Learn a master smoothie recipe that you can adapt to your athletic needs and fueling preferences.
You just finished a fantastic training session and you’re starving. There’s a banana past its prime, a little protein powder, some frozen blueberries you bought last month and some apple juice that no one has consumed. Voila! You have the makings of a smoothie! Read on to discover a master smoothie recipe that is endlessly adaptable for whatever you have on hand or feel like and ready in just a few minutes.
Base recipe #1, for an easy drinking smoothie
1 C liquid, 1 C fresh or frozen fruits. Puree, pour into a glass and drink. Scale up as needed, depending on number of servings.
What about ice? This is personal preference! 1 C ice is 0.92 C of water, or about 15 T of melted ice instead of 16 T in 1 C of water. Ice and water are functionally the same but you’re welcome to add a bit of water to get the consistency you want in your smoothie.
Base recipe #2, for a thicker smoothie or bowl
1 C liquid, 2 C fresh or frozen fruit. Puree, pour into a bowl, grab a spoon and eat. Scale up as needed.
Fancy some protein?
Add anywhere from 1 T to ½ C of protein powder to your smoothie. I usually just throw in a scoop, but then scoop sizes vary from brand to brand.
If adding a ¼ C or more of protein powder, you might need add ¼-1/2 C liquid depending on how big your scoop is. Should you decide to make multiples of a batch, adjust liquids carefully in the moment until it’s a thickness you like. And if you’re not into powders, protein can be added as yogurt, cottage cheese (it will puree smoothly – if you give it long enough and start with hot liquids!), dairy/soy/pea protein milks, nuts/nut butters, or bone broth.
Is your smoothie not thick enough?
Greek yogurt, chia seeds, nut butters and pumpkin seeds can help fix this. Puree well after the seeds are added! Alternatively, use less liquid the next time.
Why does every smoothie ever contain bananas?
They do a great job of becoming a smooth, creamy puree in seconds. A really ripe banana can be mashed into a pulp with a plastic fork. Does your smoothie need to contain bananas? No.
What about nuts and nut butters?
Yes, all good – unless you have an allergy, in which case please avoid nuts and nut butters! Nuts, especially toasted nuts, can add a nutty (Hah!), roasted base note to your concoction. They will also add nutrients, fiber and calories.
To use nuts in a smoothie, puree them first with the liquid until well-blended and not gritty. Then add the fruit, protein and other ingredients. This might take a while, and it helps if you soak the nuts for several hours before using them.
Nut butters are easier. Adjust amounts based on taste and the texture of the nut butter. Cashews puree into a cream easily, which some nut butters are much stiffer. Add water as needed to get the smoothie consistency you want.
Make it yours!
Liquids
Water is always a smoothie option, as is ice. Also consider fruit juice, tomato or vegetable juice blends, milk, non-dairy grain/legume and nut milks, coconut milk, tea, coffee/espresso, and very water-heavy whole fruits like oranges or watermelon.
Thicker, more viscous options include canned pumpkin, applesauce or other fruit sauces, yogurt, nut butters, frozen cauliflower/cauliflower rice. Cooked carrots also blend into a smooth puree, but it takes a couple of minutes.
Fruit
Anything you can find fresh, frozen, canned or dried will be fine in a smoothie or bowl. Fruit options include berries of all sorts, bananas, melon, citrus, stone fruit, grapes, mango and other tropical fruits, and fruit purees like acai.
Canned fruit (preferably in water, not syrup) also works well in smoothies and shakes; it’s often wetter than fresh fruit but might taste “canned.” Dried fruit can be simmered briefly in water or juice, then left to sit for at least 15 minutes while the fruit plumps up. You could also soak it overnight. After that, it will blend easily into the other ingredients.
Avocado – a fruit! – is also a healthy addition to any smoothie, but it’s mostly fat (healthy fat) and has the ability to mute other flavors. This is fine if you like that, but if you don’t, keep it to ¼ avocado per serving.
Vegetables
Veggie smoothie options include a couple listed above that puree easily, like cauliflower and carrots, as well as sweet potatoes, parsnips, and beets. You’re welcome to try any veggie you like but chunky smoothies aren’t easy to drink. Greens also puree well, so spinach, baby kale and other more assertive greens add a lot of nutrients without much taste or calories added.
Herbs and spices
Use these sparingly if you’re having the smoothie before a workout. Some people have GI issues with too much spice, as in that nutmeg doesn’t work well with the sports drink during a hard run. After your workout? The world is yours. Fresh ginger or turmeric add easily into your blender. Herbs, spices, premade blends like chai, pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice are easy additions. And of course, cocoa powder is always an option!
Sweeteners
These should be used at your discretion as smoothie ingredients, based on the workout you did/will do and how sweet your fruit and veggies are. Choices include sugar of various sorts (white, brown, coconut, date, raw), honey, molasses, agave, maple syrup, corn syrup… You can also add a couple of whole dates to your smoothie. Using low calorie artificial sweeteners works too if that fits in with your goals better.
“Boosts”
Also options, this category include chia seeds, ground flax, hemp hearts, fiber supplements, ginseng, brewer’s yeast, probiotics, BCAAs, creatine, and pretty much anything else you want to throw in.
Toppings
These are optional, so far as I’m concerned (see the Visuals point below), but if you’re a visual eater, have at it. Top that smoothie with a bit of the fruit or veggie you included in your masterpiece, some spices sprinkled on top, maybe a few chocolate shavings or caramel sauce. Make your smoothie look like something you’d love to eat!
What do you need to make a smoothie?
A blender or food processor. You can use small, handheld versions for individual portions or if you’re in a small apartment or dorm room. You can buy whatever you can find at your local all-in-one store. Or you can use a high-end, expensive blender from a fancy kitchenware store. Efficiency, speed, noise, difficulty cleaning, and space needed for storage will vary. Use what you can afford or have space for, then clean it well after every use. Soap and hot water, people!
Food safety: what can you do with a smoothie when you’ve made it?
Smoothies have a short lifespan. Drink it soon after you make it. You’ve pureed the fruit, making it much more susceptible to breakdown and spoiling, and you’ve added in other liquids and ingredients that will also start to degrade quickly. It’s not pasteurized like commercial juices and smoothies. Keep your smoothie cold if you’re not drinking it right away!
How long will your cold smoothie last? Drink it within 12 hours, max. If you can’t keep it cold, I’d be comfortable with 1-2 hours. Use an insulated bottle and don’t leave it in the sun or a hot car.
If you can keep it cold, you can make a breakfast smoothie the night before for a grab-and-go option. Or make one in the morning for after a morning workout. But keeping it cold is essential!
Visuals: do you have to make your smoothie pretty?!
No. Life isn’t Instagram. This is for nutrition after workouts, a little pleasure in your day, and overall health and wellness. That doesn’t always come with fresh flowers and color-coordinated berries in a flashy presentation. If you’re like most athletes I work with, it comes with muddy feet, a bit of stink, a feeling of a job well done, and a cold, wet sports bra/jock strap you can’t wait to take off. Enjoy your post-workout recovery, take a shower and move on to the next thing!
Next Steps
Contact me for more post-workout recovery food suggestions. There are actually guidelines for this that vary with type of sport and athlete!
Other blogs you might be interested in include a discussion and comparison of different varieties of milk, the role of leucine in protein sources, the huge variety of things you can do with nut butters, the Mediterranean Diet for athletes so you can see how a smoothie might fit in, finding athletic victory with vegetarian diets, and the advantages of including cocoa powder in your smoothie.