Pear Ginger Smoothie

Tanya Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

A low histamine smoothie with ripe pear, fresh ginger, coconut milk, ice, and a little maple syrup.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe pear, cored and chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup ice

Instructions

Blend

1. Add the chopped pear to a blender.
2. Pour in the coconut milk and the water.
3. Add the grated ginger and a pinch of salt.
4. Add the maple syrup if your pear is not very sweet.
5. Add the ice last so it sits on top of the liquid.
6. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 45 to 60 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides once if bits of pear skin cling to the jar.

Serve

Pour into a tall glass and drink right away, while it is still cold and thick. Grate a little extra ginger over the top if you want more of it.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use a pear that is ripe but still firm. Bartlett and Anjou both blend smooth. Press near the stem: it should give slightly. Fruit that is bruised, mushy in spots, or has been sitting cut in the refrigerator is worth skipping if you are sensitive, since freshness matters more here than the variety.
• Start with less ginger than you think. Half a teaspoon is a gentle background heat. Grate it on a microplane so it disappears into the blend instead of leaving fibers.
• There is no banana and no yogurt in this one. Both are the usual smoothie thickeners and both are typically left off a low histamine diet. Ice and the fat in full-fat coconut milk do that job here instead.
• Leave the skin on or peel it, your call. Pear skin blends fine in a high-powered blender and adds fiber. If your blender leaves flecks behind, peel the pear first.
• Check the coconut milk label. Look for coconut and water and nothing else. Guar gum and carrageenan are common additions and bother some people. Canned full-fat gives the creamiest result, and the carton kind makes a thinner drink.
• If you like the ginger, drink it another way too. The same fresh root carries iced ginger mint tea, which is caffeine-free and takes about as long to put together.

Get the Histamine Recipes app

250+ low histamine recipes, every ingredient rated.

Why This Works

Ripe pear. Pear is rated low on most low histamine lists, though a few place it higher, so it sits in a debated spot. Tolerance varies, so start with half a pear if it is new to you.

Fresh ginger. A commonly tolerated root that is used widely in low histamine cooking. Grated fresh, it gives a clean heat that pairs with the sweetness of the pear.

Coconut milk. A non-fermented, dairy-free base that is generally considered low histamine when it is made from coconut and water alone. The fat in it is what keeps the drink thick without a banana.

Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is generally well tolerated and simpler than flavored syrups or fruit juice concentrates. A ripe pear may not need any at all, so taste before you add it.

Storage

Best consumed immediately. Pear browns and separates within a few minutes of blending, and the ice starts diluting it right away. If you have to wait, keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to an hour and shake it before drinking. For anything longer, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it now, then re-blend the cubes with a splash of coconut milk the next day.