Vitamix Smoothies {Video}

You’d be hard-pressed to find a healthier, more well-rounded way of eating that takes less time to prepare than Vitamix smoothies. Simply select ingredients based on seasonality and availability, blend everything in seconds, and take your finished smoothie wherever you go.

In this post, I’m going to share tips for making the best Vitamix smoothies as well as my favorite smoothie recipes. 

Vitamix smoothies are a part of my daily routine. Regardless of the weather or season, there is nothing like a smoothie to kickstart my day, boost my energy levels, fuel me after a workout, satisfy my cravings… you name it. I could honestly live off of smoothies.

I started making smoothies years ago when I was in college. Back then I owned an Oster blender and made a smoothie every morning. The blender couldn’t handle much more than soft fruit, spinach, and powders, but my budget didn’t allow for anything fancier.

A few years (and blenders) later, I got my first Vitamix. My husband’s grandma was downsizing and generously gifted me her then 20-year old Vitamix. I was so excited to finally make smoothies with kale, celery, or ginger without having to worry about my blender not keeping up. The funny thing is that not even a month later, my husband’s grandma got herself a brand new Vitamix because she missed it so much.  

I think that many people can relate to this. I receive a lot of emails inquiring about travelling with Vitamix, whether it’s taking it on the plane, packing it safely into a suitcase, or using it in a country operating on a higher/lower wattage. Personally, I don’t travel with my Vitamix, but I do feel the pain every time I have to part with it and potentially have no option to make a smoothie.

Vitamix Smoothies

High-speed blenders, such as the Vitamix, are able to perform certain tasks that standard blenders are simply not able to, e.g. make smoothies with a consistent, lusciously smooth and creamy texture. There is nothing worse than a smoothie with chunks of frozen strawberries or stringy kale leaves. Nobody likes to chew their smoothie.

Powerful blenders have also the ability to blend fruits and vegetables in their entirety. There is no need to chop up or prep ingredients. Vitamix can easily pulverize tough pineapple cores, fibrous kale stems, woody ginger peel… everything is puréed into a rich and creamy smoothie with no chunks or bits to chew. Smoothie enthusiasts love this because it let’s them pack more nutrition into their drinks. Chefs love this because it saves them time.

There is literally no limit to what kind of smoothies you can make in a high-speed blender.

Tips for Making Smoothies

Ingredients

Smoothies are one of the easiest things to prepare. Honestly. All you need are fruits and/or vegetables and liquid. You could end right there, or you could also add superfoods, protein powders, or flavor boosters.

The most important thing is to pick a theme and make sure the ingredients compliment each other. For example, if you wanted to make a tropical smoothie, you would probably select ingredients such as mango, pineapple, and coconut milk. If you were craving chocolate ice cream smoothie, the ingredients might include bananas, cocoa powder, and almond butter. 

Smoothie Formula

It’s relatively easy to mix and match ingredients to create your own custom blend. Here is a simple formula to help you make the perfect smoothie every single time.

If you are new to smoothies, you may want to start with more fruit and slowly implement more vegetables. You could also add more flavor boosters in the beginning and gradually move to superfoods instead. Here are a few examples:

• Start with a banana, then try an avocado.
• Swap a pear for zucchini.
• Substitute an orange for a cucumber.
• Move from spinach to kale or collard greens.
• Replace juice with coconut water or even plain water.
• Try adding green powder instead of cocoa powder.

How to Make Vitamix Smoothies

1. Freeze some produce first. Not only is freezing fruits and vegetables for smoothies practical – who has time to peel and cut produce on a busy weekday morning? – but frozen produce also creates the most luscious creamy smoothie. Frozen produce also makes any smoothie nice and cold. I never add ice to my smoothies. I find that it really waters down the flavor and makes the texture too slushy like. I prefer to use frozen produce instead of ice.
2. Load the Vitamix container correctly. Many blender users are not aware that there is a correct sequence to adding food and liquids to a blender. To properly layer items in a Vitamix container, start with liquids followed by soft items, and finally hard items. Not only does correct layering of ingredients creates the fastest and smoothest blends, but it also prolongs the life of the Vitamix blender. Keep in mind that if you’re using the Vitamix personal cup, you will need to fill it up in the opposite order, starting with the ice, so it will be on top when you blend.

1. Blend. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then increase to its highest speed. Blend until smooth, using the tamper to press the ingredients down into the blade. The longer you blend, the warmer the smoothie gets. So, I try to get everything smooth as quickly as possible.

How to Store Vitamix Smoothies

You probably know that smoothies are best when fresh – not only will they taste better, but they will also be more nutritious. 

The main problem with storing smoothies is oxidation. Oxidation happens when the ingredients in the smoothies are exposed to air. The best way to prevent oxidation is to minimize the amount of surface area exposed to air.

When it comes to storing smoothies for later, fill the container to the very top (any air trapped inside the container will cause oxidation) and seal it with an airtight lid. You can store smoothies in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. 

A bonus tip: add a splash of lemon juice to your smoothie to help prevent the oxidation process even more. Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is a natural anti-oxidant. 

Vitamix Green Smoothie Recipes

Sometimes the hardest part about using a Vitamix blender is finding and trying new recipes. If you need a new recipe, here are a few of my favorite green smoothie recipes. You can also see how to make some of the smoothies in the video below:

Cucumber Pineapple Smoothie

This cucumber pineapple smoothie is one of my favorite green smoothie combinations – not too sweet, not too thick and super hydrating. The flavor is tart-sweet and the consistency is creamy yet refreshing. This is one of the green smoothies you’ll want to make again and again.

Apple Spinach Smoothie

Another smoothie that is one of my go-to green smoothie recipes. It’s smooth but not overly creamy, slightly sweet, slightly tart, and vibrantly green. This smoothie is perfectly balanced and great for any time and season.

Kale Kiwi Smoothie

Kale can sometimes be overpowering in smoothies, but this smoothie is different. While it’s packed with dark leafy greens, it tastes fruity, slightly sweet, and perfectly tart. It’s a great morning pick-me-up.

Detox Island Green Smoothie

One of the most popular detox smoothies in the United States is the Detox Island Green smoothie. It’s served at the Tropical Smoothie Café and continues to be their best-selling smoothie. The smoothie is a perfect combination of greens and tropical fruit.

Zucchini Smoothie

Get your vegetables in with this delicious, creamy zucchini smoothie. It seems like almost all creamy smoothies out there contain a banana, right? Well, not this one! This green zucchini smoothie is creamy without any banana. It’s only mildly sweet and undetectably loaded with vegetables.

Vitamix Smoothies – Troubleshooting

Quick Vitamix Smoothie Fixes

If you make a not-so-good smoothie, there is always a way to recover it. 

• Too thin: add a frozen banana, avocado, yogurt, oats, flax seeds or chia seeds.
• Too thick: add more liquid.
• Too icy: add a banana, avocado, cashews, or yogurt.
• Too sweet: add citrus fruit, strawberries, tart cherries, or green apple.
• Too bitter: add sweet fruit, flavor boosters and/or flavored protein powders.
• Too bland: add flavor boosters and/or flavored protein powders.

One more tip: if you think that your smoothie is absolutely unsalvageable but you don’t want to waste all those ingredients, freeze it in an ice cube tray. Any time you make a new smoothie, throw one of those smoothie cubes in. It’s very unlikely you would be able to taste it. And remember – if your smoothies don’t taste incredible, you either need to change your recipe(s) or upgrade your blender.

Why is my smoothie gritty?

Sometimes, seeds and protein powders can cause unpleasantly gritty smoothies. To fix it, try pouring the smoothie through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheese cloth.

Why is my smoothie foamy?

Foam can develop at the top of smoothies. This foam consists of the insoluble fibers found in the skin of vegetables and fruits, particularly apples, celery, and leafy greens. To prevent foam to begin with, use fruits and vegetables with primarily soluble fibers, such as bananas, mangoes, or avocados. Another option is to use frozen fruits and vegetables that have soluble fibers because the icy consistency helps them from causing foam build-up. 

If you’ve already made the smoothie and see foam, turn the blender to its lowest speed and blend for a few seconds to draw the bubbles into the blade and allow them to burst. 

Why did my smoothie separate?

Smoothies are suspensions of foods with different densities, so when you let them sit (or store them in the refrigerator overnight), they might separate. Just stir the smoothie with a spoon (or shake the storage container if sealed) and drink it before it separates again. 

Note: the thicker (creamier) the smoothie, the less likely it is to separate. Ingredients that help prevent separation include avocados, bananas, mangoes, coconut milk/coconut cream, nut butters, yogurt, and oats.

How do I turn my smoothie into a smoothie bowl?

Any smoothie can be turned into a smoothie bowl. Simply add extra frozen fruits/vegetables (or freeze any produce you will be adding to the smoothie) and reduce the amount of liquid. You will only need a little bit of liquid to help it blend, but only a small amount so it stays thick. Once smooth, transfer the smoothie into a bowl and top it with fresh fruit, granola, chia seeds, coconut flakes, or any other toppings you like.

My blender seems to get stuck when I make a smoothie. Is there a trick to loading it?

Combining smoothie ingredients in the wrong order can cause frozen fruit and ice to get caught in the blender blade. Too many frozen ingredients are another reason the blender might be stalling; use a mix of fresh and frozen produce to ensure a smoother blend. 

Which Vitamix blender is best for making smoothies?

Any Vitamix model can make smoothies. 

Which Vitamix container is best for making smoothies?

All full-size Vitamix containers with a wet blade can make smoothies. However, the most versatile container is the 64-oz (tall) container. It has a large capacity yet it’s capable of making single servings. It creates a perfectly controlled vortex, systematically folding ingredients back into the blade, so the contents of the blender don’t splash around or up to the lid during blending. It’s the most versatile out of all Vitamix containers (you don’t typically need an additional container to get any job done).

If you have any questions about making smoothies in a Vitamix (or any other questions), let me know in the comments below. I respond to all comments within 24 hours.