A fruit and yogurt-based smoothie is the perfect star of a healthy breakfast or snack. Once you understand the proportion between fruit and yogurt, you can experiment by varying the ingredients. This article explains 5 different recipes, so you can choose whether to make a smoothie with strawberry and banana, tropical, berry, cinnamon or with strawberries, blueberries and bananas. Of course you can try them all if you want.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Step 1. Prepare the fruit
For this recipe you need about 200-250g of fresh fruit. Slice a banana and chop the strawberries after washing them.
- If you want your smoothie to taste mostly banana, add more than strawberries. If, on the other hand, you prefer a lighter smoothie that has only a slight hint of banana, use a generous amount of strawberries.
- You can freeze the banana and strawberries in advance to make a frozen smoothie.
Step 2. Choose a sweetener
Strawberries and bananas are sweet fruits in their own right, but you can add a sweetener of your choice if you wish to make the smoothie even tastier. You can use classic sugar or honey or agave syrup if you prefer to use a more natural ingredient. In any case, a teaspoon will suffice.
Step 3. Decide what kind of yogurt to use
You need 250 ml of natural, fruit or vanilla yogurt; choose the flavor you like best. You can use low-fat yogurt if you prefer, however whole yogurt will make the smoothie creamier and tastier.
Step 4. Blend the ingredients
Pour the yogurt, fruit, and sweetener into the blender or food processor. Blend the ingredients until they are all well blended and you no longer see large pieces of fruit visible.
- Check the consistency of the smoothie. If you prefer it less thick, you can add a few tablespoons of milk and resume blending.
- You can also add a few ice cubes to cool the smoothie and give it a sorbet-like texture.
Step 5. Serve the smoothie
Pour it into a clear glass that allows you to admire its pink hue. Put it in the refrigerator if you don't intend to drink it right away.
Method 2 of 5: Berries Smoothie
Step 1. Prepare the berries
You can use a combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc. in total you will need about 100-125 g. Examine them closely to discard any rotten or imperfect ones. After washing them, remove the leaves and petioles, if necessary.
- You can use frozen berries if it's not the right season to buy fresh ones.
- When it's time to choose which berries to use to make your smoothie, keep in mind that raspberries and blackberries taste delicious, but they can contain a significant amount of small seeds.
- If you want to use blueberries, it is best to choose them with a soft skin, otherwise you will have a hard time blending them.
Step 2. Mix the yogurt and milk
Berry fruits tend to have a moderate water content and a dense, almost gelatinous consistency. To dilute the smoothie it is best to use milk as well, in addition to yogurt. Mix 125ml of milk and 125ml of yogurt; if you want you can use skim milk, but keep in mind that the whole one will give more creaminess and taste to the smoothie.
Step 3. Decide what kind of sweetener to use
If you want to prioritize lightness, you can use a teaspoon of stevia or agave syrup. Another way to avoid using sugar is to add a few pieces of a very ripe banana.
Step 4. Blend the ingredients
Transfer the yogurt and milk mixture, berries, and sweetener to the blender. Blend the ingredients until no visible lumps remain. Make sure the smoothie has the right consistency and add more milk, yogurt or ice if you like.
Step 5. Serve the smoothie
Pour it in a glass, if you intend to drink it at home, or in a resealable bottle if you want to take it with you to school or work, to fill up on health for lunch or a snack.
Method 3 of 5: Tropical Smoothie
Step 1. Prepare the fruit
This recipe gives a nod to that of the piña colada and is perfect for cooling you down during the hot summer days. Tropical fruits can be fresh or frozen and should be cut into pieces after washing them. In total, you'll need around 200g of fruit, split between your favorite varieties. The options you can choose from include:
- Pineapple.
- Mango.
- Papaya.
- Guava.
- Passion fruit.
- Kiwi.
Step 2. Consider using Greek yogurt
Its characteristic dense consistency compensates for the typical juiciness of tropical fruits, in addition its marked sourness perfectly counterbalances the high sweetness of the fruit. You can use whole or low-fat yogurt; the required quantity is 250 g.
Step 3. Use fruit juice instead of sweetener
Enrich the taste of the smoothie with 50 ml of orange, pineapple, lime or mango juice.
Step 4. Blend the ingredients
Pour the yogurt, fruit, and juice into the blender. Keep blending until the ingredients are perfectly blended. You can add more yogurt if you want to make the smoothie creamier or more juice if you prefer to dilute it a little.
Step 5. Serve the smoothie
Pour it into a glass and drink it immediately. During the summer this smoothie can also be served as a dessert, just pour it into an ice cream bowl and add a colored straw.
Method 4 of 5: Cinnamon Smoothie
Step 1. Prepare the autumn fruits
Wash, peel and cut into small pieces an apple and a pear, two typical autumn fruits. Especially if the peel is hard it is recommended to remove it, otherwise you may find it difficult to blend it.
Step 2. Use 250ml of thick yogurt
To make the smoothie rich and creamy, as well as healthy, it is best to choose a full-fat yogurt with a thick consistency.
Step 3. Add spices and a sweetener of your choice
To warm up from the first cold, use half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg: two spices that recall the typical autumn scents and flavors. Also add a tablespoon of maple syrup to sweeten the smoothie.
Step 4. Blend the ingredients
Transfer the fruit, yogurt, spices, and maple syrup to the blender. Blend the smoothie until all the ingredients are well blended. If it is too thick, you can dilute it by adding a few tablespoons of milk.
Step 5. Serve the smoothie
Pour it into glasses, sprinkle it with a pinch of cinnamon and serve immediately.
Step 6. Enjoy it alone or in company
Method 5 of 5: Strawberry, Blueberry and Banana Smoothie
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients
You need a bowl of strawberries and a bowl of blueberries, a banana (optional), 10-15 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt and a few drops of vanilla extract.
Step 2. Slice the strawberries and banana
Cut them into medium-sized pieces after washing the strawberries. Don't worry about slicing the fruit precisely, as you will need to blend it.
Step 3. Transfer the fruit to the blender
Step 4. Add the vanilla yogurt
Pour about 10-15 tablespoons into the blender.
Step 5. Add a meager teaspoon of vanilla extract
Step 6. You can now customize the recipe
For example, you can add a handful of nuts or granola.
Step 7. Put the lid on the blender
Turn it on and blend the ingredients for about twenty seconds. Once ready, the smoothie will have a pink hue and will be dotted with small purple spots.
Step 8. Pour the smoothie into the glasses
Step 9. Enjoy it alone or in company
Advice
- You can add peanut or almond butter to any of these smoothies to enhance the taste.
- It is best to make one smoothie at a time if you are two or more people, otherwise the blender may not be able to hold all the ingredients.
- Feel free to experiment by combining fresh or frozen fruit differently. For example, you can try to freeze peaches and use them in combination with berries or instead of banana with strawberries.
