With the rise of the smoothie trend, there have been many fast-food chains ‘pop-up’ around the country, and many fast-food brands have also started making smoothies too.
Everyone can have their favorite place to get a smoothie, but, if you cannot choose, take a look at my favorites.
Today, I will be breaking down the best fast-food smoothies, the top healthy places to get a smoothie, and the least healthy places, that are still delicious!
So, if you need an idea of where to grab your next smoothie, stick around.
My Personal Favorite Smoothie Chain
My favorite smoothie chain is Planet Smoothie.
When choosing my personal favorite, it was quite a challenge.
I have been an expert in making smoothies for many years, and create new recipes for smoothies all the time, so finding something that lived up to my expectations was no easy challenge.
I have tried different smoothies from different smoothie chains across the United States, from New Jersey to South California.
It was a tough choice between Nekter Juice Bar and Planet Smoothie.
Yet, Planet Smoothie has so much variety that it won me over. As a smoothie expert who loves to see healthy smoothies on the menu, I can say Planet Smoothie is not 100% healthy.
But, their smoothies are highly customizable meaning that even some of their unhealthy options can be made healthier.
You can add high protein ingredients and fibrous ingredients, and they steer clear of using pulp or juice which is not so good for you as heartandstroke.ca states!
Planet Smoothie also delivers and has a constantly updating menu making them accessible and up-to-date. Their ‘Best Tasting Smoothie on the Planet’ title is not untrue either.
They are tasty, and Planet Smoothies are mostly healthy, which serve the purpose of health and happiness for their customers.
This is why Planet Smoothie is my favorite fast-food smoothie chain.
Healthiest Fast-Food Smoothies
Although Planet Smoothie is the healthiest smoothie chain with the most options and customization, the healthiest option has to be Nektar Juice Bar.
Nektar does lack the extensive options and widespread reach of Planet Smoothie. Although there are Nektar Juice Bar locations across the U.S. they are not as common as Planet Smoothie.
They have a variety on their menu too, from superfood smoothies to fresh juice, handcrafted bowls, and even wellness shots.
They do only have 13 smoothies on their menu, but, their menu is fully customizable or you can make your own, which I love.
Their smoothies are all very healthy, and even the smoothies high in calories are fairly low in sugar but high in protein.
Much like Planet Smoothie, Nektar uses all fresh ingredients and even makes some of their nut milk and nut butters themselves. It is a tie between Nektar and Planet Smoothie.
Best Fast Food Smoothies: Not So Healthy But Tasty Places!
Smoothie King smoothies has some of the tastiest fast food smoothies!
I can’t say that Smoothie King is super healthy. They have a lot of very unhealthy options on their menu, and while they are customizable, they haven’t quite reached the degree of customization that Planet Smoothie and Nektar have.
That being said, Smoothie King smoothies are delicious!
They do have options that are tailored towards being healthy, but they also have many smoothies that are decadent treats.
The Berry Punch and Banana Boat are treats. The Banana Boat comes in at 480 calories for only 20 ounces with a whopping 75 grams of sugar. Meanwhile, the Berry Punch is not so hefty in its calories or sugar, however, it does have a lot of sugar overall thanks to the use of juice.
Their ‘Feel Energized’ line is also not so healthy with a 20 oz ‘Coffee D-Lite Mocha‘ having more calories than a 20 oz Berry Punch and 55 grams of sugar with 37 grams of added sugar and nearly 250mg of sodium.
However, this blend is a good choice for a workout with its high protein.
It is delicious and great for coffee lovers, but I still would not say it is healthy as according to healthline.com there is such thing as too much protein.
Smoothie King can be healthy if you know what you want nutritionally and are aware of the nutrients you should pay attention to and their place in your diet.
Yet, for the most of consumers, this is not the case, so while these smoothies are delicious, I can’t say they’re healthy.
Another similar smoothie chain in its deliciousness but lack of healthfulness would be Jamba Juice.
Jamba Juice is a lot like Smoothie King in that they do have healthy options, but for the most part, their menu is primarily tasty treats.
The Full List Of The Best Fast Food Smoothies:
To give you a concise and clear list of the best fast food smoothies, regardless if they are healthy or not, here’s the list:
- Fiji Island Breeze – Planet Smoothie.
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie – Mcdonalds.
- Banana Boat Smoothie – Smoothie King.
- Apple ‘N’ Greens Smoothie – Jamba Juice.
- Peach and Blueberry Smoothie – Panera Bread.
- Mango Magic Smoothie – Tropical Smoothie.
- Tropical Mango Smoothie – Dunkin’ Donuts.
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie – Burger King
- Strawberry Banana Premium Fruit Smoothie – Dairy Queen.
Which Fast-Food Smoothies Have A Drive-Thru?
Much to my joy, Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened up its first double drive-thru in 2022 according to prnewswire.com.
This happened in Oklahoma City. While this does mean not all Tropical Smoothie locations have a drive-thru, it does open up the potential for more in the future.
What is even better is that Planet Smoothie has many drive-thru’s, and in fact, have seen their business do even better as a result of this!
They started rolling out more drive-thru windows in 2019, and it has been standard in a majority of Planet Smoothie locations ever since!
Jamba Juice also has drive-thru’s in some locations, but not all. Yet, they are looking to increase the number of locations with Drive-thrus in the future.
Another smoothie chain that has joined the drive-thru trend is Smoothie King, which opened an incredible 77 locations in 2022 alone according to qsrmagazine.com.
Smoothie King also started opening a drive-thru at the same time, They launched their prototype for a drive-thru in 2022 with extra convenience and a system much like you see at fast-food chains like Mcdonald’s.
So, the full list of fast food places that have a drive-thru offering smoothies are:
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe
- Smoothie King
- Planet Smoothie
- Jamba Juice
- Dairy Queen
- Burger King
- McDonald’s
Wrap Up: Best Fast Food Smoothies
What can I say other than that smoothies are becoming exceedingly popular and more brands are becoming more health-conscious about their ingredients and recipes?
Even the chains that are not super healthful still ensure they have a healthy aspect to their menu.
With even more drive-thru’s popping up across the United States at smoothie locations, the future may be covered in healthy smoothies!
But, at the moment for me, nothing quite beats Planet Smoothie and its customizable menu in terms of a fast-food smoothie chain!
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