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Home » Food + Drink » Drinks

The Healthy Smoothie Ingredients To Use (and Those to Avoid)

By Stan Horaczek | July 23, 2018 | Updated on December 2, 2019 | 17 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that we collect a share of sales from. Click here for more details.
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How to Make a Healthy Smoothie

Smoothies aren’t necessarily hard to make. You just throw some stuff into a blender, pulse it for a completely arbitrary amount of time, and then pour out a semi-liquid slurry of nutrients that you can slam down in half the time it would take to actually chew and swallow solid food.

But if you’re wondering how to make a smoothie that actually tastes good, or how to make a healthy smoothie… well, that requires a bit more finesse.

How to Make a Healthy Smoothie - Peanut Butter Smoothie

We tend to overestimate how healthy smoothies are because, hey, there’s fruit in there! And maybe even…vegetables! But there are plenty of smoothie ingredients that can turn a healthy drink into a sugar bomb.

Whether you’re specifically trying to make a healthy smoothie or simply trying to make a smoothie that doesn’t taste disgusting, the process can go very wrong in a variety of ways.

With one wrong move, you can make it taste like a bag of grass clippings or create a drink that’s got more sugar and calories than a full-blown hot fudge sundae. (For reals: a medium hot fudge sundae at Dairy Queen is 430 calories and 52 grams of sugar. A medium Aloha Pineapple Smoothie at Jamba Juice is 410 calories and 90 grams of sugar… some of which is fruit and dairy sugar, and some of which is sherbet.)

Luckily, I’m here to help. Here’s how to make a smoothie recipe that doesn’t suck, and a list of some of the best and worst ingredients you can put in that blender you made your partner buy you last holiday season and haven’t used since.

Peanut Butter and Kale Smoothie

How to Make a Smoothie: 7 of the Best Ingredients

These ingredients are going to be the all-stars for your best smoothie recipes. Sure, they’re healthy, but they taste so good they’ll trick your brain into thinking otherwise. We like to think of them as the real smoothie MVPs.

1. Peanut Butter

If a smoothie is a salad, then peanut butter would be the croutons. Peanut butter smoothies are not only delicious, peanut butter has the ability to mask the taste of just about any healthy ingredient you stuff into your blender. Hate the taste of kale? Cover it right up with some PB!

Add crunchy peanut butter to really up the “crouton” factor and give your smoothie some texture, or use powdered peanut butter to save yourself roughly 143 calories and 14.5 grams of fat per two tablespoon serving. And if you’re looking for a real treat, throw in a teaspoon of cocoa powder to make yourself a chocolate peanut butter smoothie. Then give it to us.

If you want to make a smoothie as healthy as possible, you’re better off opting for natural peanut butter, a.k.a. the kind you have to stir and that makes a mess all over your counter.

You can use sunflower butter if you want a similar taste without the peanuts, or you could use cashew butter if you want something that tastes incredible, but costs as much per jar as your peanut butter budget for the year.

2. Blueberries

Starting with mixed berries is a typical rookie mistake when it comes to making a fruit smoothie.

Even though strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are full of antioxidants and other healthy stuff, they’re also filled with seeds, which can make drinking your smoothie about as pleasant as downing a tumbler full of really cold gravel.

Blueberries, on the other hand, give you lots of berry benefits – like carotenoids, flavonoids, and 36% DV of vitamin K – without jamming seeds so far into your gums that you get a tongue cramp trying to pry them out during your morning meeting.

3. Kale

Mmmm…kale smoothies. Whether you’re Team Kale or Team Kale No, it’s not a bad idea to throw some green stuff into a recipe every now and then. And, kale is a great green smoothie option. It adds a slight bitter taste, which I actually like with the salty peanut butter and the sweet berries. Plus, it gives you fiber, 6888884% DV of vitamin K, and loads of vitamins A and C.

But, most importantly, you get to post on Instagram about the fact that you’re eating kale. In fact, it’s literally against the law in some states to eat kale without alerting your Instagram followers, so be sure to check your local legislation before having it. Then, people will be asking you how to make the best smoothies. Smoothie-master status achieved.

4. Whole Milk

Sure, it’s twice the calories of nonfat milk, but in terms of satiation and mouthfeel (which is the most pretentious way we could think of to describe what it tastes like to drink), whole milk makes a huge difference in smoothies.

Trying to drink a skim milk smoothie after you’re used to whole milk shakes is like transitioning from driving a Ferrari to riding a public bus teeming with weasels. We’ll stick with our 488, thanks.

5. Almond Milk or Oat Milk

If you’d rather make dairy-free smoothies, you can substitute whole milk with almond milk or oat milk. Just make sure you opt for the unsweetened stuff to save yourself from unnecessary added sugar and extra calories. If it’s going to taste like a watered-down smoothie that’s gone through the dishwasher, it might as well actually be healthy for you.

6. Protein Powder

It might seem like an elusive task to make high-protein smoothies that aren’t gag-inducing. For years, I subscribed to the “hold your nose and pound the entire shaker cup” method of getting protein powder into my body.

But, like with kale, you can mask the disturbingly scientific taste of most protein powders by cramming them into a smoothie recipe. Just be careful with your flavor choice and the amount. Sure, that banana cream protein powder may have been on clearance, but is it worth it if you have to drink it while pinching your nose and fantasizing hard about an ice cream sundae just to make it palatable?

7. Spirulina

If you’re really on the healthy-smoothie kick (no audible judgment), then consider throwing in some spirulina. I typically limit myself to one green thing per smoothie recipe, but this blue-green algae is worth the shock of the green poop that comes later.

Check out some of spirulina’s health benefits, which include loads of vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, zinc, copper as well as an impressive 4g of protein per 20 calorie tablespoon. It tastes about what you’d expect actual algae to taste like, but it’s really good for you. And your poop will literally be green. That part isn’t a joke, even if it is hilarious.

How to Make a Smoothie - Kale Smoothie

3 Smoothie Ingredients You Can Probably Leave Out

Most smoothie recipes are handed down from generation to generation, but there are some ingredients that simply take up space in your delicious cup of goo without offering enough deliciousness or health benefits to earn their keep.

Bananas

Do you want your entire smoothie to taste exclusively like bananas? It doesn’t matter how small the piece of banana you put in, it will single-handedly overpower every other ingredient you threw in there.

Oh, you only put in two slices of banana? Well guess what, pal, your fruit smoothie is now exclusively a banana smoothie. Unless you really need the potassium, they’re not worth the hostile takeover.

Ice cubes

One of the best fruit smoothie hacks is to keep your fruit frozen instead of using plain ice cubes. Those seemingly innocent cubes are really just little, flavorless shards that ruin your drink. Seriously, don’t come over here crashing our smoothie party with your frozen water nonsense.

Chia Seeds

They’re small, they’re good for you, and they’ll turn your smoothie into a weird gel that’s like drinking the inside of an ice pack. Sure, some people like a good chia seed smoothie. Coincidentally, these are the same people who used to drink Orbitz. I prefer my chia seeds in overnight oats, thanks.

How to Make a Smoothie Healthier

At the end of the day, food should be nutritious. But as a website that features way more cakes that carrot sticks, we’re not going to tell you how to live your life.

However, if you’re looking into how to make a smoothie healthier, you’re going to want to make a smoothie that has a balance of carbs, fats, and protein. The right combination of those will help keep you satiated longer, the same way a cheeseburger does. Anyone got a blender?

High-Protein Ingredients

  • Greek yogurt
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Tofu
  • Whole milk
  • Soy milk
  • Whey protein
  • Pea protein

The Best Fruit and Vegetable Ingredients (i.e. carbs)

  • Blueberries
  • Bananas (mmhmm.)
  • Raspberries
  • Apples
  • Strawberries
  • Pomegranate
  • Peaches or Apricots
  • Kiwis
  • Mangoes
  • Coconuts
  • Watermelons
  • Pineapples
  • Cherries
  • Melons
  • Cucumbers
  • Spinach
  • Peas
  • Kale
  • Beets

The Best Healthy Fat Ingredients

  • Avocado
  • Natural Peanut Butter
  • Cashew Butter
  • Almond Butter (you get where we’re going.)
  • Chia Seeds
  • Flax Seeds

21 Basic Smoothie Recipes

From green smoothies to peanut butter smoothies to berry smoothies, you can’t go wrong with these recipes. Flavorwise. Our lawyer says we can’t make any claims about what you do while drinking them.

Mango Kale Smoothie
This Mango banana smoothie also has kale in it, so feel good knowing it’s hipster approved.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Mango Kale

Katie Price Smoothie
We’re not sure how we feel about “detox smoothies” but we do like that there’s practically a whole vegetable garden blended into this drink.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Katie Price

Green Goddess Smoothie Bowl
This bowl by the dressing which was inspired by the William Archer’s Green Goddess play. Stay tuned to find out what happens between Lucilla and Traherne!

21 Smoothie Recipes - Green Goddess

Spinach Smoothie
Spinach is great unless you hate vegetables. In that case, Garnish and Glaze have you covered with this vegetable smoothie, because there’s better way to bury the taste of spinach than with pineapple! Except maybe with banana.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Spinach

Zucchini Smoothie
The paleo, low carb smoothie recipe tastes like vanilla and cinnamon but looks healthy. Like that Raymond Chandler book that was supposed to be about stolen coin but ended up being about murder instead. Oops, spoiler alert!21 Smoothie Recipes - Zucchini

Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie
This glowing green smoothie is definitely what we’ll be drinking instead of a Shamrock Shake next St. Patrick’s Day. Or maybe the morning after.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Mint Chocolate Chip

Creamy Avocado Smoothie
Avocado, coconut, hemp, and ginger all combine to make one delicious meal replacement smoothie. As we like to call it, an appetizer.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Creamy Avocado

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
We know. We’re breaking our banana rule on this one. But the combo is so classic we couldn’t leave it out. It just kept giving us the saddest eyes. THE SADDEST.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Strawberry Banana

Blueberry Pie Smoothie
And, uh on this one too. But look, it sounded really good. Blueberries, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, almond milk and a few more ingredients made it sound just like a pie. And we really like pie.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Lime Smoothie
If we didn’t have to eat other things to keep this mortal coil running, we’d probably subsist on a diet consistently of these.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Blueberry Lime

 

Berry Spinach Smoothie
This sweet smoothie can be customized with any berries you want. And maybe also with vodka?21 Smoothie Recipes - Berry Spinach

Balsamic Roasted Berry Smoothie
Recipes From a Pantry sidesteps the mixed berry problem by roasting the berries first then whirring them in a blender and adding a bit of balsamic vinegar. The result is a rich, bright smoothie that doesn’t require a toothpick.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Balsamic Roasted Berry

Blueberry Mango Smoothie
Oh goodness, another one with bananas. We’re a sucker for a pretty face. Or a pretty smoothie. We can’t tell the difference.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Mango Blueberry

Pineapple Smoothie
If you’re looking to cut down on your pina colada consumption, swap in this mango pineapple smoothie made with coconut milk by I Heart Naptime instead. Best enjoyed alongside these pina colada cupcakes.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Pineapple

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie
We have tried eating peanut butter powder with a spoon and trust us, it’s way easier to enjoy in this low carb smoothie.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Low Carb

Peanut Butter Smoothie Bowl
There is no possible way we could make a smoothie bowl look this pretty. It combines two smoothies – a berry and a mango one, both of which use peanut butter powder. But we’re pretty sure it would taste out of this world delicious even if it looked like mud.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Peanut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
[Shouts to assistant] Hey! Can we get one of these chunky monkey things? Like on the double? [Cat looks up, unamused.]
21 Smoothie Recipes - Chocolate Peanut Butter

Autumn Glow Smoothie
Pinch of Yum nails fall with this almond milk, almond butter, and sweet potato smoothie that has us impatient for the cooler months.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Autumn Glow

Espresso Chocolate Chip Smoothie
We approve of this smoothie version of the mocha. It’s healthy so that means we can have two croissants!
21 Smoothie Recipes - Espresso Chocolate

Mint Chocolate Smoothie
This decadent rich chocolate mint smoothie feels like the holidays but without the why-is-it-so-darn-cold factor.
21 Smoothie Recipes - Mint Chocolate

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
You can’t have fall without pumpkin pie and you can’t have a smoothie without… uh a blender? Grab one of those here and let us know which smoothie was your favorite in the comments below!
21 Smoothie Recipes - Pumpkin Pie

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Stan Horaczek
Stan Horaczek
Stan Horaczek is a writer, editor, and photographer based in New York. His words and photos have appeared in publications such as Popular Science, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Engadget, AOL, Saveur, Edible, The New York Post, The Wirecutter, and more. Stan has trained in a wide variety of disciplines from American kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, to Crossfit and strongman. You can find him on Twitter at @stanhoraczek.
Stan Horaczek
Latest posts by Stan Horaczek (see all)
  • Water Company Liquid Death Releases a (Surprisingly) Fantastic Metal Album - May 7, 2020
  • The Healthy Smoothie Ingredients To Use (and Those to Avoid) - July 23, 2018
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  1. AvatarJamie says

    March 13, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    Can’t wait to try this! Anyone interested in this stuff should definitely check out the book Everyday Roots. It teaches you how to replace all the toxic chemicals in your life with healthy organic alternatives. Its completely changed my life and how I feel everyday! 🙂

    Heres a great review of everday roots: http://reggiesreview.weebly.com/everyday-roots-review.html

    Keep up the great content!

    Reply
  2. AvatarKelly Anthony says

    July 26, 2018 at 5:39 am

    Ok, ps: Obsessed with the title of this post! HA! Also, such a great roundup 😉 All of those smoothies look amazing! Going to make one right now actually!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      July 26, 2018 at 10:10 am

      Thanks! If you dug this post, I totally recommend checking out our Smeg coverage – https://www.letseatcake.com/smeg-appliances/ – I think you’ll get a kick out of it too.

      Reply
  3. Avatarprasanna hede says

    July 28, 2018 at 7:08 am

    Wonderful collection of smoothies! All the recipes are so good,plus the information to make healthier smoothies is great.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      July 28, 2018 at 4:02 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  4. AvatarTina says

    July 28, 2018 at 7:48 am

    I really enjoyed this article. I have used cottage cheese in a popsicle recipe and really loved how creamy it made it. With the added protein and the fruit that I put in it, it turned out to be a healthy dessert. I am going to try cottage cheese in my next smoothie, I bet it makes it creamy and delicious. Thanks for this!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      July 28, 2018 at 8:45 am

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
  5. AvatarMarisa Franca says

    July 28, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    What a great tutorial and such good advice. I don’t do smoothies normally. I just thought it was almond milk, a fruit, and something else. It didn’t inspire me at all. Now you’ve given me all sorts of good ideas of what I can make that is tasty and good for me.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Swanner | Let's Eat CakeRebecca Swanner | Let's Eat Cake says

      July 28, 2018 at 3:54 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it and found it inspiring. That’s what we’re here for! 🙂

      Reply
  6. AvatarSharon says

    July 28, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    What a great post! I am going to print it out and keep it on hand in my kitchen and when I’m shopping so I can make myself a smoothie for an afternoon pick me up.

    Reply
  7. AvatarSri Mallya says

    July 29, 2018 at 5:47 am

    What a great post with so many useful information. Plus amazing round up of smoothies. Everything looks so delicious. Pinning it for later!

    Reply
  8. AvatarKaryl Henry says

    July 29, 2018 at 7:11 am

    I do use almond milk in my smoothies. I also use a whole banana 🙂 But then I balance it out with blueberries and fat-free Greek Yogurt. I’ve never tried peanut butter in a smoothie, but will have to give that a shot

    Reply
  9. AvatarJulie says

    July 29, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    Hmmmm… I love chia seeds in my smoothies (and berries with seeds too). But I have no idea what Orbitz is…. I thought it was a travel website! Sounds like I should track some down, since apparently I would like it. 😉

    Reply
  10. AvatarAnne says

    July 29, 2018 at 8:07 pm

    So many smoothie recipes! Thank you. I make them every day an absolutely love all of these new ideas!

    Reply
  11. AvatarClaire says

    July 29, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    I love this as you give me permission to leave out bananas….I hate bananas and so many smoothies have them in.
    I ahevmy eye on that pineapple smoothie….it looks so good!

    Reply
  12. AvatarMichele says

    July 30, 2018 at 2:10 am

    Love all of the good info on smoothies you have in this post! Smoothies can be a good and healthy breakfast on the go. Delish!

    Reply
  13. AvatarHeather says

    July 30, 2018 at 4:05 am

    Great post! I love that you show what is good and what is maybe not so good when it comes to smoothies (thanks for leaving out the chia seeds.. haha!) Very helpful and great for making smarter choices

    Reply

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