Vitamin C Smoothie Recipe – Citrus Strawberry Banana

Let me introduce you to this kid-favorite smoothie that is Vitamin C-packed, fruity and delicious! The combination of strawberries, whole oranges, and bananas leaves you with a super refreshing smoothie that gives your vitamin C intake a big boost! Great any time of the year, but especially during the cold season when more germs are floating around.

Vitamin C Smoothie Recipe – Citrus Strawberry Banana

When runny noses start to make an appearance in our house, I start by leaning on tons of nourishing foods. We love my turmeric chicken soup and carrot ginger turmeric juice during a cold or flu, but leading up, getting lots of vitamin C and ensuring we’re getting a big variety of colors and foods in is key!

We enjoy smoothies any time of year, they aren’t just reserved for hot days. My kids love sipping on fruity smoothies and this one is quickly becoming one they ask for over and over again.

Growing up my parents would make a similar one, but with a few key differences. For the orange flavor, they would use orange juice and here we’re using whole oranges for more fiber.

For the strawberry flavor, they would use strawberry jam, and we’re opting for frozen strawberries, again, to get a bit more fiber from the whole fruit and no additional added sugar.

All these fruits add quite enough sweetness to this smoothie!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Vitamin boosting – Anytime I can add more nourishment to a recipe, I do! This fruit smoothie is loaded with vitamin C which is awesome for immune system support.

Kids love it – My kids are drawn to fresh fruit and anything fruity which makes them big fans of this delicious smoothie. It’s sweetened the natural way with just fruit!

Super customizable – Let the combination of strawberry, orange, and banana be the starting point – feel free to mix the fruits and try mango chunks or pineapple chunks for a tropical smoothie, add a splash of lemon juice, or use Greek yogurt in place of the milk. The combinations are endless!

Healthy ingredients you’ll need for this delicious vitamin C smoothie

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

• non-dairy milk
• navel oranges
• banana
• frozen strawberries

How to make this fruity nutritious smoothie

Step 1: To a blender add all of the ingredients starting with the milk. Blend until you have a smooth and creamy texture.

Watch me make a vitamin C bomb smoothie

The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!

Serving suggestion

My go-to times to make this tasty smoothie is at breakfast time, or after school. I love pairing it with other breakfast recipes and healthy snacks.

Here are a handful that go well with it!

For breakfast try these:

• Broccoli cheddar egg muffins
• Protein pancakes
• Chocolate protein waffles
• Country breakfast sausage

For snacks try these:

• Peanut butter chocolate muffins (with sweet potato!)
• No bake coconut balls
• Chocolate chip chickpea muffins
• Protein cookie dough (with beans!)

Great smoothie add-ins

Want to add even more goodness to your drink? Add a scoop of protein powder for extra protein or 1/2 a cup of Greek yogurt – both give you a nice protein boost!

For some added healthy fats, include 1-2 tbsp chia seed or hemp hearts.

Do you love adding veggies to all of your smoothies? A little frozen cauliflower rice or fresh spinach won’t impact the taste at all!

Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this immune boosting smoothie recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Non-dairy milk – You can use any type of milk here – almond milk, carton coconut milk, cow’s milk, or even coconut water for an extra refreshing hydrating option!

Navel oranges – Whatever type of fresh orange you have on hand works great here!

Banana – While there is no 1:1 substitute for bananas, frozen peaches give a similar creamy texture that bananas provide.

Frozen strawberries – Fresh strawberries will work in place of frozen. If you end up not using any frozen fruit, add a few ice cubes in when blending.

More real food recipes you’ll love

• Strawberry banana peanut butter smoothie
• Beginner green smoothie
• Blackberry smoothie with cauliflower
• Cucumber mango smoothie
• Raspberry arnold palmer
• Orange carrot ginger juice

If you try this vitamin C booster recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

Originally published June 2011. Updated February 2024.