We all love smoothies. Their rich texture, bursting flavor and great nutritional values make them the perfect snack. Smoothies can be part of your breakfast, lunch and dinner; or an in-between on the go meal replacement. While it is true that the smoothie industry has been booming in recent years and many smoothie chain stores offer creative smoothie recipes to quench our thirst; the inevitable question is how can me make smoothies in the convenience of our homes that will taste just as good? The conventional wisdom is that there’s not much to know when it comes to blending a smoothie. Simply pour all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. However, contrary to this belief, creating an addicting and great tasting smoothie requires more than just blending random ingredients. It requires a smoothie recipe.

 

 

The Ingredients

 

A great smoothie recipe starts with great ingredients. Smoothies can be made with a few types of ingredients: Fresh fruits, frozen fruits, smoothie mix, fruit juice, dairy ingredients like Greek yogurt, low fat yogurt, frozen yogurt, milk, almond milk or just crushed ice. Make sure to pick the best fruits available. If you chose to make your smoothie recipe using a smoothie mix, look for one that is made of 100% real fruit with no added sugar. Extra points for certified organic or a non-gmo smoothie mix and fresh fruits.

 

 

Matching the Flavors

 

A good smoothie recipe is one that balances great flavors that complement each other. For example we all know that pineapple and coconut go well together. Perhaps because pineapple is very acidic and coconut is not, so keeping that balance is important.  A berry smoothie recipe will include strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, acai berries, goji berries or blackberries. Berries are high in acid so a recipe might recommend adding some bananas or non-tart frozen yogurt to bring the acidity down. When it comes to tropical smoothie recipes, bananas, peaches, mangoes, papaya, passion fruit and the all the yellow-orange fruits tend to blend well together. If you are considering adding a citrus fruit or fruit juice like an orange, lemon or lime into the mix, make sure to use only one portion of them with other non-citrus fruits as their flavor profile tends to be very dominant. A green smoothie recipe could be tricky. Greens are usually mixed the best with… greens. Cucumber, apple, kale, spinach, kiwi as well as mint, lemon, lime and banana all compliment each other. Almond, peanut and cashew butters are always a nice add-on. Make sure to use not more than a tablespoon, as they tend to dominate the flavor.

 

 

Keeping the right Proportions

 

A good smoothie recipe is one that delivers a great, smooth, thick and rich consistency. Keeping a proper solids to fluids ratio is key to deliver that result. Generally speaking, for a 16 oz. smoothie recipe made with frozen fruits we will recommend blending 10-12 oz. frozen fruits with 4 oz. liquids. The liquid component could be water, milk, or preferably juice or smoothie mix for extra flavor and sweetness. Liquids are important for the blending process, without them solids will not blend appropriately.  If you’re preparing a smoothie using fresh fruits or just a smoothie mix, ice is required. Fresh fruit smoothies should be made with 8 oz. fresh fruits, 10 oz. crushed ice,

 and 4 oz. liquids. Please make sure to use ice that’s as frozen as possible and not watery. It will impact tremendously the consistency of your smoothie recipe. If you are using a smoothie mix only, follow the recipe listed on the back of the product. Smartfruit 100% Real Fruit Puree for example calls for 4 oz. smoothie mix, 16 oz. ice and 4 liquids.

 

 

The Boost

 

Some folks like to supplement their smoothie recipe with a boost for extra nutrition. Feel free to add to your smoothie recipe protein (from whey, hemp, rice or soy), matcha green tea powder or spirulina for energy and detox, flaxseed or chia seeds for omega 3. Boost your smoothie recipe with acai berries, goji berries, cacao nibs, maca powder, resveratrol powder for antioxidants and detoxifiers as well as nuts for vitamin minerals and more protein.