Quick Guide to Making Smoothies

Here's my quick guide to making delicious and healthy smoothies at home! Smoothies are a quick and easy way to add a lot of nutritious ingredients to your diet. All you need is a handful of ingredients, a blender, and about 5 minutes!

 

Living in sunny South Florida, I enjoy making smoothies all year round. Smoothies are great because they're easy to make and you can incorporate a wide variety of nutritious ingredients depending on your taste. Some my favorites are my dragon fruit smoothie, hydrating green smoothie, and immunity-boosting orange berry smoothie.

Smoothies can be enjoyed as a snack or even as a meal replacement depending on what you put in them. They're the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, after- school snack or post-workout replenisher. 

Smoothies are also one of the few things that most kids will always try. So if you have a "picky eater," try making them a colorful, delicious smoothie. You can pack in lots of nutritious ingredients so it's a win win situation!

All you need to make a healthy, delicious smoothie is a handful of ingredients, a high speed blender, and about 5 minutes! Here's my quick guide for making your own delicious and healthy smoothies at home.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love Smoothies
• Smoothie Components:
• Pro Tip:
• How To Make a Smoothie
• How To Thicken A Smoothie
• Smoothie FAQs
• Tasty Smoothie Recipes
• Reviews

Smoothie Components:

Liquid base

Milk is commonly used as the liquid base for smoothies. It can make your smoothies creamier and add a rich mouthfeel. You can use any type of milk including dairy milk or non-dairy milk like coconut milk, nut milk (cashew, almond milk, macadamia nut), soy milk, or oat milk.

Fruit juice can also be used as a base for smoothies. Juice adds sweetness and acidity to smoothies, making the flavors brighter. Orange juice, apple juice, and pomegranate juice are all good options. Fruit juices often contain added sugar so be sure to read the labels.

Coconut water is another good smoothie base that's hydrating and adds a boost of electrolytes. I use it in my refreshing dragon fruit smoothie.

Coffee, tea, and water are other options.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a nice way to add a creamy consistency and subtle tanginess to your smoothies. It also adds a boost of protein, probiotics, and calcium. Adding protein to your smoothies can help satisfy your hunger and keep you feeling fuller longer.

In addition to smoothies, I also add yogurt to breakfast dishes like overnight oats and chia pudding to keep me full all morning.

I like to use plain Greek yogurt and add my own sweeteners so that I can control the amount of sugar. I like the thick consistency and nutritional profile of Greek yogurt. You can use flavored yogurt (like vanilla) but try to choose one without too much added sugar.

You can use other types of yogurt like coconut, soy, oat, almond, or cashew yogurt to keep your smoothie dairy free.

Fruits

You can use a wide variety of fruits in your smoothies. By using whole fruit rather than juice, you get all of the beneficial nutrients like soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

Some good options are berries, oranges, pineapple, banana, grape, peaches, mango, apples, and kiwi. Roughly chop or slice your fruit before adding it to the blender.

Fruits with a higher water content (like watermelon, grapes or oranges) will give your smoothie a thinner consistency than denser fruit like bananas (which are often used to thicken smoothies).

Don't forget the frozen aisle of the grocery store when fresh fruit is out of season. I often prefer to use frozen fruit in smoothies. Frozen fruit will thicken your smoothie and cool it down without diluting the flavor like ice does.

Vegetables

Smoothies are an excellent way to incorporate nutrient-dense veggies into your diet! Leafy greens like baby spinach and kale are excellent options. Try pairing them with sweet fruit like in my hydrating green smoothie or mango and spinach smoothie.

You can also use heartier vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, or celery in your smoothies to add nutrients and body. Be sure to dice them up into small pieces first to make it easier for your blender to process.

Sweetener

Depending on the ingredients you choose, you may need to add a little extra sweetener. Fruit often has enough natural sweetness, so taste your smoothie first and then decide.

You can use natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup,, agave nectar, or coconut sugar. Pitted dates are also an excellent natural sweetener.

Flavorings

Extracts like vanilla or almond extract are a nice way to add flavor without adding calories. The same goes with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, and ginger.

A little goes a long way, so start with a small amount and increase to taste.

Nutritional Boosts

Almond butter, peanut butter, yogurt, and protein powders are a great way to add a boost of protein to your smoothie.

For a boost of omega-3s, fiber and antioxidants, you can add in some flaxseed or chia seeds.

Oats are another nice option to add nutrients like fiber. Oats will also thicken your smoothie.

Antioxidant-rich ingredients like acai powder, dragon fruit powder, and matcha powder are all excellent smoothie additions.

Ice 

You can add a few ice cubes to chill your smoothie and thicken it. If you are using frozen fruit, you can skip the ice.

You don't want to add too much ice because as your smoothie sits, the ice will melt, and it can water it down.

How To Make a Smoothie

How to Layer Smoothie Ingredients in a Blender

Once you have your ingredients ready, simply place them in a blender and blend until smooth. I love using my Vitamix blender, which I've had since culinary school.  In just a few minutes, you'll have a delicious, nutritious, and portable snack.

If you're using a large blender, add your liquids first. Then add your fresh fruits and vegetables on top, followed by your frozen ingredients last.

Blender Speed

Start blending at low to medium speed and then gradually speed up the blender. You can use a tamper tool to push the ingredients down towards the blade, and help them break up more easily. If you don't have a tamper, you can stop to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula as needed.

Once the ingredients are incorporated, turn the speed up to high and process for another 15-30 seconds until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, you can add a little more liquid as needed to get the perfect consistency.

How To Thicken A Smoothie

To thicken a smoothie, there are a few simple techniques you can try:

One method is to add ingredients that have a naturally thickening effect, such as frozen fruits like bananas or mangoes. Adding old-fashioned oats will also help thicken a smoothie.

Another option is to include creamy elements in your smoothie like Greek yogurt, avocado, tofu, or nut butter (like peanut butter or almond butter). All of these will help create a thicker consistency.

Finally, using less liquid and adjusting the ratio of ingredients can also help achieve a thicker smoothie.

If you're making a smoothie bowl like my tropical smoothie bowl or raspberry coconut smoothie bowl, you'll generally use less liquid than when making a smoothie. A smoothie bowl has a thicker consistency and is eaten in a bowl with a spoon rather than being sipped through a straw.

Smoothie FAQs

Tasty Smoothie Recipes