• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pinch of Wellness
  • Breakfast
  • Main Entrees
  • Side Dishes
  • Snacks
  • Desserts
  • Wellness
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

How to Make A Healthy Smoothie

January 6, 2018 by Pinch of Wellness 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

What if I told you that your smoothie contained as much calories and sugar as a soda pop? In fact, some smoothies may have even more sugar than a soda! 

Smoothies are often viewed as a popular health food or sometimes even consumed as a meal replacement. The sad truth is, a lot of smoothies are packed with sugar and calories. The key to making a healthy smoothie is adding the right ingredients.  Once you learn how to make a healthy smoothie, it will become second nature and be a great way to consume all of your nutrients in one drink.

how to make a healthy smoothie

My favorite thing about smoothies is that the flavors are almost endless!  It’s so difficult to get tired of smoothies, because you can simply change it up by adding a different fruit or ingredient.

Are smoothies healthy?

Let’s dive into what makes a smoothie healthy versus how to determine if a smoothie is less healthy. There are a couple of key indicators to watch for, particularly in the ingredients that are used.

Ingredients that make smoothies less healthy

Watch out for smoothies that are made with a fruit juice or ice cream, as this causes them to be very high in calories and sugar. Extra ingredients can also add sugar, such as granulated sugar, honey, chocolate syrup or preserves. Smoothies can also be made with whole milk, which adds extra calories.

If you are interested in learning more about limiting sugar, check out this article on foods to kick your sweet tooth.

Signs a smoothie is healthy

Look for smoothies that have “real fruit” as opposed to a fruit juice. Check to see if a smoothie has vegetables added. Other health benefits are low added sugar.

smoothie bowl ingredients

Ingredients needed for a healthy smoothie

There are 6 basic ingredients required for any healthy smoothie. By following this standard recipe, you can create almost any flavor of smoothie, and still have a healthy drink.  Adding these 6 components will help to provide a variety of nutrients, protein, healthy fats all in one drink.

  1. Vegetables
  2. Fruit
  3. Healthy fat
  4. Liquid
  5. Protein
  6. Healthy Extras

Vegetables

Any type of vegetable can be added to a smoothie, however some veggies taste better and blend better than others. Four veggies that taste great in smoothies are as follows:

  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Cucumber
  • Pumpkin puree

If hesitant with adding a vegetable to your smoothie, start with spinach. Spinach is a great option because it blends well, does not affect the texture of the smoothie and if mixed with a fruit, you cannot taste the flavor of the spinach. For a single serving smoothie, add 1 cup of vegetable if it is leafy (kale or spinach) or 1/2 cup of the vegetable if not leafy (Cucumber or pumpkin puree).

Fruit

Freeze the fruit for a few hour prior to make a smoothie for an ice cold smoothie. This helps so that less ice is needed, and the smoothie retains it’s flavor better. Use 1 cup of fruit total if making a single serving smoothie. Common fruit options are listed below, mix and match to make your favorite combination!

  • Banana
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries
  • Pineapple chunks
  • Mango chunks

Protein

Add protein to make the smoothie a balanced meal option. Here are some idea’s for increasing protein:

  • Use 1 scoop of protein powder (I prefer the whey protein powder made by Bio-Chem, however any brand will work
  • Use skim milk (omit other liquid if using skim milk as your protein). Skim milk has 8 grams of protein per cup, versus other liquids such as Almond milk, which only provide 1 gram protein per cup.

Healthy Fat

Add a form of healthy fat to your smoothie to make an extra healthy smoothie. Healthy fats help your body absorb vitamins and nutrients better. Use 1 Tbsp of fat per serving of smoothie. Here are some ideas for healthy fats:

  • Chia seeds
  • Ground flax seeds (flax seeds must be ground for your body to absorb them)
  • Peanut butter
  • Almond butter

Liquid Source

Add a liquid to the smoothie to make it blend better and to create a smooth consistency. Add 1 cup of liquid per single smoothie serving. Almost any liquid will work, however if wanting to keep the smoothie lower in calories, choose an unsweetened almond milk or water. Pick green tea if you’d like a caffeine boost!

  • Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • Unsweetened vanilla soy milk
  • Skim milk
  • Water
  • Unsweetened green tea

Extras

Add in any extras as desired for additional flavors. Start with 1 tsp and increase as desired.

  • Cinnamon
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Honey
how to make a healthy smoothie

How to meal prep a smoothie

Smoothie are a great way to meal prep breakfast the night before. Place all smoothie ingredients in the blender cup, refrigerator overnight, pull out the morning of and blend. Add a couple ice cubes before blending in the morning to make an icy treat!

Print Recipe

Banana Nut Protein Smoothie

Banana smoothie packed full of protein and healthy vegetables. Tastes just like cinnamon bananas!
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: smoothie
Servings: 1
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Ashlee Welter

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tbsp Almond butter
  • 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 almonds to garnish on top

Instructions

  • Combine spinach and almond milk in blender. Blend for about 20 seconds, until smooth and no chunks remain.
  • Add Frozen banana, almond butter, protein powder and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
  • Garnish with 4 almonds on top. Consume immediately!

Notes

Calories: 340 / Fat: 15 grams / Carbs: 35 grams / Protein: 25 grams
 
TIP: Sub peanut butter in place of almond butter for a different flavor. 
 
TIP: I use vanilla whey protein by Bio-Chem. Feel free to use any brand you desire! 
 

Check out these other tasty Treats:

  • Berry Smoothie Bowl
  • Blueberry Crumble
  • Cheesecake Fruit Salad
how to make a healthy smoothie
Tweet
Pin
Share

Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes

Subscribe

to Pinch of Wellness today!

Previous Post: « Healthy Turkey Chili
Next Post: Stress-Free Weeknight Dinners »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Pinch of Wellness is all about making recipes easy and healthy! I’m a Registered Dietitian, self proclaimed lover of food and have a passion for nutrition and health! Most recipes on Pinch of Wellness are intended for the individual who is looking for convenient meal ideas that taste great and have healthy ingredients! Learn More!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Join Today!

Join the Pinch of Wellness community for recipe updates and exclusive member only content!

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Cheesecake Fruit Salad

cheesecake fruit salad

Easy Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes

Easy gluten free potatoes

Footer

  • About Me

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Disclosure

  • Contact
  • Work With Me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2021 Pinch of Wellness LLC

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.