Smoothies make the perfect on the go breakfast or a healthy snack. They take only 5 minutes to throw together and with a little prep, you will always have ingredients on hand! Most smoothies are vegan friendly using your favorite plant based yogurt and dairy free milk.
Making a smoothie for a quick breakfast, lunch, or snacks is a great option for a healthy meal.
With a little bit of prep work, it’s a simple way to sneak in fruit, veggies, and protein whether you’re on the go or just need an easy nutrient packed meal to fuel your day.
Let’s look at some smoothie prep tips, the best blenders, and some of our favorite recipes!
Smoothie Prep Ideas
With a little bit of prep work, smoothies can be a quick meal. There’s nothing worse that going to make your smoothie to find your bananas are black or your greens are slimy. These tips will help you be able to throw any smoothie recipe together in no time.
- Use frozen fruit. If you use fresh fruit, you’ll end up with the consistency of milk. You can also add ice, but then you’ll have an icy consistency.
- Freeze bananas and spinach. Freezing these key smoothie ingredients will prevent them from ever going bad. Peel your bananas and break them in quarters or half for easy blending. You can make individual smoothie packs with both your spinach and bananas together or use a large stasher bag for each.
- Invest in a good blender. I like my Ninja for single servings but also have a high powered blender for 2 or more servings.
How to Make the Best Smoothie
- First add all of your frozen ingredients to the blender.
- Then add the yogurt and milk.
- Turn the blender on high and blend until smooth! Depending on your blender, you may need to help work the fruit down into the bottom towards the blade.
If you want a thinner consistency, simply add more liquid.
The Best Blenders for Smoothies
Finding the right blender can make or break having a delicious smoothie that you can easily drink through a straw without large chunks of fruit or greens getting in the way.
Personally, I have a full sized and a single serving blender, but there are lots of bundles that include both options.
Here are great blender options to fit every budget!
Single Serving Blenders
Healthy Smoothies
- Easy Mango Smoothie
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie
- Maca Mocha Cold Brew Smoothie
- Peanut Butter Smoothie by The Healthy Maven
- Beet Smoothie by The Almond Eater
- Simple Pre-Made Smoothie Jars by All the Healthy Things
- Blueberry Superfood Breakfast Smoothie by Orchid + Sweet Tea
- Turmeric ‘Wake Up’ Smoothie by Orchid + Sweet Tea
- Greek Yogurt Smoothie by Well Plated
- The Best Breakfast Smoothie by Fit Foodie Finds
- Paleo Purple Sweet Potato Smoothie
- Creamy Citrus Ginger Smoothie
- Cinnamon Cherry Berry Date Smoothie
- Purple Power Superfood Smoothie
- Cherry Cashew Butter Smoothie
- Coffee Lover’s Smoothie by Ambitious Kitchen
- Oatmeal Smoothie by A Couple Cooks
- Banana Papaya Smoothie by Running on Real Good
- Triple Berry Oat Smoothie by Marisa Moore
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie by Eating Bird Food
- Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie by Eating Bird Food
Smoothie Bowls
- Carrot Cake Smoothie Bowl by Pinch of Yum
- Mocha Banana Protein Smoothie Bowl by Ambitious Kitchen
- Avocado Pineapple Smoothie Bowl by Running to the Kitchen
- Matcha Smoothie Bowl by Running on Real Food
- Tropical Smoothie Bowl by Rachel Cooks
- Peanut Butter + Jelly Smoothie Bowl by The Toasted Pinenut
- Blueberry Sunshine Smoothie Bowl by Making Thyme for Healthy
- Chocolate Coconut Smoothie Bowl
Green Smoothies
- Mint Chocolate Chip Avocado Smoothie
- Tropical Green Smoothie by Jessica in the Kitchen
- Green Smoothie by Ambitious Kitchen
- Green Chunky Monkey Smoothie by Little Bits of Real Food
- Ginger Banana Green Smoothie by Fooduzzi
- Green Banana Bread Smoothie by the Almond Eater
- Blood Orange Green Smoothie by Minimalist Baker
Bonus Flavor Combos
Here are a few basic smoothie flavors that are classic recipes. These ingredients are easy to keep on hand by keeping frozen fruit on hand and freezing spinach and bananas.
You can use these flavor combination in the recipe ratios below (1 serving size):
- Peanut Butter & Banana – 1 cup frozen sliced bananas + 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter
- Strawberry & Banana – 1/2 cup strawberries + 1/2 cup frozen sliced bananas
- Mixed Fruit & Spinach – 1 cup of frozen mixed fruit + a handful or two of spinach
Smoothie Boosters
I’m always a fan of using additonal “boosters” in healthy smoothie recipes.
Here are some of my go-to’s:
- protein powder – choose your favorite. A vanilla flavored or plain is the most versatile, but chocolate works too! Or something like plain collagen peptides if not vegan.
- oats – sometimes I like to add rolled or quick oats into my smoothie for some whole grains and more fiber.
- high protein yogurt – you could also add in your favorite high protein yogurt like greek or skyr. Siggi’s makes a good plant-based high protein yogurt that I really like (lower in sugar but high in protein).
- healthy omega’s like chia seeds, flaxseed meal or hemp hearts – if adding flaxseed or chia seed, make sure you drink the smoothie fairly quickly as those two ingredients will thicken the liquid upon standing too long.
Let me know if you make any of these smoothie recipes by leaving a comment and rating below! I would love to know your favorite flavor combos. Xx, Ashley
How to Make…
Healthy Smoothie Recipe
This easy basic smoothie base is naturally sweetened with frozen fruit, which makes the perfect on the go breakfast or a healthy snack. It’s vegan friendly using your favorite plant based yogurt and milk.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen fruit
- 1/3 cup high protein yogurt
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
For flavor combos see notes above recipe card.
Optional Mix- Ins
- handful spinach
- 1 serving protein powder
- 1/3 cup rolled or quick
- 1/2 Tbsp hemp hearts, chia seeds or flaxseed meal
- 1 Tbsp favorite nut butter
Instructions
- First add all of your frozen ingredients to the blender.
- Then add the yogurt and milk.
- Turn the blender on high and blend until smooth! Depending on your blender, you may need to help work the fruit down into the bottom towards the blade.
Recipes Notes:
If you want a thinner consistency, simply add more liquid.
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