This easy delicious smoothie is made with frozen apples. It tastes like a creamy apple pie drizzled with almond butter! Also read how to freeze apples for smoothies, this is easy to do if you have an abundance of apples.
I have so many memories of eating freshly picked apples and walking in the rows and rows of my Grandparent's apple orchard! Because of this in my home growing up we always had a lot of apples in the fruit bowl and lots of apple snacks!!
Love apples too? Try my recipe for creamy apple popsicles, these moist apple chocolate chip muffins, or my no bake apple oatmeal bites for a healthy snack!
Why you'll love this smoothie:
- No added refined sugars or juice in this healthy apple smoothie!
- In this smoothie no yogurt is needed (it's dairy free) just like this strawberry banana smoothie.
- This frozen apple smoothie is highly nutritious just like this simple spinach smoothie.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this smoothie:
- Ingredients Needed
- Which apples are best for smoothies?
- Danika's Quick Nutrition Tip
- Can you freeze apples for smoothies?
- Can you freeze apples with the skin on?
- Instructions
- Recommended for smoothies
- Top Tips On Making a Thick Apple Smoothie
- Frozen Apple Smoothie
- Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
Ingredients Needed
- Frozen Apples: Below I share how to freeze apples, save this recipe for later and to make this smoothie with your frozen apples. Frozen apples make this smoothie thick! You can make this smoothie with fresh apple, it will be thinner but you can add ½ cup of ice cubes to make it cold.
- Almond Butter: Nut butter makes this smoothie high in protein and adds a nutty flavor.
- Almond Milk: I like to use almond milk but any milk is fine to use!
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon and apples is a perfect combination making the taste pop.
- Dates: Adding dates (I use Medjool dates) sweetens this recipe and has nutritional benefits including vitamin C, and B vitamins.
See recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities.
Which apples are best for smoothies?
I often use gala apples for this smoothie because that is what you will commonly find in my fruit bowl, but often McIntosh go on sale as they bruise easily, so I will freeze and use these apples to make my smoothies too.
If you have golden delicious, granny smith, or honey crisp those are all great too. Use whatever is growing on your apple trees or your favorite apples!
Danika's Quick Nutrition Tip
I like to share simple insights from my schooling in Holistic Nutrition, let's chat about apples today!
Key factors: Apples they help remove toxins (including metals) from the body, they assimilate (absorbtion of nutrients) faster than other fruit. Fresh apples reduce thirst, they are high in antioxidants, and vitamin C.
Today apples are highly sprayed and often covered in wax to extend shelf life, buy organic apples when possible if not, peel the skins before eating.
This information comes from Prescription for Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A. Balch and The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood.
One of my favorite nutition resources is Dr. Will Bulsiewicz book, Fiber Fueled. He explains how fiber specfically supports dexification and gut health all in an easy to read way. He chats about how apples are high in fiber and a great probiotic!
Can you freeze apples for smoothies?
You can easily freeze fresh apples for smoothies. This keeps their freshness and shelf life. If you have an apple tree, leftover apple slices from snack time, or if your apples are slowly going bad you can extend their shelf life by freezing them!
Make good use of your apples by following this simple process of freezing apples.
The skin of the apple can be left on when freezing apples for smoothies. Chop the fresh raw apples into 6-8 pieces each or use an apple slicer. The thinner slices will freeze faster.
The best way to freeze apples is to place the slices in freezer bags as a single layer, press out as much air as possible (to prevent freezer burn) then place them on a baking pan and into the freezer until you get frozen apples - 3 to 6 hours. Once they are frozen you can remove the baking pan from the freezer.
Frozen apple slices will have the best flavor if they are eaten within 6 months but they will technically last at least a year. You can use these apples to make apple butter, apple sauce, apple crisp, apple cake, apple juice or this apple smoothie recipe!
Can you freeze apples with the skin on?
You can freeze apples with the skin on. Taking the skin off before freezing apples is only necessary if you are planning to make a recipe with peeled apples like apple pie filling or apple cake with these frozen apples.
Instructions
Follow these step-by-step photos from my kitchen to make your own healthy apple smoothie blend!
- Place the milk, dates, almond butter, and cinnamon in the bottom of the blender container.
2. Add the frozen apples (read above how to freeze apples) on top of the other ingredients. Start the blender on low and then increase to high speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Turn the dial back to low before stopping the blender. If you want a thinner smoothie or your blender needs more liquid to blend well add more milk, ¼ cup at a time.
When the smoothie is fully blended pour into glasses. This makes one large smoothie or two medium smoothies.
Recommended for smoothies
For a thick smoothie, a good blender is key! I use my Vitamix blender daily and think it is the number one purchase for making healthy food in the kitchen!
Top Tips On Making a Thick Apple Smoothie
- To make a thick apple smoothie be sure to use fully frozen apples.
- If you can use a high power blender this will make a thicker smoothie without having to add more liquid which will make it thinner.
Did you make this frozen apple smoothie? Would you take 5 seconds to give a star rating and review just below the recipe! That means a lot to me and helps the growth of Beside the Mountain blog.
Frozen Apple Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup almond milk
- 4 dates big and pitted
- 4 tablespoons almond butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups frozen apples with or without peel
Optional Nutritional Boost:
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts (for extra protein)
Instructions
- Place the milk, dates, almond butter, cinnamon,(and hemp hearts if using) in the bottom of the blender. Add the frozen apples on top.
- Secure the lid. Start the blender on low speed and increase to high speed. Blend until the apples are completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Pour the apple cinnamon smoothie into 2 medium glasses and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
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