For a smoothie to be a smoothie, it should be both cold and thick. So when you look at your ingredients like fruit, milk or juice, it makes sense that you want to reach for the ice. As you blend the mix, the ice cools everything down and gives you that Slurpee-like texture. Which is fine when your smoothie is fresh from the blender, but as the ice melts, it dilutes the flavor and leaves you with an overly liquid drink.
To create the perfect smoothie that’s both thick and flavorful, the best solution is to start with frozen fruit. It will cool the drink down in the same way that ice does but won’t turn to liquid as it comes to room temperature. Bananas are ideal for this, as they blend to a creamy texture that’s almost like ice cream, perfect as a base for a banana matcha smoothie or a tropical mango banana smoothie. But this works for other kinds of fruit too and is a great way to extend the shelf life of excess produce like peaches and watermelon.
If you’re a serious smoothie-lover, or didn’t freeze fresh fruit ahead of time, head to the freezer aisle instead. Keeping mangos, berries, and pineapple on hand is the most convenient way to get a variety of fruits into your drink. Prefer green smoothies? With frozen spinach you can get the precise portion you need without letting the whole bag go to waste.
Ice alternatives to add to your smoothie
There are some smoothie recipes where using frozen fruit won’t necessarily be the best option. Some ingredients, like avocados, don’t freeze well, while others make more sense to use as is, such as dried dates. In this case you will want something cold to chill your smoothie, but plain ice is still not the answer. Instead, consider freezing the liquid ingredients that make up the smoothie. Although they will eventually melt, they won’t dilute the flavor.
This coffee smoothie makes use of both frozen bananas and frozen brewed coffee, and a green tea smoothie is much simpler to prepare if you use cubes of frozen tea. For more fruity smoothies, freeze ingredients like blood orange juice or coconut water. Smoothies with a dairy base, like this ginger cinnamon pear smoothie, will benefit from freezing the milk or yoghurt, but beware of freezing nut milks, as it may change the taste or texture. This option does require some pre-planning but is easy to batch prep. Freeze your liquids in ice cube trays, then transfer to airtight freezer bags, ready to drop into your blender.
