This cranberry smoothie recipe is tart and creamy! It’s simple to blend up and bursts with bold berry flavor.

Got cranberries? Here’s a great way to use them: a Cranberry Smoothie! This recipe was inspired by the leftover frozen cranberries in our freezer from this cranberry salsa, and it was the best way to use them. This bright crimson puree is frosty and tangy, with bold berry flavor. Sweeten it to taste with maple syrup or honey, so this drink can range from very tart to mildly sweet. Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients in a cranberry smoothie

This cranberry smoothie is beautifully bold and tart, featuring the flavors of cranberry, orange and vanilla. You can adjust the sweetness to taste, so you can customize it to make a very tart or mildly sweet drink. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Frozen cranberries: Frozen are key for the texture in this smoothie. If all you have fresh cranberries, pop them in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
Banana: Make sure the banana is ripe: you can use it room temperature since the berries are frozen.
Yogurt: Yogurt adds protein, making this smoothie more filling. You can use Greek, plain or vanilla yogurt. See below for a vegan variation!
Orange juice (or milk or cranberry juice): Orange juice has a nice contrast to the berries. If you use sweetened cranberry juice, add maple syrup or honey to taste.
Vanilla extract: It’s optional, but it add a nice balance to the flavors.
Honey or maple syrup: Add just as much as you need to balance out the tart berries. See the section below for more!
Ice cubes

Then, it’s just a matter of blending it up! Add a little more liquid if it’s not able to blend.

Customizing the sweeteness

Sweetness is needed to balance the tart berries in this cranberry smoothie, but the amount is up to you! The quantity in the recipe below is optimized for Greek yogurt and orange juice, and has a tart flavor. Add more sweetness to taste, or balance with vanilla yogurt or cranberry juice for a sweeter drink.

On using cranberry juice

We like the zippy flavor of orange juice in this cranberry smoothie, but you can also use cranberry juice! Keep in mind that cranberry juice comes sweetened and unsweetened. Here are a few tips on using it:

If using 100% natural cranberry juice, it is very tart. Add the honey or maple syrup quantity specified in the recipe below.
If using sweetened juice, it tastes very sweet. Add the honey or maple syrup to taste.
Need more ways to use cranberry juice? Try our Best Cranberry Cocktail Recipes.

Add orange zest for a flair

Want to add even more nuance in flavor? Add a hint of orange zest! If you have a fresh orange on hand, it adds a nice bold citrus flavor. Use just a few grates of zest (about ⅛ teaspoon if you like to measure things). Then add more to taste!

Variations on this cranberry smoothie

Want a vegan smoothie? Or want to add more protein to this cranberry smoothie? Here are a few ideas:

Make a vegan smoothie! Simply add more juice or non-dairy milk in place of the yogurt.
Add more yogurt. Double the Greek yogurt quantity to add more protein (and add more liquid as necessary).
Add protein powder. A scoop of vanilla protein powder adds loads of protein and a bit of sweetness.

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This cranberry smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, see the modifications above.