Fruit Smoothie Recipes Without Banana
My 8 Simple Smoothies You Should Know How to Make post is the second most popular post ever on Wholefullyand for good reason! Those simple smoothies are a great primer to smoothie-making. They use simple ingredients that you recognize and the smoothies are all delicious!
But the absolutely number one negative comment I get on that post is from banana-haters why do they all have to use bananas? Well, I love the sweetness and creaminess a frozen banana adds to fruit smoothies, but I HEARD you, friends. And today, weve got a whole new set of eight fruit smoothie recipes for youand this time, there isnt a single banana in sight!
Even better than that, all the smoothies are dairy-free and contain no added sugarmaking them paleo and vegan-friendly.
How Can I Make My Smoothie Healthier
The smoothie recipes below are plain, but if you want to expand your smoothie horizons, go for it! Toss in chia seeds or protein powder or hemp seeds or flax or whatever else makes your heart happy. If you have a standard set of mix-ins you like, you can even freeze them into booster packsgreat for really quick and easy smoothies!
How To Make A Smoothie With Fresh Fruit
Of course, fresh fruit can be an amazing addition to your favorite smoothies. Just be sure your fruit is soft and free of large seeds before you add it to the blender. Peel your fruit, and chop it into smaller pieces if its large or a little on the firm side.
One fresh fruit smoothie recipe youll definitely want to try: Adlers Everyday Green smoothie, made with fresh avocado, banana, blueberries and spinach.
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Build Your Own Smoothies With Myplate
Making tasty smoothies will keep your busy family happy and full of energy. Mix and match smoothies using MyPlate as a guide! A smoothie with three or four food groups makes a great on-the-go breakfast or snack.
Lets make some smoothies using food groups from MyPlate!
First, try making a peanut butter banana smoothie. Use 1½ frozen bananas for fruit. If your bananas arent frozen, just add some ice! Add 1 spoonful of peanut butter for protein, ¼ cup of oats for a whole grain, and ½ cup of low-fat milk for dairy. This makes a delicious smoothie and uses four of the food groups from MyPlate.
What Is A Smoothie Pack
A smoothie pack is a fancy name for a combo of smoothie ingredients that are mixed together ahead of time and then stored in a bag in the freezer.
A smoothie pack, just like a smoothie, can be made with various frozen fruits and/or veggies, fresh greens, and additional nutrient-rich ingredients . When youre ready to make a smoothie, simply pour the contents of the smoothie pack, taken directly from the freezer, into a blender and add 1-2 cups of liquid.
Also Check: Healthy Yummy Smoothies For Breakfast
How To Freeze Bananas For Smoothies
Frozen bananas are a smoothies best friend. They add a nearly unmatchable creaminess and natural sweetness and make your smoothie perfectly chilled without the need to dilute the flavor with ice.
To freeze bananas for smoothies, its best to use ones that are ripe with some brown spots, but not overripe or mushy. We like to slice them in 1-inch pieces, transfer to a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet or plate, and freeze until firm. This prevents them from sticking together, and the smaller pieces are easier on your blenders motor. Once frozen, transfer them to a sealed bag where theyll keep for about 1 month.
P.s. not into banana in smoothies? Try mango or pineapple for a similar creaminess and sweetness. Also, be sure to check out our banana-free smoothies section below.
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.
Also Check: Good Breakfast Smoothies For Weight Loss
Should You Rest Your Smoothies
Letting a smoothie sit tends to make it less frothy, but some smoothies willseparate quickly. For example, almost every green smoothie separates into a layer of green juice atop a chunky greenmixture after a few minutes.
Others fare better from resting. Anything with a lot of light or frothyingredients, or a lot of air whipped up into them, applies.
If you’re in a rush, prepare the ingredients beforehand by chopping andmeasuring them. Start only when you’re ready to eat! You can store ingredientsor even storesmoothies overnight in the fridge, if you’re preparing for an earlymorning!
A thick smoothie can last in the fridge up to 24 hours while retaining itsflavor and texture. Thinner smoothies may separate before then. We prefer todrink immediately, though grabbing a drink prepared the night before is almostas good. To store a smoothie in the fridge, pour it into a tightly sealedcontainer such as a Mason jar. Unless you have a tight, screw-on lid for yourblender bottle, don’t botheryou’ll get better flavor and have an easiertime cleaning up if you store it in something else.
In a pinch, you can put plastic wrap over the top of a glass.
Berry Blast No Banana Smoothie
Low in sugar and packed with antioxidants, berries are one of the healthiest fruits you can add to your diet. Unfortunately, they can be quite pricey and lacking in quality when out-of-season. The solution? Frozen berries! Picked at the peak of freshness and flash-frozen, they have all the nutrition youd get from in-season berries, for a fraction of the price. Any combination of berries will workblueberries, raspberries, strawberries are all good!
Also Check: Where Is The Nearest Smoothie Place
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.
Detox Green Smoothie With Chia Seeds
If you havent tried chia seeds yet, heres a great opportunity. These tiny but mighty seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids that are great for your heart. They also help you stay fuller longer, thanks to their plant protein power. Combined with spinach, unsweetened almond milk, frozen pineapple, and naturally sweet banana, this tasty mixture is the ultimate breakfast treat.
Read Also: Avocado Smoothie For Weight Loss
The Right Smoothie Ratios
Start your smoothie with two mugfuls of a liquid base. This can be milk, or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, natural or flavoured yogurt, fruit juice, or for a tropical flavoured smoothie, low-fat coconut milk or coconut water. It’s important to add the liquid to your blender before adding the fruit, as this will prevent the blade from getting damaged.
Next, add about three quarters of a mug of your chosen fruit. Banana is a great base flavour for any smoothie, and will give you a lovely creamy texture. Other fruits that work well are berries, mango, peaches, plums, nectarines, grated apple or pear, and melon. You may have to add more fruit or liquid, depending on the type of fruit you choose. Play around until you have a texture you like. Add a squeeze of honey, maple syrup or agave syrup if your smoothie needs it, and finally add a few ice cubes to the blender for a thick and frosty smoothie.
Smoothie combination ideas
Smoothie Recipes To Try
Use these recipes or build from them to create your own.
Banana-kale wake-up smoothie
The sweetness of the bananas balances kales slight bitterness in this recipe. Use just a tiny pinch of cloves theyre potent!
Get the banana-kale wake-up smoothie recipe.
Ruby-red raspberry smoothie
Its nutty. Its sweet. And its good for you. Blast off your day with healthy fats, antioxidants and phytonutrients from this creamy creation.
Get the ruby-red raspberry smoothie recipe.
Creamy kiwi-lime smoothie
You would never guess this creamy, high-protein smoothie gets its texture from tofu and cashew butter. Hey, dont knock it till you try it!
Go green smoothie bowl
Ready to trade in the smoothie glass for a bowl and spoon? In this bowl, the leafy green goodness of spinach meets the sweetness of grapes, mango, apple and banana.
Get the go green smoothie bowl recipe.
Cool tropical smoothie
Youll feel like youre on the beach with this zesty blend of mango, coconut, lime and strawberries. This vegan smoothie is high in potassium and features beneficial phytonutrients.
Get the cool tropical smoothie recipe.
Creamy strawberry and greens smoothie
This satisfying smoothie is sweetened with strawberries, creamified with avocado and then exalted to green goddess status with arugula.
Get the creamy strawberry and greens smoothie recipe.
Peach-vanilla yogurt smoothie
Get the peach-vanilla yogurt smoothie recipe.
Berry vanilla banana smoothie
Get the berry vanilla banana smoothie recipe.
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What Leafy Greens Should I Use
If youre new to green smoothies, I recommend starting with baby spinach. It has the mildest flavor of all the leafy greens, which means you wont be able to taste it at all. But if you want to branch out and get some different vitamins and nutrients into your smoothie, you can also try kale , collard greens, or even Swiss chard. Just make sure you have a good blender to really power through any of those tougher greens.
What Kind Of Blender Do I Need
I do suggest investing in a high-powered blender to make these smoothies as creamy as possible. I personally use a VitaMix 5200, but Ive also had a Ninja Professional in the past and loved it.
Beyond using a good blender, Ive discovered a few tricks for making smoothies sweet and creamy without the use of dairy or bananas, and Ive put them into these recipes down below. I hope you love them! Lets dig in.
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What Should I Put In My Smoothie
The great thing about a fruit smoothie recipe is that the customization opportunities are virtually endless. Heres a quick run through of what I usually put in my smoothies:
- Milk or Juice: you can use dairy milk, non-dairy milk, juice, or even coconut water really any liquid goes! You can even use cold tea.
- Greek Yogurt: yogurt is a great way to kick the protein up a notch and to make a deliciously thick and creamy texture. Dairy-free, plant-based yogurt works well, too, and you can skip it if you need .
- Banana: I love to keep frozen, sliced banana on-hand. The frozen banana makes it extra creamy and acts as a natural sweetener.
- Berries/Other Fruit: any frozen fruit work great in smoothies! Pineapple, mango, and berries are our favorites. You can even use watermelon like in this refreshing Watermelon Smoothie!
- Add-Ins: you can customize it with so many different add-ins. Protein powders, nuts or seeds, oats, extracts, sweeteners, even avocado!
Protein And Other Powders Sweeteners & More Extras
Any optional ingredients come next. This can include:
Nut or seed butter. Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, soy butter, and sunflower seed butter are all delicious additionsand they add protein to help curb your appetite.
Powders. A scoop of protein powder or a nutrition boosting powder can be a great addition to almost any smoothie, and beneficial if youre looking to add more protein into your diet. Adler cautions though, that many protein powders contain artificial ingredients and recommends instead, sticking with clean and pure powders. You want your protein powder to have one to three ingredients, max, and no flavors, she says. Be careful of soy powders, generic whey brands, and ones with long ingredient lists of things you can’t pronounce!
Sweetener. To sweeten naturally, add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. But be sure to taste your smoothie before you add sugar, as you may not need it if youve used sweet, ripe fruit, such as frozen mango, banana, or blueberries.
Texture or crunch.A sprinkle of cocoa nibs or chia seeds can give your smoothie a fun crunch to it, and added minerals and good healthy fats! says Adler. Cashews add the perfect amount of creaminess and satisfying feel, without being overly nutty tasting.
Seasonings and spices. Some people love to add a sprinkle of cinnamon, ground nutmeg, vanilla bean powder, or turmeric for an extra kick to their smoothie.
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Whats The Best Liquid For Making Smoothies
We like to use milk of choice. If youre a fan of coconut milk, use it. Like cows milk? Go for it. A fan of almond milk? Cool. Use whatever milk you like in your smoothiesyou cant go wrong. I just recommend you stick to unsweetened and unflavored versions. That gives you the most control over the smoothie.
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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Fresh Fruit & Veggies
Of course, you can skip the frozen produce and make a smoothie with that amazing fresh fruit you just picked up at the farmers market. Youll just need to add plenty of ice if you like it chilly, and stick with soft, ripe fruits.
For best results, dont use tougher skinned fruit, like pears and apples unless youre using a powerful blender, suggests Adler.
Some of her favorite fresh ingredients for smoothie are include fresh spinach and ripe avocado. Spinach is detoxifying and vitamin packed, but with an actually sweet taste and no bitternessthis is ideal for those that are nervous about anything green in their smoothies.
And ¼ to ½ of an avocado can turn any smoothie into a decadent meal you can eat with a spoon. The healthy fats found in an avocado will help you stay full for hours.
What Kind Of Liquid Should I Use In Smoothies
This is perhaps the most flexible and cost-saving area. Ive used all these ingredients in smoothies with great success. Each has its own unique flavor, so find one that works for you.
- Vanilla or fruit-flavored yogurt and water
- Greek yogurt and water
- Coconut milk
- Cashew milk
- If you have a high powered blender, try using just a tablespoon of raw nuts and water. It will make a sort of nut milk while you blend. I use this method because its extremely frugal.
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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!