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Home » Recipes » Breakfast » The 7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Minimal Ingredients + Meal Prep Tips}

The 7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Minimal Ingredients + Meal Prep Tips}

6/6/22

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Learn how to make the best healthy smoothies – they contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too!

How to Make the BEST Healthy Smoothies

Healthy Smoothies

I think many people have misconceptions about what healthy smoothies really are. I know when I was younger, I thought that healthy smoothies were the ones you got at Booster Juice. Sadly, I would order a large smoothie from there or Starbucks after a night of partying and think I was replenishing my body with healthy food. Little did I know these smoothies were often filled with sugary frozen yogurt and can contain up to 460 calories (just take a look at their acai smoothie).

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To make genuinely healthy smoothies, you have to be careful with the ingredients you use. You want to choose the highest-quality ingredients to ensure that you're getting the nutritional benefits you should be getting with fruit-filled smoothies.

Smoothie ingredients

What are the healthiest things to put in a smoothie?

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to what to put in your smoothie is to keep it simple! Pick 1-3 fruits to add, maybe a leafy green such as spinach and then your liquid and protein source. That's it! Sometimes the healthiest foods are the simplest foods.

There really aren't too many things you shouldn't be adding to smoothies, but I can say with confidence that sugar and ice are the biggest no-nos in my book.

First up, ice will totally water down your smoothies if you don't drink them right away and you need a super high-powered blender to get a smoother consistency. Second, you can get sweeter smoothies with natural ingredients – don't add calories or reduce the healthiness by adding sugar!

Adding more protein

Even if you're just looking to drink a smoothie as a healthy snack, you should still be adding a protein source to ensure that it satiates you and keeps you feeling full for a little while.

These are the best protein sources for smoothies:

  • Greek yogurt (the highest protein yogurt out there)
  • Seeds such as flax, hemp hearts and chia seeds – these seeds also help to add Omega-3s to your smoothies.
  • Protein powder such as Kaizen Naturals, which has 30g of protein and just 130 calories per scoop.

How to make your smoothies sweeter

We all have varying levels of taste when it comes to sweetness. For me personally, as I've incorporated less sugar into my diet over time, I've gotten used to things tasting less sweet.

Bananas are great natural sweeteners and they are often more than enough when you're making a smoothie. If you don’t like bananas, applesauce is a great substitute or you can sweeten up your smoothie with dates, honey, real maple syrup (not cheap table syrup), stevia or molasses.

How to Make the BEST Healthy Smoothies

Are smoothies effective for weight loss?

Yes, you can lose weight drinking smoothies but it needs to be part of an overall diet plan. Read more about meal prep and weight loss here.

If you are drinking smoothies in an effort to lose weight, make sure to keep these points in mind:

  • Not all smoothies are healthy. Drinking smoothies alone will not help you lose weight. Healthy smoothie recipes can contribute to your weight-loss plans, but only if you’re choosing low-fat, low-calorie, low-sugar ingredients.
  • Use portion control. Smoothies can contain more vegetables or fruit than you would eat raw and that means you are taking in more calories, carbohydrates and sugar than you think. Keep your smoothie at around 10 oz (most store-bought smoothies are at least 16 oz or more). If you make too much, freeze the extra portion for later.
  • Smoothies can leave you feeling hungry. Make sure your smoothie contains the right balance of ingredients. Adding protein and healthy fats will help make you feel full longer. But be careful as these additions can also make the calorie count go up. If you feel the need to add healthy fats or protein, then consider adding a quarter of an avocado (81 calories), half a cup of Greek yogurt (140 calories) or a tablespoon of peanut butter (95 calories).
How to Make the BEST Healthy Smoothies

The Best Healthy Smoothie Recipes

I rounded up some of my favourite healthy smoothie recipes below. They’re all packed full of nutrients and are great for meal prep.

Green smoothie

Green smoothie

Strawberry banana smoothie

Strawberry banana smoothie

Tropical smoothie

Tropical smoothie

Avocado smoothie

Avocado smoothie

Watermelon smoothie

Watermelon smoothie

Peanut butter banana smoothie

Peanut Butter banana smoothie

Blueberry Smoothie

Blueberry smoothie

How to meal prep smoothies

When it comes to meal prepping smoothies, there are two main methods:

  1. Smoothie freezer bags: Make little smoothie freezer packs in Ziploc bags or mason jars that contain all your fruits and veggies measured out. When you’re ready to make your smoothie, all you have to do is dump the freezer pack into the blender, add in your liquid and blend! I like to make big batches of these freezer packs so I have some variety to choose from throughout the week. They’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  2. Pre-blending smoothies: You can also pre-blend your smoothies and store them in the fridge in mason jars for up to 3 days. This method is a great grab-and-go option. All you have to do is give the mason jar a good shake, add in some water if needed and enjoy! Just keep in mind the texture won’t be the same as if they were freshly blended.
Use a Vitamix to make the best healthy smoothies!

Meal prep tools for this recipe

  • These are the mason jars I used in this recipe.
  • You can get larger 32oz mason jars too.
  • The Vitamix personal series is great for making just one or two smoothies at a time.
  • So is the Magic Bullet or Nutri Bullet – the only hang up here is that I find I have to replace these models once every couple years or so because the motor eventually burns out.
  • The Vitamix Ascent series is my fave though – it's self-cleaning so you aren't left with a ton of mess and it's perfect for if you're prepping 3-4 smoothies at a time. It can tear through anything to make the smoothest smoothie, even ice!

More healthy smoothie recipes

  • The Best Meal Prep Green Smoothie
  • The Creamiest Avocado Smoothie
  • Easiest Healthy Acai Bowl 
An overhead shot of 7 mason jars, each filled with a different smoothie.

The Best Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Learn how to make the best healthy smoothies – they contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too!
4.82 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 smoothie
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

Green smoothie

  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 green apple, chopped
  • 1 banana

Strawberry banana smoothie

  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 banana

Tropical smoothie

  • 1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
  • 1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

Avocado smoothie

  • 1 ripe avocado, mashed
  • 1 banana

Watermelon smoothie

  • 1 cup watermelon
  • 1 lime, juiced

Peanut butter banana smoothie

  • 1 banana
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter

Blueberry smoothie

  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 banana

Base ingredients for all smoothies

  • 1/2 cup dairy, almond, rice, soy or coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)

Optional add-ins

  • 1 tbsp flax, hemp or chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp protein powder of choice
  • 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (honey, stevia, agave syrup, dates)
  • 1/2 cup applesauce (use in place of banana)

Instructions

  • Add in base ingredients and add-ins of choice to a blender or Magic Bullet. Usually almond or coconut milk, Greek yogurt and hemp seeds are my go-to ingredients for any smoothie but you can add in additional natural sweeteners or swap out bananas for applesauce.
  • In addition to your base ingredients, add the ingredients for whatever smoothie you want to make. For instance, if you are looking to make the green smoothie, add the spinach, green apple and banana to the blender.
  • Blend ingredients on high until a smooth consistency develops. Add more milk as desired if you'd like a thinner smoothie. Serve immediately or enjoy up to 3 days after making your smoothie.
  • Tip: If you want to make these smoothies ahead you can assemble little individual-sized plastic bags filled with the fruit-based ingredients and freeze up to 3 months in advance. 

Video

Notes

Nutritional info is an approximate calculation for one smoothie with two different types of fruit, 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt. You can calculate exact calories depending on your unique combo of ingredients on Myfitnesspal.
Add more protein with Greek yogurt, seeds or a whey-based protein powder.
Sweeten up your smoothie using bananas, applesauce, dates, honey, stevia, molasses or real maple syrup.
Assemble smoothie freezer packs ahead of time in Ziploc bags or mason jars.
Pre-blend your smoothies and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 798mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 3335IU | Vitamin C: 53.5mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GirlonBloor or tag #girlonbloor!
Learn how to make the best healthy smoothies - they contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too! Learn how to make the best healthy smoothies - they contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too!

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Raven says

    August 3, 2021 at 03:58

    Thanks for the recipes I was just wondering did there’s something else we can add to the tropical smoothie in place of the coconut and if we can use raspberries for some smoothies as well

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      August 9, 2021 at 07:53

      Hi Raven – you can add in mango if you don’t like coconut and yes, raspberries can be added to all!

      Reply
  2. Grace says

    July 27, 2020 at 07:14

    5 stars
    Thank you so much… I have been adding many things to my smoothies thinking they’ll taste better… nope, it turned up full of calories and many times couldn’t finish it cause it tasted horrible. Love the simplicity. Thank you for organizing your ideas .. it reduced my anxiety too lol

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      July 27, 2020 at 08:05

      I’m so happy to have been of help, Grace 🙂 Let me know how you like these smoothies!

      Reply
  3. Alison says

    February 19, 2020 at 23:38

    Could you list the complete portions for each recipe.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      February 20, 2020 at 08:45

      Hey Alison – each recipe makes 1 serving, which will fill a large glass. I cannot give an exact measurement by cup measure as it will vary depending on ingredients used.

      Reply
  4. Pachia says

    November 28, 2019 at 21:46

    Thank you! This will be awesome for helping me control my diabetes.

    Reply
  5. Desiree Shrader says

    May 16, 2019 at 12:33

    Awesome 👏 so easy to follow and understand! I am new at this and would like to touch base with you on my progress 😉

    Reply

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Taylor Stinson

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I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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