You’re scrolling through Instagram, and you see a smoothie bowl that’s thick and luscious with a quick change of your perspective; it looks like a work of art, so you wonder, how to make a smoothie thicker?
Some people wonder how to make smoothies thinner, others how to thicken them.
If you like thick smoothies, this guide will help you achieve the perfect smoothie consistency every time!
How To Make A Thick Smoothie With Frozen Fruit:
To make your smoothie thicker, use frozen fruits (like berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, bananas) instead of fresh counterparts. Fresh fruits are watery, so they may not be ideal when preparing thick smoothies. Also, they are expensive as
compared to their counterparts.
Frozen fruit gives your smoothie a thicker consistency without adding extra liquid or calories. Ideally, you can freeze fruits like bananas, mango, and pineapples. Bananas work great since they are frost-friendly and provide the natural sweetness to the smoothies.
They will always blend well (although it may take some time) with other ingredients due to their solubility, inducing thickness.
Remember, while working with frozen fruits, they may take longer to blend than their fresh counterparts unless you have a high-speed blender. So be sure to take your time, and wait until the ingredients blend entirely.
Ultimately, by substituting ice in your smoothie with frozen bananas, you’ll be able to thicken up your smoothie while maintaining its taste flavor.
If you wonder though, how to make smoothies thick without bananas – frozen berries are your answer!
Add Either Oats or Chia Seeds to Your Smoothies For Thickness
Ever thought of adding either oats or chia seeds to your smoothie? You should try.
Oats are a great source of soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. It’s also a rich source of B vitamins, iron, zinc, and other minerals.
On top of these health benefits, oats add thickness and creaminess to your smoothie. And the good thing is that; it is not a must you cook them. You can use them raw and enjoy similar
benefits.
Chia seeds are rich in proteins, soluble fiber, and healthy fats. Adding them to your smoothie will incredibly absorb liquid and turn into a gel-like consistency while adding thickness.
Ultimately, both Oats and Chia seeds are easy to add to any smoothie. Simply pour your mix in
your blender along with the oats or seeds and blend until smooth.
Add Ice Cubes or Tofu
Ice cubes will add thickness without altering the taste or consistency of your drink. It is a quick
solution for thickening smoothies since it requires no preparation.
Tofu is an alternative to ice cubes. Tofu is made from soybeans, and you can use it in place of ice cubes to thicken smoothies. It will also add protein and calcium to your drink.
However, Tofu has a very bland taste, so you most likely won’t be able to tell whether it’s in there unless you use a lot of it.
Use Minimum Liquid
The secret to making a smoothie thicker is simple: use less liquid. Some recipes call for as much as 3 cups of liquid, but that’s way too much.
Use the least amount of liquid needed to blend your ingredients. You’ll end up with a smoother,
thicker smoothie this way. Also, bear in mind, that if you use fresh fruit, they tend to be juicy, so that in itself will add more water content to the smoothie.
However, in case you exceed the threshold, be sure to add more ice cubes or frozen fruit to the mixture to increase the volume and thicken the smoothie.
How To Make Smoothie Bowls Thicker
Have you ever seen those beautifully decorated smoothie bowls? That is typically also so thick, and creamy. How do people achieve that?
The biggest secret is – frozen fruit, typically bananas! Frozen avocados are a great way of making your smoothie bowls thicker too.
However, the options listed above are also a perfect way of thickening your smoothie bowls. But with smoothie bowls, it’s always best to go with the frozen fruit route.
The Bottom Line:
If you want to make a thicker smoothie, you have various options at your disposal, depending on the nature of your smoothie.
As mentioned above, some fruit and vegetable choices are naturally thick enough to create a creamy texture.
Other times, you can rely on supplements like yogurt, cottage cheese, or kefir to thicken your smoothie. But all in all, it depends on your taste and preferences.
However, the bottom line is that all these ingredients add thickness and creaminess to your smoothie while also providing nutritional benefits.
Furthermore, making your smoothies thicker typically avoids them to have bits, which we all hate.