This Blue Spirulina Smoothie is a creamy and smooth anti-oxidant smoothie with a vibrant blue lagoon color. Plus, the smoothie is also dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
I love making healthy smoothies, it’s a great way of loading with ingredients full of benefits while enjoying a refreshing drink. If you have tried my Spinach Pineapple Banana Smoothie, Mango Spinach Smoothie, or Zucchini Smoothie, you know what I mean!
Like these others smoothies, this blue spirulina smoothie makes me feel energized, reinvigorated, and ready to tackle the challenges of the day. I like to have one after a tough morning workout to refresh.
Why Adding Spirulina?
Spirulina is a cyanobacteria (I know it sounds a bit scary), an algae that has been consumed by humans for centuries. It was already cultivated by the Aztecs before Europeans landed in South America.
Blue spirulina contains phycocyanin pigment extracted from green spirulina. Phycocyanin is a plant pigment that gives a blue color to spirulina. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, also acting as a cholesterol-lowering agent.
Compared to green spirulina, which has more nutritious properties, blue spirulina powder doesn’t have seaweed aftertaste, making it a fantastic antioxidant booster in smoothies. So if you are after a healthy smoothie to boost your immune system while serving a fun blue-colored drink, this is the recipe you need.
I have noticed that when I take blue spirulina, I tend to feel more awake, more energized.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The best combination of fruit to make a thick Blue Spirulina Smoothie is:
- Frozen Banana – The riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie. Make sure your bananas don’t show too many dark spots on their flesh before freezing them to keep the smoothie color light blue.
- Frozen Pineapple
- Coconut Milk or any non-dairy milk you love, like oat milk, cashew milk, or soy milk, for extra added proteins.
- Blue Spirulina Powder – You can play with the amount of spirulina. Since it’s flavorless, it won’t impact the smoothie flavor. The more you add, the darker blue the smoothie colors turn out.
- Coconut Yogurt or any plant-based plain Greek yogurt style you love made from soy, oat, or almond.
- Maple Syrup or any natural sweetener you love.
How To Make Blue Spirulina Smoothie
Blue spirulina powder has no flavor, so it can basically be added to any smoothie recipe. However, to keep its vibrant blue color, it’s better to select light color fruits.
- In a powerful blender, add frozen pineapple, frozen banana, blue spirulina powder, coconut yogurt, coconut milk, and maple syrup. Blend on high speed until creamy and smooth. If you want to turn this recipe into a thick ice cream-like texture to serve as a healthy breakfast smoothie bowl, reduce the milk to 1/2 cup.
- Then, make sure you use the tamper attachment of the blender, and run the blender on low speed – speed 2-3 of a vitamin. Swirl the tamper tool into the thick frozen fruit mixture to blend into a creamy smoothie bowl.
- Serve the blue spirulina smoothie bowl with some fresh fruits, nuts and seeds or granola.
Flavor Variations
You can use this recipe to create a range of blue spirulina smoothie flavors. For example, feel free to add:
- One scoop of protein powder and increase the milk to 1 cup.
- Frozen mango as a swap to one of the fruits.
- 1-2 teaspoon of chia seeds to add healthy fats.
- A handful of spinach, cucumber, or kale – but this turns the smoothie green.
- A tablespoon of nut butter like cashew butter or coconut butter.
Serving
Serve the spirulina smoothie with any toppings you love including:
- Banana slices
- Shredded coconut
- Drizzle of cashew butter or coconut butter.
- Homemade granola like my protein granola recipe.
- Oats
- Seeds and nuts like hemp seeds or slices of almonds.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ingredients swaps options if you need them.
- Coconut-Free – Swap the coconut milk for almond milk, and replace the coconut yogurt with soy yogurt or any other coconut-free plant-based yogurt you love.
- Blue Spirulina – If you only have green spirulina at home, you can use it in this recipe. While green spirulina is higher health benefits, it also has a strong seaweed flavor. As a result, you may like to decrease the amount in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Banana-Free – You can replace the banana for mango or more frozen pineapple.
- Gluten-Free – Blue spirulina is extracted from blue-green algae and is naturally gluten-free, like all the ingredients in this smoothie recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are my answers to your most common questions about this blue smoothie.
Blue spirulina powder has no flavor. As a result, a blue spirulina smoothie flavor comes from the fruits and milk added.
In this recipe, the flavor is tropical coconut, pineapple, and banana flavor.
Blue spirulina is high in phycocyanin, a plant blue-green pigment with high antioxidant properties.
As a result, it strengthens the immune system by killing free radicals.
Green spirulina has higher nutritional properties and health benefits than blue spirulina.
Blue spirulina only contains an antioxidant – the blue pigment called phycocyanin extracted from the green spirulina.
On the other hand, green spirulina contains more than antioxidants. It also contains B vitamins, iron, copper, and essential fatty acids called gamma linoleic.
However, not everyone enjoys the flavor of green spirulina, and that’s why most health stores sell blue spirulina as it’s tasteless and adds a lovely natural blue color to food.
Blue spirulina is much rarer than green spirulina sold in grocery stores.
However, blue spirulina is often sold in specific stores like health food stores, pharmacies, or online.
More Smoothie Recipes
If you like this recipe, you’ll love these other smoothie recipes.
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Blue Spirulina Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cups Frozen Pineapple
- 1 small Frozen Banana
- ¾ cup Coconut Milk - carton
- ¼ tablespoon Coconut Yogurt - unsweetened
- 1-2 teaspoons Blue Spirulina
- 1-2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
Optional to decorate
- 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut
- 1 wedge Fresh Pineapple
- 1 teaspoon Toasted Coconut Flakes
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add all the ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth. If too thick, use the tamper attachment of the blender to swirl the ingredients on the blade.
- To thin it out, you can add a splash of coconut milk, or if too thin, add more frozen fruits or some ice and blend in. For a darker blue color, increase the blue spirulina up to 1 extra teaspoon – this won't add flavor, just color and extra antioxidants.
- Serve immediately with banana slices and toasted coconut flakes.
Absolutely delicious! My kids loved the blue color!
Thank you!!