How to Make a Smoothie with Frozen Fruit and Milk

Ah, smoothie. It is something fresh and filling at the same time, who would not love it? The best way to make a smoothie is, of course, to use all fresh ingredients. Unfortunately, not all of us have the time to get fresh fruits and veggies once every three days. Thankfully, now we can buy fruits in a form that lasts longer: frozen. With frozen fruit, you can do grocery shopping once a month and store everything in the fridge!

But this does not mean you can just throw everything into the blender. There are steps you need to take in how to make a smoothie with frozen fruit and milk the perfect way. And that is what we’re going to discuss in this article.

Tips: Buying Frozen Fruits

Before we get to the point, there are some basic rules you need to know when it comes to buying frozen fruits. First of all, not all fruits can be frozen. Fruits like avocado change colors, textures, and even taste once they’re frozen. Other fruits like bananas need to be consumed within hours from the time they were put into the freezer. If you happen to find these fruits sold frozen at the supermarket, chances are lots of preservatives and additives added to the packaging process. Needless to say, those are not healthy options.

Another thing you should note is to pick only 100% natural frozen fruits. No need to add preservatives or additives since the sugars they contain are more than enough to keep them fresh in a frozen state. Next time you shop for frozen fruits, take a little bit of time to check what it says on the packaging. Only put them in your shopping cart if it is 100% natural.

The most recommended frozen fruits are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapples, watermelon, cherries, grapes, and mangos. They contain enough water and sugars to keep them fresh. Besides, their tastes remain the same even after being frozen for days. Some supermarkets also sell frozen fruits in their blended form. Those are good alternatives to whole or sliced frozen fruits. Just keep in mind to make sure they are 100% natural and not expired.

Use the Right Blender

Frozen fruits can be as tough as ice cubes. Therefore, you need a blender that is built to take a beating. Otherwise, you’ll end up damaging the blades and you will not be able to use the blender optimally anymore.

We have handpicked the best blenders for ice and frozen fruits that work best in this scenario. They are designed with the best machine and the perfect blades to cut through ices while blending your drink smoothly.

Who says great blenders are all expensive? If you need something cheaper, consider getting Hamilton Beach 58148A Ice Crush Power Elite Blender, even though we do not recommend blending plain dry ice cubes with it. But if you love something more high-tech, go for Blendtec Total Classic TB-621020. It has “tec” in its name! However, our top pick goes to Ninja BL660 Total Crushing Countertop Smoothies Blender. It is designed to cut through frozen fruits and ice with no issues while being both budget-friendly and durable.

Ninja BL660 Total Crushing Countertop Smoothies Blender

This is an 1100-watt base blender with three speeds setting and a pulsing feature with a great design and a style that makes it both a great countertop item and a personal blender. Each purchase comes with a complete kit, including a 72-oz pitcher and Nutri Ninja cups for your convenience.

View price on Amazon

Can you make a smoothie using a food processor? The answer is no. A food processor and a blender are different from one another, even though their builds are technically the same. To learn more about the differences and the similarities, read our articles on “Can You Use a Blender as a Food Processor?”

How to Make a Smoothie with Frozen Fruit and Milk

There are many recipes and ways to make a smoothie. We have researched through the most popular ones and come up with a great combination that does not take too long to prep. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to make a fresh, healthy smoothie with frozen fruit and milk!

Use fresh and organic ingredients

A good smoothie must be made of only fresh ingredients. It would be even better if you can get your hands on organic ingredients. For our recipe, we only need four ingredients: frozen fruit of your liking, milk, sweetener, and ice cubes (if necessary). Let’s take a look at each ingredient closely.

• Frozen fruit

As we’ve mentioned before, you should only use 100% natural frozen fruits to ensure their nutrients. That said, you should note that most frozen fruits are already peeled off. So you will more or less lose some nutrients you would get from fresh natural fruits.

Since it will not take so much time to prep frozen fruits to make a smoothie, you can mix more than two kinds of fruits in one smoothie. How about a banana-blueberry-mango smoothie? Or perhaps a raspberry-mango-strawberry smoothie? Both sound delicious!

• Milk

Only use fresh milk from the farm for the best result. Powdered and condensed milk are not the same thing. And if you choose to use them instead of fresh milk, you will not have the same taste and texture of a smoothie.

• Sweetener

We do not recommend adding sugar into your smoothie as most fruits, especially berries, are already sweet on their own. But if you need it, consider adding honey instead of sugar. It is healthier and richer! Add the sweetener of your choice only at the end. Taste your smoothie first before adding the sweetener to make sure you do not add too much. Better yet, perhaps you do not need to add it at all!

• Ice Cubes

Like sweetener, this ingredient is not necessary. But some frozen fruits are so thick when blended, so adding ice cubes to the mix is a great way to make it more enjoyable. You can blend in together with your frozen fruits and milk or you can just add them later in the end as you would most beverages. It is your choice!

Keep the frozen fruits in the freezer until the last moment

Do not leave your frozen fruits out before you start blending. Only take them out of the fridge when you are about to put them into the blender. This helps to maintain its consistency. Besides, this way they will not melt away on your kitchen counter.

Do not add water

Adding water will compromise the consistency of your smoothie due to the temperature changes. Even cold water is still less cool than frozen fruits. So if you mix them together, your frozen fruits will be defrosted, however slightly. If a perfect texture is something you are aiming for, avoid this.

So, what happened if you need to add more liquid when your smoothie is too thick? You can either add more milk or throw in a couple of ice cubes into the blender.

Add milk bit by bit

Like water, milk – even if it is cold – is still at a higher temperature compared to the frozen fruits. While you can ditch water completely, you need milk in the mixture. Otherwise, this post will not be titled how to make a smoothie with frozen fruit and MILK.

Though you cannot avoid the defrosting process when you add milk, you can at least slow it down. Instead of pouring the milk all at once, pour it bit by bit as you keep blending at the lowest setting. Needless to say, it is best to add milk after your frozen fruits are completely blended.

Use less sweetener

Once everything blends, take a taste of your smoothie. Only then you should decide whether or not you need to add a sweetener like sugar and honey. Keep in mind that fruits are already sweet on their own. By tasting before adding sweetener, you avoid making your smoothie too sweet.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to make a smoothie with frozen fruit and milk, it is time to revisit your daily smoothie menu. No need to wait for strawberries to be in season, just grab the frozen ones at the supermarket! And voila! You have your own homemade strawberry smoothies anytime you want. Since they are already frozen, there’s no need to add ice cubes. How convenient! So, are you ready to make a smoothie today?

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