Frozen Smoothie Packs

Keep frozen smoothie packs in your freezer stash for super-fast breakfasts and snacks. Waste less, save money, and get your fruits and veggies in for the day with these smoothie packs frozen ahead of time! From high protein smoothies to everyday green smoothies, nothing beats having a healthy breakfast already done for you!

My family and I have been drinking smoothies on a daily basis for a long time. Once I mastered the art of a Perfect Green Smoothie, the whole family got on board!

But everyone in the family has a different favorite flavor for their smoothies. One kid likes strawberry banana. One kid likes Blueberry Cheesecake. And I’m partial to a Green Smoothie with Pineapple.

And sometimes, I have little bits and pieces of a few things that I’m not sure what else to do with.

So, I throw them in frozen smoothie packs.

WHY MAKE FREEZER SMOOTHIE PACKS?

Here’s why I love to have smoothie packs frozen on hand:

• Breakfast is ready in minutes. With smoothie packs frozen in the freezer, I can have a smoothie ready in less than two minutes, which is great on busy days because breakfast is important!
• They save me money. The amount of produce we throw away is minimal because anything and everything that can be blended is saved for smoothies!
• Endless flavors. You can try new fruit and vegetable combinations so you never run out of flavors to try.
• Cheap source of protein. When you use some of these cheap sources of protein, you can create a smoothie that can easily replace a meal.
• Easy to make. You need ZERO skills to make smoothie packs frozen. Literally – you just put the ingredients in a bag!
• I can make a bunch at once. You know I’m a fan of meal prep and making a big batch of things when I can, and smoothie freezer packs are no different. It doesn’t take long to restock my freezer with these!
• It’s like dessert, for breakfast! A smoothie made with frozen fruit has the texture of a milkshake, and it makes breakfast a huge treat!
• Quick snacks. After school snack time is a breeze when I have a few different flavors ready to go in the freezer.

FROZEN SMOOTHIE MIX INGREDIENTS

Smoothies are INCREDIBLY flexible and are largely a “use what you have” type of food. However, sometimes it’s helpful to have a starting point and a flexible “formula” of sorts. Here are a few ingredients that work great in frozen smoothie mix packs.

• Fruit (Fresh or Frozen)
• Liquid (for blending, but not for freezing) – Dairy milk, non-dairy milk (almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk), orange juice, or water. You can even use the leftover juice from canned fruit, as long as it’s juice and not heavy syrup.
• Vegetables (optional) – Spinach, kale (½ the quantity of spinach to mask the taste of kale), yellow beet, celery, cucumber, zucchini, carrots.
• Creamy Factor – Greek yogurt, mango, banana, avocado. Kefir is also good and doubles as a liquid as well.
• Sweetener (optional) – Dates, stevia, overripe banana, honey.

PREMADE SMOOTHIE PACKS NOTES

• Some ingredients can overlap with their purpose. For example, bananas can be both the creamy factor and the sweetener in your frozen smoothie mix. The same goes for mangoes and berries and kefir.
• Ratio matters: For every 1 vegetable, you need 2 fruits.
• It doesn’t matter if you use fresh or frozen fruit for your premade smoothie packs. Frozen ingredients make a more “milkshake” style smoothie, while fresh ingredients make a very smooth smoothie.

If you have fruit or vegetables on the verge of going bad (which means they’re PERFECT for smoothies!), here’s how to freeze strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, citrus, and avocado.

HOW TO MAKE SMOOTHIE PACKS AHEAD OF TIME

Step 1: Cut produce into 1-2” pieces. I have a Blendtec and a KitchenAid blender, both of which are capable of blending anything into a smooth, creamy liquid. However, I recommend cutting all produce into 1-2” pieces to avoid frozen chunks in the end, and so you don’t overheat your blender, especially if you don’t have a Blendtec (or Vitamix).

Step 2: Pack fruit or vegetable chunks first. Putting big chunks in the bottom of the bag gives you the leverage to break them apart when they freeze together (which they will).

Step 3: Greens go in last. Yes, I know the greens are in the bottom in my pictures – that’s just for pictures! It’s important to pack the greens in last (or on top of everything else) so that when the smoothie packs are frozen, it’s easier to get everything out of the bag and into your blender jar.

Step 4: Don’t pack your liquids. A great way to save money is to freeze small amounts of leftover milk or juice in ice cube trays. However, your blender needs some amount of liquid in order to blend properly. When you use the frozen chunks of milk or juice, your smoothie comes out more icy than creamy. (See my tips below for how to use up those cubes!)

Step 5: Don’t pack your smoothie booster. Here are a few easy ways to sneak extra nutrition into smoothies, but you don’t necessarily want to pack them all in the smoothie mix bag. Protein powder and small seeds, like chia seeds, get stuck in the bag, and you won’t really know how much ends up in your smoothie.

I recommend packing boosters separately in their own small container.

Step 6: A freezer bag is preferred over glass jars. Here’s how you can freeze glass jars without breaking them, but to be honest you can save a lot of room in the freezer by using plastic bags. Why?

• They don’t get hot, so you don’t have to worry about BPA.
• If you pack them the right way, you only need a quick rinse to clean them.
• You can reuse smoothie-pack plastic bags until they don’t seal anymore!
• Freeze them lying flat, and then you can stack them or line them up like file folders to save space.

I like these reusable bags for my freezer smoothie packs. I also have these baggy holders, which make loading up the bags super easy!

TIPS FOR MAKING SMOOTHIE PACKS FROZEN

• Invest in good tools. Not everyone has the budget to invest, but when you’re ready to, here’s what I recommend:
  • High-speed blender, like a Blendtec (this is the one I have or a Vitamix or a KitchenAid K400).
  • Baggie Holders. I have these and they make filling smoothie packs SO easy!
  • Kitchen Scale. Perfect for weighing food so you get exactly what you want (this is the one I have).
• Each smoothie pack makes 1 smoothie. However, if you have two hungry kids, and your blender is heavy-duty, you can double up your smoothies.
• Don’t freeze the liquid – Add your liquid at the time of blending your frozen smoothie mix. You will need the liquid to help the smoothie pack become a smoothie. See below if you’re starting with frozen liquid.
• Put frozen cubes of milk or juice in the blender ahead of time to thaw. The best smoothies start with some sort of liquid (if everything is frozen solid, the blender won’t work). Definitely use the frozen cubes of leftover milk or juice you have saved but toss them in the blender either the night before or even just 10-15 minutes before you blend so they have a chance to thaw.
• Add spices! A sprinkle of cinnamon, vanilla powder, or even nutmeg can make some amazing flavor combinations. (Also, cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut trick your brain into thinking something is sweeter than it actually is!) A touch of cocoa powder turns any smoothie into chocolatey goodness.
• Keep a smoothie tub in the fridge. This is for any uneaten pieces of banana or applesauce that toddlers and new recipes tend to leave behind. Collect the extras and either make a smoothie when it’s full OR freeze the fruit for a future smoothie. (How to freeze strawberries or bananas, blueberries, raspberries, citrus, and avocado.)
• Smoothies are best fresh. No doubt, smoothies taste best freshly made. If you HAVE to make it ahead of time, make it no sooner than the night before. That’s why making smoothie packs frozen ahead of time is so helpful – you can blend it up quickly in the morning!
• Add your powders to the blender last. To prevent getting them stuck at the bottom of the blender jar, make sure you measure your powders last after you’ve put your frozen smoothie pack into the blender.
• Don’t forget to label it! I like to note the flavor profile (strawberry banana, mango pineapple, etc.) and the date. You can freeze smoothie packs for up to 3 months.

POSSIBLE ADD-INS FOR SMOOTHIE PACKS FROZEN AHEAD

Fruit alone is healthy, but there are a few ways to boost the nutrition of a smoothie to really pack in the vitamins and minerals:

• Grass-fed Collagen. One scoop of collagen packs 10g of protein and is proven to help hair grow long and nails grow strong! After a side-by-side test, I now only buy grass-fed collagen from Perfect Supplements. Click HERE to shop for grass-fed collagen.
• Flax Seed. Flax seeds, ground or whole, have a nutty taste that works well with nut butter smoothies. I’ve shared the nutritional benefits of flaxseed, and as a bonus, they make great egg-replacers, making them a multi-purpose pantry staple!
• Acai Powder. Acai berries are packed with antioxidants. However, acai pulp can have added ingredients, including sugar, so I recommend buying acai powder. I get mine at Perfect Supplements as well, and I stock up when there’s a sale.
• Nut Butters. Nut butters and peanut butter are great for their fat content (more than protein). Since a little bit goes a long way in terms of flavor, just a tablespoon or two can transform a plain smoothie into a super-rich smoothie worthy of being called a meal. Here’s how to make your own nut butter using the small bits at the bottom of a container.
• Nut Powders. PB Fit, PB2, and Chocolate PB Fit are super tasty, but be sure to watch out for added sugars. Naked PB is a good sugar-free brand.
• Yogurt. Yogurt is high in protein and helps make smoothies creamy. Fresh yogurt is best, but you can also use frozen yogurt. (Here’s how to freeze yogurt, and if you’re REALLY feeling fancy, here’s how to make yogurt from scratch.)
• Rolled Oats. You only need a ¼ cup to make a smoothie “stick to your bones.” And most kids don’t even notice it! Also, quick oats work, but steel cut oats don’t.

SMOOTHIE PACKS FROZEN FAQS

FAVORITE HEALTHY SMOOTHIE RECIPES

• Cheesecake Blueberry Smoothie
• The Best Green Smoothie Recipe for Beginners
• Green Maca Smoothie
• Strawberry Detox Smoothie
• Eggnog Smoothie
• High Protein No Powder (check out my ebook for more creative flavors)
• 12 Natural Ways to Boost the Protein in Smoothies
• 5-Day Smoothie Fast
• 7 Days of Green Smoothie Recipes

WATCH HOW TO MAKE SMOOTHIE PACKS FROZEN