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

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!

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).

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.

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.

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).

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

Strawberry banana smoothie

Tropical smoothie

Avocado smoothie

Watermelon smoothie

Peanut butter banana 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.

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