This thick, creamy smoothie is uncannily close to a melted lemon cheesecake, without a scrap of dairy. Dates and cashews give it all its creaminess, while the whole lemon, zest included, brings a lovely brightness. Serve it in a small glass as a dessert, to share with friends as shots.
Raw lemon cheesecake smoothie
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Ingredients
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup lemon flesh (one small whole lemon), deseeded
- 1 medium banana (fresh or frozen)
- 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vanilla lucuma protein powder (optional)
- 1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Preparation
- Put all the ingredients in a high-speed blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Adjust the sweetness and the amount of ice to your taste, then serve straight away.
Tip
For a pudding-like texture, add 1 to 2 tbsp of chia seeds and let it thicken for a few minutes before eating it with a spoon.
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FAQ: your questions about the lemon cheesecake smoothie
Is it good to eat lemon peel?
The zest is the most fragrant part of the fruit: it is where the essential oils that give lemon its characteristic smell are concentrated, along with flavonoids absent from the juice. There is nothing against eating it, on one essential condition: choose an organic lemon that has not been treated after harvest, because preservation treatments settle precisely on the skin. Wash it in hot water, scrub it, then grate only the coloured part, avoiding the white layer just underneath.
Is it good to eat a whole lemon?
Yes, and that is exactly what this recipe does with one small lemon: flesh, membrane and part of the white pith all go into the blender. That pith, called albedo, is bitter but rich in fibre and in compounds from the flavonoid group; in small quantities it brings structure and a pleasant bitterness that balances the sweetness of the dates. Remove the pips carefully, as they are frankly bitter, and stick to one lemon per recipe: beyond that, the acidity takes over everything else.
What are the five best smoothies?
Five combinations cover most cravings. The classic green one, spinach, banana, apple and lemon, to start the day gently. The antioxidant red one, berries, raw beetroot and ginger. The creamy dessert kind, like this one, built on dates and nuts. The tropical one, mango, pineapple and coconut milk, very high in water. And the athlete's protein version, banana, almond butter, raw cacao and plant milk. The best remains the one you make with what you have to hand, keeping a ratio of roughly two thirds fruit to one third liquid.
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