How to Make Quick Smoothies (with Recipes)
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
If you’re looking for an easy way to make a quick and healthy snack, look no further than the smoothie. Smoothies are a great way to pack in lots of nutrients, and they’re super easy to make. In just a few minutes, you can have a delicious and nutritious smoothie ready to drink, which can keep you on track with healthy eating.
In this article, we’ll show you how to make quick smoothies – don’t worry, they are easy! We’ll also share some of our favorite recipes for smoothies that are both healthy and delicious. So read on for tips on how to make quick and tasty healthy smoothies.
Choose Smoothies with Simple Ingredients
When it comes to making quick smoothies, simplicity is key. The fewer ingredients you have to blend together, the less time it will take to make your smoothie. So when you’re choosing recipes, look for ones that have only a few ingredients.
Of course, you still want your smoothie to be healthy and flavorful. So make sure to choose recipes that have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as other healthy ingredients like yogurt, nuts, and seeds. These ingredients will give you the nutrients you need without adding too much time to your prep.
Here’s an easy smoothie recipe for green smoothies to get you started:
Basic Simple Green Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen fruit
1/2 cup of liquid (milk of choice, coconut water, fruit juice such as apple juice or orange juice, etc)
1/2 cup greens (spinach, kale, or can use riced cauliflower or other veggies)
1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Enjoy immediately!
This recipe is for a basic smoothie that you can customize to your liking. Feel free to add more or less liquid, sweetener, or greens to taste. You can also add other ingredients like protein powder, chia seeds, or flaxseed meal for an extra boost of nutrition.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy breakfast smoothie, try adding oatmeal to this recipe. Just blend 1/2 cup of dry oats with the rest of the ingredients and you’ll have a filling breakfast oatmeal smoothie that will keep you fueled all morning long.
One of the best things about smoothies is that you can customize them to your liking, so use this simple recipe as a springboard for your own ideas. Try different flavor combinations by mixing up the fruit you use, add in more fruits and veggies, oats, protein powder or whatever else you’d like to try!
Use Foods that Require Little Prep
Recipe calls for a mango? Instead of slicing up a mango, why not opt for frozen mango instead? Frozen fruit contains all the nutrients of fresh, and it’s often cheaper and easier to find. Plus, there’s no need to spend time chopping or slicing – just add the frozen fruit to your blender and you’re good to go.
Another benefit of frozen ingredients is that they add a wonderful creaminess to your smoothie. I always freeze my bananas when they start turning brown, and they make wonderful additions to smoothies (and they make it super simple – when I freeze them I break them in half, so I just toss two halves into the blender, no peeling required!).
Other foods that require little prep time include pre-cut veggies, canned fruits (packed in water or juice, not syrup), dried fruit and Greek yogurt that’s already been mixed with fruit. You can also use frozen vegetables such as riced cauliflower or frozen spinach, or buy greens prewashed so you can just grab and go.
These ingredients will help you save time when making smoothies. Just make sure you watch the sugar content of these foods, such as yogurt with added fruit.
Here’s an easy frozen fruit smoothie:
Strawberry Banana Simple Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon honey
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Enjoy immediately!
This recipe is for a basic strawberry banana smoothie. You can use fresh fruit if you’d like, but frozen fruit will give your smoothie a lovely thick and creamy texture. If you find the smoothie too thick, add more liquid until it reaches the consistency you desire.
You can also add other ingredients to this smoothie to customize it to your liking, just like the recipe above (protein powder, oats, chia seeds, nut butter, etc).
Prep Your Smoothies in Advance
One of the best ways to make quick smoothies is to prep your ingredients in advance. This means doing things like chopping and freezing your fruits and vegetables, as well as pre-measuring everything so it’s ready to go when you are.
You can also make smoothie packs by portioning out all the ingredients for a recipe into individual bags or containers. Then when you’re ready to make your smoothie, just grab a pack and blend everything together. This is a great option if you want to make smoothies for the week ahead of time.
Another idea is to make smoothie bases that you can freeze in ice cube trays. These bases can be made with just fruit and liquid, or you can add in other ingredients like yogurt, protein powder, or nut butter. Then when you’re ready to make a smoothie, just blend the cubes with whatever else you want to add and enjoy!
If you want pre-made smoothie cubes that all you have to do is add water to, be sure to check out Bumpin’ Blends! I’ve personally tried their smoothie cubes and they are delicious!
Preparing your smoothie ingredients in advance will save you a lot of time when making smoothies, and it’s a great way to make sure you always have healthy ingredients on hand.
Also, see our guide to freezing smoothies for later, where we show you four ways to freeze smoothies.
How to Make a Smoothie Pack
Making smoothie packs is a great way to save time when making smoothies. Simply portion out all the ingredients for a recipe into individual bags or containers, then when you’re ready to make your smoothie, just grab a pack and blend everything together. Here’s how to do it:
1. Choose your recipe and gather all the ingredients.
2. Portion out the ingredients into individual bags or containers, except the liquid (you’ll need to add that when you blend). If you’re using a bag, you can freeze it flat so it takes up less space.
3. Label the bags or containers with the recipe name and date and freeze.
4. When you’re ready to make a smoothie, just grab a pack, add the liquid, and blend everything together.
5. Enjoy!
Smoothie packs are a great way to make quick smoothies, and they’re also great for meal prep. If you make them in advance, you can just grab one when you’re ready to blend and have a healthy smoothie in no time.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie Pack Recipe
Ingredients:
2 frozen bananas
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
Small handful spinach
4 pitted dates
2 Tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
Add all ingredients to bag and freeze. When ready to blend, add 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk and you have a chocolate peanut butter smoothie!
I like to sprinkle a few stevia sweetened chocolate chips (I like the Lily’s brand) on top for texture. Or, if you want to get fancy, you can add toppings as shown in photo. Be creative!
Use a High Powered Blender
If you want to make quick smoothies, you’re going to need a high powered blender. I highly recommend the Vitamix 5200 (I have this one and love it!), but there are other great options out there like the Ninja Professional Blender and the NutriBullet Pro 900.
Having a powerful blender will make it easier to blend frozen ingredients and will help you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency. If you find that your blender isn’t doing a good job of blending frozen fruit, try adding a little bit of liquid (milk, water, juice, etc) to help it out.
Best Selling High Powered Blenders
- Powerful 1100-Watt Motor for Ice Crushing & Smooth Blending: Crush ice to snow in seconds and blend tough ingredients with ease- perfect for smoothies, frozen drinks, sauces and more.
- Versatile Functions: Enjoy 3 manual speeds, pulse control and a dedicated single-serve function for personalized blends and profession performance.
- XL 72-oz Pitcher for Family Recipes: Blend large batches in the Total Crushing pitcher- ideal for parties, meal prep and serving the whole family. (64 oz. Max liquid capacity)
- Built-in Food Processing for Choppin & Meal Prep: Easily mince, chop, grin and blend ingredients for salsa, dressing and more.
- Single-Serve Blending Cups for On-the Go Convenience: Blend directly in 16 oz to-go cups, pop on the spout lids and take your smoothies or shakes with you anywhere.
- MORE POWERFUL MOTOR: The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ features a new modern design and a more powerful motor than Ninja’s original Professional Blender. (Versus BL610, based on operating wattage.)
- POWERFUL CRUSHING: Ninja Total Crushing Blades give you perfectly crushed ice for your smoothies and frozen drinks with 1400 peak watts of professional power.
- 3 VERSATILE FUNCTIONS: 3 preset Auto-iQ programs allow you to create smoothies, frozen drinks, and ice cream, all at the touch of a button.
- AUTO-IQ TECHNOLOGY: take the guesswork out of drink making with intelligent programs that combine unique timed pulsing, blending, and pausing patterns that do the work for you.
- XL BLENDING CAPACITY: The 72-oz. Total Crushing Pitcher is great for making large batches for the whole family. (64-oz. max liquid capacity.)
- High-Performance Blending: Featuring a 1400W powerful motor with 25000 RPM speed and durable stainless steel blades, H-Duka smoothie blender efficiently processes ice, frozen fruits, and firm ingredients into smooth, creamy textures – helping preserve nutrients with quick preparation
- All-in-One Kitchen Essential: Designed for versatility, blender for kitchen easily handles everything from smoothies and nut butters to sauces and baby food—helping you tackle a variety of kitchen tasks with just one appliance
- Customizable Blending Options: This versatile countertop blenders for kitchen features customizable controls for different textures. Easily crush ice or blend thick mixes with the pulse function, or adjust variable speeds for precise textures—from smooth purees to rich soups. Switch between continuous blending and quick pulses to achieve your desired consistency
- Family-Friendly Design: With a sleek, space-saving design (17.5” height), the blenders for smoothies fits easily under standard kitchen cabinets. The 64oz capacity(max liquid capacity) is ideal for family meals or meal prep, yet compact enough for small kitchens
- Effortless Cleanup: Say goodbye to messy cleanup with our self-cleaning smoothie maker-simply add water and let the professional blender clean itself in seconds. The pitcher, lids, and tamper are all dishwasher safe for your convenience. Made with durable BPA free materials that stand up to daily use
Other Tips for How to Make Quick Smoothies
Another great tip is to start with the softest ingredients and liquid first and then add in the frozen ingredients. This will help your blender run more smoothly and prevent it from getting bogged down. (Especially helpful if you don’t have a high powered blender yet).
And if you’re really in a hurry, you can always buy pre-made smoothie packs or blends at the store. These are great options if you need a quick and easy breakfast or snack on the go. You can find these in the frozen fruit section of your local grocery store, and you can also order ones from companies like Smoothie Box or Daily Harvest.
And don’t forget the smoothie cubes from Bumpin’ Blends!
Final Thoughts on How to Make Quick Smoothies
Thanks for reading! I hope this guide was helpful in teaching you how to make quick smoothies. With four kiddos, I know how wonderful it is to make a quick and healthy breakfast to go, both for them and for me. If you want more smoothie recipes and tips, be sure to check out our healthy smoothie recipes – many of which are quick smoothies!
Happy Blending!
Amanda
