Blueberry Smoothie

Michael Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

A single-serve blueberry smoothie using Monash serve sizes for the berries, milk, and optional protein or banana.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeVegan-option

Ingredients

• 20 blueberries (about 40 g), fresh or frozen
• 1 cup (250 ml) lactose-free cow's milk or unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup ice (skip if using frozen berries)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

Blend

1. Add the milk to the blender first, then the blueberries, ice, vanilla, and maple syrup.
2. Blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth. Scrape down the sides once if any berries stick.
3. Pour into a glass and drink right away. The texture thins as it sits.

Tips & Substitutions

• Make it a protein smoothie. Add 1 scoop of whey isolate, rice protein, or egg-white protein powder. Skip plant-protein blends like Orgain, Vega, and Garden of Life. Many contain inulin or chicory root fiber, which is high-FODMAP. Check the label for "prebiotic fiber" and polyol sweeteners too.
• Add a banana. For elimination, keep banana small and weighed, and choose firm-yellow (still slightly green) fruit. Riper bananas become higher-FODMAP at smaller serves, so check the Monash app for the current gram limit.
• Thicken with yogurt. Swap 1/2 cup of the milk for 1/2 cup of plain lactose-free Greek yogurt. Adds protein and a tangier flavor.
• Pick a safe milk. Lactose-free cow, unsweetened almond (up to 1 cup / 250 ml), macadamia, hemp, or rice milk (up to 3/4 cup / 187 ml). Canned light coconut milk is low at 1/2 cup. Oat milk is brand- and serve-dependent; use a Monash-certified carton or skip it. Avoid any milk with inulin, chicory root fiber, or added "prebiotic fiber."
• Sweeten with maple syrup only. Honey and agave are high-fructose and not low-FODMAP. A few drops of stevia or sucralose work if maple isn't your thing. Skip polyol sweeteners like sorbitol, xylitol, and maltitol.
• Frozen blueberries work one-for-one. Twenty frozen berries is still the serve. They thicken the smoothie, so skip the ice and add a splash more milk if it's too thick to pour.

Why This Works

Blueberry serve. Monash lists 20 blueberries (about 40 g) as low-FODMAP. Past that serve, blueberries climb into moderate-FODMAP territory, so stay at one serve per glass.

Milk matrix. Lactose is the FODMAP issue in regular cow's milk. Lactose-free dairy and most unsweetened nut milks are low at 1 cup or more, which is why this smoothie works without cutting the milk volume.

Protein-powder trap. Most plant-protein blends sold to gym and wellness shoppers contain inulin or chicory root fiber. Both are high-FODMAP fructans, and they show up even in "clean" or "gut-health" labels. Whey isolate, rice, and egg-white powders are the safer defaults.

Sweetener rule. Pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 2 tablespoons. A teaspoon is plenty with ripe blueberries, and it keeps honey and agave (both high-fructose) out of the glass.

Storage

Blend and drink right away. If you need to hold one, cap it in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours at 40°F (4°C) or below. Shake or re-blend before drinking; separation is normal. To prep ahead, freeze the blueberries, vanilla, and maple in a zip bag and add milk and ice at blend time.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.