Let’s talk about my favorite summer breakfast: smoothies.
When I was a kid, my parents ran a strawberry patch in the summer. During the weeks when the strawberries were ripe, my dad would often whip up fresh strawberry smoothies after we’d spent an afternoon working in the patch. I maintain that those are some of the best smoothies I’ve ever had.
I still find myself craving a good smoothie, especially during warm summer mornings. But the first few times I tried to make one on my own, I ended up frustrated. Why did it take so long? Was I supposed to stop every 10 seconds to smash everything down with a spatula? Shouldn’t recipes give more instructions than just “blend”?
If you’ve had those same questions (or if you just want some new summer smoothie recipes to try), this post is for you!
You’ll find:
- My smoothie philosophy
- Blending basics
- My favorite summer smoothie recipes
- Add-in options
Let’s go!
My Smoothie Philosophy
1. Frozen fruits are your BFF
Can I be honest? I think using fresh fruit in smoothies is a waste. (Unless you live on a strawberry patch, anyway.) If we have fresh peaches, I would rather just eat them than pummel them to smithereens with a bunch of other stuff.
So in my mind, frozen fruit is the way to go. It’s way cheaper, you don’t have to chop anything, and there’s no worry about it getting rotten. Plus, it eliminates the need for ice, which vastly improves the texture and flavor of smoothies.
2. Flavor is king
I like a big punch of flavor in my smoothies. Vaguely fruit-flavored icy slush is not going to work around here. All the recipes below pass my taste tests, but here are some additional things to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a smoothie recipe:
- Go easy on the yogurt. It adds creaminess but also dulls flavor.
- Use flavorful liquids. Most of my favorite smoothie recipes use half juice and half almond milk to balance flavor and creaminess.
- Use frozen fruit so ice is unnecessary.
3. Smoothies don’t have to be an entire meal
Listen, I need a solid breakfast. Hanger is no bueno.
But I am not about to sacrifice taste in order to shove protein powder and hemp hearts and coconut milk and almond butter and flaxseed and kale into a smoothie with the expectation it will keep me full for 8 hours. Nope.
I love having a smoothie for breakfast because it’s cold and fresh and full of nutrients and tastes good after a workout. But if I’m still hungry, I’ll have a piece of toast, too. No big deal.
4. You don’t need a Vitamix to do this (but a good blender helps)
You can make smoothies with the blender you found on sale for $15 at Target if that’s what you’ve got.
But can I be very honest? We were lucky enough to get a Ninja from my mother-in-law, and it has increased my smoothie-making increased exponentially. It’s faster and much less annoying than the blender we used before. Plus, it has a pitcher for larger servings and single serving cups.
Our version will run you about $100, but I do honestly think it’s worth it. If you want to save a few bucks and make smoothies for one or two people, one of these versions that uses only individual-sized cups would work as well.
If your budget doesn’t allow for that and you’re using a blender with less power, you might consider adding a little extra liquid and making sure anything frozen is in relatively small pieces so you don’t lose your mind.
Smoothie Blending Basics
Most smoothie recipes will have these basic categories of ingredients.
- A main base: probably fruit (or vegetables, if you’re adventurous)
- Liquid: some kind of milk, juice, or water
- Something frozen: frozen fruit, ice
- Something creamy: yogurt, milk, frozen banana, avocado (yes, really!)
You might also want to add in extra stuff, like chia seeds or protein powder.
Your life will be a little easier if you don’t just toss everything randomly into a blender. Here’s your smoothie-making order of operations:
1. Add liquid first.
According to this guide, pour your liquid up to the tip of the blades in the pitcher. This will make everything blend better.
2. Toss in non-frozen stuff next.
This might be greens, fresh fruit, yogurt, peanut butter, etc.
3. Add frozen fruit and ice on top.
This will help push everything down so it gets mixed evenly.
If you’re using an individual-sized smoothie cup, reverse the order!
My Go-To Summer Smoothie Recipes
Each of these recipes makes two servings. I’ve left out all of the extra protein and greens add-ins – see below for my thoughts on those! If you’re not an almond milk person, switch it out for whatever kind of milk you drink. Just add the ingredients in order and blend!
Sunshine in a Glass Smoothie
This one doesn’t really have any protein, so don’t expect it to keep you full until lunch. It also breaks the rules about having something creamy. But it’s absolutely delicious and perfect for killer hot days.
- 1-1½ c. orange juice
- 2 c. frozen pineapple (peach or mango will also work)
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
Mixed Berry Smoothie
This is a classic. Cranberry juice gives it a little extra zing! If this one comes out a little bland, I add a squeeze of lemon as well.
- ½ c. 100% cranberry juice
- ½ c. almond milk
- ½ c. Greek yogurt
- 2 c. frozen mixed berry blend (I usually toss in some extra strawberries)
- (optional) squeeze of lemon juice
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Compost Bin Smoothie
Thanks to my family for this name. This smoothie looks atrocious – like, well, compost. My husband will not even look at it. But it tastes like chocolate and peanut butter, and you will not taste the spinach or avocado, I promise.
- 1 c. almond milk
- 2 tbs. peanut butter
- (optional) for more peanut butter flavor, add a spoonful of powdered peanut butter
- 2-3 tsp. cocoa powder
- A handful of spinach
- 1/2 a ripe avocado
- 2-3 frozen bananas
- A squeeze of honey (to taste)
Fresh Peach Smoothie
This smoothie was inspired by this list (which has a bunch of other good smoothie combos, too). The cucumber makes it extra refreshing!
- ½ c. almond milk
- ½ c. orange juice
- (optional) squeeze of lemon juice
- ½ c. Greek yogurt
- 3-4 English cucumbers, peeled
- 1-1½ c. frozen peaches
Two bonus smoothies!
The cherry limeade smoothie from the Minimalist Baker kicked off the smoothie experimentation this summer. It’s tart and delicious. I also can’t wait to try this cinnamon roll smoothie from Family Fresh Meals!
Smoothie Recipe Add-Ins
I’m just begun to experiment with all the nutrition-boosting extras. If you want some additional options for extra nutrients or protein, here’s what I’ve tried.
- Chia seeds. These are a good source of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, and they will help you feel more full. They don’t taste like anything, but they will add a little texture. I add these any time there are already seeds in the fruit I’m using.
- Greens. Adding spinach or kale to a smoothie boosts fiber and vitamin content. It won’t affect the taste, but it will do very bad things to the color. I would add these to basically any smoothie, but it weirds out my husband.
- Protein powders. Protein powder makes me a little nervous because there’s so little regulation around it, so I haven’t tried much in this arena. I have experimented with Vital Protein’s Collagen Peptides, and for the most part, I like them. I can’t say I notice a huge difference in my skin or nails, but it does help me feel more full. For a two-serving smoothie, I mix slightly less than a full scoop of powder into the almond milk before adding to the blender – otherwise I find it starts to affect the texture.
- Rolled oats. These add whole grains and make a smoothie thicker. I add these to smoothies that are more peanut butter or chocolate-forward. Pro tip: grind these up in your blender on their own first, before adding other ingredients.
There you have it! The perfect summer smoothie recipes for scorching afternoons.