Hidden Beef Liver Smoothie Recipe

Adding a beef liver smoothie to your weekly routine is an easy way for you and your family to take in more bioavailable vitamins and minerals.

This hidden beef liver smoothie is great for the whole family, especially kids because the beef liver flavor is completely hidden. I love to serve it along with breakfast or mix in protein powder to make a filling and complete snack.

Who Can Eat Beef Liver?

Wait what, beef liver?? Beef liver wasn’t even on my radar until about a year ago when I started to see it all over my social media. After nursing my son for almost 2 years I was feeling super depleted and tired, so I figured I would give it a try. I had “heard” that beef liver was a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals so I went for it…now we all eat it, even my 3-year-old. I try to include a hidden liver smoothie in our snack rotation every week. It has benefits for children, even ones as little as 6 months old, because it is high in iron it can be used as a replacement for iron drops (For more information on including liver into your baby’s diet I would recommend the book Super Nutrition for Babies by Katherine Erlich MD and Kelly Genzlinger CNC CMTA). It is great for parents because it has an anti-fatigue effect since it is high in so many vitamins and minerals and is amazing for postpartum and nursing moms. Lastly, I even give some to our dog, so everyone can benefit. 

Benefits of Beef Liver

Beef liver is not only a good source of protein but it is full of vitamins, especially ones that are hard to come by in our current standard American diet. It has been called nature’s multivitamin and it is highly concentrated in vitamin A, contains all of the B vitamins, and is especially high in folate. It is high in easily absorbable iron contains the trace elements copper, zinc, and chromium, and is a source of CoQ10. It has been prized by many for its ability to combat fatigue. Just to pinpoint one of its nutrients, folate, is needed before and during pregnancy to help ensure a healthy baby. It supports the development of the nervous system in the baby and forms red blood cells and deficiencies in folate during pregnancy have led to congenital neurological defects. Beef liver, as mentioned above, is also high in iron and can be very helpful for those who are anemic. It contains heme iron, which is the easiest form to digest and for your body to use. I, personally, feel amazing when I regularly eat a hidden beef liver smoothie, I have more energy and the appearance of my skin improves. 

Can You Eat Beef Liver During Pregnancy?

Lily Nichols in her book Real Food for Pregnancy describes liver and all of its health benefits for pregnancy. She states that it is the only major dietary source of choline and the single richest source of iron. Low iron in pregnancy can lead to preeclampsia, hypothyroidism, and preterm labor and in the baby is associated with impaired brain development and stunted growth. As mentioned above it is one of the highest food sources of folate which is needed for maintaining red blood cells and a healthy brain. It is rich in B12 and contains up to 200x more vitamin B12 than muscle meats. B12 is needed during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects and even miscarriage. It is also high in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. 

How to Prepare Beef Liver for a Smoothie

There are several different ways you can prepare beef liver but for this recipe, it is frozen. I buy beef liver, from a trusted source, thaw it, and then cut it into 1×1 inch pieces. I’ve found that kitchen shears work well for this. I then place each piece of liver into a small piece of parchment paper and put it back into the freezer. I typically stack mine in a freezer bag. You freeze the liver for a minimum of 14 days because this ensures any pathogens are killed and it is safe to be consumed. 

If you are still a little weary, that’s ok. Beef liver is not something that is consumed regularly anymore, at least not where I live. If you are interested in adding more vitamins and minerals to your diet through food, I would encourage you to do some research. The Westin A. Price Foundation is a great resource and has lots of articles about the benefits of beef liver. Below I have also listed a few other ways to include liver in a hidden liver smoothie.

Hidden Beef Liver Smoothie Ingredients

Frozen Mango – This is the base for the smoothie and makes it so rich and creamy. Ripe mango is also an easy fruit to digest.

Raw Milk – Adds lots of nutrients and healthy fats to balance the sweetness of the mangos.

Bee Pollen – You could leave this ingredient out if you don’t have it on hand but adding it in boosts the nutrients in the smoothie even more.

Banana – Another perfect smoothie base that is really versatile and potassium.

Cinnamon – This spice is the perfect addition to cover up the liver flavor. No matter what type of smoothie you are adding beef liver to, cinnamon makes a great addition if you want to cover the flavor.

Kefir – Kefir adds fermentation to the hidden beef liver smoothie, aiding in gut health and making it more digestible.

Beef Liver – Frozen beef liver makes this smoothie full of nutrients. Make sure to blend the smoothie well so that the liver is fully incorporated.

How to Choose the Best Quality Ingredients

Choosing quality ingredients is a very important part of your family’s overall health. Choosing grass-fed dairy, raw if possible, grass-fed meat and organic fruit will help to ensure you are getting more nutrients from your food and less harmful chemicals. If possible try to choose local options. In my area I find local grass-fed raw milk, local grass-fed beef liver and local bee pollen. Foods that are grown or harvested locally will retain more nutrients when you go to consume them because they aren’t picked as early and don’t have to travel as far. Some grocery stores even try to sell local items but if you can’t find them always opt for grass-fed, pasture raised and/or organic options. If you would like to learn more about how to better choose quality ingredients check out my Clean Eating E-Book.

FAQ

Do I have to use raw, frozen beef liver? No, you can cook the liver if you prefer. Cook it in a pan over low/medium heat for a few minutes. You can also use liver capsules. Open the serving-size capsules and mix them into the smoothie. 

What other fruit works well instead of mango? You can substitute any frozen fruit that you would like but I have found that frozen cherries also work well. 

Hidden Liver Mango Smoothie

If you are wanting to add beef liver to your diet but are having trouble with the taste this creamy smoothie is the perfect way to hide the liver flavor and still get the benefits.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 1 1-2

Equipment

• 1 blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 heaping cup frozen organic mango
• 1 organic banana
• 1 inch chunk frozen grass-fed beef liver
• 1/4 cup grass-fed organic kefir
• 1/2 cup grass-fed raw milk
• 1/8 tsp organic ceylon cinnamon
• 1 pinch bee pollen

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
• Enjoy!

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