Unicorn Smoothie

A perfect recipe to make your own version of the Unicorn Smoothie. Full of fruits and vegetables and NO artificial colors! With all things healthy, Let the MAGIC begin 🦄 🦄 🦄

Hey people! How was your weekend? Were you guys at a Starbucks to get hold of a Unicorn Frappuccino? I spent the weekend making glasses full of a look alike smoothie at home!! And we had a great time with all the colors and flavors, right in our kitchen.

Ever since I saw the ads of the Frappuccino coming up, I was thinking of a home-made version since. Finally I started making it last week. The colors were so catchy and bright and the combination perfect. So instead of a Frappe, I made a smoothie using fresh fruits and vegetables. The result was an awesome colored smoothie that managed to impress my hubby too :)

Natural blue and pink color you ask? Yes the pink was cakewalk; given that nature has a ton of pinks. Beetroot, raspberries, strawberries, pitaya and what not! So any combination of these would work. Coming to the blue; it is either pea flowers, red cabbage or blue matcha. Again, any of these will work. 

I used beetroot and strawberries for the pink; red cabbage for the blue. Wonder how to get blue from a red cabbage? It is nothing but simple Chemistry! Extract the violet color from cabbage, add a base to make it blue and use! Sounds difficult? It is super simple, trust me :) It is a recipe that you make once, and then use the color in muffins, beverages, smoothies, and what not! The amount of ingredients below give you 1/4 cup color; enough to color a TON of food. 

After this information overload of Chemistry and the like, here is a small introduction to the drink. unicorn has been a food trend for a while. Muffins, bagels, cakes, ice-creams, cookies, waffles, hair color, clothes and what not! And now Starbucks announced a limited time version of Unicorn Frappuccino. All these foods have the pinks and blues in them and are totally magical (or atleast they claim to be). So now anything that has light blue and pink colors is tagged as Unicorn Inspired. 

Majority of these recipes use a LOT of food color. I generally try and avoid all the color and opt for natural colors. Blood Oranges for red, Strawberries and beets for pink, spinach for greens and carrots for orange. I make a lot of recipes using these fruits and vegetables and they are all a part of my blog. I have been planning to put all the colors into ONE dish and eat a rainbow. My urge to do so has increased since I saw Asha's Naturally colored Rainbow Waffles. They are not only colorful, they look super delicious too!   

So back to the recipe, the steps below might sound a little intimidating but it is not. Once you make it, you can make it again in under 10-12 minutes. The maximum time is taken in whipping the cream! All the remaining work is pretty quick. 

A few substitutions for this recipe:

• Substitute milk and cream for coconut milk and cream to make a Vegan version. Add sugar instead of honey if you desire
• I added beetroot powder once and left it out the other time. The shade of the drink differs, but the taste does not. Add some cooked beet if you like
• The blue color I made is stored in the refrigerator. I use that for all my baking recipes
• Mangoes are in season, and I love them. So I drizzled some puree on top. It definitely adds a great taste and color to the drink, but is not mandatory
• Add sprinkles or fairy dust on top. It definitely adds to the magic! 🦄

So do try this recipe at home. And definitely don't forget to share it with me on  Facebook, Instagram or on this space! I love to see all the pictures that my readers make using the recipes from the blog!  

Ingredients

For the Blue Color 

Red Cabbage 1/2 medium
Baking Soda 1/4 tsp
Water 3-4 cups

For the Pink Layer

Strawberries 5-6

Banana 1 medium 

Beetroot Powder (optional) a pinch

Milk 1/4 cup

Honey 1/2 tsp

For the Blue Layer

Whipped Cream 2 tbsp

Natural Blue Color (Recipe below) 2-3 drops

For the Whipped Cream Layer

Whipping Cream 2 tbsp

Honey 1/4 tsp

Vanilla Extract 1/4 tsp

For the Toppings

Mango 1/2 medium

Pink and Blue Sprinkles

Method

For the Blue Color

Chop half a head of Red Cabbage. Just chop them roughly and add in a pan with the water. Ensure the water is enough to cover the cabbage completely. 

Boil for 15-18 minutes, till the water is dark purple. Drain the cabbage and transfer the water back to the pan. Boil for 35-40 minutes, till it is reduced to 1/4 cup.

Transfer to a glass container to make it easy to spot the color change. Add  1/8 tsp baking soda and stir. Mix completely and see the color. If it is still violet, add some more baking soda. Ensure not to add too much, else it will taste metallic. Stir completely and let stand for a few seconds to see the homogenous color. 

Keep the color refrigerated and use within two weeks.  

For the Pink Layer

Freeze the fruits for an hour. In a blender add the strawberries, banana and beetroot powder (if using). Then add the milk and honey. Blend till smooth. Set aside.

For the Blue Layer

Chill the cream till ready to whip. Remove and whip till soft peaks are achieved. I whipped 4 tbsp together and then divided between this and the topping. 

In half the whipped cream add a couple of drops of blue color and mix. Adjust the amount till you achieve the desired tinge. Transfer to a ziplock bag and keep ready.

For the Whipped Cream

In the remaining half of the whipped cream, add honey and vanilla extract. Whip till firm peaks appear. Transfer to a piping bag.

For the Mango Layer

Puree the mango till smooth. Transfer to a ziplock bag and set aside. 

To assemble the smoothie

Transfer half of the smoothie to a tall glass. Snip off a small hole in the ziplock with the blue colored cream. Make a wave on the edges. The messier it is, the more beautiful it looks! You can make more than one layer by adding the smoothie in three or four parts too. 

Add the remaining smoothie. Pipe the whipping cream on it. Make a small hole in the ziplock with mango and drizzle it over the cream. Top with sprinkles and enjoy!