Smoothie Essentials

You need these smoothie essentials to make an impressive morning breakfast or afternoon snack. From a good blender to fancy straws to recipe ideas, from now on you’ll always feel good about your blended beverages. 

Morning smoothies are the best, no? I’m seriously on a kick right now. I have my favorite recipes, of course, but I like mixing them up now and again, too.

My favorite is still this Chocolate Peanut Butter Power Smoothie, with the Vegan Mocha Latte Smoothie I shared recently right behind it.

I wanted to take today to bring back Essentials. I love writing this column because it gives me a chance to show you some of my favorite things in my kitchen. These guides are a great way for beginners to learn about and experiment in a certain topic or for more experienced folks to take a favorite food to the next level. I’ll be sharing more of these this year, so get ready to stock that kitchen!

Click through for all the smoothie essentials you’ll ever need! // susannah 

How to make a smoothie

So — what’s in a smoothie?

1. Liquids — Put these in your blender first. Juices, milk, almond milk, soy milk, water — you pick.
2. Thickeners — Avocado, banana, yogurt, tofu, nut butters and chia seeds all keep your smoothie from being runny.
3. Fruits and vegetables — Have fun here. Fruits like berries, apples, citrus and more can be fresh or frozen. Sneak in some beets, broccoli spinach and kale.
4. Sweeteners — If your smoothie needs it, blend in some honey, maple syrup, agave nectar ^*, stevia.
5. Flavoring — Add more flavor with things in your kitchen like cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, and cayenne. Even salt!
6. Protein powder — Get some more protein in your diet with a spoonful of protein powder. They often come in flavors. (Chocolate is my fave.)
7. Superfoods — Sneak in some more nutrients with things like coconut, cacao, flax seeds, hemp seeds, goji berries, spirulina, coconut, bee pollen, or acai.
8. Ice — A few cubes will keep your smoothie cold and help it to be thicker.

Put it all in the blender in the order above. Then blend until it’s as smooth as you like! Pour it in a cup — or a bowl, if you’re a smoothie bowl fan — and slurp it up.

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Smoothie essentials

A few things help make smoothies easier and less messy to enjoy. A good blender — even a hand one — is key. For drinking, you’ll need thick straws. For cleaning up, a long smoothie spatula ^* and a good brush help clean your blender.

Here are my current favorite smoothie essentials:

1. Lady of Leisure Tumbler by ban.do // 2. High Performance Blender by Wolf Gourmet // 3. Plastic Smoothie Straws by SIP n’ JOY // 4. Smoothie Dice by Uncommon Goods // 5. Glass Smoothie Straws by Serax // 6. Citrus Juicer by Kitchenaid // 7. Water Bottle Cleaning Set by OXO // 8. Green Kitchen Smoothies: Healthy and Colorful Smoothies for Every Day by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl // 9. Smoothie Spatula by rsvp // 10. Smoothie Cup by Sur La Table // 11. Hand Blender by Cuisinart

Essential smoothie recipes

Basic smoothie recipes

Winter Sunrise Smoothie
Peach Banana Pineapple Berry Smoothie
Orange Beet Tropical Smoothie
Vegan Vanilla Apple Pie Smoothie
Green Goddess Fruit Smoothie
Orange Mango Smoothie
Triple Berry Spinach Smoothie
Raspberry and Strawberry Smoothie
Peanut Butter Fudge Smoothie
Pineapple Blueberry Coconut Smoothie
Strawberry Almond Milk Smoothie
Berry Beet Smoothie with Broccoli
Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt Smoothie
Vegan Carrot Cake Smoothie
Tropical Green Smoothie

Smoothie bowls

Green Smoothie Bowl
Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
Immune Boosting Friendship Smoothie Bowls
Strawberry Mango Banana Smoothie Bowl