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Crushing the winter colds with this Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie.
So I never told you guys this, but that week before and after Christmas my family was literally almost all hit with one bad string of colds. We all went down one by one, I swear it was a domino effect. Mine came a couple of days after Christmas, and while I only had one really bad day, the cold lingered, and lingered, and I’m only now just getting over it.
From the day I started to feel the cold come on, I was consuming citrus like no other, eating orange, after orange, after orange. I’ve kept up with the mass amounts of citrus, but have since decided to blend them all up into a vibrant smoothie, along with some other winter favorites, to keep me feeling great all day long.
Plus, I kind of just wanted to make a pretty layered smoothie with all the gorgeous blood oranges that are in season right now.
Also? I’ve always wondered why the perception of winter produce is that it lacks in color. I mean, beets? oranges? rainbow chard?
So much color!
Here’s the deal.
I actually hesitated to post this smoothie because it seems as though everyone and their mother are talking about smoothies right now. Something about January must just scream smoothies, because they seem to be trending.
Anyway, after a lot of back and forth, I decided that I really just needed to share this smoothie with you guys.
One, it’s too pretty not share.
Two, it’s too full of good for us things not to share.
Three, it’s way too freaking delicious not to share.
So I’m sharing…bring on the January smoothies!
In all honesty, I’m not usually the biggest smoothie person. I really just prefer to eat my food rather than drink it, but I have times when a smoothie is all I crave. Whenever I make smoothies, I have to make sure they are one, not boring, and two, filled with both veggies and fruits.
Enter this layered smoothie.
The red layer is a mix of beets (YUPPPP, BEETS), frozen raspberries, oranges, and pomegranate juice. This might sound odd, but the red layer is full of some of my most favorite fruits and veggies. Granted, I normally prefer my beets roasted, but when they’re all blended up, you don’t even realize you’re eating beets. Especially with the sweet berries and pomegranate.
It’s delicious.
The orangey yellow…ish layer is a mix of mangos, turmeric, ginger, a pinch of cayenne, and more orange. Again, sounds a little odd, especially the cayenne, but you guys, I swear this is so GOOD. The mango pairs so well with the turmeric and ginger and its sweetness cancels out the heat from the cayenne. The punch of citrus adds just the right amount of tartness.
You can really use any variety of citrus you love most, but I use a mixed of blood oranges and cara cara oranges. If you can’t find either of these, grapefruits and navel oranges will be amazing too!
As you can tell from the ingredients (and even just the vibrant color), this smoothie is jam packed with vitamin C and plenty of nutrients like fiber and antioxidants. It will keep your immune system strong and help you to feel your best plus stay energized all day long!
Um, and did I mention it’s also addictingly good? Kind of like candy?
I swear.
My goal is to try to push this smoothie into my brother Red’s hands next time I see him. The Olympics are less than a month away and I have got to get that kid eating some more color. He’s what we call a snackster, and loves to just snack. So chips, maybe some carrots, and more chips…ya, I really have to work on him.
Anyway, this makes for a great morning smoothie or mid afternoon snack and no matter what, it’s going to brighten your day. That I know for sure!
Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie
Servings: 2 smoothies
Calories Per Serving: 356 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 small raw red beet, chopped
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 1 cara cara orange, blood orange, or grapefruit, peeled and segmented
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- honey to taste (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a blender, combine the mango, lemon juice, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, and orange juice. Blend until completely smooth, adding more honey if needed to sweeten. Pour into a tall glass2. Rinse the blender out. Combine the beets, raspberries, orange, and pomegranate juice. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more pomegranate juice if needed to reach your desired consistency. Pour over the mango mixture and stir gently to swirl. Top with seeds, if desired. Enjoy!
For real though, I love this smoothie! It’s taste plus looks…too good.
Hey!
Any tips on making this smoothie ahead and saving it for later?
Thanks!
Hey Stephanie,
I would just prep all of the ingredients and keep them in baggies in the freezer to blend when you are ready to enjoy:) xx
I made this today and it was delicious!! I have been looking for a way to add beets back into my diet (I had a BAD juicing experience a couple years ago) so this was perfect because the other flavors helped balance it out. I’m so excited to add this to cold, winter days!
Hi Jamie,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
This was delicious and worth the effort! Will definitely incorporate this into my smoothie routine.
Hey Susan,
I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for testing it out! Have a great week! xTieghan
How many grams of sugar in each serving?
Hi Carmen,
So sorry, I do not have that info. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
Ooof! Sorry this one is not a winner for me. My son liked it but not enough to make again. Such a pretty smoothie but I’m not a fan of the cayenne. Will keep trying smoothies with beets though!
Hey there,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
BEWARE I drank this 2 mornings in a row and it is so acidic that I think it removed a significant amount of enamel from my teeth. It is delicious, but wanted to warn people. If you do decide to drink this smoothie, I recommend using a straw and rinsing your mouth water after each sip to help prevent contact with your teeth.
Thanks for trying the recipe Sydney! xTieghan
Just made these this afternoon and they were so delicious and beautiful! Reminded me of a little of Mangonada popsicles, but waaaay healthier and more flavor. I didn’t even need to use honey. Will definitely be making again!
Hey TJ,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
HI! I came over from the Garden Answers YT page! I see the comments started in 2018, I may be a little late to the party but I thought you should know new peoplw are finding you! Everything you made looks delicious and you know the recipe I will be trying first! Don’t all mom’s love sneaking veggies to their family?
Hey Kerry,
Thanks so much for following along and your super kind message! I hope you love the recipe! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Finally got around to making these today, have been eyeing them so long. AMAZING! I didn’t tell my family there was a raw beet in there (not our kids favorite thing) and they didn’t even notice. It was delicious! Thank you Tieghan for being so amazing, keep up the good work! 🙂
Aw you are too kind! Thank you for continuing to try my recipes! I am so glad you have been loving them! xTieghan
This recipe is delicious! I have a feeling it will be what saves me this winter! Thanks for the recipe, it is very creative!
I hope so! Thank you for trying this Ash, so glad you loved it! xTieghan
Was looking through the comments but didn’t see the answer… Can I just mix it all at once or does it need to be two separate mixings? – I plan to add spinach as well, so it’s not going to look pretty either way
HI Missy! You can mix it all together at once. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
those glasses, tho. what brand/model?
thanks for this gorgeous recipe!!
HI! They are from crate and barrel, but old and I don’t see them on the site. So sorry! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Could I replace the pomegranate juice with fresh pomegranate seeds…? I don’t have a ready juice, but a nice pomegranate is sitting in my fruit bowl 🙂 Just not sure if the seeds will add a strange texture…? Thank you for your answer!
HI! You can juice the seeds, but I would not blend them as that might leave you with a gritty smoothie. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Woke up a little under the weather so just made this….. really delicious! Love the ginger in it!!! Feeling better all ready….well, at least my tastebuds! ???
Wow I am so glad you’re feeling better Niki! And I am so glad you loved this! Thank you!
I just wanted to let you know how much we love this smoothie! I am in Phoenix, AZ and we don’t have what others in the U.S. think of as winter. That said we do love our citrus. For my household, smoothies are a staple for warm weather breakfast (that’s most of the year here).
For the past several years I have been making the same berry smoothie. I still love it but, since I have recently retired, I thought it would be nice to mix it up a bit.
I found this via Pinterest, even though I follow your blog (missed this somehow…must pay more attention). It is stunning, so good and filling – just wonderful. I’ve made it twice, exactly as listed, with the exception of adding some protein powder and flax seed.
It is now in my regular rotation.
Thank-you so much for this recipe.
Hi Nancy! I am so glad you love this smoothie and I hope you love some other smoothies on my blog! Thank you so much! Also, smoothies are the best in the summer…Even if its year round haha!
This has become one of my favorite smooties this winter! 🙂
That is amazing! So glad you like this Hannah, thank you!