Happy National Doughnut Day: Try This Jelly Doughnut Smoothie


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We here at Be Well Philly like doughnuts as much as the next person—especially, what with some of us being gluten-free, the GF cinnamon-sugar donuts at Sweet Freedom Bakery. But if you’re looking for a way to celebrate National Doughnut Day that doesn’t involve a stop at Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’, there’s this: a jelly doughnut smoothie.

It comes to us by way of blogger Jill at Foodtastic Mom. What’s interesting about this particular recipe is that it also gets the coffee aspect of the whole coffee-and-donuts ritual in there. The ingredients: blueberries, yogurt, peanuts, coffee and sugar. As-is, it clocks in at 449 calories (not bad if you’re counting it as your entire breakfast—more on that in a minute), but I’m thinking you could swap the sugar for a teaspoon of honey or agave (which are sweeter than sugar, so you can use less) to get yourself closer to 400 cals. Your call.

If you’re sitting there all, “Um, WTF, that smoothie has more calories than an actual donut!” you’re totally right. A jelly donut at Dunkin’ has 270 calories and a glazed raspberry-filled donut at Krispy Kreme has 350. But here’s what you need to think about: After you eat a jelly donut, do you actually feel full and satisfied? I’m going to guess a big fat no here, because the fill-you-up aspects of food—fiber and protein—are pretty much nonexistent in these sugary treats.

So if you think about it, the smoothie isn’t a bad option at all; in fact, it’s a pretty darn good one. The jelly doughnut smoothie has a ton of protein (20 grams) and fiber (7 grams) that would leave you full for hours, and, like most smoothies, the drink is meant be consumed as one entire meal, instead of a sugar-laden snack between meals that makes you crash and burn. See the difference?

Check out the jelly doughnut smoothie recipe here. And if you’re looking for other dessert-like smoothies, check out our roundup here.

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