Pear Smoothie with Vanilla, Honey, and Lime Zest
Fall is full of so many wonderful foods, but there is one that I just can’t live without at this time of year. This simple pear smoothie takes full advantage of my favorite fall fruit: Bartlett pears!
They are my absolute favorite snack and I can easily eat three or four of them in a day. I pick up one or two of those Trader Joe’s bags (the organic ones are such a steal and at least, in my experience, always reliable!) every single week, and am always left wanting more.
I have a confession though. I’m not a huge baked pear dessert fan. I’m just as surprised by this as you probably are. After all, I generally believe that most fruits taste just as good, if not better, in baked goods. But pears?
Eh. I find them a bit one-dimensional in flavor and a little too sweet for my liking (especially D’Anjou or Bosc pears) once they’ve mellowed out even more in the oven.
I’d much rather enjoy them in fresh form. Either plain (boring, I know) or better yet, in this healthy and filling fall-friendly pear smoothie!
Hopefully you’re not opposed to drinking smoothies in the fall!
But, but! I feel like the majority of the country is still in that weird weather transition that calls for a good cold smoothie every now and again. You know?
After all, I spent most of last week sweating to death in my apartment due to my apartment building’s unfortunate decision to turn on the heat smack dab in the middle of an all-too-predictable heat wave. This seems to happen every year without fail.
Pear smoothie to the rescue!
I kept this smoothie really simple with only a handful of ingredients. Kefir is my all-time favorite dairy choice for smoothies! It has the tartness and tang of yogurt, but with a much thinner consistency, making it perfect for blending. It is available in most grocery stores (in the refrigerated dairy section), but feel free to substitute it with low-fat plain yogurt.
A touch of honey adds sweetness and the lime zest helps brighten the whole thing up! To up the health factor, I like to add hulled raw hemp seeds to almost all of my smoothies. They are almost indistinguishable in taste, but full of protein (they are one of the only complete proteins out there!) and omega fatty acids.
Pear Smoothie with Vanilla, Honey, and Lime Zest
A refreshing pear smoothie made with kefir, and lightly sweetened with honey.
Ingredients
- 1 cup kefir (or substitute with low-fat plain yogurt)
- 1 large bartlett pear, cored and cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon raw hemp seeds
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- zest of half a lime
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 476mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 9gSugar: 41gProtein: 15g
A Beautiful Plate provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
So I have a confession, I am not huge on pairs. I know, I am sorry, BUT I have to say that your pairs look kind of delicious. Maybe I am not trying the right varieties?? Regardless, this healthy smooth look great!
Get Bartletts! They are the best.
Smoothie perfection! The kefir and pear combination is brilliant. Added to my to-do list: 1) buy pears, 2) make smoothie.
Thanks Lindsey!!! I don’t know why I haven’t put pears in my smoothies before now!
Pretty sure it was fate that made me buy a giant bag of Barltetts yesterday! I also really puzzled as to why I have never added pears to my smoothies yet. This needs to happen tomorrow morning!
Oh yay! I hadn’t before this one either! What the heck?!
Oh wow. These look heavenly. I just bought a bunch of bartletts yesterday!
Nice!! Thanks Erica!
Ohhhhh the pears. So dang good! I also buy several bags at TJ’s, and I juice them. So good!
Oooh! Fresh pear juice! That sounds amazing!
Beautiful pears! Lucky for me, I am a huge fan of anything with pears and would love to start the day with this smoothie. I love that you added hemp seeds too!
Thanks Ashley!! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Kefir is my favorite! I used to drink the strawberry all by itself. I had no idea TJ’s was a mecca for bartlett pears. Seems like I need to journey over now…
I can drink it all by itself too! I love it! Thanks Sarah!
Mmm the flavors in here sound absolutely perfect for a smoothie!!
Thank you!
Smoothies are a year round deal as far as I am concerned. Just like soup. You just fit the drink or soup to the season. I love pears too. This is the perfect time of year to get the good ones. This looks delish!
I totally agree with you! 🙂 Thanks Carol!
It’s been a while since I made a smoothie. Maybe it’s because I left my blender when I was moving :(. Do you think I can make this in my food processor?
I can’t get enough pears this time of year! Although, I must say, I like them in any way, shape or form. I even will (gasp) eat them from the can. I know, it’s horrible, but sometimes its the only option when they aren’t in season! (At least that’s what I tell myself.) Love this smoothie!
Ok, I’m totally guilty of doing that on occasion too. I used to love those! I DO love poached pears!
I love pears! Though I’m not always that fond of them in baked goods either… They turn so mushy most of the time 🙁 And I always find it so hard to come up with nice smoothies during the colder months – what a great recipe!
Right?! I am so glad I am not alone in this! I have a hard time coming up with winter smoothies too, but now I’m determined to share more of them. Thanks Nora!
Well this looks delicious. I have yet to make a pear smoothie this fall, but this may be my first! Yum 🙂
This smoothie looks like heaven. I can’t wait to give this a try. Thanks for sharing this
Kefir or yogurt are very healthy and so packed with flavors. This is a delicious smoothie!
Yum! I haven’t seen a smoothie with fresh pears before and looooove the looks of this. Definitely need to try. I’m crazy for Bartlett pears too!
I’m actually not usually a big fan of pears (it’s a texture thing) but maybe smoothies would help abolish my aversion. I think so.
I think so too! 🙂
I recently just taste-tested the pears at our local market when the produce guy saw me spending WAY too much time trying to pick our pears. The winner? Bartlett pears – definitely.
This smoothie sounds like the most delicious of desserts in healthy form. I can picture every flavor note and now I’m salivating.
We’re in deep Fall here, but I still crave a smoothie every day–especially after a sweaty workout. I love frozen pears in place of bananas as the thickening agent in smoothies. The vanilla and lime in yours sounds so delicious. I’m a pears raw-only girl for the most part too 😉
Wow! The combination of pear and lime is like a new fruit! So good and not too sweet! Definitely adding this to my smoothie recipes.
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Oh my I was skeptical but it was sublime! Used my homemade kefir and a lemon instead as I had no lime.. Way better than my usual berry and banana!!