusable pouch (we like Squeasy Gear!) or in a cup with a straw.
- You can also offer small tastes with a spoon if you have a child who isn’t yet a fan. Consider even a small sampling a success!
- Sprinkle on some granola or a favorite cereal and serve as a smoothie bowl for a fun variation.
- And if nothing else works, freeze them into popsicles!
I’d love to know if you’ve tried this recipe and what your family thinks of it so please rate and comment below!
Favorite Healthy Toddler Smoothie (with Veggies!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (I prefer nondairy)
- 1 small banana (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen fruit (such as blueberries, strawberries, mango, apple, or kiwi)
- 1/2 cup veggies (such as kale, spinach, raw fresh or frozen chopped cauliflower, raw fresh or frozen sliced zucchini, raw fresh or frozen sliced summer squash, roasted sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, steamed diced beets)
- Optional add ins (pick 1-2: 1 teaspoon hemp seeds, chia seeds, or ground flaxseed 1 tablespoon nut butter 2 tablespoons avocado 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder 1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup 1 tablespoon rolled oats)
Instructions
- Add chosen ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl and adding more liquid if needed.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Blueberry Cocoa: Milk, banana, blueberries, spinach, cocoa powder
- Strawberry Banana: Milk, banana, strawberries, raw cauliflower, hemp seeds
- Mango Coconut Sweet Potato: Coconut milk, avocado, mango, sweet potato (cooked and cooled)
- Honey Peach: Milk, banana, peaches, raw summer squash, flaxseed
- Creamsicle: Yogurt, banana, orange, butternut squash (cooked and cooled)
- Tropical Greens: Milk, banana, kiwi, kale, chia seeds
- Cocoa Banana: Milk, banana (1 whole), spinach, cocoa powder, nut butter
- Tangy Peach: Kefir (instead of milk), banana, peach, honey, raw cauliflower
- Cinnamon Apple: Milk, banana, apple, raw summer squash, dash cinnamon
- Strawberry Beet: Milk, avocado, strawberries, raw beets (or leftover cooked), maple syrup
- If you can freeze the greens ahead of time, the finished product will taste much less “green” but will have the same nutrition. Just make sure the greens are dry, then put them into a zip top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can use raw cauliflower, zucchini, beets, and summer squash. (Or you can freeze those raw veggies and add them frozen.)
- You can add fully cooked and cooled sweet potato, butternut squash, and beets. (Any kind work, even leftover puree, as long as it’s not seasoned or salted.)
- Blend really (really!) well to get a very smooth consistency, adding a little more milk (or even water) as needed to thin.
This might be a silly question but for the Honey Peach recipe , no honey is listed to add in. I assume I can add 1-2 tsp to taste?
Yes! (sorry!)
Thanks Amy.! My little one loved this! She’s a good eater but wanted to change it up a bit for her. I ended up adding an Avocado to the Honey Peach recipe and it was delish!!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Thanks for this Amy. It made… and although my five-year-old son is not YET a fan, I loved it!! It will definitely be added to our breakfast meal options… And I will certainly be trying your other smoothie recipes with our family. Delicious!! 🙂
Excellent!
My picky 3 year old won’t eat meat, eggs, beans, lentils. I need to get more iron into him and he loves smoothies. Do you have any recipes that cater to this?
Any smoothie with spinach and citrus will be a great option—so either add some spinach to one with orange or mango or strawberries, or make a green smoothie with any of those fruits!
Hi! Is it possible to make smoothies from fresh ingredients and freeze them? Then maybe when you’re wanting one, just blend it up with milk / yoghurt etc.?
You can make smoothie packs with all of the ingredients except the liquid added to a freezer bag and frozen, then yes, add it to the blender with the liquid and blend.
Hey Trish, just a note: iron is less absorbed when combined with dairy, so you may want to consider using a non dairy yogurt or milk instead.
My son didn’t like almond yogurt at all, i haven’t tried coconut yogurt but it might be good. He didn’t mind flax milk so far, but not the biggest fan of almond milk.
My understanding is that iron absorption becomes an issue if the child is drinking more than 16-24 ounces a day.
Hello,
I see the recipe calls for fresh or from frozen, but is it okay to steam the vegetables first? I would be using zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower in different smoothies for my toddler. I just want to be sure this will keep most of the nutritional value. Thanks
That would but I would caution against using broccoli as I think that flavor may be hard to mask in a smoothie. Maybe I’m wrong, but cauliflower and zucchini work well. (They have the same nutrition if added raw if you want to save yourself a step!)
I have only made the blueberry cocoa smoothie far, and my PICKY toddler loves it! It is more sugar than she is used to (only because she generally won’t eat ANY fruit , so she only has a small mini-portion right now! We call it her chocolate milk. Can’t wait to try the other combos! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that!
What else could combine with tomato in a smoothie ? We have plenty from garden
I’ve never used it in a tomato so I am not sure!
Are all the veggies supposed to be cooked before using?
No many can be used raw. It’s specified in the ingredient list. If something says “roasted” or “steamed” they would be cooked in that way.
I’m just starting to try these with my 22month old, I cut the recipe in half kind of but it’s still too much for her to finish right away. Do you think it’d still be good after sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours, not days, just a couple hours, like less than say 4? I can’t see why it wouldn’t be but I’d love to know what others think
It should be fine in the fridge, you just may need to shake it up a bit since some fruits can separate. It will be thinner. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray for another day.
Should whole milk be used the first year for brain development?
Whole milk is recommended after a baby turns one, yes, due to the fats that they need for brain development.
I have a 3 year old Great Grandaughter that has drinking my smoothies for two years now. I use a Nutri Bullet mixer. Organic ut Milk: Almonds, cahews, pumpkin seeds. Organic Frozen Blue Berries , Strawberries and Black berries . Bannana slided with the peel, Cinnamon, Ginger Beet powders and Protien powder , Cocao powder, Gogi powder . All organic in this smoothie. One carrot, Celery stick, some Kale and 1 tsp of Spirulina powder. 2tsp chia seeds . fill to line on container with Filtered water and mix. Thre times a week. She downs a 16 oz cup of this blend and is totally hooks, I do this because I feel her diet at home lacks the Nutrition she deserves. Im 74 and she is three. I feel that we both need a similar Combination of nutrition . Shes growing and Im just wanting to stay alive for another 20-30 years. Make Sense?
Can the milk be substituted for Greek yogurt?
You can do half yogurt and half milk (or even orange juice), but you need some liquid in with the yogurt to get the blender going.
You mention Roasted Butternut Squash and sweet potato. What is your process for roasting these veggies to go in th smoothie? Can they be frozen after roasting for easy use for the next smoothie?
Here’s a recipe for the squash and one for the sweet potato. And yes, once cooled, simply store any leftovers in a freezer bag in the freezer and add to future smoothies.
I tried the blueberry coco and banana coco and peanut butter and it was a hit with my 14 month old! She loves it and I’m so happy because she’s quite picky. I will be making more on the list. Thank you for such a wonderful delicious recipe! 🙂
This blog about 10 Toddler Smoothies with Hidden-Veggies (Big
Kids Will Love Too!) has helped me a lot, is very well written.
Kiss you All!
Do you have to add in the veggie and add in option or can you do just fruit only? Do you add ice?
You could double the fruit and leave out a veggie. I don’t add ice since one of the fruits is recommended to be frozen. You can add ice if you use fresh fruits though.
What kind of cocoa powder is best? Also, recommendations on the most nutritious nut butter?
For nut butters, I like to alternate between peanut and almond to get a variety of nutrition. For cocoa powder, I use regular Dutch process. Any will work since it’s a small amount.
Very helpful information. It gave me something to learn about the fruits I can add to my smoothie. I can’t wait to give it a try .