Photo by hockeycrew
Warning, a party may break out in your mouth when you consume this smoothie! It’s that delicious. I think most people are familiar with the health benefits attributed to strawberries and bananas (if not, do a quick Google search); so let’s give our full attention to coconut oil.
Coconut oil is a legitimate superfood with a myriad of health promoting properties. Don’t get scared away by unfounded attacks and “all fat is bad” fanatics. Here’s a quick rundown of why coconut oil is good for you.
- Strengthens immune system
- Increases metabolism (thus aids in weight loss)
- Improves digestion
- Beneficial for the heart
- Boosts key mineral absorption (calcium and magnesium)
- Antifungal and antibacterial
- Provides long lasting energy
- Great for skin and hair (internally and topically)
If you feel the need to learn more about coconut oil, there are several great books on the subject at Amazon. Or check out my article on the numerous health benefits of coconuts and coconut oil by clicking here.
Add coconut oil to your smoothies for extra creaminess and super-nutrition. Enjoy!
Strawberry and Coconut Oil Smoothie Recipe
The Ingredients
- 1 cup almond or coconut milk (water works too)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1/2 fresh or frozen banana
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
The Optional Add-ons
- 1 cup spinach, kale, or other leafy green
- A dash of high quality salt
- 1 serving of your preferred protein and/or green superfood powder
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder or nibs
Show Time
Place all the ingredients into your high-speed blender and blend for around 30-45 seconds or until nice and smooth. If you don’t have a very powerful blender and your coconut oil is in liquid form, you might want to blend everything except the coconut oil first, then drizzle it on and blend for another 5-10 seconds to avoid clumping.
Nutrition Information
- Calories: 260
- Fat: 17g
- Protein: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 5g
- Sugar: 14g
- Vitamin A: 11% RDA
- Vitamin C: 150% RDA
- Calcium: 48% RDA
- Iron: 8% RDA
Feedback on this recipe will bring a big smile to my face, but not as big as drinking this smoothie does :) Happy Blending!
yum.. this was delicious. i would not have thought of adding coconut oil to a smoothie… it did get hard because of the temperature .. but we still really liked it in there. thanks!!! :)
Hi Lauren,
Coconut oil is one of my favorite smoothie ingredients – both liquid and solid depending on the time of year. Glad you liked this smoothie, thanks for sharing :)
Ryan
When you say coconut oil are you talking About coconut cooking oil?
I’m referring to virgin, or extra virgin, coconut oil, which is fit for consumption, but also good for cooking.
Loved this smoothie, I used coconut water for the liquid and it was perfect! thanks for posting.
Hey Linda, glad to hear you enjoyed this smoothie, thanks for sharing.
Best smoothie ever! I added kale as well and came out delicious and nutritious:). Thanks for sharing!
You “greened” this smoothie with kale, nice Teresa!
How do you keep the coconut oil from hardening in the smoothie?
Hi Ebony, I actually find that coconut oil in the solid form blends best, but if you’re in a warmer climate or time of year and it’s liquid, add it last and try to avoid contact with frozen ingredients.
Since I don’t have a super-duper-mega-blender like Ryan over there :) I find that slowly drizzling the liquid coconut oil in while the blender is running is the best way to avoid chunks, or at least keep them very tiny. My budget blender will not disintegrate a lump of solid coconut oil in a cold mixture.
Thanks for the tip, Mary. I’ll have to try that myself. To be honest, I don’t mind a few chunks in my smoothies :)
Wow!! Delish!!! Thanks for this recipe!!
Glad you liked it, Heather. Strawberries are in season where I live and lots are going right into my smoothies :)
Didn’t have strawberries so I tried it with raspberries. YUM. One of the best smoothies I’ve ever made and I love that it uses coconut oil!
Hey Kellei, raspberries were a brilliant substitute. Glad you liked it and are on board the coconut oil train :) Cheers!
I substituted blueberries for the strawberries since they were on sale. This smoothie is amazing!!!!
Best substitution ever :) Glad you like this smoothie as much as I do.
I dig it! I used mixed berries, added kale, spinach, and cacao. I’m feeling zippy already :)
Turned it into a green superfood smoothie, nice Niko!
how many calories are in the smoothie
Hi Sally,
I’m in the process of retroactively adding nutrition information to recipes lacking it. I just added nutritional info to this smoothie, which contains about 341 calories.
Cheers,
Ryan
Does that include the add-ons? I don’t like salt and I don’t use protein powders…just wondering how much to subtract.
The nutritional information does not include the optional add-ons, Monica.
Thank you, I just made this smoothie and it’s great!
Good to hear you liked it, KC :)
Just finished my breakfast this morning with this smoothie and because I have severe arthritis at age 80, I try to add some turmeric and or ginger to most smoothies, so I added 1/2 teaspoon of both and about 1/2 tablespoon of raw protein powder vanilla flavor. It was a winner. Thank you.
Awesome, Ron! Great to hear you successfully “spiced up” your smoothie. Cheers, Ryan.
strawberries + Hemp Seed Protein Powder + almonds + coconut oil = one hell of a breakfast!
I concur, Costin :)
I made this again but just bought a new coconut oil I like because it is always liquid and come In a pourable bottle. Has all the same nutrition label and only the one ingredient non gmo.
Would seem to have all the same benefits as more solid version. Do you have any concerns Ryan on this oil? Love the smoothie as usual and actually replaced honey and used 1tbs goji berries.
Ron,
What’s the name of the liquid coconut oil product? That’s interesting – I wonder what they use to keep it liquefied. Goji berries in place of honey – very good :)
Regards,
Ryan
They remove the lauric acid from liquid coconut oil, In my opinion, that defeats the point of coconut oil.
I agree, Lindsay. Stick with what nature created.
Thank you for contacting Nature’s Way® with your question about our product Liquid Coconut Oil This product maintains the full aroma and taste of fresh coconuts and is from pure, unrefined, expeller pressed non-GMO coconuts. It’s great to hear you are taking an active part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle!
I understand that you would like know how this product is manufactured. I am happy to help you in whatever way I can. This product starts with pure, expeller pressed, non-GMO coconut oil that contains 62% MCT. It is then processed using steam distillation, which is a similar process to what is used to concentrate premium fish oils. This process separates medium chain from long chain fats, while preserving the full profile of capric, caprylic, and lauric acids. There are no solvents used. This results in a liquid coconut oil that contains 93% MCT and stays liquid even when refrigerated. The Liquid Coconut Oil is fractionated.
We have another great product that you might be interested in trying. Organic Coconut Oil is used as a dietary supplement and for cooking. This essential fatty acid is a great addition to your daily supplementation.
This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
It has been my pleasure to help you with your question today. Please feel free to contact us with any other concerns you may have. For further information regarding Nature’s Way products, please visit our website at http://www.naturesway.com.
In good health,
Delicious!!!!! My kids loved it too. 😃🍌🍓💛
Fantastic, Sonia :)
added flaxseed, cinnamon blue berries a little honey and a banana, not bad at all
Very good, Willem!
Hi Ryan
This sounds delish, however, I’m allergic to bananas (bit of a nuisance as a lot of the best sounding smoothies have them in!). Can you recommend a substitute?
Many thanks
Tracy
Avocado is the perfect substitute for banana, Tracy! Not as sweet; so you might add a little sweetener too.
Hi Ryan
Thanks for your smoothies recipes
I started drinking a smoothie fir breakfast every morning and it’s great
I would like to ask u if avocado can be frozen
It doesn’t last too long so do I think it can be frozen?
What I’ve found works well is refrigerating unripe avocados and pulling them out a day or two before I want to consume. To freeze, puree by either mashing with a fork or in a food processor and add a little bit of lime or lemon. Store in a resealable bag and freeze.
Oh by the way Ryan, I also add a little bit of liquid stevia, and as well l add 1 tablespoon of Publix sugar free syrup .., yummy…, and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.., it’s soooo good and filling .., delicious!!! I can’t wait to wake up to have this smoothie…,
Thanks Ryan, I will start using 1/2 avocado instead of 1/2 banana since the banana has too much sugar, avocado I think is healthier.., and I will follow ur suggestions to freeze avocado by smashing them with a fork with a little bit of lemon juice.., thanks a lot…, I love this smoothie and I have one everyday for breakfast.., it’s filling and so delicious!!!
You’re welcome, Ileana. Filing and so delicious is good :)
Fantastic, thank you, I’ll give that a try 😊
I very confused because i saw at youtube a vegan person he said the coconut oil increases the cholesterol levels,clog the arteries and wondering about fats. I used at all my smoothies because a read a lot post said the coconut oil make you lose weight. Can you help me. And the more important thing this is proved by cience😊
Hi Crystal,
From all of my research, and first hand experience, coconut oil is a fantastic superfood that supports you health in myriad ways. Here’s my article on this wonderful food:
https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/health-benefits-coconuts-coconut-oil
Regards,
Ryan
Thanks😊
Since coconut oil congeals at 76 degrees, your smoothie will always have lumps of oil. I have tried many different ways and it’s always the same. Unfortunately I have to leave the oil out of my smoothies. I don’t think I want to have my smoothie at 77 degrees :(
A 77 degree smoothie would be rather warm :) Have you tried blending all of your ingredients until nice and smooth, then adding the coconut oil and doing one final blend? That typically works for me. I also have a high powered blender (Blendtec); so clumping is rarely an issue.
I’m worried about digesting all this extra fat in the oil. If I took in 2 tablespoons, that would be 28 grams of fat. I don’t understand how this will help lose weight…I normally take in no more than 20 grams of fat a day.
That’s a valid concern, Rachel. Please read my article on healthy fats where I explain it all :)
https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/healthy-fat
Ryan i train alot in the gym and have recently start using coconut oil. I no i have been missing out. This shake with an added scoop of protein is perfect small meal replacement. And the good thing is you have the nutritional info stated which alot of people dont put down when writing these articals. Which is very important. Thanks alot ryan
You’re welcome, Stephen!
Ryan;
Hi,would it be OK to use Greek yogurt in your smoothie?I don’t have any coconut oil but I have the rest of the ingredients to put in my blender,and I will make this strawberry and coconut smoothie soon.oh yum I like the color of this smoothie.
Yes, Greek yogurt is a good substitute for coconut oil.
Hi Ryan, I wanted to ask u about coconut oil., I buy the unrefined extra virgin coconut oil., is this good?
Yes, that’s good, Ileana.
Hi Ryan,
I just came through this site and I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m a 26 year old female who’s 5’5 and weighs 140 pounds. I know that’s relatively healthy, but I would ideally like to lose about 10 pounds. I’m trying to add 2-3 days of exercise a day and this is the smoothie that I’m drinking for breakfast:
1 cup water
1 cup frozen berries (strawberries & blueberries)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (currently using non fat, but I will change to full fat)
1/2 banana
After reading what you’ve said about coconut oil, I’ve started putting 1 tbsp of it in my smoothies and also 1/4 tbsp of cinnamon.
I have two questions: is my smoothie recipe a good one, what would you change if anything? And my second one is, what else would you add to speed up this process?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Eda,
Your new and improved recipe is great! The only thing I recommend is rotating between using either 1/2 banana or 1/2 avocado.
The rest of my thoughts on weight loss can be found here:
https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/smoothie-weight-loss-guide
Regards,
Ryan
Is this Keto friendly? I know you shouldn’t consume bananas on that diet but half doesn’t seem like it will throw you off track much. I want to try it as I am getting tired of eggs all the time. Thanks!
I’m afraid this is not keto friendly, Kendra. It might be if you use 1/2 avocado in place of the banana.
What is the difference between fine and refined coconut oil in a solid form ? And what is best for smoothies
You want to use virgin, or extra virgin, coconut oil for your smoothies, Patty. For more info: https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/health-benefits-coconuts-coconut-oil