Make A Smoothie In Your Kitchen Today! The "How To" Basics You Need To Know

You may be surprised just how easy it is to make a smoothie. This basic recipe applies to fruit or vegetable smoothies. Here is the basic smoothie recipe.

1) 1 part liquid, and

2) 2 parts fruit, or vegetable.

Place the ingredients in the blender, or food processor, start off slow, increase the speed until blended, then serve, over ice.

To make a frozen smoothie, add 1 part ice, again start off slow until ice breaks up, increase speed until the drink is processed. Note, do not use a food processor if you are making a frozen smoothie.

Rocket Science? No, in fact, you may be thinking "Why am I reading this", but, there are those who simply don't know how to make a smoothie. My sister-in-law would fall into this category. If you already know, then, maybe you will want to check out some new recipes

One final note: the Basic Smoothie Recipe is really good if you are only wanting to make a juice with just that one flavor, i.e., blueberry juice, or apple juice.

More complex flavors will require additional items. More on this later. Let's move on...

...What type of equipment do you need? A good quality blender is recommended. If you are just starting out, use the one you have to get the feel for how to make a smoothie, or how well your machine is going to handle the load.

Other kitchen items include cutting boards, good knives, vegetable peelers, freezer bags, spatulas. Smoothie cups are good to have on hand. You can use insulated coffee cups for this.

Insider Tip: this point deserves some discussion. If you are serious about making smoothies, you will want to invest in a machine that can handle the load.

Anything less, and you will be frustrated, and probably will burn up your machine. I have gone through a number of machines! This is meant to be fun and delicious!

You've seen those wonderful machines at Jamba Juice, haven't you? They're like turbo charge blenders on steroids. Visit the blenders 'n' more page for more information on blenders and mixers. Back to making smoothies.

After you have made one or two of the basic smoothies, it's time to branch out. Start by adding one more ingredient, say yogurt. Just add one part, and blend, then add a handful of almonds, and blend. You are about ready to graduate from Smoothie U!

Insider Tips: You've no doubt heard the phrase "too many cooks spoil the broth"? This holds true with smoothies, if you put to many ingredients in, you ending up with a smoothie mix that really isn't that great. For example, if you are after a strawberry smoothie flavor, your main ingredient should be strawberries...

...Or, if you are after a tropical flair, you will want to use only tropical ingredients, like pineapple, papaya, or guava. Just a recap; to make a smoothie, start with a base, then add a small amount of 1 or 2 other ingredients. Experiment with this until you get the hang of it.

Insider Tips: Purchase seasonal fruit when its cheap and freeze the fruit in gallon sized freezer bags. If you can't do that, then freeze small quantities of fruit the night before.

Use frozen fruit instead of ice for your smoothie mix. Ice tends to dilute smoothies...Or, you can use fruit juices instead of water for a thinner mix.

Make small batches at first, until you know just what your blender is capable of.

For a creamier, milkshake like texture, you can add yogurt, ice cream, milk, tofu, or soy milk.

To make a smoothie, always put the soft ingredients in first, then add the frozen fruit, or ice, this way, the blender can start without getting jammed.

Depending on your blender, and how frozen you want your smoothie, you may need to scrape the sides of your blender with a spatula. Do this only with the machine off, otherwise you may end up with smoothie mix all over the kitchen.

You may need to add more liquid or ice to get the consistency you desire.

We will want to hear about your successes...and your suggestions. As this site develops, we will be adding a section for you to post your favorite recipes, or comments.

Until then, remember,

Drink Smoothies for Life, and for Your Health!

Your on the Make a Smoothie Page, Click Here to Return Home