Everyone loves a good smoothie!
While size, flavors, obscure ingredients, etc. vary, thickness is a standard component of the smoothie-making process. You do not want your smoothie to turn out like icy juice. A smoothie should have a thick texture.
Often, the addition, subtraction, or swap of an ingredient or two can mean the difference between thin and thick. Factors like your ice machine, whether the fruit used is fresh or frozen, and which (if any) garnishes you are adding could be your issue without even knowing it.
To ensure you achieve your desired consistency, check out the tips and suggestions below on how to make a smoothie thicker.
5 Easy Tips on How to Make a Thick Smoothie
You enjoy making your own smoothies, but you also don’t want to have to be a gourmet chef to have them turn out the way you want. Thankfully, the roadmap for your ideal smoothie is not a very difficult one to follow.
Here are 5 common components of a smoothie and suggestions for how to manipulate them to achieve your perfect thick smoothie:
1. Get Serious About Your Ice
If you don’t have any other options on hand for keeping your smoothie chilled, then the type and quantity of ice you use becomes very important when trying to make a thicker smoothie.
Of course, ice melting is a sure way to end up with a watery smoothie. That’s why you must take measures to have as little melted ice as possible. Pre-crushed ice works the best for this purpose as opposed to cubed or gourmet ice. It’s important to find ice machines that line up with your personal ice preferences.
A fun and effective alternative to regular ice is by using almond milk ice. Almond milk is a great ingredient choice anyway, so using it as the basis for your ice will keep your smoothie thick, frosty, and devoid of a watery taste.
2. Frozen Fruits and Greens Are Your Best Friends
The best way to thicken a smoothie and keep it cold. Frozen fruits and greens are a cornerstone of delicious smoothies. Some excellent choices for smoothie ingredients are:
• Fruits
o Bananas are a popular choice here, as their creamy texture adds a richness to smoothies that almost always turn out well.
o If you aren’t exactly a big fan of bananas, frozen berries are effective for flavor and thickness.
o If you find you don’t like the graininess of berries, then use a pineapple or a mango. You have plenty of freedom to experiment with different frozen fruits to match your tastes.
• Vegetables
o As for frozen veggies, kale certainly works well as a thickening agent. Kale is quite popular among those who identify as both a smoothie and health enthusiast.
o A Zucchini’s texture makes it almost the banana’s equivalent among vegetables. This would be a brilliant choice for those who are sugar-free. Experiment with flavors to discover what you like the best.
3. Easy on the Liquids
Reduction in liquids when blending will render you a thicker smoothie. Certain types of yogurt can fill in for water and milk when blending without thinning out the overall consistency of your smoothie.
All this may seem fairly obvious, but it can be quite easy to add too much liquid without even realizing. Aside from the actual ingredients being mentioned in this blog, discipline and restraint are just as important in the quest for the perfect thick smoothie.
4. The Better, the Blender, the Thicker, the Smoothie
One of the most common reasons for adding too much liquid is because your blender isn’t quite good enough to handle your creative concoction. This can be a huge roadblock when you are figuring out how to make a smoothie thicker.
If you notice your blender can’t get the job done without an excess of added water, then it is time to upgrade your equipment. At this point in our society there are experts for everything, and smoothie-making is no exception. Heed the advice of these smoothie sommeliers and make sure your blender is no longer working against your efforts for a thicker smoothie.
5. The Smallest Touch Can Make a Big Difference
Perhaps you have a smoothie recipe that you absolutely love, and the only change you want is for a thicker finished product. You don’t want to alter your ingredients or your process for preparation and mixing. This means you will not budge on using less liquid in the blender.
If this sounds like you, then there is one last suggestion that can put your smoothies over the top. Try tossing in a bit of salt or a spice such as cinnamon to help with thickness. This move can help with soaking up excess water while also doing little to change your beloved recipe. In the smoothie game, compromise through creativity can go a long way.
No More Stressing How to Make a Thick Smoothie
The days of settling for soupy smoothies are in the past.
Using the tips and tricks discussed above, you will enjoy nothing but rich, thick smoothies that hit the spot every time. Making a smoothie requires a level of effort and care that should provide ultimate satisfaction.
Also, once you know how to make thick smoothies, each successive smoothie should only get better as you become more and more comfortable with your process for accomplishing it. Practice makes perfect when it comes to making smoothies and much as anything else.
