How to Make Smoothies So They Turn Out Delicious Every Time

Maybe you’re just jumping aboard the smoothie train, or you’ve got a few go-to recipes but are looking to up your breakfast and snack game. If you’re wondering how to make smoothies so they turn out delicious every single time, you’ve come to the right place (because as it turns out, there is a wrong way to do it). Follow our tips and you’ll be sipping a scrumptious avocado-apple smoothie in no time.

If you want to break every other smoothie rule, at least follow this one: Always start by adding your liquid base to the blender. It doesn’t matter what type of liquid you use, but the order is essential to making sure your smoothie can actually blend into a creamy mixture. A liquid base allows the blades of your machine to easily whir around and draw down the other ingredients like a vortex. (Plus, if you add any powdered mix-ins, like collagen or protein, they can dissolve more readily in the liquid.)

If you make a smoothie with fresh fruit, it’s not going to be the end of the world. But using frozen fruit will keep the drink extra cold without adding ice, and it will maintain the ideal consistency. Stashing some frozen pineapple, mango, berries and the like in your freezer will make smoothie mornings a breeze, but you can also freeze your own fresh fruit if it’s ripe and in season. (That’s a great way to avoid wasting produce if it’s about to go bad, too.)

This is a smoothie, not ice cream, so you should be able to sip it through a straw without issue. Make sure you use enough liquid to blend with ease, but not so much that your smoothie is soupy. In general, you can try a fruit-to-liquid ratio of 2:1 and adjust as needed. Smoothie too thick? Add more liquid. Too thin? Try a thickening ingredient, like banana, avocado, Greek yogurt, oats or a scoop of nut butter.

Speaking of add-ins, don’t feel like you’re limited to fruit, vegetables and dairy alternatives. Add dimension to your smoothie by including flavor and texture enhancers like spices, extracts, nuts and seeds. (Some of our favorites include ground cinnamon, fresh ginger, vanilla extract, hemp hearts and flax seeds.) Sweeteners and acid can balance the flavor of your smoothie, too—try honey or maple syrup to add sweetness with more complexity than just sugar, and fresh lemon or lime juice for a jolt of tart flavor.

We get it, we assign sentimental value to our appliances too. But if you’re trying to make an ultra-creamy berry smoothie with your 12-year-old blender that you bought for $7 in a garage sale, you’re not going to be happy with the results. A high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) isn’t absolutely necessary for making a smoothie, but it will give you the most luscious texture in the shortest amount of time. If you aren’t interested in spending that much money, there are less expensive blenders on the market (like this Ninja) that perform comparably.

Making a smoothie is like solving a mathematical expression: Following the right order of operations is key. But instead of PEMDAS, it’s LPSGTF…which doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Just think of your smoothie in layers and add your ingredients to the blender in this order: liquids, powders and sweeteners, greens, thickeners (like banana, nut butters and yogurt) and, lastly, frozen items (including fruit and ice). Not sure you can remember all that? Consult our handy illustration:

• Green Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
• Gwyneth Paltrow’s Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie
• Salted Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie
• Green Machine Smoothie Bowl
• Blueberry-Ginger Smoothie
• Juicy Green Pineapple Smoothie with Mint, Basil and Spirulina
• Raspberry-Coconut Smoothie Bowl with Collagen
• Triple-Berry Smoothie Bowl
• Green Smoothie Bowl with Kiwi and Coconut
• Vanilla-Oat Smoothie Bowl
• Avocado Power Breakfast Smoothie