Tropical Smoothie

At a glance

What stands out: Refreshing and lighter, this tropical smoothie recipe is a reliable frosty treat for hot summer days! A smoothie also makes a great post work-out refresher, a straightforward breakfast, or an after-school snack. From-scratch smoothies are so much healthier than purchased smoothies.

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: blender
Servings: 4 (one cup servings)

About this Smoothie Recipe

Budget friendly. Go to a smoothie shop and you can easily spend more than seven dollars on a smoothie. This one is much more inexpensive to make, and you can make it just the way you want it.

Straightforward to mix. The only special equipment you’ll need to make a spectacular fruit smoothie is a blender. It doesn’t matter what kind of blender you have. More powerful blenders might get the job done more quickly but our mom uses a blender that she got for a wedding present forty years ago and it works fine.

Lots of nutrition. Depending on what you add, a smoothie can be a nutrition powerhouse. Fruit, milk, juice are all wholesome ingredients that will leave you feeling refreshed and renewed, with little added sugar and zero fat.

Kid-friendly. If you’d like to get your kids to eat more fruit, a smoothie is a great way to sneak some in. Serve a tropical smoothie for breakfast along with silver dollar pancakes, and we guarantee you’ll see smiles.

What goes in

• Frozen tropical fruit: Look in the freezer section of your grocery store to find a bag of this frozen fruit mix. It usually contains strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple.
• Banana: You can use either frozen or fresh ripe bananas. (Learn how to freeze bananas so you always have some on hand to make smoothies.) The ripe banana adds creaminess and sweetness to your smoothie. If you use fresh, you might need to add a little ice to get the consistency just right.
• Milk: It doesn’t matter what kind of milk you use, dairy or non-dairy.
• Orange juice: Orange juice contributes to the tropical vibes of this smoothie.
• Honey: The fruit adds a lot of natural sweetness but we love the extra flavor the honey adds to the smoothie. If you prefer, it can be omitted.

How it comes together

Put all of the ingredients into a blender.

Press the button to blend (and anticipate a rich tropical smoothie!).

This recipe makes about four cups, depending on the size of the banana you use. Pour your smoothie into glasses and enjoy!

Adjusting Consistency of a Smoothie

Is your smoothie too thin? Add a few ice cubes, and blend until smooth. Is your smoothie too thick? Add a little more juice or milk until it’s just the right consistency. To make a thicker, more-like-a-slushy smoothie, add ice. If you like a creamier, more-like-a-milkshake consistency, omit ice. We almost always add a frozen banana instead of ice to our smoothies. We love the extra sweetness, nutrition, and texture that bananas add.

How it comes together

Some sort of liquid is needed to process the smoothie. For a more creamy texture, use milk, yogurt, or a non-dairy substitute like almond or soy milk. If you feel that milk will clash with the fruit or mask the flavor, try adding fruit juices, coconut water, pineapple water, or tea to your smoothie. This pineapple smoothie is made with coconut milk.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

Smoothies are endlessly adaptable. Make the smoothie of your dreams (or at the least, make a smoothie with the ingredients you have on hand).

• Make it non-dairy or vegan: Use almond milk, coconut milk, or any other non-dairy alternative.
• Up the protein: Substitute Greek yogurt for some or all of the milk or add a scoop of protein power.
• Switch up the fruit: Use any combination of frozen fruit. If you happen to have a surplus of fresh fruit on hand, freeze some of it to make smoothies later on.
• Prep ahead: Bananas getting too ripe for you? Peel them, and pop them into resealable bags to make smoothies later on.
• Make without orange juice: Don’t have orange juice? Use another kind of juice, or substitute more milk or water.
• Adjust the sweetness: Skip the honey, or substitute a different sweetener. Agave, maple syrup, or just plain sugar work fine.
• Make more or less: This recipe can easily be doubled or halved.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Any time you have excess fruit in your refrigerator or pantry that’s close to becoming overripe, cut it up and freeze it. Try to buy fruit that’s in season (or maybe pick your own!) when they’re abundant and less expensive. You’ll want to eat lots of it fresh, of course, but freeze the excess in resealable freezer bags or containers to use for smoothies later on.

Keeping leftovers

Storage: Leftover smoothies can be stored in the fridge for one or two days. Keep in mind that if you’ve used ice or frozen fruit in your smoothie, it will melt/thaw and affect the consistency.

Freezing: You can freeze smoothies. Why not make a big batch and have a smoothie every day? Pour blended smoothie mixture into serving size containers or glass jars. Allow a half inch head space for expansion. Cover tightly, and freeze for up to three months. We like to thaw smoothies overnight in the fridge for just the right consistency: not too frozen, not too runny. Reliable for breakfast!

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen fruit (mango, peach, pineapple, strawberry)
• 1 ripe banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup milk of your choice (see note)
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add ice to make texture thicker, or more milk or water to make thinner.
2. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Notes

Milk: Use regular milk (non-fat, 2%, whole) or your choice of non-dairy milk (almond, coconut, soy, etc.). Greek yogurt can be substituted for milk if you’d like to add extra protein.

Sweetener: The honey can be omitted if you prefer, or another type of sweetener can be substituted, such as granulated sugar, agave, maple syrup, and so on.

Fruit choices: Any kind of frozen fruit combination can be used.

Yield: The recipe makes 4 servings, with 1 cup per serving. It can easily be doubled or halved, if you like.

To freeze: Pour smoothie mixture into jars or airtight containers, leaving room for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge.