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This delightfully creamy Cherry Smoothie has the rich, sweet flavor of cheesecake. But now you can enjoy everything you love about this favorite indulgent dessert in a healthy treat. You’ll love this pretty-in-pink cherry cheesecake smoothie recipe for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Cheesecake-Flavored Cherry Smoothie Recipe
Just down the road from us is a big farm, and from spring through summer they always have banners up for picking your own berries and cherries and other fruits. I always think it would be a fabulous idea to go pick baskets and boxes and bushels of fresh fruit to make berry crisp or blueberry muffins or my favorite Strawberries and Cream Cake.
But I know my kids and I don’t have the patience for that. I much prefer having a bag of frozen cherries from Costco ready and waiting in my freezer so I can blend up this creamy and dreamy cherry smoothie in no time.
A healthy snack or breakfast on-the-go makes everyone happy, and with a special ingredient or two, it tastes like you are sipping on an indulgent slice of cheesecake!
The tangy flavor of cheesecake, the sweetness of cherries, and a deliciously creamy texture. What’s not to love?
Well, I suppose some people don’t like yogurt in their smoothies. It may give it a nice consistency, but not everyone enjoys the tart and tangy flavor. What to do
Can you make a cherry smoothie without yogurt?
Many people like to add Greek yogurt to smoothies to make them thick and creamy, as well as to add protein. But if you don’t like Greek yogurt, try cottage cheese!
Even if you don’t like cottage cheese, just trust me. It works amazingly well in smoothies.
You don’t get that tartness that some people don’t like about Greek yogurt. It blends completely smooth and creamy. There is a TON of protein. And the salt in the cottage cheese perfectly enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit you use for your smoothie.
Cherry Smoothie Ingredients
You’ll find this is a pretty standard list of ingredients for a cherry smoothie. But a couple of additions give it that cheesecake flavor. You can get the full amounts by scrolling down to the recipe card.
- Spinach or other dark leafy greens. If you want the light pink color, you’ll want to skip this optional ingredient. But it is a great way to sneak in extra nutrition.
- Milk. I prefer Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk, but use your favorite non-dairy or dairy milk
- Plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. As discussed, many people like to use Greek yogurt in a smoothie, but cottage cheese is a great substitute.
- Cream cheese. You can use regular or low fat. Just a bit gives it that true cheesecake flavor.
- Frozen cherries.
- Ice. You can use as little or as much as you want, depending on the consistency you prefer.
- Salt. Just a tiny pinch enhances the sweetness and amplifies all of the flavors.
- Optional sweetener. You can add a bit of honey, maple syrup, Stevia, Swerve, or your favorite sweetener if needed, depending on how sweet your cherries are and your preference.
What Order to Add the Ingredients
In general, you just have to add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend it until smooth. But adding them in a particular order truly gives you the best smoothie ever.
If you choose to use leafy greens, put them in first so that they get fully broken down by being fully submerged in the liquid, which is added next. Soft ingredients, yogurt or cottage cheese and cream cheese, in this case, go next because they break down and distribute in the liquid.
Then the frozen ingredients, here that’s the cherries and ice, are last so that they blend just enough to keep a thick texture and don’t melt completely.
The small amounts of salt and sweetener are listed last but can be added at any time, even stirred in after blending if you need to adjust the taste or sweetness.
How to garnish a cherry cheesecake smoothie:
You can just pour your smoothie into a cup and enjoy, but you can also dress it up a bit.
- Before pouring the smoothie into a glass, coat the rim in a bit of honey. Then roll it in crushed graham cracker crumbs (try using my gluten free graham crackers) or finely chopped nuts.
- Give it a squirt of whipped cream and flloat a fresh cherry or thawed frozen cherry on top.
- Sprinkle it with a little more graham cracker crumbs or nuts.
How do you freeze cherries for smoothies?
If you are a better person than I am and actually go pick cherries, you can freeze them to make cherry smoothies all year long. Cherry Vanilla Almond Smoothie
- Thoroughly wash and dry your cherries and remove the stems.
- Remove the pits from the cherries. A cherry pitter is extremely helpful if you are pitting a large number of cherries.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place the cherries in a single layer on the sheet pan.
- Place the pan in the freezer and freeze for 4-6 hours or until frozen solid.
- Transfer the frozen cherries to a freezer storage bag and keep in the freezer until ready to use.
Yes, freeze blueberries and strawberries to make strawberry or blueberry smoothie recipes!
I always recommend a high-powered blender like the Blendtec for the smoothest, most creamy smoothies. The Mini Wildside+ Jar is the perfect size for one or two smoothies. You can even use the “Smoothie” setting to have it gradually increase the speed to perfectly incorporate the liquids and frozen ingredients. Note, I do usually stop it a little before the cycle is over because I prefer an extra thick smoothie.
I am a Blendtec ambassador, and should you make any purchases through my Blendtec Store link, I will receive a small commission, but that also means you can use the code CUPCAKESANDKALECHIPS to receive 20% off.
Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie
Ingredients
- A couple handfuls of spinach (optional)
- 1 cup almond milk (or your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
- 2 Tablespoons regular or light cream cheese
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 3-5 ice cubes
- tiny pinch of salt
- honey, stevia, or other sweetener to taste, if needed
- Optional honey and crushed graham crackers, almond meal, or finely chopped nuts for garnish
- Optional whipped cream, if desired
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your blender jar in the order listed.
- Turn on the blender and blend until smooth.
- If you would like a "crust" rim garnish, rub a tiny amount of honey around the rim of your glass, then roll in crushed graham crackers, almond meal, or finely chopped nuts.
- Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
- You can garnish with more crushed graham crackers, almond meal, or finely chopped nuts and whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this?
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More healthy smoothie recipes
- Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie swaps the cherries for blueberries.
- Orange Creamsicle Smoothie reminds you of a favorite childhood treat.
- Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie has some mini chocolate chips to make it seriously indulgent.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie is another berry version of this smoothie.
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie is a great dairy-free option.
