Nectarine Smoothie

While we usually don’t get stone fruit in Sweden – it’s too expensive, and not very good – nectarines were cheap recently and I bought about three kilos. And though I could eat them simply as is, it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up making a couple of summery treats, like this easy nectarine smoothie. This recipe is lightly adapted from my vegan mango lassi and is very much like a nectarine lassi. Refreshing, not too sweet, and a good combination of fruity and creamy.

For some more good stone-fruit treats, if you can get them, try my apricot galette (with a rye and spelt pastry), a mixed summer fruit galette, or easy gluten-free plum crisp.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Nectarines: these should be quite ripe and sweet to taste best in this recipe. You can mix with peaches or ripe apricots to make a mixed stone-fruit smoothie.
• Yogurt: use any kind of yogurt you like, but note that it should be quite mild, and not strong like a kefir or Greek-style. Coconut yogurt is a good combination here.
• Milk: any milk you like (I always use oat milk). For a fruitier twist, use orange juice in place of the milk. 
• Add-ins: try adding some warm spices, like cardamom, cinnamon, or nutmeg to the smoothie. Sweeten with a soft date if preferred. Banana can be added but it can overwhelm the nectarine’s delicate flavour.

Step by Step

Step 1: add the nectarines, yogurt, and honey if using to a blender or blending container. If you already know how much milk you’ll need you can add that now too.

Step 2: mix until well combined, thinning with as much milk as needed until it reaches the consistency you’d like.

Recipe Notes

I don’t have a standing blender and make everything with a good immersion blender. Not only does it work just as well for most smoothies and other recipes that need blending, it takes up much less space and uses less materials.

The thickness of the yogurt used will inform how much milk is needed, and that’s why it’s an add as much as you need situation. A very thick yogurt will certainly require a bit of milk, but a runnier type might mean no milk at all is added. 

How to Store

Storage: I don’t recommend keeping this in the refrigerator for a long period, but it could be chilled for up to four hours, covered tightly.

Freezing: try making this into ice pops by pouring the mixture into moulds and freezing until solid. 

Expert Tips

• Sweeten to taste: if the fruit is sweet enough, you probably won’t need to add anything to sweeten the smoothie, but should taste it and sweeten to your preference.
• Easily remove the pits: most of the time, you can cut the nectarine in half around the pit and twist it to split. Halve the side that contains the pit again, and then pop it out with your fingers. Sometimes the pit splits and then it’s a bit more work, but this method is usually pretty good.
• Don’t worry about the peel: you might have little bits of peel remaining, but they’re soft and not noticeable. The peel of fruits and vegetables contain most of the nutrients and should be eaten at any chance.

More Summery Drinks

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie
Mint Lemonade
Strawberry Milk
Strawberry Slush