Guide to Making Smoothies Without Yogurt

Yogurt is a staple ingredient to many healthy smoothie recipes, and for a good reason. Yogurt contains helpful probiotics, a solid amount of protein, and several other important vitamins and minerals commonly found in many dairy products, such as B vitamins, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. However, what about smoothie options for individuals who cannot have yogurt for various reasons?

We realize there are many people out there who are looking for smoothie recipes without yogurt for various reasons:

• Maybe they are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies like our family.
• Maybe they are vegan and cannot include any sort of animal byproducts in their diet.
• Some people don’t like how yogurt can be highly processed and combined with extra unhealthy ingredients.

We put together this guide to making smoothies without yogurt in order to provide some healthy alternatives. Whether it is something to increase the protein content of your smoothies or just an ingredient that will still provide probiotics for your gut health, we have got you covered.

Yogurt Health Benefits – What Do We Need to Replace?

We realize you want dairy-free but we felt it was important to first explain what kind of health benefits that yogurt provides. Once you know this, you will be able to figure out what type of ingredients you will be able to use to replace yogurt and still receive the same sort of health benefits.

Let us look at a 100 gram serving of Greek yogurt as an example. This serving size contains:

Only 59 calories per serving, with 10 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of fat, and only 3.2 grams of carbohydrates.

It contains 141 mg of potassium along with 11% of the recommended daily calcium intake, 2% magnesium, 5% vitamin B6, and 13% vitamin B12.

Greek yogurt is well known to be a great source of animal protein, but even regular yogurt contains many incredible health benefits (1):

• Contains solid amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals much like Greek yogurt
• Probiotics help to balance out the level of ‘good bacteria’ in your gut; this in turn helps to keep your immune system working properly.
• Yogurt is known to help improve many common digestive issues.
• Yogurt is very satiating when consumed, making you feel full for longer while helping to prevent binge eating.

When taking into account all of the above points, it makes sense why many people choose to add yogurt to their smoothies.

Now let us take a look at a few items that you could use to safely replace yogurt in your smoothies while still receiving many of the same great benefits.

5 Healthy Dairy-Free Alternatives For Smoothies

1. Avocados

By adding even one-quarter of an avocado, you are able to add a wonderfully satiating ingredient packed with healthy monounsaturated fats. Much like yogurt, by blending avocados into your smoothie you will add that same creamy texture that is incredibly delicious. Unlike yogurt and other dairy products, avocados contain no milk, sugar or added hormones. As an added bonus, the dietary fiber found in avocados helps to stabilize blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and improve your digestion. (2)

2. Beans

Bizarre as it may sound, beans make an excellent addition to many smoothies. Not only do they provide a smooth and creamy texture just as yogurt would, but they are also high in protein and dietary fiber. Beans will also absorb the dominant flavor of your smoothie, meaning you will barely even notice their addition. They also contain a wide range of additional health benefits such as improving digestion, lowering cholesterol, and even improving your heart health. (3)

3. Kombucha

A lot of people out there have never even heard of kombucha. This slightly sweetened beverage is created by fermenting black or green tea drinks. The end result is a liquid that not only contains all of the great antioxidant benefits that can be gained from drinking tea, but also makes an excellent probiotic substitute for yogurt that you can add to your smoothies. There are some risks involved with kombucha in cases where it is not prepared correctly; however, when properly made and consumed it does provide some great health benefits along with the added bonus of providing your gut with more of that “good bacteria” you need for thriving gut health. (4)

4. Almond Milk

Almond milk is commonly used as a dairy replacement. It is possible to get almond milk unsweetened, as well as in several different delicious flavors like vanilla and chocolate (We would recommend the healthier unsweetened versions). Aside from tasty good, it also contains an impressive amount of vitamins and minerals. (5) It makes a great flavorful, low-calorie option to use as a yogurt replacement that still provides incredible nutritional value.

OTHER INGREDIENTS TO TRY: You can also use liquid bases like rice milk or milk and thickening ingredients like bananas, raw oats, and nut butters that are full of nutrition.

3 Delicious Smoothies without Yogurt

1. Honey Kombucha Smoothie

This healthy smoothie without yogurt recipe from Vitamix makes for an incredibly refreshing drink that manages to provide your body with helpful probiotics along with several other great health benefits. Here is the list of ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups kombucha
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 cup frozen mango
• ½ frozen banana, peeled
• 1 cup frozen blackberries

2. Cacao Banana Smoothie without Yogurt

This banana smoothie without yogurt from Nutribullet is full of delicious ingredients that are guaranteed to be popular with kids and picky eaters. Best of all, it features a wonderful combination of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that provide an excellent health boost to kick start your day.

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 banana, frozen
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

3. Dairy Free Almond Butter and Berry Smoothie

This smoothie makes use of garbanzo beans to add a delicious nutty flavor high in both protein and fiber. It also includes antioxidants from raspberries and strawberries along with heart healthy almond butter.

• 1 cup mixed greens
• ½ cup strawberries
• ½ cup raspberries
• ½ cup garbanzo beans
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups water

Final Thoughts

With the variety that smoothies offer, it is very simple to make smoothies without yogurt or any dairy. In fact, we don’t use dairy at all in our household because of allergies.

If you see a smoothie recipe that you want to try and it lists yogurt as an ingredient then you can easily substitute it with any of the ingredients that are listed above.

Please share. Let us know in the comments below if you have any dairy free smoothie recipes that you love to make !