This Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie recipe is a magic trick; it gives off dessert vibes while sneaking in some budget-friendly frozen fruits and protein-packed cottage cheese. It’s the best of both worlds (and super easy to make) if you ask me! Leave off the whipped cream and crumbled snack cookies if you’re trying to be good, but I encourage you to treat yourself!
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Easy Recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie
This smoothie tastes just like strawberry cheesecake, except it’s way more wholesome and something I feel good about sipping any time of day. The cottage cheese makes it super creamy and adds a little cheesecake-like tang, while the frozen banana and strawberries give it the perfect thick, frosty texture. And while the toppings are optional, I’ll be honest…I never skip them. A little whipped cream and crushed cookies on top? They take this healthy breakfast smoothie and make it feel like dessert in a cup real quick. 😉
Budget-Saving Tip
You know those bananas on the sale cart at the grocery store with all the brown spots and freckles? Buy and freeze them! Not only are they insanely cheap, but they’re perfectly ripe and sweet, ready for any of your smoothies and banana bread needs.
Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie Recipe
Servings 2 servings (3 cups)Ingredients
Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana (½ cup if pre-diced)* ($0.26)
- 1 ¼ cup frozen strawberries ($2.17)
- ¼ cup cottage cheese* ($0.24)
- 1 cup milk ($0.18)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract ($0.17)
Toppings
- half a batch of Beth's Homemade Whipped Cream**
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream ($0.84)
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar ($0.04)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract ($0.33)
- 2 vanilla cream sandwich cookies, crumbled ($0.08)
Instructions
- Gather ingredients. Prepare half a batch of Beth’s Homemade Whipped Cream (using the heavy whipping cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract), and put it in the freezer to chill while you make your smoothie.
- Add banana, strawberries, cottage cheese, milk, and vanilla extract to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Top with homemade whipped cream and crumbled vanilla sandwich cookies.
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Equipment
- Small Blender
- Hand Mixer
Notes
Nutrition
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Gather all of your ingredients. Start by making half a batch of Beth’s Homemade Whipped Cream using ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar, and ½ tsp vanilla extract. Place it into the freezer to chill while you make your smoothie base.
Make the smoothie: Add 1 frozen banana (½ cup if pre-sliced), 1 ¼ cup frozen strawberries, ¼ cup cottage cheese, 1 cup milk, and ¼ tsp vanilla extract to your blender.
Blend everything together until nice and smooth, with no chunks of frozen fruit left.
Add the toppings: Pour your delicious strawberry cheesecake smoothie into two glasses. Top each glass with a dollop of the homemade whipped cream and a crumbled vanilla sandwich cookie each. Serve immediately and enjoy!
How to Freeze Fresh Fruit
I mentioned earlier about buying bananas from the sale cart and freezing them. This is one of my favorite ways to reduce food waste and save a little money while stocking up on smoothie staples. Here’s exactly how I freeze fresh fruit to keep things quick and easy when a smoothie craving hits:
- Wash, peel, and slice larger pieces of fruit (e.g. bananas) into evenly sized chunks so they blend more easily later on.
- Lay the pieces out on a baking sheet. I try to keep them from touching too much so they don’t freeze into one big clump.
- Freeze until solid.
- Transfer to a freezer bag or container. I label mine with the date and keep them in my freezer until I’m ready to blend.
You can freeze just about any fruit, including avocados (I love an avocado smoothie!). I also recommend mixing and matching different frozen fruits to make smoothie packs with all sorts of fun flavors.
Recipe Variations & Suggestions!
- Try different fruits. To switch up the ‘cheesecake’ flavor in this smoothie, swap the frozen strawberries for frozen raspberries, cherries, mango, blueberries, or any other fruit you like.
- Add a nutrition booster. You can definitely add in some chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, or your favorite vanilla protein powder for an extra hit of goodness. Just keep in mind these additions may alter the flavor and texture of this strawberry cheesecake smoothie recipe.
- Make it a smoothie bowl. I’d use a little less milk to keep it thick, then pour it into a bowl and pile on toppings like granola, sliced fruit, or coconut flakes.
- Sweeten to taste. I think this smoothie is plenty sweet enough, especially if you add the whipped cream topping. But if your bananas weren’t super ripe when you froze them (the browner they are, the sweeter your smoothie will be!) or you have a major sweet tooth, feel free to drizzle in some honey, maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar to taste.
- Turn it into popsicles! This smoothie recipe is best served fresh while it’s still thick and frosty. But if you have any leftovers, you could freeze them in popsicle molds to make some smoothie popsicles. I think these would be a super fun, kid-friendly snack for a hot day!
- Got leftover cottage cheese? Don’t let it go to waste! Check out our ‘One Ingredient, Five Ways – Cottage Cheese’ Youtube Video, where I share 5 of my favorite, easy recipes to use it up (I also make this smoothie in the video, so you can see it in action and blend along with me!)
I’m sipping on this as I type. I’ve been wondering what to do with the remnants of a tub of plain cottage cheese and never thought to blend it up as a smoothie! It’s thick and just the right amount of sweet, with a little tang from the cottage cheese. Indeed like a cheesecake! I didn’t even make the topping and this is a winner!
This looks so pretty! Any suggestions for folks who loathe bananas with the white hot heat of a thousand suns? I’d like to make a healthy strawberry smoothie, but I worry the texture will be off if I leave the bananas out.
It will definitely miss some creaminess and sweetness without the banana, but you could do all strawberry! I would maybe add some some honey, maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar to sweeten back up a bit. You could also do frozen avocado to add in some creaminess. You can’t taste it but the color might be a little off.
Can you please refrain from labeling food as good or bad? Your comment about leaving off the cookies and whipped cream to be “good” while I know is trying to be funny is not appropriate and further reinforces the toxic rhetoric around food as good or bad. All food has its place in a balanced diet and food is not moral aka good or bad. I love budget bytes and have been an avid reader since 2012 and would love to see this language surrounding food not used by this site.
Really? There is nothing inappropriate in this recipe. How about keeping your small-minded, petty comments to yourself.
Oh, please. Too much extra sugar *isn’t* good for you. Stop looking for reasons to be outraged and enjoy the recipes.
I’ve never lived anywhere that ripe bananas were cheaper than unripe ones.
Some stores have discount racks for about to go off produce, which I assumed is what was meant. My local Kroger will package things up in red mesh bags, and it’s $0.99 for a bag, no matter what is in it.
Yes, that is what I meant! Thanks, Toby!
My husband converted to smoothies about 10 years ago when he was sent to an orthodontist for braces. It’s still something he wants weekly. I freeze ripe–not overripe–bananas in slices. I use Greek yogurt, almond milk, sugar free sweetener, lots of vanilla, and plenty of frozen fruit. I tried cottage cheese this morning, and there’s not much taste or texture difference between using that and plain Greek yogurt. In any case, this is a healthy meal substitute any time of day!