How to Make a Smoothie

Guide Note Smoothies can be a great way to start the day or refresh yourself after a hard day at work. They are quick and easy to make. All you need is a powerful blender and a few ingredients. Keep reading to find out how.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Choose the Right Blender
Step 1: Add Liquid
Step 2: Add Fruit
Step 3: Add Thickener
Step 4: Add Optional Ingredients
Directions
Smoothie Recipes
References

Smoothie Tips

Make sure your blender is powerful enough.
Use frozen fruit.
There is no wrong way to make a smoothie.
Experiment with different ingredients to find one you like.
Try using frozen fruit juice instead of ice.

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Introduction

Smoothies are cool blended drinks that have three major ingredients: fruit, liquid and a thickener. They make great choices for people who are trying to lose weight or those who need a quick solution for breakfast. There are thousands of recipe combinations. Finding the right one for you can be a very tasty journey. Before you get started, you will need to understand the basics of how to make a smoothie.

Expert Village: Make a Smoothie

Choose the Right Blender

(Creative Commons photo by Anna)

If you want to make a good smoothie, you may need to invest in a powerful blender.¹ Crushing ice is one of the toughest things a blender needs to do.² If your blender isn't powerful enough, it can ruin your smoothie. Don't make the mistake of thinking that more power means it is a better blender. Higher wattage does not always mean better performance.²

**Top-Rated Blenders for Smoothies**
Black and Decker Crush Master³ Blendtec Total Blender⁴ BlenderBosch Porche Designer Stand Blender³ Braun PowerMax Jug Blender⁵ Cuisinart Smart Power 7-Speed³ Cuisinart Brushed Stainless and Black Bar Blender⁶ Hamilton Beach Wave Station Plus⁷	KitchenAid Five-Speed Custom Blender⁶ Oster Classic Beehive Stand Blender⁴ Oster 10 Speed⁷ Viking Professional Blender⁸ Vitamix 5000⁴ Vitamix 5200⁴

Step 1: Add 1/4 to 2 Cups Liquid

Liquid is added to your smoothie to make everything blend smoothly. Which liquid you use is up to you. Start with 1/4 cup and add more as necessary. ⁹ If you plan on adding ice in Step 3, expect to add more liquid to keep your blender from freezing.¹⁰

**Popular Liquid Choices**
Fruit Juice Soy Milk Rice Milk	Milk Heavy Cream	Coffee (chilled) Vegetable Juice Water

Step 2: Add 1/4 to 2 Cups Chopped Fruit

(Creative Commons photo by mwri)

Choosing which fresh fruit you are going to use can help decide on what other ingredients to add. The most common choices for smoothies are strawberry and banana.¹⁰ Make sure you wash or rinse the fruits and remove any stems before using. If possible, freeze your fruit before using. Freezing your fruit in advance will make your smoothie colder and thicker.¹¹
1. For bananas, peel and slice before placing in an airtight container.¹²
2. Spread pieces on a plate or baking sheet until they are frozen to keep them from becoming one big lump. Then, move them into a freezer bag or airtight container.¹¹
3. For more information, check out Mahalo's How to Freeze Peaches or How to Freeze Strawberries.

**Popular Fruit Choices**
Apples Bananas Blackberries Blueberries Cherries Cranberries	Grapefruit Honeydew Kiwis Mangoes Oranges	Papaya Peaches Pomegranates Raspberries Strawberries Watermelons

Expert Village: How to Make Healthy Fresh Fruit Smoothie Recipes

Step 3: Add 1/2 to 4 Cups Thickener

Finally, you need to add a thickener.⁹ The thickener will give the smoothie its texture and consistency.¹⁰ Some fruit, such as bananas, can double as your thickener especially if they are frozen.¹⁰ The more of these ingredients you add, the thicker your smoothie will be.¹³

**Popular Thickener Choices**
Yogurt Frozen Yogurt Tofu	Ice Cream Frozen juice concentrate Sorbet	Frozen fruit Ice

Step 4: Add Optional Ingredients

(Creative Commons photo by Vera and Dave)

While Steps 1 through 3 will give you the basic smoothie, many people opt to add additional items either to add nutrition or flavor. Here are a few of the more popular for smoothies.

**Nutritional Supplements**
Protein Powder¹⁴ Fiber Supplements (powdered)¹⁴ Vitamin Supplements (powdered)¹⁴ Wheat Germ⁹		Ground Flaxseed⁹ Soy Protein Isolate or Concentrate⁹ Brewer's Yeast¹³

**Flavor**
Cinnamon⁹ Vanilla extract⁹ Honey¹⁵	Peanut Butter¹⁵ Coconut Flakes¹⁶	Nuts¹⁶ Chocolate Chips¹⁶ Cocoa Powder¹⁶

Directions

(Creative Commons photo by Paul Martin)

Add ingredients into the blender starting with the liquid.
1. Although the quantities of your ingredients will vary, a good rule is to add 1 part fruit, 1 part liquid, and 2 parts thick base.⁹ For example, add 1/2 cup banana, 1/2 cup orange juice and 1 cup frozen yogurt for a 2 cup smoothie.
2. Don't put too much in your blender or it won't achieve enough circulation.¹⁴
Don't forget to put the lid on the blender.
Start your blender a couple of settings below the highest setting.¹⁰
Add any additional ingredients once you see a slight whirlpool at the top.¹⁰
Blend ingredients until the liquid is fully circulating in the blender, usually between 15 to 45 seconds.¹⁴
Check to make sure all the ingredients are pureed before pouring.¹⁶

Smoothie Recipes

(Creative Commons photo by EwS)

There are literally thousands of smoothie recipe combinations. If you are interested in finding some interesting combinations, check out some of the following resources.

Individual Smoothies

Food Network: Six Easy Smoothie Recipes
Simply Recipes: Berry Banana Smoothie
Epicurious.com: Vanilla-Date Breakfast Smoothie Recipe | Mango Blueberry "Fool" Recipe
Smoothie Web: Key Lime Smoothie
RecipeZaar: Banana Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe
Better Recipes.com: Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Smoothie

Smoothie Recipe Collections

Food Down Under Recipe Database: Smoothie Recipes
PerfectSmoothie.com: Smoothie Recipes
International Smoothie Week: Recipes
Spiffy Smoothies: Smoothie Recipes
All Recipes: Smoothies Recipes
Martha Stewart: Smoothie Search
RecipeZaar: Smoothies Recipes

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References for How To Make a Smoothie

↑ Consumer Guide: Blender Buying Guide
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Abt Electronics: Blender Guide
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 About.com: Top 7 Top Blenders for Smoothies
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 PerfectSmoothie.com: The Best Blenders for Making Smoothies
↑ ConsumerSearch: Blenders Reviews
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 The Wall Street Journal: Blenders Enter the Ice Age (June 22, 2007)
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 Good Housekeeping: The Best Blenders
↑ Real Simple: The Best Blenders
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 ^9.4 ^9.5 ^9.6 ^9.7 BellaOnline: Basic Fruit Smoothie Recipe
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 ^10.3 ^10.4 ^10.5 Oodora: Basic Fruit Smoothie Recipe October 26, 2007
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 Spiffy Smoothies: Smoothie Tips
↑ Martha Stewart: Too Many Bananas?
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 About.com: Tips for a Perfect Smoothie
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 ^14.3 ^14.4 PerfectSmoothie.com: How to Make a Smoothie
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 Food Network: Smoothies
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 ^16.3 ^16.4 About.com: How to Make a Smoothie

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