Healthy Drink Recipes

The momentum behind functional foods and wellness elixirs is at an all-time high. Expensive products are touted as having the power to do everything from restoring gut health to boosting immunity and fighting inflammation, but their health claims are often backed by little solid science. So instead of pricy supplements, we're mixing up a more affordable antidote that's both healthy and homemade. A tonic, by definition, is a combination of ingredients that have the potential to enhance or restore health. While this tonic (or any tonic) is not a cure-all remedy, consuming more anti-inflammatory foods--like the ones found in this tonic--over time may only not only ease current symptoms (such as fatigue, joint pain and chronic bloating), but it may also reduce the risk of future diseases and slow aging. The combination of green tea, herbs, honey, apple-cider vinegar and spices also makes for a tasty and refreshing beverage!

A little frozen banana gives creamy texture to this satisfying smoothie bowl.

Keeping ripe peeled bananas in your freezer means you're always just one step away from a healthy smoothie. Kefir, peanut butter and flaxmeal add protein, probiotics and healthy fats.

This carrot and apple smoothie is creamy and has a light tropical flavor thanks to coconut milk. It's naturally sweetened from the carrots and apple, and the combination of ginger and lemon juice adds just a bit of spice and helps balance the flavor. The turmeric, fresh or dried, gives the smoothie a vibrant bright orange color.

Almond butter adds nutty flavor plus 7 grams of protein to this healthy, protein-rich banana smoothie.

Immunity-boosting ingredients--ginger, lemon and rosemary--are steeped with soothing chamomile tea and honey for a homemade health tonic. While the drink may help when you're sick, it's not a quick fix. Drinking wellness tonics, like this one, regularly over time may help boost your immune system. Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

This healthy smoothie recipe is a gateway to the smoothie-bowl craze. Use whatever fruit, nuts and seeds you like best to make it your own. Be sure to use frozen fruit in Step 1 to yield a creamy, frosty base for the toppings.

A smoothie with strawberries, blueberries and banana is delicately sweet and entirely kid-friendly, even with a boost of protein from hemp seeds. Freeze the fruits ahead of time for an extra frosty texture once blended.

For a fast-paced breakfast on the go, give your blender a whirl. Heart disease doesn't stand a chance thanks to the healthy fats from the almond butter and health-boosting phytonutrients in the cocoa powder and cherries in this tasty breakfast smoothie.

This creamy, rich strawberry-chocolate smoothie will satisfy any chocolate cravings. It's so decadent you might want it as a dessert, too.

This green smoothie recipe is sweetened only with fruit and gets an extra dose of healthy omega-3s from flaxseeds.

This healthy green juice recipe combines parsley, spinach, pears and celery to make a juice packed with bone-supporting vitamin K. No juicer? No problem. See the juicing variation below to make this green juice recipe in a blender.

This type of drink tends to be pricey in the big city juice bars. Now you can make the recipe at home.

A touch of honey balances the bitterness of matcha in this healthy latte recipe. For a nondairy latte, swap unsweetened almond, soy or coconut milk for the low-fat milk.

This healthy tomato-vegetable juice recipe contains all the components of a healthy salad, such as lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, celery and carrot, but with less salt than bottled vegetable-blend juices. No juicer? No problem. See the juicing variation below to make this tomato-vegetable juice recipe in a blender.

This tasty fall blender breakfast gets protein from almond milk and Greek yogurt.

While regular hot cocoa is lovely and warming, sometimes something a bit more spirited is in order. Some other tasty additions to hot chocolate: bourbon, creme de menthe, Galliano, creme de cassis, Chambord.

This green smoothie is packed with grapes, spinach, green tea and avocado. A touch of honey adds sweetness.

Kefir is similar to yogurt, full of gut-friendly probiotics. But it has fewer carbs and a more drinkable consistency--perfect for smoothies.

In this healthy ginger-beet juice recipe, we pack in vegetables by adding kale and a carrot, and sweeten with an orange and apple. No juicer? No problem. See the juicing variation below to make this beet juice recipe in the blender.

This refreshing, healthy strawberry-cucumber juice is also made with an apple and carrots, making it taste like the farmers' market in a glass. No juicer? No problem. See the juicing variation below to make this strawberry-cucumber juice recipe in a blender.

Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and has been shown to keep your blood sugar stable. We like it flavored with orange, lemon, and honey in this easy recipe.

Red lentils are a sneaky source of plant-based protein in this healthy smoothie recipe. The lentils add 3 grams more protein than an equal-size portion of nonfat plain yogurt and 4 grams more fiber than a typical serving of protein powder.

Get your daily dose of dark leafy greens any time of day with this delicious green smoothie. Ground flaxseed adds omega-3s. Pour any extra into a freezer-pop mold and have it later as a frozen green smoothie pop.