How To Make a Smoothie

Smoothies are my go-to breakfast, afternoon pick-me-up, and post-gym treat. Whether I’m sipping a simple strawberry banana smoothie or a cooling blueberry smoothie with a touch of yogurt for extra creaminess, their versatility and convenience make them delicious and easy to bring along if you’re on the go. With a name like “smoothie,” their ideal texture and consistency are in the title. (No one wants to drink a “chunky.”) So if you’re tempted to throw all your ingredients in the blender at once and call it a day, take a step back. There’s a strategy to making a good smoothie great. Here’s how to do it.

Start with a liquid base

Regardless of the type of blender you’re using, the order of operations (and ingredients) is crucial. Always start with a liquid base. This base can be anything: juice, milk, water. (My personal favorite is oat milk.) You want to make a whirlpool within the blender, so the rapidly swirling liquid can pull in the other ingredients to the bottom of the blender where the blades can chop them. Adding your liquid first also prevents long-term blade damage and can extend the overall life of your blender. Finally, if you use powders in your smoothie, the liquid also acts as a solvent to dissolve and distribute them throughout the drink.

Add sweeteners and powders

Next, add the sweet stuff (if you’re using it). Sweeteners like honey, agave, or syrup are more viscous than your liquid base, but because they’re still a liquid it’s good to add them before the other ingredients. If you want to add any finely ground spices, such as cinnamon, or other powdered ingredients, like a protein powder — this is the time to do it. Pro tip: Add a small pinch of salt to better highlight the flavors in your smoothie. While the blender is off, I like to give my mixture a quick stir with a spoon or a whisk at this point, taking care not to hit the blades. It’s not necessary (everything will get blended anyway) but I think it helps jump-start the final blend.

Then blend in leafy greens and fruit

Once you’ve given the mixture a quick stir, add any leafy vegetables you like (spinach anyone?) to the blender. Then, blend well! You definitely don’t want a clump of earthy spinach or crunchy kale floating around in your smoothie. Then cut any fresh fruit like banana, strawberries, or mangos into small chunks (about an inch in size) before adding it to the blender.

Finish with frozen ingredients

Here’s the real trick to a great smoothie: Add frozen ingredients last. Why? First, their weight pushes the other ingredients down towards the blades. Second, you want your smoothie cold for as long as possible. Make sure to cut frozen fruit and veggies into small pieces to save your blender the extra work (and reduce the chance of chunks). The same goes for ice cubes: smaller is better. But keep in mind — ice cubes are frozen water! If you don’t want to water down your smoothie, stick with frozen fruit to get your smoothie cool without losing out on any flavor.