Can I put raw beetroot in a smoothie?

Yes, and that is exactly how it belongs here. Raw beetroot keeps its bright color and its full flavor. What matters is a powerful blender and a small beetroot that you peel and cut into small dice, so nothing stays stringy. If your blender is on the weak side, grate the beetroot coarsely first or let it sit in the almond milk for 10 minutes.

Does the smoothie taste earthy, and what helps?

Raw beetroot has an earthy note, that is normal and part of the taste. The apple, the lemon juice and the teaspoon of maple syrup balance it out. If you really do not like the earthy tone, use a sweeter apple such as Gala or add a small piece of ginger, which makes it fresher.

Can I replace the almond milk?

Yes, any plant milk works. Oat milk makes the smoothie a little rounder and sweeter, soy milk brings more protein, and with coconut water it becomes lighter and more of a thirst quencher. I stick with unsweetened almond milk because it covers the beetroot flavor the least.

Can I make the smoothie ahead?

It tastes best freshly blended. You can, however, keep it tightly sealed in the fridge for up to 24 hours, just shake it once before drinking. The color stays strong thanks to the lemon juice. What you can prepare the evening before are the peeled beetroot dice and the apple in a box.

Why does ground flaxseed go into the smoothie?

Ground flaxseed brings fiber and omega-3 fatty acids and makes the smoothie slightly silky, without you tasting it. Ground because whole flaxseed passes through undigested. You can swap it for chia seeds or hemp seeds.

Beetroot Apple Smoothie with Almond Milk · Freistyle by Verena Frei

Name: Beetroot Apple Smoothie with Almond Milk
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 small glasses
Ingredients: 1 small beetroot; 1 apple; 200 ml (scant 1 cup) almond milk; 1/2 lemon; 1 tsp maple syrup; 1 tsp ground flaxseed; apple slice

Hello lovelies,

now that the first beetroot from the market is back on our table, mornings here turn pink again. My beetroot apple smoothie with almond milk has only 6 ingredients: 1 small raw beetroot, 1 apple, almond milk, a squeeze of lemon, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup and ground flaxseed. Everything goes into the blender, 10 minutes later two glasses stand on the table, and the color alone lifts the mood.

Beetroot apple smoothie from above in two glasses with lemon wedges

Raw beetroot in a smoothie sounds like an acquired taste to many people, yet it is fresh and only slightly earthy, and the apple rounds it off beautifully. If you know the sweeter, summery version you know what I mean: in my beetroot berry smoothie with coconut water frozen berries and dates take care of the sweetness, here the apple and a single teaspoon of maple syrup do that job.

Autumn for me is the season of root vegetables in a glass. On the same principle I blend my carrot ginger smoothie with orange, where an apple also bridges vegetable and fruit. Neither smoothie needs a juicer, only a blender with a bit of power.

Close-up of the pink foam on the beetroot apple smoothie in a glass

The flaxseed is my little trick for more staying power. Ground, it makes the smoothie slightly silky and brings fiber and good fats, without you tasting it. If you prefer something thinner and sharper, my red smoothie with pomegranate and ginger is the better choice, built on juiced beetroot, carrot and orange and more of a juice than a breakfast.

Two glasses of beetroot apple smoothie with a lemon wedge, from above at an angle

Here the smoothie usually stands next to a warm bowl on the breakfast table, and if the children have their way, that bowl is my creamy apple cinnamon porridge. Apple in the glass, apple in the bowl, that is simply what autumn looks like in our kitchen.

Beetroot apple smoothie in two glasses with lemon wedges from above

Ingredients for the beetroot apple smoothie with raw beetroot, apple, almond milk, lemon and flaxseed

I hope you dare to put raw beetroot in the glass, it is worth it. And if some of the beetroot is left over, it becomes a beetroot salad with oranges and ricotta here the next day, so nothing goes to waste.

Beetroot Apple Smoothie with Almond Milk

Verena's notes