The Ultimate Guide to Making Healthy Smoothies

Perplexed about how to build healthy smoothies? Look no further than my ultimate guide to making healthy smoothies. As a professionally trained chef and certified health coach, and through 25 years of creating and enjoying smoothie recipes, I've tried a thousand options and combinations. This guide is where I share what I've learned with you. With so many considerations and options, best choices can be confusing. Downloadable PDF cheatsheet below!

Smooth, creamy and bursting with nutrition, healthy smoothies are easy to make for breakfast and customizable for your nutritional and taste preference. Whirl ingredients together in a high-speed blender and enjoy.

We drink these almost every morning for breakfast. If I stick with drinking smoothies I feel good and my energy is high throughout the morning plus I get my day started with a good amount of protein and fiber.

If you are looking for a super way to start your day, try healthy protein smoothies. They work for a quick power lunch or post-workout too.

Jump to:

• Can Smoothies Be Unhealthy?
• Tip #1: Choose the Right Base Liquid
• Tip #2: Add Protein
• Tip #3: Pick the Right Protein
• Tip #4: Add Healthy Fat
• Tip #5: Add Healthy Fruit and Veggies
• Tip #6: Fit in Fiber
• Tip #6: Sweetening Options
• Tip #7: Use Power Add-ons
• Smoothie FAQs
• More Healthy Smoothie Recipes
• ⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Can Smoothies Be Unhealthy?

In short, the answer is yes, but let's work through that statement. Smoothies can be healthy and full of nutrition or unhealthy because of poor ingredient choices. Making a healthy smoothies comes with self-education to understand what the good options are and what to avoid.

To illustrate this point I'll tell you a quick story. I was working a table at a food fair. A gentleman came up to me and told me all about his incredible smoothie. He was so proud of everything that went into it. It was full of lots of high sugar fruit for one thing. His wife rolled her eyes and walked away.

After he told me the composition, he asked, what do you think? I had to be honest. It was a sugar bomb and not healthy at all. He was truly surprised, until we discussed his recipe. Then, he understood and agreed he needed to make changes. At least he walked away armed with information to make a healthier smoothie.

Tip #1: Choose the Right Base Liquid

A good basic smoothie recipe starts with the right base liquid. Here are great options:

• Homemade almond milk is a top choice. I do not strain mine when using it for smoothies. Why toss that delicious healthy pulp? If you're using it for other recipes requiring a more fluid milk, strain it with a nut milk bag to remove the solids. You can use boxed or refrigerated almond milk but read the labels carefully.
• Cashew milk: Another easy one to make at home. Here's my recipe for cashew milk.
• Coconut Milk: Creamy, delicious, and easily made in a minute with canned coconut milk. Skip the stuff at the store.
• Oat milk: As always, read the labels for a clean oat milk (there are some in the refrigerated case), or make your own.
• Hemp milk: Shelf-stable brands have gums and additives. Make your own for pennies with organic hemp seeds, plus it is high protein.
• Coconut water: Read labels for the lowest sugar or no sugar.
• Water: Use filtered water for the cleanest option in water.

Two other common "milks" you might wonder about: soy milk and rice milk. Soy, and therefore soy milk, is a controversial ingredient whose health benefits are debated. One benefit is it's high-protein. One, negative, soy is a common food allergy or sensitivity and gives many people digestive upset.

Soy contains phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogens) which can mimic hormones and cause disruptions. As with many things in nutrition, studies present conflicting conclusions. The good thing is there are many other healthy options. If you enjoy soy milk, be sure to buy organic.

What about rice milk? The issue with store bought rice milk is that rice naturally absorbs arsenic from the ground as it grows, so rice and rice products can contain the toxic metal arsenic. Tests by Consumer Reports found that many rice products at the store contain arsenic at worrisome levels. As a person who has battled heavy metal toxicity, this concerns me.

Chef's Note: If you love rice as we do, there is a way to cook it to reduce arsenic. Here's how to cook rice to reduce natural arsenic.

Make your own coconut milk using organic canned coconut milk. It tastes terrific, is always in the pantry and you can use it half and half with water or vary the water ratio to meet your dietary need. Want another fun option? Try homemade pumpkin seed milk with it's love pale green color and nutty flavor.

Be sure to read labels carefully and buy unsweetened, unflavored, milks to avoid added sugars and unwelcome additives like carrageenan. If you buy a flavored milk, be sure it's a real flavor, as something labeled "natural flavor" may be something not so natural.

Healthline reports in this article that "the original source of natural flavors must be plant or animal material. However, natural flavors can be highly processed and contain many chemical additives. In fact, in some cases natural flavors aren't much different from artificial flavors in terms of chemical composition and health effects". Definitely food for thought.

Chef's Note: About almonds. Almond growers have been given a hard time abut the water usage it takes to grow almonds. If you are concerned about this and love almonds, please read this article about growing almonds. If super informative and gives you a great perspective.

Tip #2: Add Protein

Eating protein at breakfast (really at all meals) helps curb hunger, keep you balanced and reduce cravings throughout the day. Protein keeps you full and satisfied longer. So let's talk about protein. Protein powder or not? Animal or plant-based?

Tip #3: Pick the Right Protein

Protein powder options used to be fairly dismal, but today's options are amazing. The challenge is finding the right one (or ones) for you.

There are an overwhelming number of protein powder options on the market, from whey (cow and goat milk) and egg white, to excellent plant-based, collagen, and vegan options based on brown rice, almonds, pea protein, even pumpkin seed protein.

Chef Sally's tip: For those who are are nut-allergic, be careful purchasing products with hemp or pea protein in the blend, as they are classified as nuts and could be a problem for you. They are in the same family as peanuts.

When choosing a protein supplement powder, read labels for added or hidden sugar, additives, fillers, and high sodium. Read this for help on choosing a protein powder and non-powder protein options. Here's a quick list of non-powder options for protein:

• Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt has higher protein than regular yogurt because of a straining process used when creating the yogurt. Be sure to buy plain., not flavored, to keep the sugar down. Unfortunately plant-based yogurts are mostly fat with little if any protein.
• Seeds: Hemp hearts (also called hemps seeds) are high in with protein with a great nutty flavor. Other seeds such as flax seeds and chia seeds offer a little protein, and that little bit adds up.
• Nut butters: Also add protein as well as healthy fat.

Get Enough Protein

Protein recommendations for a woman is 46 grams and for men it is 56 grams as a minimum. Really, that's not enough. Another way to figure your need is by multiplying your weight in pounds by .36 (or .8 grams per kilo). You might need higher levels.

If you are active or have special health needs like pregnancy, athletic training or sports, or your over 70, you will need more protein. Current studies show that the needs for optimal health are higher.

Personally, I aim for half my body weight per day (63 grams) as a minimum with a real target closer to 90-100 grams per day, especially on days where I strength train. I've checked those numbers with my personal trainer and he says that what's I need as well. Do what works for you. Experiment to see where you feel your best.

Still wondering about how much protein you should consume? Here are 10 science-backed reasons getting more protein is a good idea.

Tip #4: Add Healthy Fat

Why add fat? Several reasons. Fat carries flavor, so smoothies taste better. Nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E and K, require fat to be absorbed. Don't fear healthy fat. Our bodies need it. For terrific healthy fat smoothies add-ins try:

• Avocado.
• Coconut or MCT oil (pure C8 is best).
• Almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter.
• Ground flaxseed.
• Hemp seed.

Tip #5: Add Healthy Fruit and Veggies

Phytonutrients

Colorful fruits and vegetables add lots more than nutrition and health benefits to smoothies. All of the colors and aromas are from phytonutrients: natural plant compounds that give the plants their vibrant colors and flavors. Harvard Health reports that "phytonutrients have potent anti-cancer and anti-heart disease effects". The takeaway is let's add fruit and vegetables to our smoothies.

Fresh and Frozen Fruit Options

For fruit, choose fresh or frozen frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. All are terrific low-sugar berry choices for healthy protein smoothies. Use a half cup.

Try unsweetened frozen acai berry smoothie packets and unsweetened dragon fruit puree packets with it's wild fuchsia color. All of that color is good for you!

Focus on Low Sugar Fruit

Beside berries, other low-sugar fruit options include kiwi, grapefruit, watermelon, peaches, honeydew, cucumber (yes it's a fruit!) and cantaloupe.

Be Careful With Higher Sugar Fruit

If you want to use higher sugar fruit, like pineapple, mango, and banana, be careful with the amount you use and be sure not to add sugar to the recipe. Choose greenish bananas as they are lower in sugar than fully ripe ones.

This is one place a digital kitchen scale comes in handy as you can read the package label (or look up the nutrition information for fresh fruit) and weigh your fruit to control how much sugar you are consuming. And while high sugar fruits are not added sugar but natural sugar, it's still sugar.

Chef Sally's tip: Many people love banana in smoothies because it provides creaminess but bananas are higher in sugar. Here's my banana tip: choose a greenish banana as they are lower in sugar, or use just a half. To sweeten, try monk fruit or stevia as they do not add sugar, but still sweeten.

Vegetables and Greens

For veggie add-ins, try a handful of baby spinach leaves or baby kale leaves for greens. Chopped raw beets are terrific not to mention you'll have a gorgeous colored smoothie. Try frozen cauliflower, grated carrot or chopped cucumber.

While pumpkin is a technically a fruit, it's great in smoothies, especially in fall.

Tip #6: Fit in Fiber

Mom may have told you to eat your roughage, and she was right. Dietary fiber is super important and the standard American diet is woefully low in fiber. Fiber helps keep your gut happy, supports healthy weight management, and protects against cardivascular disease.

Getting the recommended 25-35 grams per day is a challenge for many people. Adding fiber to your smoothie is easy and you won't know it's there.

We use a teaspoon of acacia powder to add fiber. It disappears into the smoothie, plus it is a prebiotic. Prebiotics support a healthy gut microbiome.

Another great add on is ground flaxseed. For the best nutrition, grind 2 tablespoons fresh then add to your smoothie. Use a small coffee/spice grinder. If you don't want to bother with grinding (it's easy), try cold milled pre-ground flaxseed like this.

Tip #6: Sweetening Options

To sweeten your smoothies in a smart and healthy way, add granulated monk fruit, a little honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or a chopped date. The monk fruit option gives you the lowest sugar...actually no sugar.

Better yet, try these sugar-free monk-fruit based syrups. They are terrific and come in flavors you'll love and plain. It's my healthy go-to sweeteners these days for smoothies and more.

Tip #7: Use Power Add-ons

Just the few ingredients I’ve already listed make a healthy and satisfying smoothie. If you want to take your smoothie to the next level try adding superfood supplements for extra nutritional power. Here is a list of possible power add-ons:

• Acai Powder: The small, dark purple Amazonian berry (ah-SIGH-ee) that provides exceptional amounts of antioxidants, omega fats, protein and fiber, plus it’s an immunity and energy booster. We now use frozen acai packets. Find them at most markets.
• Omega 3 Fish Oil: We use an high potency brand with a light lemon taste. It disappears into your smoothie and you’ll never know its there (some taste terrible). Store it in the freezer.
• Raw organic cacao powder: A top source of antioxidants, magnesium, iron along with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, even protein and fiber!
• Chia Seeds: Chia is a great source of healthy omega fats, protein, antioxidants and dietary fiber. It has a neutral flavor and because it absorbs water, it thickens liquids.
• Maca Powder: Maca is an adaptogen, a natural substance that works with your body to help manage stress and energy balance. This ancient Peruvian superfood was highly prized by Incan warriors to increase stamina and combat fatigue. For more on adaptogens, read here.
• Pomegranate Powder: Not only is the fruit nutritious and delicious, you can add the powder to your smoothies. It's immune-boosting, full of antioxidants, and may be great for heart health.
• Pure MCT oil: Healthy fat and great brain fuel, buy either a MCT blend or go with pure C8 oil. It has zero coconut flavor and just 1 tablespoon will do the job.
• Maqui (mah-kee) berry: this delicious, deep purple freeze dried powder is a powerhouse of antioxidants from the Patagonia area of southern Chile.
• Tart cherry powder: Evidence from published reports show cherries support lower oxidative stress, inflammation, exercise-induced muscle soreness. And of course they taste great.
• Spirulina: Nature's original superfood, a blue-green micro algae loaded with health benefits.

These extras may seem pricey, but I believe they are worth investing in because of the nutritional boost provided. Adding them really costs just pennies a day.

Chef Sally's Tip: Why powders? Powders offer higher concentration, quicker absorption when ingesting, and are easy on the stomach, plus they make it easy to vary the flavors and health benefits of smoothies.

Smoothie FAQs

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Whatever the season, I've got you covered with healthy smoothie recipes. For fall, the pumpkin pie smoothie is fantastic. And a green detox smoothie is always on the menu. Dessert for breakfast? Go for a chocolate smoothie to boost your energy.

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Originally published January 8, 2012. Last update July 3, 2024.

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