HOW TO MAKE A THICK SMOOTHIE Without A Magic Wand

Photos with colorful smoothie bowls filled Instagram and became the standard of proper nutrition. Each wellness blogger starts his day with this drink. Smoothies are better than fresh juices due to the fiber content, and they can replace a meal. But oh boy! They are so watery sometimes. Is there any way to make a thick smoothie, not from bananas? How to make the same smoothie as in your favorite cafe? Do you have these problems too? No worries, we start our journey to the art of making an ideal smoothie.

Some believe that the surfers of California in the early thirties began to make it first. Some think that it was hippies obsessed with vegetarianism. Anyway, it’s crazy delicious and super healthy.

How to make a thick smoothie without yogurt

  • As an alternative to yogurt, ice cream is suitable, but the drink will be very sweet and high in calories. Keep this in mind if you are on a diet.
  • You can use coconut milk, but remember that it has an intense flavor, so it doesn’t go well with all fruits. For vegans, almond milk or any other vegetable milk is also suitable.
  • Base from tofu will help to make your smoothie thicker. If you’re not a fan of tofu, don’t worry about its specific taste. You won’t even feel it. 
  • Nuts contain fats, and they’re also good for a thick smoothie. Eating nuts as a part of a smoothie is better than eating dry nuts. The reason is that dry ones contain enzymes preventing the absorption of nutrients in the gut. So they can cause digestive problems. Advice: put nuts in the bowl with water for a night before adding them to the smoothie
  • Xanthan gum or carrageenan are excellent thickenings and emulsifying agents.

How do you make a thick smoothie out of a regular blender?

All these tips will help you always get a thick smoothie, no matter what kind of blender you have. But it will be useful to know the criteria for an ideal blender. 

The most important thing is that the food processor should be powerful and tamper well (these parameters you can find on the package). You also need to monitor the blades regularly. The reason is simple: if the blades are not sharp enough, it needs more time to grind everything. The longer it takes, the more frozen fruits melt, and the smoothie can turn out thin.

Should a smoothie be thick?

Of course, yes! That’s his thing. Thin smoothie has a weak taste and is not so pleasant. The main secret of a smoothie is a good base giving the proper density. And there are many suitable options of what it can be. You will know soon, but for now, a little intrigue.

How to make a smoothie bowl thick

  • Most fruits contain a lot of water. When you freeze them, the water crystallizes and makes fruits more rigid. So tip number one: use frozen fruits and vegetables for smoothies.
  • Tip number two: forget about ice. Our goal is to get rid of water, but the ice will start to melt in the blender and spoil everything. There is no need to use it if we cook from frozen fruits – the smoothie will be cold anyway.
  • You also need to find a suitable base that will make the drink thick. Freezing will not help if you choose the wrong one. More on this later
  • If you replace the milk with yogurt, the smoothie will become thicker, which is logical. Light greek yogurt without additives will complement the benefits of smoothies and add necessary proteins and fats.
  • Special thickeners are another excellent way to solve this problem, although you can do without them. It’s just the second option.
  • Finally, it would help if you had a high-quality blender that can make smoothies in a short time while the fruit is still cold. Never mind if you don’t have one – the main thing is to follow all other tips.

How do you make a smoothie creamy?

Avocado will give a creamy texture, but it has a neutral taste. So for sweetness, it’s a good idea to add a natural sweetener: honey, maple, or artichoke syrup.

Is it OK to blend frozen fruit?

Yep! Let’s repeat: frozen fruits are just a super option for smoothies because the water inside them is frozen. Using them will help make the smoothie thick and give it a rich taste and a pleasant texture. At the same time, it will be refreshing.

Does ice make smoothies thicker or thinner?

Again, no ice. It makes your smoothie thinner. Don’t make things harder for yourself. It is better to freeze all the ingredients for smoothies instead of using the ice. 

Why are bananas always in smoothies? 

Banana is an ideal fruit for various cocktails based on dairy products with berries, vegetables, herbs, and sweet fruits. This unique fruit has a special texture, gives the density and creaminess for any cocktail. And smoothies are no exception.

Banana is rich in potassium and has a positive effect on the nervous system. It gives a powerful charge of energy in the morning.

Thanks to bananas, smoothies don’t lose their usual thickness even without milk, water, and extra ingredients. Thus, you can reduce the calorie content of any cocktail. But this is not all the advantages, because a smoothie with bananas:

  • act as a universal (and very tasty) source of quickly digested carbohydrates
  • bring a feeling of rapid hunger quenching without losing the effect of the lightness
  • help to control appetite and reduce weight, act as the basis of dietary nutrition
  • surprise with a pleasant aroma and sweet taste without honey or sugar
  • have a soothing effect on the nervous system, relieve irritation and other manifestations of stress
  • contain the largest amount of vitamin B6, E, and F
  • allow you to improve the mineral composition because the banana contains a lot of vitamins and minerals (for example, potassium, beneficial for the heart)
  • help to improve the condition of hair and skin
  • strengthen the immune system

One of the key advantages of bananas is their versatility. A banana is equally perfect:

  • for standard dairy and fermented milk smoothies from several fruits with the addition of your favorite dairy product
  • for a wide variety of simple cocktails based on both fruits, berries, and vegetables with water and juices

Bananas are equally good with spinach and strawberries; you can combine them with any ingredient. It won’t get lost even in multi-component smoothies.

How can I thicken a smoothie without a banana?

Banana is not a panacea. There are 3 main ways to make smoothies thicker:

  1. Freeze all the ingredients before mixing
  2. Add new products, such as yogurt instead of milk and other fruits or vegetables. Or add thickeners 
  3. Minimize the heating of the ingredients with a high-quality blender 

We have already discussed option 1; let’s move on to the second one.

Which fruit can replace a banana?

  • Use avocado. The best thing about avocados is that they have a neutral taste. It makes them a perfect option if you are looking for a good base for a smoothie. Moreover, avocados are healthy and rich in fats. A real treasure for vegans
  • If you make a smoothie from several fruits, it is best to choose one sour and one sweet fruit to complement each other. A good pair is a mango and pineapple or banana and kiwi.
  • Some other suitable combinations are:

cherry + cocoa + coconut oil + almonds

strawberries + greek yogurt + chia seeds

avocado + blueberries + spinach + protein

mango + coconut milk + sesame seeds

Have you ever thought that smoothies can be not only from fruits?

  • Vegetable smoothies are as tasty as fruit ones. Sweet potato, pumpkin, cashew butter, and carrot purée are perfect instead of banana. They are rich in fiber, calcium, vitamins B, C, and A and don’t contain sugar. Greens will not affect the taste of smoothies (unless you add celery), increase the benefits, and reduce the amount of sugar in them.
  • Flaxseeds contain omega-3 and fiber. Try to mix 1 tsp of flaxseeds with 2.5 tbs of water, wait for 5 minutes, and add to your smoothie.

Don’t combine bright berries, such as blueberries, plums, and blackberries, with dark greens. You risk getting an unappetizing earthy color. 

Sugary-sweet berries and fruits, dates, bananas and mangoes, go well with citrus fruits. Or you can make their taste more delicate by adding nut milk. Some vegetables like celery and kale will not get along well with spices such as cocoa and cinnamon.

If you want to add sweets to smoothies, replace the syrups and sugar with dates, prunes, dried apricots, and raw cocoa beans. Even ordinary vanilla will make them taste sweet without a gram of sugar.

Lemon and orange will give freshness and shade to the greenery. Almost any fruit and vegetables combine well with neutral-tasting yogurt and avocado. They also provide the smoothie a creamy texture.

After training, the body needs to be saturated with potassium, calcium, and magnesium: prepare a smoothie on almond milk with banana, cocoa, kale, and almond butter.

A smoothie based on chamomile tea, almond milk, and pumpkin with a handful of spinach will calm you down after a hard day.

Can you use milk instead of yogurt for a smoothie?

Of course, you can, but then the smoothie will not be so thick. However, it is possible to overcome this problem by adding other thickeners easily. We will tell you about it below.

How long should you blend a smoothie?

Before mixing, remove the peel from fruits and vegetables to get a tender structure and then cut the pulp. The mixing time depends on how sharp the blades of the blender are and what ingredients you have. For example, it will take more time to grind nuts. It is better to navigate the situation and try a smoothie to taste. If you like the consistency, then it’s ready. But on average, it will take no more than 2-5 minutes to mix even the firmest fruits.

How to make a smoothie less thick

It is easy to guess that you need to break all the rules:

  1. Do not freeze all the ingredients before mixing
  2. Choose more watery and juicy fruits like strawberries
  3. Use milk or water instead of yogurt
  4. Add ice cubes

Can you put raw oats in a smoothie?

Thanks to the oat flakes, the smoothie acquires the desired consistency and ultra nutritional value. Fiber-rich oatmeal is an ideal product for preparing a healthy meal.

You have several ways to make a smoothie with raw oats:

  • Add whole non-crushed instant flakes in a dry form, without preparation and any processing. Thanks to the liquid ingredients in the composition of the drink, they will swell, become softer. The consistency of the finished dish will be slightly coarse and fibrous.
  • Grind oat flakes. Before cooking, grind them in a blender or coffee grinder to an excellent fraction, almost into flour. Put it in an airtight container. Your smoothie will have a creamy and delicate texture after adding oats.
  • Another cooking option is to pre-soak the flakes. To do this, you can use water, juices, dairy, and fermented milk products. This method requires additional time spent. On average, 5-15 minutes, but it is the most effective way to make a smoothie thick.

How to make a thick smoothie out of bananas and apples

A strawberry banana smoothie will refresh you in the heat and be a good substitute for the usual sweets.

A strawberry banana smoothie recipe includes the following ingredients:

banana 1 pc.

strawberries 150 g natural

yogurt 250 g

oat flakes 50 g

almonds 30 g

You can optionally change the proportions and add more strawberries or bananas as you wish. The more banana, the thicker smoothie you will get. And strawberries will turn the smoothie pink. You can also remove oat flakes and almonds from the recipe, but it’s better to use them. They will give you energy and add an unusual flavor.

So let’s go. Grind flakes and almonds in a blender. Then add strawberries and bananas with yogurt. Ready!

How to make a thick peanut butter banana smoothie

Natural peanut butter is better for smoothies than typical peanut butter from supermarkets. It has a less solid consistency and will mix better.

If you are sensitive to peanuts, try using other nut butter, such as almond butter or cashews.

To prepare a peanut butter banana smoothie, you need:

milk or yogurt 1 glass

banana 1 pc.

peanut butter 2 tbsp

cinnamon ½ tbsp

Optional: vanilla extract, honey 1 tsp

For greater density, pre-freeze the banana and milk in the freezer. Place milk, banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, and honey (if you use them) in a blender, bring them to a homogeneous state.

Add the ice cubes and continue to beat with a blender.

Pour into glasses, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bon appétit!

Can smoothies replace meals?

Smoothies can be a full meal, but they are tricky. As they consist of only fruits, they will not bring satiety but will only add extra calories. You will feel hungry already after half an hour.

But do not rush to conclusions — it’s not about smoothies at all, but about science. A banana, a handful of berries, and nuts look like a full-fledged snack for your brain. But the same ingredients in the form of mashed potatoes don’t have such an effect. In the case of weight loss, there is one problem in smoothies — they are liquid. Studies confirm that calories in liquid form give less satiety than in solid form.

This is because glucose gets into the blood faster and, consequently, smoothies saturate the body less than a full meal. Therefore, people suffering from excess weight or overeating should be careful with smoothies.

Advice: avoid smoothies in cafes and restaurants. Public places rarely think about health, introducing trending dishes into the menu without studying their benefits (or harm). They often use sugar syrups, sweeteners, and inappropriate products — this does not fit into the framework of a healthy diet.

Fruit smoothies contain much fructose, so it is better to drink them in the first half of the day. This way, you will have time to use up all the energy received and not provoke insulin jumps. Green and vegetable smoothies are an ideal option for an afternoon snack or a light dinner.

What can you not put in a smoothie? 

The combination of products is the basis of proper nutrition – we often forget about it. Avoid frequent use of sweet fruits (bananas, dates, and dried fruits) in smoothies. Firstly, they are pretty high in calories. Secondly, fruits with a high sugar content do not go well with other food groups.

If sour and semi-acidic fruits (berries, peaches, apples, and citrus fruits) are “friends” with seeds and oils, sweet ones will only confuse the digestive system.

Summing up

Smoothies can be completely different: with vegetables or with fruits, vegan and low-calorie or very sweet. If you choose the right ingredients, it will be not only delicious but also very healthy. Fruit smoothies contain too much sugar, and it is better to use them rarely. But green smoothies will perfectly replace breakfast.  

Now you know a lot of methods how to make a thick smoothie. The best one is to freeze all fruits and vegetables in advance. You can also use yogurt instead of milk and avoid ice.  

Good luck with your culinary experiments, and don’t forget to post a photo of your smoothie in stories.