Before I worked at Smoothie King, I would frequently look up recipes and try to make my own at home.  However, I could never quite get the consistency and taste to match that of smoothies bought at different shops.  I definitely learned some tips and tricks to the trade that could help enhance at-home smoothie blending. As you spend extra time at home over the next few weeks, feel free to try to use some of these tips to see if you can blend the “perfect” smoothie!

First, pay close attention to the order that you put the ingredients in the blender.  You might think that it doesn’t matter since they are all going to get blended together anyways, but the order actually does affect how smoothly the ingredients blend together.  

1. Start with water as your base.
   1. When you begin blending, the blade will seamlessly run through this layer of water rather than getting caught trying to slice through frozen ingredients.
2. Add in refrigerated ingredients, such as fruits.
   1. Fruit adds significant substance to the smoothie and also has water content that blends well with the water to provide a substantial base for the smoothie to blend in the other ingredients.
3. Add in powdered ingredients, such as protein, vitamins, etc.
   1. These powdered ingredients will seamlessly blend into the base of liquid and fruits/vegetables.
4. Top it off with ice.
   1. Ice should be the last ingredient added to the blender.  This way, all of the other ingredients can blend together and buffer the efforts of the blade breaking up the ice cubes.  If you put the ice in first, it’ll sound like you’re running a weed whacker in your kitchen when the blade hits the ice cubes, and only the ice cubes.

      

Second, look out for certain characteristics of your ingredients, and consider some others!  These will factor into getting the perfect taste and consistency.

1. Use overripe bananas.
   1. Bananas are the sweetest when they are overripe; this will add the most flavor to your smoothie!
2. Make sure you drain the juice from containers of whole blueberries.
   1. If you do not drain the juice that comes from the blueberries, you will end up with more liquid in the smoothie than what it calls for which will make your smoothie runny.
3. Include a powder.
   1.  A powder ingredient helps make the smoothie creamy and makes it easier to get the right consistency.
4. Use dates as a natural sweetener.
   1. Dates are a very sweet fruit which will naturally sweeten your smoothie rather than adding in refined sugar.

      

Third, my biggest tip for blending is to shake and re-blend rather than automatically resorting to adding more water or ice to try to get the right consistency.  If the smoothie is not perfect after the initial blend, you might think that you need to add water if it’s too thick or ice if it’s too thin. However, doing this can dilute the flavor and completely ruin the consistency.  Oftentimes, blending issues can be fixed with a hard shake of the blender and then re-blending. The blade might have gotten caught on an ingredient that prevented it from blending smoothly, and shaking the blender can re-adjust the positioning of the ingredients in the blender and allow for a successful blend without altering the proportions of the recipe.  If this does not fix the issue, then carefully add water, or another liquid, if the smoothie is too thick or ice if the smoothie is too thin.

HAPPY BLENDING!!