I absolutely love my wake and bakes. There is something about that first part of the morning, or afternoon if I slept in, when I can roll a joint, make my coffee, sit for a minute, and have a little time to myself before I start tackling whatever I have planned for the day.

But sometimes I want the cannabis without smoking first thing, which is how I started making cannabis-infused smoothies with things like cannamilk, cannahoney, and cannabutter. They have become one of my favorite alternatives to a morning joint when I still want to enjoy cannabis but do not necessarily want to start my day by smoking.

The problem is that now that I am in my 30s, sometimes the joint-and-coffee combination hits a little differently than it used to. There are mornings when it is exactly what I want, and then there are mornings when I realize I have completely overcommitted to the vibe and still have an entire day of things that actually need to get done.

Combined with trying to get more consistent with my workouts and making better choices in the kitchen, I started thinking about other ways I could keep the part of my morning cannabis ritual that I love without automatically reaching for a joint the second I get up.

For a while, I kept it extremely simple and would take a little distillate under my tongue, then wait until later in the day to smoke. It worked, technically, but I hated it. Going from rolling a joint, making my coffee, and having an actual morning ritual to taking one little drop and moving on with my life was just not doing it for me. I really wanted something with a little more personality.

And if there is one thing I love almost as much as cannabis, it is beverages. I am absolutely one of those people who can have water, coffee, something sparkling, and something fruity sitting around me at the same time, and I give no apologies for it. Once the idea of cannabis-infused smoothies popped into my head, it made almost too much sense. I already had fruit, I already had a blender, and I was already making different cannabis infusions at home, so really all I needed to do was put everything together.

I Was Not Trying to Become a Wellness Girlie Overnight

This was never about waking up one morning and deciding I needed to start tracking macros, buying twelve different powders, or turning my kitchen counter into a supplement store. I just wanted another way to enjoy cannabis in the morning that still felt like something.

Smoothies already worked for me because I usually have fruit around, I can make one without turning breakfast into an entire project, and there are enough combinations that I do not feel like I am drinking the exact same thing every day. Once I realized I could use some of the cannabis infusions I was already making, it really opened things up.

How I Make Cannabis-Infused Smoothies

Most of the time, I use cannamilk or cannahoney because they work really well with fruit, but I also use cannabutter in some of the richer smoothies, especially the ones that lean more dessert than breakfast.

For something fruity, I usually reach for cannahoney because it blends in easily and adds sweetness without changing the whole flavor of the smoothie. For creamier blends, cannamilk makes the most sense because I can use it the same way I would use regular milk or almond milk.

And then there is cannabutter, which I like much more in smoothies with things like chocolate, peanut butter, or banana. My Choco-High Peanut Butter Smoothie uses almond milk, cocoa powder, peanut butter, frozen banana, and melted cannabutter, and it is definitely one of the more dessert-style options in the pack.

I also sometimes use distillate if that is what I already have on hand, although I am much more careful with it because it is easy to underestimate how much you are adding when you are just squeezing a little into the blender. The biggest thing for me is that I am not trying to force the exact same cannabis ingredient into every smoothie just because it is infused. I would rather use whatever actually works with the flavor I am making.

Cannamilk, Cannahoney, or Cannabutter?

I already use cannamilk in a few different ways, and smoothies were an easy addition because I could swap it in anywhere I would normally use milk or a nut milk.

Cannahoney works especially well when I am making something fruity or citrusy, which is why I use it in smoothies like my MangoBerry Bliss and Orange High Dream.

The MangoBerry Bliss uses mango, mixed berries, a liquid base, and cannahoney, while the Orange High Dream uses orange juice, yogurt, frozen banana, and cannahoney for something that tastes a little like an infused creamsicle.

Cannabutter is the one I save for heavier flavors because I do not necessarily want buttery strawberry or mango anything, but chocolate and peanut butter can absolutely handle it. The nice thing about having a few different infusion options is that I can make the smoothie around what sounds good instead of making the flavor work around the cannabis.

My Favorite Cannabis Smoothie Combinations

Some mornings I want something bright and fruity because I do not feel like eating anything heavy, especially if I am trying to get moving early. Other days, I want something that feels much closer to dessert, which is when I lean toward chocolate, peanut butter, banana, or something creamier. I also somehow managed to make myself a green smoothie person without actually becoming a green smoothie person.

My Green Pineapple Dream has pineapple, mango, spinach, kale, a liquid base, and cannamilk, with avocado and citrus juice as optional additions. It sounds much more responsible than I normally am before noon, but it is actually really good. I also have my Strawbanana High Smoothie, which is probably the easiest place to start because it is basically a strawberry-banana smoothie with cannamilk added in, and there is nothing overly complicated about it.

I do not follow strict recipes every single time because I am still going to add a little more fruit, use whatever milk I have, or throw in something extra depending on what is in my kitchen that day, but I like having a few combinations that I know work when I do not feel like thinking about it.

Why I Sometimes Choose an Infused Smoothie Instead of a Morning Joint

I have not stopped smoking in the morning forever, and I am definitely not pretending an infused smoothie transformed me into somebody who wakes up at 6 a.m., journals, stretches, and goes for a sunrise run. Sometimes I still want my joint and my coffee. But I like having another option.

There are mornings when I know I need to work, write, clean up around the house, exercise, or just be a little more functional than I might be after getting too comfortable with a joint and a cup of coffee. On those days, making an infused smoothie gives me the ritual part I was missing when I tried simply taking distillate and moving on.

I still get to go into the kitchen and make something. I still get to choose what I want. I still have my little morning moment before everything else starts. It just looks different. And because cannabis-infused drinks and edibles can take time to kick in and can feel very different from smoking, I am careful with how much of my infusion I use. The smoothie pack includes the infusion amounts I normally build the recipes around, but potency can vary depending on how strong your cannamilk, cannahoney, cannabutter, or distillate actually is.

The pack also includes the reminder I use myself, which is to start low and give it time before deciding you need more, because you can always add more next time, but you cannot un-drink the smoothie you already finished.

Get My 5 Cannabis Smoothie Recipes

Once I figured out a few combinations I kept going back to, I decided to put them all together in one place instead of making myself remember what I did every time I pulled out the blender.

The free cannabis smoothie recipe pack includes my Strawbanana High Smoothie, Choco-High Peanut Butter Smoothie, MangoBerry Bliss Smoothie, Orange High Dream Smoothie, and Green Pineapple Dream Smoothie, along with the ingredients, directions, and notes on the different cannabis infusions I use.

You definitely do not need to become a smoothie person every morning, and I have not. I just like having something else in the rotation for the days when smoking first thing sounds great in theory but might not be the best way for me to start the day.

If that sounds familiar, grab the smoothie pack below and steal one of mine, I’m happy to share!