This orange kefir smoothie is so simple yet so healthy. Just blend a couple select fruits with your kefir and you’ve got a delicious, probiotic, orange creamsicle-like smoothie!
This smoothie is one of my most frequently made recipes. If you’re like me and have your own kefir grains sitting on your counter, you’re probably feeding it everyday and hence getting plenty of kefir to drink daily. This recipe is such a simple way to turn that kefir into a light and fruity drink that you won’t get sick of!
If you’ve tried and enjoyed my orange creamsicle smoothie recipe, then this orange kefir smoothie is a must-try! It’s basically an even healthier version of the creamsicle smoothie, as it uses kefir instead of milk as the base. It isn’t going to be as sweet, as kefir has a slight sour tang, but it’s definitely still delicious and so worth it thanks to all the probiotic goodness you get from it! …and the kefir tang grows on you!
With probiotics from the kefir, along with many nutritional benefits from the other ingredients, this smoothie is great for your immune system. Be sure to read all the way through to see some of the health/nutrition benefits this smoothie has to offer!
With that, let’s get into how to make it!
How to Make an Orange Kefir Smoothie
Step 1: Gather ingredients
Kefir – Kefir is the liquid base of this smoothie. Like milk, a kefir base can help make a smoothie creamy and satiating, especially when the kefir has thickened a lot. Since it’s fermented, kefir has a slightly sour and tangy taste; however, the fruits in this smoothie help balance it out. Start with one cup of kefir, but you can add more (1/2 cup or to taste) since the smoothie is sweet enough to counter the sourness.
Oranges – Oranges are a great fruit for kefir smoothies because they are very sweet and flavourful but still have that citrusy acidity that ties in well with the sour notes of the kefir. This combo makes for a bright and refreshing smoothie.
Banana – Banana adds additional sweetness to the smoothie, as well as thickness and creaminess. Frozen banana chunks are best as they will make the smoothie cold and even creamier.
Step 2: Blend!
Add all ingredients to your blender and blend on high for about 30-60 seconds until thoroughly smooth.
Sometimes, even after blending on high, I’ll notice that there’s a bit of a fibrous texture that comes from the skin that surrounds orange segments. Even high-powered blenders can have a hard time completely pureeing those fibrous skins. Therefore, I like to strain the smoothie through a fine-mesh sieve – it only takes a minute and it gives you a perfectly smooth and silky smoothie!
Lastly, pour your orange kefir smoothie into glasses and enjoy! This smoothie is best enjoyed fresh!
Orange Kefir Smoothie Benefits
While there are only three ingredients in this smoothie, each one has plenty of health and nutritional benefits to offer.
Here are just a few listed beneficial components of each ingredient:
Kefir – probiotics, protein, healthy fats, vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, etc.
Banana – vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, fibre, etc.
Orange – vitamin C, folate, calcium, potassium, citric acid, fibre, antioxidants, etc.
Overall, one of the main benefits of this smoothie is that it has many immune-supporting components.
First is the probiotics from the kefir. Probiotics are important for maintaining a healthy balance of “good” bacteria and other microbes in the gut. A healthy and balanced gut microbiome plays a large role in keeping the rest of your body healthy and balanced, including the immune system and other systems of the body.
The fibre in this smoothie is also beneficial in that it helps maintain regular digestion and also provides prebiotics which are essentially food for the probiotics in the gut.
In addition to probiotics, this smoothie has tons of vitamin C which is another immunity-strengthening component that supports many functions of various immune cells.
Vitamin C is actually an antioxidant, meaning it helps eliminate free radicals which would otherwise cause harmful oxidation and inflammation in the body. Oranges contain not only vitamin C, but many other antioxidants as well, including flavonoids and carotenoids.
Components like vitamin D and zinc are also crucial for a strong immune system.
Other than immune system support, there are many other benefits of this smoothie. Another example is that components like protein, fat, fibre, and citric acid also help with metabolism and keeping blood sugar stable.
These are just a few of the main benefits of this smoothie…and all from just three wholesome ingredients!
Be sure to try this orange kefir smoothie for yourself, and let me know how you like it in the comments below!
Other Kefir Smoothie Recipes
If you like this kefir smoothie, or are looking for other ways to turn your kefir into tasty smoothies, here are some more kefir smoothie recipes you might enjoy:
Strawberry Banana Kefir Smoothie
Orange Kefir Smoothie
This orange kefir smoothie is so simple yet so healthy. Just blend a couple select fruits with your kefir and you've got a delicious, probiotic, orange creamsicle-like smoothie!
Ingredients
- 1 cup kefir
- 1 large orange (or 2 small oranges), peeled
- 1 banana (frozen), cut in pieces
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to blender (frozen ingredients added last).
- Blend until smooth (about 30-60 seconds on high).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Start with 1 cup of kefir, but you can add more to taste.
- After blending, if the smoothie has a fibrous texture from the orange, you can strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to get a silky smooth texture.