How to Improve the Texture of Your Smoothie

As with many foods, texture can make or break that palatability of a smoothie. While ingredients and quantities do play a part, many times it is the process or the order of the steps you use, that determines if the texture is right or not.

The first step to making your smoothie should be to make a base by adding fruit and liquid in your blender. The base can be made with fresh fruit that has more bulk and less juice, like banana, mango, pineapple, pear, etc.

Liquids that work well are water, dairy milk, any of the plant milk or freshly squeezed fruit juice. Use enough liquid to just cover the fruit. Blend on a low setting until the fruit and juice have become one.

Next, add the rest of the fresh fruits in your recipe (if any) as small-size chunks. Try to limit smoothies to no more than three different types of fruit; two works even better.

Once you have a good base, next add in your protein powder. Use Maca, pea, whey or one of the other ones commonly used. If you are using any other dry ingredients, such as walnuts, chia or flax seeds, also add them in now. Blend until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the base.

Add in the rest of your wet ingredients like yogurt, peanut butter, coconut butter or a host of other “butter” used in making smoothies. Finally, add ice and blend on high until the ice is crushed. Continue to blend for a few seconds on each progressively lower setting until you are at the lowest setting on your blender.

One question that frequently comes up is how does frozen fruit alter the texture. If you have ever tried it, you know it is harder to get the texture right. Usually, it ends up being thinner and more like a slushy, and it won’t be thoroughly blended.

The solution is to add in something solid with the liquid first, blend that, and then add in your frozen fruit. Solids could be chopped walnuts, peanut butter or even a little oatmeal. In essence, you are creating a base before adding in the fruit.

Depending on how you like your texture, you may have to cut back on the ice if using frozen fruit. For example, usually six ice cubes are used with fresh fruit, but only three with frozen.

In the end, you want your smoothies, well smooth – no chunks of fruit, dry ingredients or ice not blended. It should all be one consistency and about as thick as a malt shake.