No matter the time of year, we love to blend up an array of delicious ingredients into one creamy, colorful and nutritious smoothie. While it may sound super simple (and it is, promise!), our Test Kitchen has some expert tips on blending up the best smoothies ever. From choosing the best blender to creating an impressive ombré effect, you’ll learn how to make a smoothie the right (and easiest!) way.
Whether you’re looking to make a smoothie without yogurt, or a smoothie without milk, we’ve included tons of options for every taste. We provide our favorite easy smoothie recipes, complete with smoothie ingredients lists, but feel free to make modifications as you see fit. Once you master all of our top tips, you’ll be able to freestyle this tasty frozen treat with whatever you’ve got.
What are the five steps to making a smoothie?
For the smoothest results, add items to the blender in this order so they’ll be well incorporated:
1. Liquid (milk, juice, water, yogurt)
2. Soft fruits + veggies
3. Leafy greens
4. Dry ingredients (seeds, protein powders)
5. Ice + other frozen ingredients
Two ways to upgrade your smoothie:
While a simple strawberry smoothie makes a yummy snack or light breakfast, there are some fun ways to jazz up this super sipper. Try our Test Kitchen’s favorite tricks:
•Smoothie art: Before pouring the smoothie into your cup, garnish the glass by pressing thinly sliced pieces of fruit up against the inside of your smoothie cup. You can use a wooden skewer to stick the fruit closer to the bottom of the glass. Then, carefully spoon the smoothie into the glass, and you’ll be left with a colorful drink decorated with a pretty pattern of fresh fruit! Try this with our favorite fruity summer smoothies.
•Ombré effect: To try a two-toned smoothie, make two separate smoothie recipes with similar hues (such as strawberry and raspberry). Pour one of the smoothies into your cup, filling halfway, before topping with the other smoothie. This creates eye-catching color and (bonus!) twice as much flavor.
milk (dairy or nondairy)
plain yogurt
fresh summer fruit (blackberries, raspberries, hulled strawberries, chopped peaches, and/or nectarines), chilled
unsweetened almond milk
frozen banana
frozen blueberries
almond butter
coconut water
medium ripe banana
baby spinach
each frozen mango and pineapple
Get a head-start on your day and freeze the ingredients for your smoothie the night before. Just toss fruits and veggies in a resealable bag or freezer-safe jar and freeze overnight. In the morning, add liquid to your blender, along with any dry ingredients, then add your pre-frozen pack and blend.
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