How to Make A Smoothie + Free Smoothie Chart

The Best Ingredients

The best smoothies are built with a combination of four elements:

• 1: Vegetables
• 2: Fruits
• 3: Base
• 4: Liquids

Steps to Make Smoothies

Make your own healthy smoothie by following these general steps. Exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

• Step 1: Add vegetables and fruits first and blend low for 15 seconds. This will break down the large frozen elements, making it easier to blend everything.
• Step 2. Add liquids and all other ingredients, and blend another 45 seconds.
• Step 3. Pour the smoothie into a bowl or glass, and add toppings.
• Step 4. Drink now, or refrigerate for 24 hours, or freeze into ice cube trays for longer storage.

1: Best Vegetables

• Leafy greens - spinach and kale work best in the baby version for mild flavor and ease in blending.
• Cooked vegetables - sweet potatoes, beets, cauliflower, pumpkin and butternut squash provide thickening and nutrition.
• Raw vegetables - peas, carrots, zucchini, beets, avocado, and cucumber provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, thickening and nutrition.

2: Best Fruits

• Berries - high in antioxidants and fiber, low in sugar.
• Green Grapes - also high in antioxidants and fiber, and provide a blank slate of sweetness, much like a less-ripe banana would.
• Mango - the best way to make a smoothie creamy and full of fiber, again just as a banana would.
• Watermelon - rich in essential electrolytes, and sweetness.
• Pineapple, Peaches, Pears - great for providing creamy texture and essential nutrients, and creamy texture.
• Dragon fruit, Acai - best for protein and color, try my unicorn smoothies.
• Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Papaya

3: Creamy Base

A variety of options can serve as a creamy base. Here are a few. The rolled oats are used raw and uncooked, but the milks, yogurt, fruits and veggies are best used frozen for a thick, frosty base. Pour the milks and yogurt into ice cube trays to use frozen.

• Yogurt - Keep it dairy-free for vegan smoothies.
• Coconut Milk, or another high fat milk
• Mangos
• Bananas
• Avocado
• Rolled oats - Use uncooked and looked for certified gluten-free brand for a GF smoothie.
• Chickpeas or White beans - use unsalted and canned for a mild flavor

4: Best Liquids

Typically I use dairy-free milk, water, coconut water, canned coconut milk, and teas of all kinds, matcha, hibiscus, and even ginger juice or fruit infused water. Coffee also can be used, and occasionally juices although only fresh or not from concentrate with little sugar.

📌Download Free Smoothie Recipe Ratio Chart

My free downloadable smoothie chart gives you a list of each ingredient so like building legos, you can construct your own favorite smoothie.

Optional Additions

• Seeds - Flax seeds, chia, hemp seeds, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds.
• Nut butter - Anything goes to bring in healthy fats and protein. Try peanut butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, almond butter and combos. Just choose one whose ingredients are just the nut and no additional sugar.
• Sweetener - To keep the smoothie healthy, try to get most of your sweetening from the fruit you add. However, adding a date increases the nutrition and sweet flavor considerably. Buy Medjool dates, and pit them before adding to a blender. Or make date paste, keep it frozen or in ice cube trays and add a few to sweeten a smoothie. Here is my date paste recipe.
• Spices - Spices increase the health factor by stimulating digestion and boosting immunity. Try cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ground or fresh ginger, and turmeric.

Allergy Swaps

• 1.Substitute the milk and yogurt with dairy-free version.
• 2. Check that rolled oats are gluten-free.