So you’ve seen those thick smoothies on Pinterest and wondered how to make a smoothie thick like ice cream right? Well, you’ll be surprised to know that it is as easy as 1, 2, 3! After reading this post, you’ll be making thick smoothies like a pro.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there is no magic trick for thick smoothies, you’ll need 2 main ingredients, frozen fruit and a touch of liquid. Continue reading below for 2 delicious thick smoothie recipes.
How To Make A Smoothie Thick Like Ice Cream
1. Frozen Fruits & Veggies
For a thick and creamy smoothie, you always want to use frozen ingredients that are fleshy and have less water content. Fruits like frozen banana, mango, papaya, peaches, pineapples, avocados, strawberries, blueberries are best for making thick smoothies.
If you like adding veggies to your smoothies, you also want to choose vegetables that are low in liquid content. I love using broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and even beets in my smoothies. Just note that when using these types of veggies, you need to steam them prior to blending.
2. Freeze Your Ingredients
Always freeze your ingredients overnight or about 4 hour prior to making smoothies. I have a post on how to freeze fruits for smoothies but here’s a quick rundown. Slice up your fruits and veggies, place them on a lined baking tray.
Flash freeze them for an hour or until frozen, transfer to freezer bags and return to the freezer. Leave them overnight and use them whenever you choose. This method prevents ice crystals from forming on the ingredients so they last longer and make smoothies thicker.
3. Less Liquid
The lower the water content in your smoothies, the thicker it will be. You always want to use only a few tablespoons of liquid. I always use fruit juices and almond or coconut milk in my smoothies cause they taste amazing. Just remember, adding too much liquid to smoothies will make them watery.
4. Thickeners
There are a ton of ingredients that you can add to your smoothies to make them extra thick and creamy. Oats, chia seeds, nut butter, Greek yogurt, and protein powder are great for adding bulk to smoothies. These ingredients are also excellent sources of nutrients as well.
Note: if using protein powder, always blend it with liquid first before adding in the rest of your ingredients. That’s because protein powder has a flour-like consistency.
5. Frozen Cubes
You can also freeze up some fruit juice or coffee into ice cubes to use in your smoothies. Turmeric and ginger cubes are my favorite cause they are soo great for the immune system. Frozen cubes are great for making smoothies thick but make sure you have a good blender.
Best Liquids For Thick Smoothies
For thicker smoothies, you’ll you’ll need liquids that contain a cream base like the following:
- Full cream milk
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- Oat milk
- Greek yogurt (my favorite!)
How To Make A Smoothie Thick Without Frozen Fruit
So maybe you want to blend up a thick smoothie quickly but don’t have frozen fruit right? This has happened to me a million times. Well, it’s easy, grab some oats, nut butter, or chia seeds, blend with some milk and throw in your fruits or veggies. That’s it.
Thick Smoothie Bowl Recipe
I have a step by step post on how to make the perfect thick smoothie bowl but since you’re reading this, here is how:
Ingredients for 2 servings | Total time: 5 minutes
- 2 cups of frozen fruits
- 2 tablespoons of milk
Blend the frozen fruits with the milk until smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a bowl and garnish with nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit. Serve right away or transfer into a container with a lid and store it in the freezer to prevent it from melting.
Pro tip: your frozen fruits should include fleshy fruits like mango, banana, or avocado for a creamy and thick base. For this thick smoothie bowl, I used frozen kiwi, banana, and strawberries.
Thick Smoothies
Similar to thick and creamy smoothie bowls, you can whip up a delicious thick ice cream like smoothie in a jiffy! Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients for 1 serving | Total time: 3-4 minutes
- 1 cup of frozen fruit (banana, mango, avocado)
- 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of honey
Blend the frozen fruit with the yogurt until smooth and creamy, if the smoothie isn’t as thick as you like it to be, simply add in more fruit. Pour into a glass, garnish and enjoy. Here is an example of one I made with frozen banana, avocado & spinach.
Pro tip – go ahead and freeze that bad boy up for an hour and you have yourself some healthy ice cream right there!
Conclusion
I hope this post was helpful enough and you see how easy it is to make smoothies thick like ice cream. If you have any questions, make sure to ask them in the comments below and I’ll answer them as fast as I can.
You can also find me on Pinterest so make sure to follow me there for more amazing smoothie recipes and tips. Don’t forget to share…
