Chia Seed Smoothie

It’s so easy to make this strawberry chia seed smoothie! Adding chia seeds in smoothies gives a boost of protein, fiber and antioxidants.

Want to add a dose of fiber, protein and anti-oxidants to your morning smoothies? Try this Chia Seed Smoothie! Now, we’re not into hiding secret ingredients in foods (unless it’s chocolate zucchini cake.) But adding chia seeds in smoothies is our new trick to add even more goodness to this healthy breakfast or snack. You can throw a handful into any smoothie recipe, but our favorite is this creamy strawberry smoothie. It’s beautifully fruity, icy, and the perfect way to use the power of these seeds! We simply inhaled it.

Chia seed nutrition

Why add chia seeds in smoothies? Here at A Couple Cooks, we’re usually skeptical of any “superfood” trends and health food crazes. But after we researched more about the benefits of chia seeds…well, it’s hard to ignore the dose of nutrients you can add. Here’s what these little seeds have to offer (source: Healthline):

• Chia seeds are very high in fiber. 2 tablespoons of chia seeds have 11 grams of fiber, a whopping 44% of your daily need!
• Chia seeds are high in protein. 2 tablespoons have 4 grams protein or about 8% of your daily need.
• Chia seeds are high in antioxidants. Researchers agree that this is a good thing: read more about it here.

One thing to remember is that this addition does add calories to your smoothie. Two tablespoons of chia seeds have 139 calories. This is a moderate adder, but something to be aware of! It’s much lower than an add-in like nut butter, which has about 100 calories per tablespoon.

Ingredients in this chia seed smoothie

This strawberry chia seed smoothie is a great way to add these nutrient-packed little seeds to your diet! It’s modeled off of our Perfect Strawberry Smoothie: it’s creamy, icy and packed with berry flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make a fantastic chia seed smoothie:

• Frozen strawberries: Frozen berries are great for smoothies: they add icy texture and are easy to keep on hand for whenever a craving strikes! You can also substitute any frozen berry: blueberries, blackberries, mixed berries, etc.
• Banana: All of our smoothie recipes use room temperature banana: so you don’t have to remember to freeze it before blending!
• Greek yogurt: Yogurt gives a protein boost and just the right creamy texture.
• Ice: Ice helps to make the texture lighter and fluffier: do not omit!
• Milk: Use whatever milk you like: 2% or non dairy like oat milk or almond milk!
• Maple syrup, honey or agave syrup: Frozen berries can be rather tart, so it’s essential to add a little sweetness here. If you eat no sugar you can omit it, but it definitely completes the flavors here.
• Chia seeds: And don’t forget our featured ingredient! You can detect just a subtle nuttiness in the flavor of the smoothie, but most people can’t tell (including our 3 year old!).

Vegan variation

Looking for a vegan chia seed smoothie? Here’s what we’d recommend:

• Make our strawberry banana smoothie. Try our Strawberry Banana Smoothie: it’s vegan and uses only 2 ingredients! Add the 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and you’re golden.
• Substitute non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt. These days it’s a little easier to find quality brands of non dairy milk and vegan yogurt that aren’t overly processed. Our favorite non-dairy milk to use in smoothies is oat milk, but almond milk also works well.

Other ideas for adding chia seeds in smoothies

You don’t have to make the recipe below for a Strawberry Chia Seed smoothie — really any of our smoothie recipes will do! Here are a few of our favorite smoothie recipes that we think would work well:

• Whip up a creamy Perfect Banana Smoothie
• Try this tangy and bright purple Perfect Berry Smoothie
• Go green with a Spinach Smoothie or Kale Smoothie
• Infuse even more protein into this Vanilla Protein Smoothie
• Sneak seeds into this nutty Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Enjoy tropical flavors with a Pineapple Smoothie, Mango Smoothie or Mango Pineapple Smoothie

This chia seed smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the substitutions above.

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