The Perfect Smoothie – A Guide

Creamy, nutrient-rich, refreshing – that’s what every smoothie should be, right? Smoothies are super diverse, quick to make and you can incorporate a whole lot of healthy ingredients. But how do I start? What has to go in? How do I ensure that my smoothie doesn't become too watery? What should the ratio between solid and liquid ingredients be? This guide will help you on the way to the perfect smoothie.

The smoothie guide for your perfect smoothie

1. It should be liquid, but not watery

If you use water as a liquid base for smoothies, they quickly become watery (who would have thought? 😉). I would therefore recommend using plant-based milk alternatives. Plant drinks such as almond or oat milk make smoothies creamy and strong. Coconut milk has a strong taste of its own and is therefore particularly suitable for “tropical” smoothies. The creaminess here is unbeatable! 

Also Coconut water I use it in my smoothies from time to time. Coconut water is lower in fat than coconut milk, has the typical coconut taste and is a great thirst quencher! Unfortunately, coconut water is quite expensive. You should also make sure that there are other ingredients in the smoothie that provide the necessary creaminess (e.g. avocado or banana). 

Quantity recommendation: 200-250 ml (preferably more if necessary)

2. Always bring frozen fruit

Smoothies made with only fresh fruit simply taste different than smoothies made with frozen fruit. The smoothie is made by the frozen fruits pleasantly cool (which is especially desirable in the summer months) and the texture of the drink also changes. The cold fruit makes the smoothie rich and also contributes to the creaminess of the smoothie. Here you can use whatever you like: berries of any kind, pineapple, bananas, apples, oranges, peaches, mango, nectarines...

Nowadays, the frozen fruit that we find in the frozen section of the supermarket is usually just as nutrient-dense as fresh fruit. So you don't have to sacrifice quality or taste! 

You don't necessarily have to buy frozen fruit in the store, you can also freeze yourself. For this reason we particularly like it frozen bananas used. Because you can easily freeze them yourself: peel off the peel from the ripe banana, quarter the banana and put it in a freezer-safe bag. Especially if you have ripe bananas left over and don't want to bake banana bread with them again, freezing them is a great solution. The bananas can be used at a later date without them going bad.

If you don't have frozen fruit on hand, these are too Ice cubes a great way to make your smoothie cool, thick and creamy.

Quantity recommendation: approx. 150 g / 1-2 handfuls

3. The vegetables should not be missing 

Smoothies that only contain fruit can be quite high in calories. Because fruit naturally contains a lot of sugar. If you add vegetables, other valuable vitamins and nutrients find their way into the drink. You usually can't even taste the vegetables.

Because the sweet taste of the smoothie still dominates in the end, even children or other people who don't like vegetables are not afraid of smoothies.  I also sometimes find it difficult to eat enough green vegetables. With green smoothies I have found a great way to incorporate more vegetables into my diet.

Here are some vegetables that you can add to your smoothie (not all at once, please - we don't want to turn it into a cold vegetable soup...):

Quantity recommendation: 1-2 large handfuls

Photo by Jan Sedivy on Unsplash

4. Add filling ingredients

Not all smoothies are intended to replace entire meals, but sometimes that's exactly what you want: a smoothie that keeps you full for a long time. This requires rich and lush ingredients. For example, you can use these ingredients:

• oatmeal (It may be that the oat flakes make your smoothie drier and more “crumbly”. Here I recommend soaking the oat flakes for 5 to 10 minutes in a little water or in the plant milk you are using)
• Nut butter (Peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc. 1-2 tablespoons are sufficient) 
• avocado (makes the smoothie nice and creamy and rich, almost like a milkshake! - a quarter to half an avocado is usual)

Many recipes use protein powder as a “filler”. But if you're not a fan of protein powder, you can use these ingredients instead:

• Silken tofu (may sound strange at first - but silken tofu makes the smoothie creamy and protein-rich without changing the taste)
• Chickpeas/White Beans (cooked; it's best to start slowly, check the taste and then add more if necessary)
• red lentils (cooked; these lentils become soft when cooked and have a mild taste, approx. 100g of raw lentils are enough)

Quantity recommendation: 100 - 200g, unless otherwise stated above (in brackets).

5. Go with the healthy fats

This point goes hand in hand with point 4. Fats also contribute to our satiety. Unfortunately, there is still a general belief that fats are bad and make you fat. However, healthy fats, which largely consist of unsaturated fatty acids, should not be ignored but rather consciously integrated into the diet. Some fats, such as coconut oil, continue to be debated over how healthy the fat really is. 

My favorite fat “resources” include:

• Nut butter (Peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc.) 
• linseed / Chia seeds / Hemp seeds / Sunflower seeds / Pumpkin seeds
• avocado (makes the smoothie nice and creamy and rich, almost like a milkshake! - a quarter to half an avocado is usual)
• raw nuts (Cashews, almonds, peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc. - here too it is a good idea to soak the nuts in warm water beforehand)

Quantity recommendation: 1-2 tbsp, unless otherwise stated above (in brackets).

6. Toppings – for that certain something

“Superfoods” like Spirulina powder, Goji berries or Chia seeds are often used as toppings. What you have to be aware of is that these products often come from far away and are therefore not always sustainable. Here you can pay attention to regionality and careful handling as much as possible. 

Spices can also serve as a “topping”! Spices, which I like to mix into my smoothies Cinnamon and Ginger. The brave can also use cloves, nutmeg, cardamom or turmeric (be careful with the dosage here). 

Also Dates (approx. 3-4 pieces) I love in my smoothies! They add a pleasant sweetness and contribute to a creamy consistency. If you are a chocolate fan, you can Cocoa powder or Cacao nibs Mix in (1-2 tbsp each). 

Quantity recommendation: ½ - 1 tsp, unless otherwise stated above (in brackets).

Your smoothie is ready! Whether you try something new every day or stick with your favorite combo once you find it is of course up to you. The general rule is: mix whatever you like. After all, trying is better than studying 😋. If you would like some suggestion: Here are three green smoothie recipes for you!

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

If you would like to find out more about the topics of healthy eating, mindfulness or sustainability, take a look here over.