In many ways, smoothies are the Swiss Army knife of food: versatile, handy, and portable. They can be both nutritious and indulgent, they’re easy to make, loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, and they’re great on the go.
It’s only natural that we’d consider adding CBD to the already power-packed smoothie. After all, if it’s already delivering vitamins and minerals, why not a soothing dose of your favorite supplement?
What makes a great CBD smoothie? It’s simple, really. Just add high-quality, nutritious fresh fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients like milk or nut butters. Of course, just as you want the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, you want the best CBD oil you can get your hands on.
We’ll look at some of the finer points of what makes a really great CBD smoothie, from recipes to tips about cooking with CBD oil. Let’s start with some of the basics of what CBD is, to help us better understand how it works in our bodies, and how it works with food.
What Is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is one of many types of molecular compounds called cannabinoids that are found in the — you guessed it — cannabis plant.
Cannabis? Doesn’t that mean a CBD smoothie will get you high?
Actually, no. CBD is one of the many cannabinoids that is not psychoactive, meaning it doesn’t induce a “high.” Instead, CBD imparts other therapeutic benefits throughout your body by interacting with your endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system is a cell-signaling system in our bodies (and the bodies of pretty much all vertebrates, including dogs, cats, turtles, and birds) that works through a series of receptors throughout our central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as systems that regulate sleep, mood, digestion, and more.
These receptors interact with CBD and the other cannabinoids we ingest, passing along effects that work in concert with the system or organ function where the cannabinoid is placed. For instance, the cannabinoid CBC interacts with important receptors related to the sensations of heat, itching, cold, and pain. Some other cannabinoids interact with receptors in our blood-brain barrier, sending their molecules to the brain.
While we know that CBD interacts with these endocannabinoid system receptors throughout our bodies, and while we can feel its therapeutic effects, the robust scientific studies of CBD are still ongoing, and we can’t legally make medical claims about its effects. Instead, we rely on what we know about our bodies, and how people for thousands of years have used cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes.
The Secret to Great CBD Smoothies
The three keys to a great-tasting and nutritious CBD smoothie are:
- Ingredients: For a CBD smoothie to be truly delicious and beneficial, it must be made with the freshest, highest-quality ingredients. Even when you’re working with frozen fruit, you want to find the best, most natural and least processed product. Similarly, the CBD oil you use should be pure and free of harmful solvents, pesticides, and chemicals.
- Proportion: Smoothie experts swear by the 60/40 rule for truly healthy and delicious smoothies. That means making your smoothie with 60% fruit and 40% greens. The sweetness of the fruit keeps your greens from overwhelming the flavor of the smoothie.
- Variety: Aside from keeping your CBD smoothie routine from getting boring by always using the same ingredients, varying the kinds of vegetables and fruits in your smoothie ensures that you get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals while also not building up too many alkaloids or oxalic acid, which can cause an upset stomach or contribute to the formation of kidney stones.
The importance of variety reinforces another way that a smoothie is like the Swiss Army knife. You have to handle it with care. In addition to buildups of minerals and organic compounds, smoothies can also contribute to weight gain and blood sugar problems if we use the wrong ingredients, add processed sugar, or enjoy those indulgent ones a bit too much.
But, moderation, forethought, and a healthy lifestyle make smoothies one of the best and most fun ways to get our nutrition.
A Quick Note on Making Smoothies with CBD
Smoothies are one of the easiest CBD recipes out there, because it’s simply a matter of adding the right amount of CBD tincture to the ingredients in your blender.
When cooking hot food and drinks with CBD oil, it’s important to keep temperatures below 350 degrees, because heat can reduce the potency of your CBD.
With smoothies, that’s not a problem!
As for how much CBD to use, we stick with a simple formula: (number of servings in the recipe) x (recommended serving of the CBD product we’re using). So, if a recipe makes two servings and the recommended serving of a CBD oil tincture is 1mL of CBD oil, then we will add 2mL of CBD oil to the recipe.
Remember that everyone’s tolerance to CBD is different, and you need to factor in the tolerance of everyone who will be enjoying your CBD smoothie.
What Are the Different CBDfx CBD Oils We’ll Be Using?
We’ll be working exclusively with CBDfx CBD products because they’re ours (duh) and, more importantly, because we know they’re free of pesticides, solvent residues and other harmful chemicals that can be found in CBD products from some other brands.
CBDfx has three different CBD oils … for humans.
CBD + CBG Oil Wellness Tincture
Our CBD + CBG Oil Wellness Tincture contains a 2:1 ratio of broad spectrum CBD and CBG, known as the “Mother of All Cannabinoids.” Along with the natural antioxidants curcumin and coenzyme Q10, and our own blend of terpenes, this CBD tincture is great for boosting overall health and well-being.
The flavor of this organic CBD oil is citrusy, with a tiny hint of turmeric.
CBD + CBN Oil Calming Tincture
If you’re looking to get your chill on, try our CBD + CBN Oil Calming Tincture. This CBD oil combines full spectrum CBD with CBN, known as the “ultimate relaxation cannabinoid.” With an additional blend of calming terpenes, the CBD + CBN Oil Calming Tincture is great for kicking back and relaxing.
This CBD oil is also citrus in flavor, with hints of pine.
CBD Oil Sleep Tincture
Our CBD Oil Sleep Tincture combines broad spectrum CBD, restful CBN, and calming terpenes — and a full 5mg serving of melatonin. So, be wary. This CBD oil is formulated to put you to sleep quickly and help you rest well through the night. This would be best for an evening smoothie.
This CBD oil tincture has a bright lemon flavor.
It’s important to note that if you choose the latter two CBD tinctures, these are formulated for relaxation. So, don’t use them if you’re planning to drive or operate heavy machinery.
If You’re Scrolling for the CBD Smoothie Recipes, Stop Here!
Let’s fire up those blenders, and make these smoothies happen.
Green CBD Smoothie
My favorite green smoothies are packed with leafy greens like spinach or kale, but balanced with the punch of lemon and ginger. Here’s a great way to make a green CBD smoothie. This is great in the morning with a dropper of CBD + CBG Oil Wellness Tincture!
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 large frozen banana
1 dropper CBDfx CBD oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (Meyer lemon juice is ideal, but whatever you have handy is good)
1 ½ tsp chopped fresh ginger
½ tsp lemon zest
2 cups spinach or kale leaves
Pinch of salt
⅓ cup of water
Directions:
- Toss everything except the water in your blender.
- Blend on medium/medium-low. Add water as you go to get to your preferred amount of thickness.
- Blend on high for 30 seconds.
Post-Workout CBD Smoothie
Looking for a nice boost of nutrients and protein to help you recover from a good workout? Don’t forget the CBD! For some reason, I always crave chocolate after a workout. Note that the addition of peanut butter and milk adds a lot of calories to this shake, which is great if you’ve just burned a lot. But this isn’t a low-calorie treat.
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 small frozen banana
1 dropper CBDfx CBD oil
20g vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp nut butter (sugar-free, please)
150 ml dairy or plant-based milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 ice cubes
Directions:
- Throw it all in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy! As in our CBD Green Smoothie, start at medium-low and work your way up to high.
- Add some water, if needed, for texture.
Frozen Fruit CBD Smoothie
Looking for a tasty, fruit-packed treat that’s super easy to make and super delicious? Search no more. This CBD smoothie makes the most of your favorite frozen berries, along with yogurt and juice.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 cups of your favorite frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.)
2 droppers CBDfx CBD oil
1 large frozen banana
½ cup orange juice
½ cup dairy or plant-based yogurt
1 cup dairy or plant-based milk
2 tbsp of honey
Directions:
- Put everything in the blender and blend until just the way you like it! Start at medium-low and work your way up to high, just like our two previous smoothies.
CBD Smoothies of Your Own
While these three CBD smoothie recipes cover three of the most popular types, it’s really simple to add CBD to your own favorite smoothie recipe and enjoy! Try CBDfx CBD oil with your favorite smoothie recipe, and let us know what you think!
Our CBDfx Kitchen Classics series explores the joys of cooking with CBD from appetizers to cocktails to just about everything in between. Check them all out, and happy cooking!
Looking to create your own CBD smoothie masterpiece? Check out our complete selection of CBD oil tinctures!
