Here are three different protein-packed silken tofu smoothie recipes, each offering a creamy, velvety smooth consistency and unique delicious flavors. One fruity, one chocolatey, and one bright green smoothie, all made with silken tofu as their base.
What is easier to put together than a breakfast smoothie or your favorite smoothie combination as an afternoon snack? Nothing, right?
The fact that silken tofu has a relatively neutral taste makes it a perfect foundation for smoothies allowing other flavors to shine and creates a delightful canvas for additional ingredients.
I love using silken tofu in desserts such as this Tofu Chocolate Mousse and thought why not using it to create some nutritious smoothie recipes?
To discover additional recipes featuring silken tofu, browse through our collection of Silken Tofu Recipes.
Why put tofu into a smoothie?
Here are a couple of reasons to include tofu in your diet:
- Packed with Protein. Tofu is made from soy beans and thus a great source of plant based protein. Plus, unlike many other vegan protein sources, tofu contains all nine essential amino acids making it a "complete" type of protein.
- Dairy-Free: what’s great about tofu is that although it is entirely dairy-free, it is also creamy in texture which is just what we want for our smoothies.
- Super Customizable: silken tofu has a very mild taste and can carry a myriad of different flavors.
Tofu's nutritional benefits
- Complete protein source
- A source of vitamins and minerals such manganese, copper, selenium, and iron. It's also a good source of calcium.
- Contains isoflavones which are associated with heart health and reducing osteoporosis.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Base: Silken tofu (not the same as regular firm tofu), frozen banana and milk of choice. I love unsweetened almond milk or oat milk. If you want, you can choose organic silken tofu. I used this non-gmo silken tofu by Mori Nu.
- Fruit Smoothie: I’ve used a mix of raspberries and strawberries, but you can use blueberries or other mixed berries if you’d prefer. Add in other fruity combinations like mango and pineapple. I prefer adding a tablespoon of maple syrup but this is optional.
- Peanut Butter Choc Smoothie: switch out the peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter if you prefer. The dates in this recipe add some additional caramel flavors but if you can’t get hold of any then go head and use honey or maple syrup to sweeten it up.
- Green Smoothie: you can switch out baby spinach for kale if you’d prefer but you’ll need to have a high -speed blender to get the smoothie silky smooth.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
STEP 1: The base. Add the tofu, banana, and milk to the blender.
Option 1: Green Smoothie. Add fresh spinach, pineapple and celery to the base and blend until it's smooth. Add in a little extra milk or water if it’s too thick.
Option 2: Chocolate Pb Smoothie. For the chocolate smoothie, add the peanut butter, cocoa powder, and dates to the base of bananas, milk, and tofu and blend until smooth.
Option 3: Berry Smoothie. For the fruity smoothie, layer your fresh berries and maple syrup (optional) on top of your base and blend until silky.
Top tips
- Choose the right type of tofu: The kind of tofu matters! Make sure to use the soft or silken variety of tofu for best results. Keep in mind that silken tofu is not the same as regular tofu.
- Ripe Bananas: Choose ripe bananas with lots of brown spots to ensure that your smoothie is sweet.
- Strong blender. Use a strong blender that can blend at high speed to get your ingredients perfectly smooth and velvety.
- Adjust the sweetness: Feel free to add some sweetness to your smoothie. You can use honey, maple syrup, or dates but be mindful of how much you add to avoid making it too sweet.
- Experiment with flavors: Experiment with different fruits, vegetables, and flavors to find your favorite combination.
- Seasonal: Choose seasonal fruit for maximum flavor and benefits.
- Serve immediately: Silken tofu smoothies are best served immediately after blending to prevent separation and maintain the smooth and creamy texture.
Variations
- Vegan: Make a vegan version by only using plant-based milk
- Other Berries: Blend in different kinds of fresh berries – instead of raspberries and strawberries you could use blackberries or bluberries to create a blueberry tofu smoothie or play around with a mix berries
Optional add-ins
- Protein Powder: Add a few grams of protein powder for an extra dose of protein.
- Spices like cinnamon, chai, and cardamon
- Chia seeds or flax seeds for some healthy fats
- Matcha tea powder and other superfood powders
- Vanilla extract
Storage
Silken tofu smoothies are best served immediately after blending to prevent separation and maintain the smooth and creamy texture.
- To store: If you need to store your smoothie transfer into a mason jar with a lid or other airtight container, seal it, and pop it into the fridge. The smoothie will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to enjoy the leftovers, shake up the smoothie and enjoy!
FAQ
So long as the proportions in the recipes are followed, the smoothie should have very little tofu taste.
No, silken tofu can’t be pressed because it's too soft. Just make sure to drain the excess water.
No, you'll need to use soft tofu to achieve that silky texture.
Yes, this will create a refreshing treat. You'll however need to add more milk then!
More smoothie recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Silken Tofu Smoothie (3 ways)
Ingredients
The "base"
- 6 oz silken tofu
- 1 frozen banana
- ¾ cup milk of choice
Green Smoothie
- 1 handful of fresh spinach ,pre-washed
- ½ cup fresh pineapple *could use unsweetened, canned
- 1 stalk of celery ,pre-washed
Peanut Chocolate Smoothie
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 (Medjool) date *or maple syrup or honey
Berry Smoothie
- 1 cup fresh berries of choice ,pre-washed *strawberries, raspberries...
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup *optional
Instructions
- Add the ingredients of your favorite smoothie (green, chocolate or berry) to a strong blender and blend until smooth.
- Adjust consistency. I recommend starting with ¾ cup of milk. Add more milk for a thinner texture.
- Adjust sweetness. Add your sweetener of choice (more dates, maple syrup, honey) for a sweeter smoothie.
Video
Notes
- Choose the right type of tofu: The kind of tofu matters! Make sure to use the soft or silken variety of tofu for best results.
- Ripe Bananas: Choose ripe bananas with lots of brown spots to ensure that your smoothie is sweet.
- Strong blender. Use a strong blender that can blend at high speed to get your ingredients perfectly smooth and velvety.
- Frozen Berries/ Fruits: You could use frozen instead of fresh spinach or berries but you need to add more milk.
Janice Teng says
East to follow and the options provided to own creations are amazing
Katie says
Happy to hear that, thanks for your feedback 🙂