Red Wine Smoothie

This Wine Smoothie is the perfect refreshing drink for summer! Packed with all the flavors of sangria, but in frozen form, this wine slushie is a great way to sip red wine during the heat of summer. Sip, sip, hooray!

Whether you call it a wine smoothie or a wine slushie, this vegan frozen drink is sure to please! It’s cool, refreshing, citrusy, and SO yummy. Perfect for a summer date night or a weekend brunch.

Made with a handful of whole-food, plant-based ingredients plus red wine, this is one of the healthiest and tastiest frozen mixed drinks you can imagine. In terms of flavor, let’s just say my partner REALLY wanted me to keep testing this recipe. Again…and then again. 😉

Recipe Highlights

This smoothie is made with red wine, lemon, orange, and berries. It has all the delicious flavors of sangria but it’s even faster since you don’t have to wait for the fruit to soak! 🎉

In fact, with how quick, light, and lemony this smoothie is, it’s reminiscent of the refreshing tinto de verano (literally “red wine of summer” 🍷) that’s ubiquitous in Spain.

A lot of summer cocktails require sugar, syrups, artificial colors, or pre-mixed ingredients. There’s none of that here. This plant-based smoothie is a great way to join in the fun this summer while keeping things healthy!

This recipe takes just 5 minutes to whip up in a blender! It’s:

• Easy
• Fruity
• Citrusy
• Tart
• Slightly sweet
• Super refreshing

If you include alcohol in your whole-food, plant-based diet, then this is the summer drink recipe you need to try!

🍷 Ingredients

**Ensure that all of your ingredients are cold for the iciest slushie possible. At a minimum, put your wine in the fridge the night before!

Red Wine: I’ve tried this recipe with Garnacha and Tempranillo (a la sangria), as well as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. All work well! If you would absolutely not drink the wine straight, then I wouldn’t use it in the recipe. However, don’t use anything fancy either. Something in the $8-$14 range has been right for me. (Tip: Ensure your wine is vegan-friendly by consulting a site like Barnivore.)

Frozen Blueberries & Dark Sweet Cherries: Filled with antioxidants and vitamin C, these sweet fruits add flavor and iciness. You’ve heard about red wine containing “cherry notes”, right? 😉 The frozen berries pair fabulously with the wine. Both blueberries and cherries seem to be consistently delicious frozen, so they’re my recommendation. However, if you have access to a small berry blend (that preferably doesn’t include strawberries) that also works well here.

Orange & Lemon: Sangria is typically citrusy, with orange, lemon, and lime for flavor. Here, we’re using a whole lemon and half an orange. We’ll peel the lemon and throw the whole thing into the blender, in true Dr. Greger cookbook fashion. If your blender isn’t quite powerful enough, though, cut your lemon into a few pieces and remove the seeds first. Don’t skip either ingredient, since they help get the flavor JUST right.

Medjool Dates: Sangria usually includes sugar and tinto de verano typically includes sweetened lemon soda or carbonated lemonade. However, we’re adding sweetness to this smoothie with Medjool dates, a healthy plant-based sweetener.

Ice: To get the right texture and make it cold, of course. 🧊

How to Make

This is a really simple recipe that’s made entirely in a blender!

Ensure that all of your ingredients are nice and cold for the best and frostiest smoothie possible. This means:

• Buy frozen berries and keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
• Put your bottle of wine in the fridge, preferably the night before.
• Put your lemon and orange in the fridge in advance–this is the best way to keep citrus, especially during the humidity of summer!

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Add all ingredients to your high-speed blender in the order listed in the recipe card.
   • Start with the wine at the bottom of the blender. Then add your dates, peeled lemon, and half of an orange.
   • On top, add your frozen berries, then ice.
2. Cover and blend well. Divide between two glasses of your choice and garnish with remaining orange wedges, then enjoy right away!

Serving Ideas

This wine cocktail is super yummy in the summertime! Serve this sangria smoothie with:

• A quick summer salad
  • Try this 10-minute bean salad made with chickpeas, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
• Tapas!
  • To keep the Spanish sangria/tinto de verano theme going, serve with the appetizers of your choice, including patatas bravas, pan con tomate, or white beans with sturdy bread.
  • Want to keep your appetizers a bit simpler? You can also never go wrong with veggies, whole-wheat pita bread, and this pink beet hummus.
• A no-cook sandwich
  • Try this 10-minute sandwich spread. Serve as a regular sandwich, an open-faced sandwich, or on top of cucumber slices for a different spin.
• My favorite Spanish recipe of all time
  • Lentejas, a flavorful and thick lentil soup, that I veganized. My version is made in the Instant Pot too, so you won’t heat your house up!
• Your favorite brunch recipe

Tips & Substitutions

• Chill your ingredients in the fridge before blending to ensure a very cold smoothie. (See “How to Make” section above.)
• Use a high-speed blender in order to get the best texture in the fastest time possible.
• Use frozen fruit, as indicated in the recipe card, in order to save money and make this recipe super easy.
• If you don’t have access to frozen cherries or blueberries (or you don’t want to buy two different bags of fruit), then you can substitute a small mixed berry blend instead. A mix of raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and/or blackberries is best.

Wine Questions

Helpful Tools

• Measuring Cups & Spoons
• Vitamix (or other blender)
• Stemless Wine Glasses

More Smoothie Recipes

• Green smoothie with apple, kale, and ginger (perfect if you’ve had too many wine smoothies!)
• Green smoothie bowl with kale and matcha (perfect if you need a caffeine pick-me-up)

I hope you love this red wine smoothie! If you do, then please leave a 5-star recipe rating!

The Science

• If you choose to include a small amount of alcohol in your diet, then it seems that the safest and healthiest alcohol is red wine. Here’s a good overview of alcohol. (The final two paragraphs are especially salient for red wine consumption.)
• This is one of my favorite articles about the risks of alcohol and things we can do to ameliorate the effects of alcohol consumption. Hint: choose red wine and consume it alongside citrus fruits, berries, or other foods rich in folate!
• Cherries are healthy and anti-inflammatory. Though they may be a bit hard to find fresh, they are usually easy to find in the freezer section of your grocery store. They also retain their nutrition when frozen! See this cherry overview for more health benefits.

What do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you make this recipe, then please leave a comment and rating. I would love to hear what you think and how it worked out for you!

If you’re looking for more smoothie ideas that are made quickly in a blender, then please see all of my smoothie recipes! If you’re looking for some quick ideas for what to serve alongside this wine smoothie, then check out all of my plant-based snack ideas!