Healthy Vegan Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe
Today we are making a Healthy Vegan Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe! Oh, the good old days. No phones, no social media, no being able to see what anyone was up to at any given moment. Just computer games, hand-picked from a giant flippable CD case, frantically trying to find the game of the day to play when the lazy summer afternoon times hit.
Summers as a child felt like the longest time in the world, when the days stretched beyond any measure of time, and playing outdoors, watching a movie borrowed on video (and having to rewind it to the beginning before returning), going to the local library book club and trying to be the kid that read the most books that summer or playing computer games on those thick computers back in the early 2000s.
But what made summer even better? The snacks that would fill the kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer. From Kool-Aid, Sunny D, Dunkaroos, Mrs.Fields individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies … and orange creamsicles. The best flavor of popsicles out there. THE Orange Creamsicle, the orange-flavored popsicle filled with vanilla ice cream, a combination of icy and creamy all rolled into one bite. This popular frozen treat was the inspiration behind today’s recipe!
I love Orange Creamsicles, but (a) they aren’t vegan and (b) they’re full of refined sugar. Instead, making this healthy orange creamsicle smoothie recipe at home that mimics the nostalgic creamsicle is a great way to get your fill of all things orange-creamsicle, but vegan-friendly and using only pure maple syrup as the added sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe
Orange Creamsicle Popsicle Inspired: This creamy smoothie is inspired by the summer flavors of the popular childhood creamsicle, the orange popsicle filled with vanilla ice cream. This was the ultimate frozen treat, and the best part was that it came as a double popsicle stuck together as one (the real fans know what I’m talking about)!
But this smoothie recipe doesn’t contain any ice cream, refined sugar or processed orange juice. Instead, we use frozen tangerines for all the real orange flavor (get in that Vitamin C!), blended with some plant-based milk, a touch of vanilla, pure maple syrup for natural sugar and vegan yogurt for a thick and creamy texture!
Plus, for those who aren’t a fan of coconut milk or frozen banana (which many vegan smoothies use as a base), this recipe has none of those.
Substitutions
Tangerines: Substitute with the same amount of clementines or fresh oranges, cut up and frozen. Just make sure there are no seeds before freezing. If there are, remove the seeds first.
Yogurt: This recipe uses vegan coconut-based yogurt (I like Riviera brand), but you can use any type of plain dairy-free yogurt of choice. Taste test the yogurt before using, as different brands can taste different, and there are many options to choose from. Cashew, almond, oat and coconut yogurt are popular options, to name a few.
Oat Milk: Substitute with any other neutral non-dairy milk of choice. Almond milk, cashew milk, full-fat canned coconut milk, soy milk or other plant-based milks may work. Oat milk has a sweet and nutty flavor, which works well in this drink.
Vanilla Extract: Choose a high-quality vanilla extract, without additional caramel color or dyes. You can also use pure vanilla flavor, which is non-alcoholic so can’t be labeled as extract.
Maple Syrup: Substitute with another sweetener of choice. If using maple syrup, then choose pure syrup that contains just one ingredient on the level.
Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe Notes
- Gay Lea brand makes delicious coconut cream based whip. This is usually next to the regular aerosol cans of whipped cream in the grocery store.
- For a non-coconut-base, ReddiWhip makes an almond based whip instead. There may be other brands providing soy-based whip instead of a nut-based one as well, depending on where you live.
- Turn this recipe into a breakfast smoothie bowl by pouring into a bowl, reducing the amount of oat milk start with just 2 tablespoons instead of a half cup (for extra thickness and less liquid, but you can add more milk as desired) and topping with fresh fruits!
More Easy Recipes You’ll Love
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie
If you make this Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!
Healthy Vegan Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe
Equipment
- High-speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tangerines peeled, separated into pieces, seeded and frozen
- ½ cup vegan coconut yogurt
- ½ cup oat milk chilled
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- pinch pink salt
- vegan whipped cream optional topping
Instructions
- Blend together all ingredients, except the whipped cream, until smooth.
- Pour the smoothie into a glass cup.
- Top with optional vegan whipped cream. Enjoy!
