Home » Recipes » 7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Simple Ingredients + Meal Prep Tips}
By Taylor Stinson | 10 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
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These are the 7 Best Healthy Smoothie Recipes! They contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too!
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Milk – use any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice like almond, rice, soy or coconut milk.
- Plain Greek yogurt – this is optional to make your smoothie even creamier.
- Flax seeds – you could also use hemp seeds, chia seeds or protein powder.
- Sweetener – honey, stevia, agave syrup, dates and berries are all good sweetener options.
- Fruits and vegetables – add in any fruits and veggies of your choice like spinach, apple, banana, frozen berries, coconut and more.
How to make healthy smoothies
- Add all the ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
Are smoothies good for losing weight?
You can lose weight drinking smoothies, but it needs to be part of an overall diet plan. Read more aboutmeal prep and weight loss here.
If you’re 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 you feel full for 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).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the healthiest thing to put in a smoothie?
Sometimes the healthiest foods are the simplest foods – as long as you're adding 1-3 fruits, maybe a leafy green such as spinach, and your liquid and protein source, your smoothie is going to be pretty healthy. 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-no’s in my book.
How do you make them 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),steviaor molasses.
Is it okay to drink one every day?
As long as you're eating a well-balanced diet and using portion control, it's perfectly fine to drink a smoothie every day. In fact, it's a great way to get your daily dose of fruits and veggies!
What is the healthiest protein to add?
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. To add some protein to your healthy smoothie recipes, add in some Greek yogurt, flax seeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds or protein powder. I like using Kaizen Naturals, which has 30g of protein and just 130 calories per scoop.
Can you make smoothies ahead of time?
There are two different ways you can meal prep your smoothies. You can make smoothie freezer packs in advance, or blend them the night before.
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
This healthy green smoothie is a great way to get some greens in the morning! The green apple makes it sweet while the spinach adds plenty of nutrients.
Strawberry banana smoothie
Who doesn't love a strawberry banana smoothie? This smoothie is a classic for a reason – add in some protein powder for an added boost.
Tropical smoothie
This yummy smoothie will give you a taste of the tropics, even when it's cold outside! It's made with pineapple, mango and shredded coconut.
Avocado smoothie
This healthy smoothie is super creamy thanks to the banana and avocado. If you want it to be a bit sweeter, add in a sweetener of your choice.
Watermelon smoothie
This refreshing smoothie is perfect for summer! The watermelon and lime creates a perfect light flavour.
Peanut butter banana smoothie
This healthy smoothie is super creamy and deliciously sweet. Plus, you'll be getting added protein thanks to the peanut butter!
Blueberry Smoothie
This blueberry smoothie is super delicious and creamy thanks to the banana. You can even try making it with other berries like strawberries or raspberries.
How to meal prep smoothies
When it comes to meal prepping smoothies, there are two main methods:
- Smoothie freezer bags:Make meal prep smoothie packsin Ziploc bags ormason jarsthat 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 smoothie packs so I have some variety to choose from throughout the week. They’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- 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.
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More healthy smoothie recipes
The Best Meal Prep Green Smoothie
5 Best Make Ahead Smoothie Packs
The Creamiest Avocado Smoothie
See more related recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- 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!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
7 Best Healthy Smoothies {Simple Ingredients} + Meal Prep Tips
These are the Best Healthy Smoothie Recipes! They contain minimal ingredients and will keep you full for hours. You can meal prep them, too!
4.85 from 13 votes
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Servings: 1 smoothie
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Ingredients
Green smoothie
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 green apple, chopped
- 1 banana
Strawberry banana smoothie
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 banana
Tropical smoothie
- 1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
Avocado smoothie
- 1 ripe avocado, mashed
- 1 banana
Watermelon smoothie
- 1 cup watermelon
- 1 lime, juiced
Peanut butter banana smoothie
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
Blueberry smoothie
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 banana
Base ingredients for all smoothies
- 1/2 cup dairy, almond, rice, soy or coconut milk
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
Optional add-ins
- 1 tbsp flax, hemp or chia seeds
- 2 tbsp protein powder of choice
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (honey, stevia, agave syrup, dates)
- 1/2 cup applesauce (use in place of banana)
Instructions
Add in base ingredients and add-ins of choice to a blender or Magic Bullet. Usually almond or coconut milk, Greek yogurt and hemp seeds are my go-to ingredients for any smoothie but you can add in additional natural sweeteners or swap out bananas for applesauce.
In addition to your base ingredients, add the ingredients for whatever smoothie you want to make. For instance, if you are looking to make the green smoothie, add the spinach, green apple and banana to the blender.
Blend ingredients on high until a smooth consistency develops. Add more milk as desired if you'd like a thinner smoothie. Serve immediately or enjoy up to 3 days after making your smoothie.
Tip: If you want to make these smoothies ahead you can assemble little individual-sized plastic bags filled with the fruit-based ingredients and freeze up to 3 months in advance.
Video
Notes
Nutritional info is an approximate calculation for one smoothie with two different types of fruit, 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt. You can calculate exact calories depending on your unique combo of ingredients on Myfitnesspal.
Add more protein with Greek yogurt, seeds or a whey-based protein powder.
Sweeten up your smoothie using bananas, applesauce, dates, honey, stevia, molasses or real maple syrup.
Assemble smoothie freezer packs ahead of time in Ziploc bags or mason jars.
Pre-blend your smoothies and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcal (11%)Carbohydrates: 42g (14%)Protein: 12g (24%)Fat: 2g (3%)Cholesterol: 3mg (1%)Sodium: 212mg (9%)Potassium: 798mg (23%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 26g (29%)Vitamin A: 3335IU (67%)Vitamin C: 53.5mg (65%)Calcium: 253mg (25%)Iron: 1.1mg (6%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
Reader Interactions
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Graziela says
I’m wounding instead of using milk can I use water
Thank you
GrazielaCamaraReply
Taylor Stinson says
Yes absolutely!
Reply
Raven says
Thanks for the recipes I was just wondering did there’s something else we can add to the tropical smoothie in place of the coconut and if we can use raspberries for some smoothies as well
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Raven – you can add in mango if you don’t like coconut and yes, raspberries can be added to all!
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Grace says
Thank you so much… I have been adding many things to my smoothies thinking they’ll taste better… nope, it turned up full of calories and many times couldn’t finish it cause it tasted horrible. Love the simplicity. Thank you for organizing your ideas .. it reduced my anxiety too lolReply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to have been of help, Grace 🙂 Let me know how you like these smoothies!
Reply
Alison says
Could you list the complete portions for each recipe.
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Alison – each recipe makes 1 serving, which will fill a large glass. I cannot give an exact measurement by cup measure as it will vary depending on ingredients used.
Reply
Pachia says
Thank you! This will be awesome for helping me control my diabetes.
Reply
Desiree Shrader says
Awesome 👏 so easy to follow and understand! I am new at this and would like to touch base with you on my progress 😉
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