10 Delicious Smoothie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the best ingredients to put in a smoothie? ›

Add veg to smoothies

If you prefer a sweet start to the day, try adding banana, honey or rice milk as it has a naturally sweet flavour. For creaminess, give avocado a go. It's also bursting with healthy fats. Read up on the health benefits of spinach, kale and avocado, then check out our vegetable smoothie recipes.

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.

For those who want to consume smoothies with bananas, or other high PPO activity fruits and vegetables such as beet greens, the suggestion is to not combine them with flavanol-rich fruits such as berries, grapes and cocoa.

If you're using fresh fruit, a frozen element like ice is vital to help keep the smoothie cold and thicken up the texture. In this case, it's essential to blend the smoothie ingredients and choice of liquid first and reserve the ice for the end to doctor up the smoothie just a bit.

Adding the liquid first is important for a couple of reasons. The liquid acts as a solvent, dissolving any powders (hello protein powder) you might want to add. And when you turn the blender on, the liquid will whiz through the blades quickly and easily, drawing down other ingredients to be chopped up.

An adult portion is 80g (about 3oz) of fresh, frozen or tinned fruit or vegetables. For dried fruit or veg it's 30g - or 150ml if you're having juice. A good guide is that a portion is about a handful. Two plums, satsumas or kiwi fruit; eight strawberries; 12 grapes; 14 cherries.

Can you put too much fruit in a smoothie? ›

Though fruit is a healthy smoothie ingredient, you can get too much of a good thing —i n the form of calories and carbs. A general rule of thumb is to stick to around 1 cup of fruit per smoothie. That's about a serving.

No ice: If you don't have ice, you can use frozen fruit, oats, chia seeds, yogurt, or nuts and nut butter to thicken your smoothie. No frozen fruit: Add a scoop of raw oats or chia seeds into the blender instead. No yogurt: You can swap yogurt with nut butter to thicken a smoothie.

Water or milk: I add a splash of liquid to the blender to help the smoothie ingredients blend. For a smoothie without milk, use water. It still tastes amazing. For more creaminess, add milk (dairy or non-dairy both work).

Use flavored yogurt or milk: Another easy way to make your smoothie taste sweeter is by using flavored yogurt or milk instead of plain varieties. Vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate are all great options that will take your smoothie up a notch in the flavor department.

Milk vs.

Both have protein that helps keep you feeling full and energized. It's like having two awesome friends – each with their own strengths! So, whether you go for milk or yogurt in your smoothie, you're making a tasty and nutritious choice.

Layering foods properly helps your blender thoroughly emulsify everything so you get a more cohesive, undeniably smooth smoothie. Basically, you want the liquids on the bottom, to create the vortex that pulls solids down into the blade, and the heavy stuff higher up to push everything down.