Most disappointing smoothies are proportion problems rather than ingredient problems. A rough structure removes the guesswork and produces something consistent rather than occasionally excellent.
The Basic Structure
A workable smoothie has four components: a liquid, a base for body, a flavour element and something for texture.
Roughly, that means about a cup of liquid, a cup or so of fruit, something creamy for body, and any extras. Adjusting from there is easier than starting from nothing.
The Components
- Liquid: water, milk, plant milk, juice or cold tea
- Body: banana, yoghurt, avocado, oats or soaked seeds
- Flavour: fruit, fresh or frozen, and any spice or cocoa
- Extras: nut butter, seeds, greens, or anything else you want in it
- Cold: frozen fruit rather than ice, which dilutes less
Loading Order in an Inverted Cup
In a personal blender the cup goes on upside down, so what goes in first ends up furthest from the blades.
Liquid first, then soft ingredients, then hard or frozen last. Inverted, the hard pieces sit against the blades and the liquid is above, which is exactly right.
Getting this backwards is the most common reason a blender appears to struggle. Sets with several cup sizes, of the kind at magic-bullet.net, also help by letting you match the cup to the quantity rather than half-filling a large one.
Why Frozen Fruit Beats Ice
Ice provides cold and dilution. Frozen fruit provides cold, thickness and flavour, and it does not water down the result as it melts.
Freezing bananas that are past their best is the standard trick: they provide body, sweetness and cold in one ingredient, and it uses fruit that would otherwise be thrown away.
Fixing a Smoothie That Is Wrong
Too thick: add liquid, a little at a time. Too thin: add frozen fruit, oats or yoghurt rather than ice.
Too sweet: acid rather than dilution, so a squeeze of lemon or lime. Bland: usually needs acid or salt rather than more fruit, and a very small pinch of salt lifts flavour noticeably.
Bitter, usually from greens: more acid and something sweet, or fewer greens next time.
Greens
Spinach is nearly undetectable in a fruit smoothie and is the usual starting point. Kale is considerably stronger and benefits from being blended with the liquid first, before anything else goes in.
Starting with a small quantity and increasing works better than a large handful that puts you off the whole idea.
A General Note
This is about how to build a drink rather than nutrition advice. Blending fruit does change how it is eaten, since it is quicker to consume than whole fruit, and anyone managing a specific dietary requirement or medical condition should follow guidance from a GP or dietitian rather than general advice.