How To Make A Smoothie With Frozen Fruit
As we mentioned, making a smoothie with frozen fruit is a great way to go. Its an especially good move at the times of year when your favorite fruits arent in season.
And since you want your smoothie to be cold and frosty, theres no fuss here. Just throw your favorite frozen fruits into your smoothie and blend. You might even find that you need little or no ice because youre getting the coldness and iciness from your frozen fruit.
Bananas, mangos and blueberries always come out best frozen! says Adler. Strawberries and raspberries tend to be more bitter and have more seeds. So for those, you might want to go fresh.
Adjusting The Blender Speed
Its best to gradually ramp up the speed on the blender. Start with medium speed for about 30 seconds. This gives the blades the chance to gradually break things up without burning out the motor. Use a plastic tamper to help push down all of the ingredients into the fast-moving blades at the bottom of the cup.
Turn the speed to high for 15 to 30 seconds for final processing. This is when I add any extra liquid or ice needed to help with blending. If the smoothie doesnt easily whirl and move, it needs a little more liquid, add small amounts at a time to keep thick but sippable consistency.
How To Make A Smoothie With Or Without Ice
If you want to skip the iceand the resulting brain freezeyou totally can. This is the beauty of making your own smoothie you can make it however you want.
I adore lots of ice in the summertime months which makes it fluffy and cold, and none in the winter, where it’s more comforting and dense, says Adler.
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How To Make A Smoothie Without Bananas:
Bananas are the backbone of my simple smoothie recipes. They add so much creaminess, and natural sweetness while being inexpensive. That being said, I know not everyone likes/eats bananas. If you arent into bananas, you can add some Greek yogurt + sweetener + ice OR a half of an avocado + sweetener + ice. Those two combos will replace a banana nicely in a smoothie and still give you a nice rich and smooth texture.
Layering Ingredients In The Proper Sequence
Adding ingredients into the blender in the right order is key for breaking down those tough, fibrous, leafy, or icy ingredients into a smooth consistency. According to Vitamix, this is the recommended way to layer in each ingredient, depending on the size of your kitchen blender:
- Large containers : First add any wet ingredients , followed by dry goods, leafy greens, fresh fruits/vegetables, then frozen ingredients last.
- Small containers : First add frozen ingredients, fresh fruits/vegetables, leafy greens, dry goods, and wet ingredients last.
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How To Blend The Perfect Smoothie
Depending on the strength of your blender , the order you put your ingredients in the blender could influence the overall texture. Heres how we like to layer ingredients into the blender:
Start the blender off slowly, then gradually increase the speed. Blend for 30 to 60 seconds until the smoothie is as smooth as possible.
Incorporating Other Smoothie Ingredients
As you get more skilled at making smoothies, youll likely want to make ingredient changes or additions based on the items you have on hand, your dietary restrictions and/or your personal preferences. Theres no wrong answer here. But here a few tips and guidelines that will help you as you experiment:
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Strawberry Banana Smoothie Ingredients:
To make this strawberry banana smoothie recipe, you will need the following ingredients :
- Frozen strawberries: Or you can sub in any other kind of frozen berries that you have on hand.
- Banana: I typically just use fresh bananas. But if you have frozen sliced bananas, you can omit some of the ice in this recipe.
- Milk: Any type of milk will work for this recipe cows milk, almond milk, oat milk, you name it.
- Ice: However much is needed to achieve your desired smoothie consistency.
- Optional add-ins: See ideas below!
Banana Date Smoothie With Ginger And Cardamom
The Spruce / Nyssa Tanner
Dates add a natural sweetness to smoothies that will provide the flavor you want without spiking your sugar levels. Combined with frozen banana, Greek yogurt, fresh ginger, and a pinch of cardamom, you have a healthy, dessert-worthy drink. If your dates are a little hard, simply soak them in warm water before using.
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Equipment For Healthy Smoothies
Having the right equipment is key to making healthy smoothies.
- The Vitamix personal series is great for making just one or two smoothies at a time
- So is the Magic Bullet or Nutri Bullet the only hang up here is that I find I have to replace these models once every couple years or so because the motor eventually burns out
- The Vitamix Ascent series is my fave though it’s self-cleaning so you aren’t left with a ton of mess and it’s perfect for if you’re prepping 3-4 smoothies at a time. It can tear through anything to make the smoothest smoothie, even ice!
You can of course get a mid-range blender too, really any blender will work. But if it takes 3 or more tries to get that smooth texture without all the lumps, it can be a frustrating experience.
See how often you’re going to be making smoothies and if it’s going to be a consistent thing for you, your best bet is to invest in a high-powered blender that can minimize the time you spend making healthy smoothies.
Make Sure You Have A Good Blender To Make This Frozen Fruit Smoothie
You want to make sure you have a good blender. I have been thru some cheap ones and they barely last a week. Dont waste your time like I did with these cheaper models, and just get something nice from the get go. It will save you time and money!
I have a Vitamix now and it was worth the money. We have had it for many years and its still working to make smoothies and more! Its paid for itself time and time again with all the money I have saved making smoothies and milkshakes at home.
Purchasing a Vitamix is pricey, but it is worth it. You wont have to keep replacing it like with the cheaper blenders. Amazon has several of them on sale right now for a great price.
If you just cant make it work in the budget, I recommend a Waring professional blender. I think it is the next best thing and it will get the job done. Now, it is not as good as the Vitamix but its a close second for a more reasonable price. Amazon has several Waring blenders on sale right now.
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Adding Extra Nutrition To This Coffee Smoothie
You can enhance any smoothie by adding additional nutritious ingredients to really make it your own. Here are a few suggestions that you can add to this coffee smoothie:
- Flaxseed meal: this is one of my favorite ingredients to add to smoothies for a little boost of fiber and minerals, and is especially great for nursing mamas as flaxseed can help increase milk supply. Usually, a tablespoon is plenty! Heres a brand I love.
- Chia seeds: feel free to add in a tablespoon of chia seeds to your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats and fiber.
- Hemp seeds: if youve been wondering what to do with those hemp seeds lurking in your cupboard, feel free to throw in a tablespoon into your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats, omegas and minerals.
- Oats: to add a little heartiness to your smoothie and to help thicken it, feel free to add in 1/3 cup oats. Do not use steel cut oats as they will not blend well.
- Avocado: add healthy fats and create a thick, creamy smoothie by adding ripe avocado. Usually 1/4 or 1/2 of an avocado will be sufficient and also help to keep you satisfied thanks to those healthy fats.
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Are You Looking For Even More Smoothies No Worries Weve Got You Covered:
- Clementine Avocado Smoothie. If youve never added avocado to your smoothie before, you are missing out! The flavor is so mild, that you cant taste it, but the texture is dreamy, creamy smooth, and the healthy added fats help keep your fuller longer.
- Cold Buster Smoothie. When youre feeling under the weather and your throat is sore, this smoothie for colds is soothing and nourishing.
- Coffee Smoothie. Get a jolt of caffeine and your breakfast all in one cup! This is packed full of coffee flavor.
- Persimmon Smoothie. Packed full of autumnal flavor, this spiced smoothie is creamy and sweet!
- Spinach and Pear Smoothie. Bright green and fresh in flavor, this smoothie is a perfect light breakfast.
- Sweet Potato Smoothie. Sweet potato in a smoothie? YUP! It tastes like a delicious pie. Youll love it!
- Apple Smoothie. This smoothie is packed full of healthy spinach, but tastes like apple pie!
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. This pumpkin smoothie is perfect for the weather is still warm but your heart wants fall to show up.
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie. This smoothie is rich and dark, and it tastes decadent enough you could sip on it for dessert!
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie. All the flavors of your favorite sandwich in a tasty smoothie! Pick your favorite jelly to add to this peanut butter smoothie.
- Tart Cherry and Spinach Smoothies. We show serving this cherry smoothie as a light breakfast in a bowl, but you could easily pour it in a glass and sip away!
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How To Make An Acai Bowl
Smoothie bowls make a delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch or snack. Theyre essentially a thicker-consistency smoothie, served in a bowl and topped with vibrantly colored ingredients such as nuts, grains, and fruits. To turn your go-to smoothie into a bowl, sub out all fresh fruits and veggies for frozen ones.
Acai bowls, one of the most popular versions of a smoothie bowl, can sometimes seem inaccessible at home, but the truth is that they start simply with frozen acai purée, which you can find in most supermarkets. Break up two 4-ounce packets of unsweetened frozen acai purée with a meat mallet or by slapping the packets on the counter. Then add the purée to the blender along with 1/4 cup blueberries, half a banana and 1 tablespoon honey. Blend it up, and youre ready to serve! Add the mixture to a cereal bowl and top with slices of the other half of the banana and more blueberries. Finish it off with your favorite textured toppings, like granola, pomegranate seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes. Get our Acai Bowl recipe and more smoothie bowl ideas below.
CC ACAI BREAKFAST BOWL Cooking Channel Unsweetened Frozen Acai Puree, Banana, Blueberries, Honey, Granola, Pomegranate Seeds, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
The perfect breakfast treat, right at home! Give the original recipe a try, and then get creative with your favorite nuts and toppings.
How To Layer Smoothie Ingredients
The order in which you add the ingredients to the blender is important to creating a smoothie with a velvety smooth consistency. The way you layer smoothie ingredients depends on the size of the blender:
- Large blenders : Add wet ingredients first . Then add powdered ingredients, followed by the softer, high-moisture leafy greens, fresh fruits and vegetables. Last add hard, solid foods .
- Small blenders : Add harder ingredients first. Then add softer fruits and vegetables, followed by leafy greens and dry ingredients . Finally add the wet ingredients.
And to sum it all up, heres an infographic on how to make a smoothie awesome!
Dont stress when making smoothies. Learning how to make smoothies should be fun, experimental and stress-free. The more you experiment, the more youll find out what you really like. If you come up with some wild and interesting concoctions, let us know in the comments below!
Did we miss your favorite ingredient or do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Leave a comment and let me know!
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Tips To Save Leftover Smoothies
Here are the seven simple tips on how to save smoothies for later:
How To Make Healthy Smoothies
Making healthy smoothies is a much simpler process than you would imagine, and this post will show you how to make 7 different kinds of healthy smoothies that you’re going to love!
I think many people have misconceptions about what healthy smoothies really are. I know when I was younger, I thought that healthy smoothies were the ones you got at Booster Juice. Sadly, I would order a large smoothie from there or Starbucks after a night of partying and think I was replenishing my body with healthy food. Little did I know these smoothies were often filled with sugary frozen yogurt and can contain up to 460 calories .
To make genuinely healthy smoothies, you have to be careful with the ingredients you use. This post will educate you on how to choose the highest-quality ingredients to ensure that you’re getting the nutritional benefits you should be getting with fruit-filled smoothies.
As long as you stock your freezer with frozen fruit and keep a few handy base ingredients on hand in the fridge each week, smoothie making is super easy and nutritious.
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Chocolate And Peanut Butter Shakes
Peanut Butter Cup Shake – 53 g of protein
Don’t sacrifice your gains! With milk and egg whites for texture, this shake tastes as good as the real thing.
Peanut Butter Banana Shake – 65 g of protein
Peanut butter and banana is a classic combo and is great for fuel and muscle recovery.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake – 72 g of protein
This sinless treat allows you to enjoy your chocolate and peanut butter with the benefits of muscle-building protein.
Want to make your protein shake thicker, more decadent, and slower digesting? Use casein instead of whey.
Peanut Brittle Shake – 58 g of protein
This shake is just as tasty as any crunchy brittle. The secret is pudding mix!
Chocolate-Lover’s Shake – 51 g of protein
Chocoholics unite for this super chocolatey shake featuring both cocoa powder and sour cream!
Chocolate Almond Shake – 40 g of protein
A nutty candy bar in a glass, this shake proves protein doesn’t have to be bland. You will make it again!
Caramel Hazelnut Shake – 70 g of protein
Hazelnut creamer makes this into a Nutella-y dream of a shake. Yes, please!
Bad Girl Shake – 67 g of protein
This caloric beast is for the aspiring weight-gainers out there! Ground up girl scout cookies in a shake? Go ahead, be bad.
Tropical Punch Protein Shake – 30 g of protein
All the fruit! Tantalize your senses with this vitamin-packed tropical shake.
Are Homemade Smoothies Good For You
Whether or not a smoothie is good for you depends on your overall diet, what you add to your smoothie, and how often you are drinking them. Smoothies that are filled with fruits and vegetables, within your recommended calorie limit, and without a lot of added sugar, can very much be a healthy part of your diet.
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What If I Dont Have The Right Ingredients To Make One Of These Smoothies
There is NO right or wrong way to make a smoothie! These recipes are just starter ideas for you to work off of But dont feel like you need to stick with them to make a delicious smoothie. I never measure for smoothies and often throw in what I have on hand. My main tip, however, is if youre using fresh fruit, be sure to throw in a little ice to add that frozen element.
Minute Frozen Fruit Smoothie
This simple Frozen Fruit Smoothie is made with just three ingredients and so creamy and delicious! Its perfect for an on the go healthy breakfast or an easy snack.
There are affiliate links in this post please read my full disclosure policy.
Unlike my husband, Ive always been more of a milkshake/ice cream lover than a smoothie lover.
But that all changed one night when my mother-in-law made this easy fruit smoothie using frozen fruit and yogurt. I skeptically took a sip and much to my surprise found it quite delightful. It was thick, creamy and refreshing!
In fact, I became such a fan that this simple fruit smoothie has become a regular Sunday evening dinner staple, as you may have seen on my frugal menu plans.
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