This recipe was inspired by an incredibly delicious almond-chai smoothie that I had in California on my honeymoon back in September. It was thick, creamy and tasted like a chai-tea-latte smothered in almond-butter. Since then, I have dreamed about making my own version of this smoothie and have finally come up with the perfect blend.
The spice mixture in this recipe is thorough – as you might expect with a chai-flavor. This is the area that I struggled with the most while creating this recipe. I tried so many different combinations, but what really was a game changer for me was the star anise. This strong spice (which literally looks like a star) is best known for its “black licorice” flavor and let me tell you—I do not like black licorice. While browsing different “chai spice” blends on google one day, I came across star anise seed being used and decided it was worth a try. Friends, this was the missing ingredient and my feelings towards this spice has taken a turn for the better. On that not, if you do not have all the spices I’ve included here in your spice drawer, feel free to leave some out—this smoothie will still taste amazing.
I’ve also used veggies as the base of this smoothie. While experimenting with this recipe, I found frozen bananas (which are popular smoothie fillers) to be too potent in flavor. Thus I turned to my trusty cauliflower zucchini and (white – for color) sweet potato. I love how the earthy flavors of these veggies compliment the earthy chai spices and almond butter.
Finally, this smoothie is naturally sweetened with a juicy medjool date. I am so excited to finally be sharing this recipe with you all! If you try it, be sure to let me know what you think.
- 1 small white sweet potato, steamed and frozen
- 1/2 cup frozen zucchini
- 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1 point of a star anise seed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 2/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp. [url href=”https://wildfriendsfoods.com/collections/all/products/classic-creamy-almond-butter” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]almond butter[/url]
- 2/3 cup [url href=”http://malkorganics.com/products/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]almond milk[/url]
- 2 medjool dates, pitted*
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- Toppings (optional):
- [url href=”https://thelocalsprout.com/recipes/sweet-and-seedy-granola/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]granola[/url], [url href=”https://thelocalsprout.com/creamy-coconut-yogurt/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]coconut yogurt[/url], [url href=”https://vivanaturals.com/organic-foods/chia-seeds” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]chia seeds[/url], [url href=”https://manitobaharvest.com” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”]hemp seeds[/url], extra almond butter
- Place all ingredients in blender**. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, scraping the edges halfway through to ensure evenness.**
- Pour into bowl, sprinkle with toppings if desired and serve immediately.
The Local Sprout