I indulged in some serious sports-day eating over the weekend. I always like to plan to have a healthy lunch the day after a party and this Mango Turmeric Smoothie is about as healthy and fresh as it gets.
While there are only a few ingredients in this smoothie, it’s pretty easy to customize it to your liking and I give some alternatives below as well. If you can find it, use fresh turmeric which adds a really subtle flavor to the smoothie and gives it an amazing orange color.
Smoothies aren’t just for the summer! This one is great even in the winter!
Mango Turmeric Smoothie Ingredients
The ingredients I used for this smoothie are pretty basic.
- Frozen Mango. While you could use fresh, I actually prefer frozen mango for this smoothie because it means you don’t have to use ice. The frozen mango works as ice also.
- Fresh Turmeric. If you can find it, try it!
- Fresh Ginger. Adds a zippy zing to the smoothie flavor.
- Mint. I love the refreshing mint herb flavor in this. A little goes a long way.
- Water. I just add plain water to this but you could also use orange juice.
Can you put raw turmeric in smoothies?
YES! In fact, it’s great. I peel the raw turmeric like I peel ginger. You can scrape the soft skin off easily with a spoon.
The annoying thing about raw turmeric is the color is quite strong (think curry) and it will stain your hands and possibly surfaces so I recommend using an easy-to-clean cutting board and wearing gloves if the staining will bother you.
If you can’t find raw turmeric, you can use ground turmeric in this smoothie. It works great also and is a little easier to deal with.
Do you have to peel fresh turmeric root before blending?
I did peel my turmeric before adding it to my blender for this mango smoothie, but I’m not sure it’s 100% necessary. If you have a decent blender, the skin is so soft that I think it would blend up just fine and would save you the hassle of stained hands.
If you don’t mind a little texture to your smoothie, I might try the turmeric without peeling it and just rinsing it off.
Turmeric Health Benefits
Turmeric is really good for you. You can read about some of the health benefits in this healthline article but it’s biggest health benefits are probably an anti-inflammatory which could help with heart health and even things like Alzheimer’s disease.
Of course, there are people that claim turmeric is this amazing thing that will cure cancer, but I think we can go a bit overboard on health benefits sometimes. The key is that it tastes good, is easy to use in smoothies like this mango version, and probably have some health benefits especially if you couple it with a varied diet.
Best blender for this smoothie
You need a decent blender for this smoothie especially if you are using unpeeled ginger and turmeric. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you will end up with really big chunks in your finished smoothie.
I really like my Vitamix blender, but it has a pretty high price point and probably doesn’t make sense unless you are making smoothies and smooth soups very frequently. Ninja also makes a really good blender that is at a better price point and works really well.
Smoothie Substitutions
You can go crazy with substitutions on this mango turmeric smoothie! While the recipe below is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, there are lots of other substitutions you could try.
- Added protein – If you need extra protein in this smoothie, add some regular yogurt or protein powder to give it a creamy consistency.
- Dairy instead of water – I just used water in my smoothie, which keeps it very light, but you could add milk, almond milk, or other milk alternatives to the smoothie to give it a creamy texture.
- Seeds – I like to add some flax seeds and hemp seeds to my smoothies but you could add almost any seed to this smoothie and it would go great. Raid your pantry!
- Fresh fruits – While I used frozen mango as the base here, you could add ripe banana, pineapple, coconut flakes, or other tropical flavors for a great smoothie option.
- Mango Turmeric Smoothie Bowl – Make this a bowl by using the smoothie as a base and then piling in some fresh fruit, seeds, and herbs.
- Need a different color smoothie? Try this Mean green Juice!
Mango Turmeric Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen mango
- 1 inch fresh turmeric
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint
- ½ lemon, juice
- 1 tablespoon flax or hemp seeds
- 2 cups Water
Instructions
- Add ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth. Add more water to get the desired consistency you are looking for. Serve immediately!
Robert
It looks delicious! I love mango, and I will try to do this smoothie soon! Thank you for share.