Lucuma (pronounced like ‘Loo-Koo-Mah’) is a rare fruit grown in pristine areas of South America and is one of the most popular desert flavors on the South American continent. It’s very aromatic and some describe it as having a maple-like flavor. I’ve been looking for additional recipes in which to include lucuma powder. An episode of the Renegade Health Show inspired me to create my own hazelnut lucuma smoothie, presented here for the first time.
Equipment
- Blender (preferably a high-speed blender like a VitaMix).
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of raw organic hazelnuts
- 3 Tbsp of lucuma powder
- 2 Tbsp of hulled hemp seed
- 1 date, pit removed (I use Medjool dates most often)
- 1-2 cups of water
- Optional: 1 tsp of maca powder (to help get that amazing maca kick into your day!)
Directions
- Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Hazelnut Lucuma Hemp Raw Vegan Smoothie
If you want a thicker smoothie, use 1 cup of water. For a more liquid smoothie, use 2 cups. I usually just eye-ball the amount of water I use, but I’m guessing I typically use one and a half cups.
I’ve tested this smoothie out on three friends, and all three seem to like the smoothie, especially the third friend.
I’ve yet to try certain basic modifications of the recipe. For example, would other nuts work just as well or better than the hazelnuts? If you try, please share your experiences in the comments section of this post. I did try adding 1 Tbsp of maca when I was originally creating the recipe, but I couldn’t seem to balance the maca flavor with the sweetness (lucuma is a fruit and has a certain amount of natural sweetness). I tried adding more dates, no dates, yacon syrup, and yacon powder, but to no avail. The result is that I’ve decided that adding a smaller amount of maca (1 tsp rather than 1 Tbsp) should be an optional addition to the basic recipe. Another thing I’d like to try is dusting the top of the smoothie with some raw cacao powder just before serving it. I’ll see if this works nicely the next time I serve the smoothie.
I hope you enjoy this recipe — please share how it turns out for you, any suggested modifications, tweaks, and or improvements in the comments section of this post.
