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rainbow smoothie layered in different colors in glasses

Mar 15, 2023

Feb 26, 2023

Last updated on March 15th, 2023 at 04:14 pm

Pretty Rainbow Smoothie Recipe [Video]

Rainbow Smoothies are not just delicious, easy to make, and healthy, but they are also really beautiful and incredibly tasty. In fact, it is the prettiest smoothie you have ever seen. This smoothie is a great idea to celebrate pride month or a new drink for your diet plan. When your family tastes this mixture of rainbow colors in a glass, they will want more so make extra!

If you like this recipe, you will love our Green Smoothie Bowl made with spinach, avocado, honey, and coconut cream. It makes a great breakfast for those on the go. But if you want something a little sweeter, you can make this No-Churn Pineapple Sorbet with maple syrup, coconut cream, frozen pineapples, and lime.

The first smoothies were invented by health food shops in California in the 1940s when they were trying out new Brazilian recipes. They mixed a blend of frozen bananas and pineapples, selling them to tourists. Pretty soon, they became so popular that they ended up in the Waring Blendor cookbooks not long after. However, they did not start hitting stores and coffee shops until the early 90s.

This is an easy recipe to make with fresh fruit, frozen fruits, and vegetables including bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and peaches as well as spinach, beets, blackberries, and pineapples. With some juices and yogurt mixed in for texture and a dab of blue food coloring for looks. This rainbow smoothie tastes amazing and looks even better with its perfect layers and colors.

Are you looking for some other rainbow recipes? For breakfast, try our rainbow waffles made with just two ingredients. All you need is a waffle mix and some food coloring. Of course, you can add toppings like syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles. For something decadent and a little bit naughty, make these mini rainbow cheesecakes. With the creamy filling and graham cracker crust, this is a sweet treat you will always enjoy!

overhead shot of fruits and veggies on a cutting board

Ingredients needed:

To make this delicious rainbow smoothie recipe, all you need are the ingredients listed here. Then, when you are ready to put it all together, go down the page to our recipe card where you will find the measurements and instructions.

Red layer:

Frozen strawberries
Frozen raspberries
Frozen banana
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending

Orange layer:

Frozen peaches
Frozen banana
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Orange juice

Yellow layer:

Frozen pineapple
Frozen banana
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending

Green layer:

Frozen pineapple
Spinach
Frozen bananas
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending

Blue layer:

Frozen pineapples
Frozen bananas
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending
Blue food coloring

Purple layer:

Frozen mixed blueberries or blackberries
Frozen banana
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending

Magenta layer:

Frozen raspberries
Frozen banana
Sliced beets
Greek yogurt: Plain or vanilla.
Water or juice for blending

photo collage of steps how to make rainbow smoothie

How to make a rainbow smoothie from scratch?

Make the first layer: To begin, put all the ingredients for the red layer in a blender or food processor and mix until it is smooth. Add liquid as needed. Add it to a bowl and chill.
Rinse and make another layer: Then, rinse the blender and move on to the next color.
Pour into a glass: Next, pour the smoothie layers into tall glasses.
Chill and serve: Continue until all the colors are layered on top of each other and serve chilled.

Recipe variations:

Other fruits: Feel free to switch out any fruits you do not like with others. Some ideas are frozen mango, watermelon, pink grapefruit, cantaloupe, kiwi, guava, or whatever else you like.
Different veggies: Similarly, you can add or swap other veggies like zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.
Other additions: For extra vitamins and antioxidants, add your favorite superfoods. Some of these can include chia seeds, flax, hemp seeds, turmeric, spirulina, and wheatgrass.
Add nuts: Grind up some walnuts, pecans, or almonds, and add a little bit to each layer.
Fresh instead: Instead of frozen fruit, you can use fresh. But frozen fruit makes your smoothie thicker and colder.
Lemon and lime: For a sour smoothie, add lemon zest to the yellow layer and lime zest to the green layer.
More energy boost: For an extra energy boost, add a scoop of espresso to the purple layer. It may look a little brown but it will give you a serious kick of energy.
Different yogurt: Depending on your taste, you can use whatever kind of yogurt flavor you like such as blueberry for the blue or purple layer and strawberry or cherry for the red layer.
Honey: Add honey to any layer for extra sweetness.

overhead shot of rainbow smoothie topped with fresh fruits

How to serve:

You can serve this rainbow smoothie in a cup, glass, or bowl, frozen or thawed. They make the perfect cool drink in the summertime when you are sitting at the pool. Try one of these great serving ideas or share your own in the comments below.

Pour these into popsicle molds to make rainbow popsicles. The kids love to eat them!
If you have picky eaters at home who only like certain colors or flavors, you can just serve them whatever layers you think they will enjoy.
For a special sweet addition, put a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top.
The thicker the better. If your smoothies are not thick enough, add some ice cubes and blend them in.
Add some toppings like granola, flaked coconut, or chopped nuts.
You could also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Another sweet way to top this drink is with some chocolate syrup.
For a festive look, add a handful of rainbow sprinkles or chocolate chips.
If you do not mind the extra sugar, add a scoop of our delicious strawberry sauce in the red layer.

layered rainbow smoothie made with fruits

Frequently asked questions

What are some good liquids for this smoothie recipe?

Besides the usual orange juice, pineapple juice, and other fruit juices, you could also try milk to make your smoothie extra thick and creamy. For less fat or those who are lactose intolerant, use almond milk instead. Another great choice for making smoothies is coconut water. If you would like a boozy smoothie, try adding a little bit of coconut rum or flavored vodka.

What is a superfood?

Any kind of edible substance that is rich in fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is considered to be a superfood. For example, acai is full of amino acids and fatty acids for a healthy heart. Matcha has all sorts of detoxifying antioxidants like EGCg, L-Theanine, and chlorophyll. Cacao is another powerful antioxidant with copper, iron, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.

What is not good to put in a smoothie?

If you are concerned about calories, you do not want to add ice cream or sherbet to your smoothie. You also should not use fruit juice unless it has no added sugar. Canned fruit is another ingredient that is full of sugar. Also, leave out the chocolate, whole milk, and cream if you do not want extra calories and fat.

there glasses of layered rainbow smoothie

What is the nutrition information for this recipe?

Each serving has 288 calories, 22 mg sodium, and 2 grams fat with 1 gram saturated fat. It also has 2 mg cholesterol, 61 grams carbs, and 38 grams sugar. On the good side, your smoothie has 1 gram polyunsaturated fat, 1 gram monounsaturated fat, 127 mg calcium, and 138 mg vitamin C as well as 12 grams fiber, 914 mg potassium, 1,429 units vitamin A, and 2 mg iron.

How to store leftovers:

Store: You can store your leftover rainbow smoothie in an airtight container or jar. It will stay fresh for up to three days.
Freeze: You can also save your leftovers in the freezer for several months. To make them rainbow again, pack each color in a different freezer bag and then put them all into a large freezer-safe container or bag.
Thaw: You can thaw these in the fridge overnight or for several hours to make them thin enough to pour.

More smoothie recipes to try:

Recipe tips:

This recipe should make about 10 servings. If you want less, cut the ingredients in half. Or just freeze half of it, keeping the layers separate.
If you are making smoothies for more than one person, pour each color back into its own small bowl after blending. Then, you can just pour it into glasses layer by layer without mixing them up.
Make it a family affair. Let the kids help blend. They will have fun making different colorful layers.
You can shorten prep time by making each layer and storing them in separate jars in the fridge to prepare the next day.
The amount of liquid and yogurt you use makes the difference in how many servings you get. We used 1/2 cup of yogurt in each layer and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water or juice.
For a seriously sweet treat, replace the frozen banana with vanilla ice cream.
You can skip the blue food coloring if you do not want it. Or make natural blue coloring with red cabbage, baking soda, and water.