5 Ways to Make a Smoothie That Tastes Better and Costs Less

5 Ways to Make a Smoothie That Tastes Better and Costs Less

Smoothies are an excellent way to add plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet, but they can also be expensive and inconvenient to make at home if you buy the ingredients at full price.

By learning how to make your smoothie ingredients, however, you can save money while creating tastier smoothies than anything you can buy in the store.

Here are five tips on how to make a smoothie that tastes better and costs less.

GET A VITAMIX

The Vitamix is a high-end blender, with prices ranging from $500-to $900. It’s expensive, but as an investment, it can be worth every penny.

The Vitamix comes in several different models—there are even refurbished models available for much cheaper than you would expect!

Each model has its advantages and disadvantages, so I highly recommend reading consumer reviews to see which one might be best for you.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them; they all get their jobs done—and pretty well at that! If you want my personal opinion on whether or not it’s worth spending your money on one…

A good blender can take your smoothies to another level entirely.

When you start using a quality product like a Vitamix, there isn’t anything else out there that compares! You won’t regret getting one if you decide to do so.

BUY FROZEN FRIUTS

Frozen fruit is cheaper than fresh, so if you’re trying to save money on your smoothies, it’s worth picking up.

You can buy frozen fruits in bulk at most grocery stores, which will save you even more money in comparison to buying small containers of pre-cut fruits.

Frozen fruit also makes for easier smoothies since it is already pre-chopped (though we recommend adding one or two bananas per recipe because bananas add a creamy consistency that we all love).

If you don’t have time to chop up your bananas, just buy them frozen too! The point is: when possible, buy frozen fruit rather than fresh. It’ll taste better and cost less. And, who doesn’t want that?

Buying frozen fruit is especially convenient if you plan on making smoothies daily.

As long as you keep your blender handy and never let it run empty, there are zero reasons why you shouldn’t enjoy a homemade smoothie every day.

Of course, these tips apply whether or not you make daily smoothies… but they’re extra helpful if that’s your goal.

We hope they help make delicious and healthy homemade smoothies part of your routine!

Be sure to keep tabs on what type of ingredients make each type of smoothie delicious, so next time you make one yourself, maybe something won’t be quite right.

ADD LIQUIDS BEFORE ICE

The most common mistake smoothie-makers make is putting ice into their blender first. The result is an over-chilled and watered-down smoothie.

To counteract your tendency to be impatient, put water or milk (or other liquids) in before any fruit or ice. The process of liquefying these ingredients will help you avoid an unpleasant texture later on in your drink.

This will also allow all of your fruit to be blended thoroughly—the frozen parts act as ice cream blenders on all of those frozen chunks!

Put that pineapple on top! If you have time, blend your liquid base for 30 seconds before adding anything else. Then add some fruit, but not too much at once: leave a few pieces for blending at the end.

After about one minute, check how it’s going, and then add more fruit if needed. And remember: You can always adjust by adding more liquid base after blending if necessary.

Start with milder flavors: Choose milder fruits like berries when making smoothies because they are sweeter than oranges or apples so less sugar is needed to balance out their flavor profiles.

Also, go easy on citrus fruits like lemons because they’re very acidic — tartness makes people think something isn’t sweet enough even when it is!

USE ICE CREAM SCOOP

Fresh, creamy smoothies taste so much better than pre-made blenders full of ice. But that fresh, creamy consistency comes with a price tag.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to cut down on costs while still getting that premium look: Use an ice cream scoop instead of filling your blender cup to its brim.

This simple adjustment can save you as much as one-third of smoothie costs. And if you don’t have an ice cream scoop? Just use two spoons—one for each hand—to transfer your smoothie from blender to cup.

It might take a little longer, but it will be worth it when you see how delicious your drink looks. You can thank us later.

FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE (80% VEGETABLES, 20% FRIUTS)

The 80/20 rule states that 80% of what you eat should be fruits and vegetables.

Following this rule, however, isn’t always as easy as it sounds: smoothies are often made with fruit rather than veggies, which can make them almost entirely sugar.

To follow the 80/20 rule while still having tasty smoothies on hand, use mostly vegetables—frozen or fresh—and add just a bit of fruit for flavor.

In addition to tasting great, vegetable-based smoothies will be more filling than fruit-based versions. Use Frozen Fruit Instead of Fresh Fruit:

Frozen fruit is less expensive than fresh fruit because frozen fruits aren’t in season when they’re picked, so their price is lower.

Plus, frozen fruits are typically picked at their peak ripeness and then flash-frozen to preserve their nutrition content; therefore, they have an equal amount of vitamins and minerals compared to their fresh counterparts.

Also, remember that not all berries freeze well—check out our guide on how long berries last in the freezer before using up your frozen stash!