I was recently reading the Everyday Food blog, written by the Everyday Food team at Martha Stewart, and I had one of those, why have I never tried that moments.
I am sure this idea is not unique or original to them, but something about reading it written by the Everyday Food blog, made me realize it was a great idea. I could not believe I had never done it before.
What was the idea? It was freezer or make ahead smoothies. So, simple and yet so smart.
Their idea was basically to make your smoothies ahead and freeze them. They suggested freezing them in Ziploc type bags. Then when you need one for breakfast, you simply remove the bag from the freezer, place it in the fridge overnight, and it will be the perfect consistency in the morning.
I loved this idea and knew it would work perfect for my family. I gave it a try and smoothies will never be the same in our house.
We love these. It is so easy to make a large batch or two of smoothies once a week and freeze them for use throughout the week.
I did however change the technique a little bit. I have a bunch of little reusable freezer containers in various size that I think are less expensive than using Ziploc freezer bags. Both the Ziploc bags and small containers work, I just prefer the reusable containers.
The larger containers do take a little longer to defrost. If I need them for breakfast the next day, I usually try to place the containers in the refrigerator about dinner time the night before. I have found that it takes ten to twelve hours for them to defrost to the consistency that we like. The Ziploc bags and smaller containers do not take quite as long to defrost.
I really like using the containers because we can just drink the smoothies right from them. I also like that fact that we can easily take them with us for a snack or quick meal on the go.
The Everyday Food Blog suggested that you not use a dairy based smoothie because the texture would not be as good, well I totally disagree on that one. Most of the smoothies that I make are yogurt or dairy based and I think that they freeze and defrost just fine. We have not had an issue with the texture at all.
Two of your favorite smoothies to freeze are Strawberry Banana and Pineapple Orange.
Is this something that everyone has been doing ? Was I just clueless about making smoothies ahead and freezing them?
I had heard about this technique before, but I’ve never tried it myself. I think it would also make a fun summer snack to freeze smoothies with popcicle sticks in them so they can be eaten as popcicle/creamsickle treats. Your small freezer containers would be a perfect size for this.
@Elizabeth, That is a great idea!
This sounds like a great idea. I don’t have a blender, but my mom does, so maybe I could borrow the blender once a month to make a batch of smoothies to have as treats. Freezing them would help make them last longer, too. Great idea – we have those little containers as well, so it is good to know they work for this. Thanks for sharing!
You are not alone – I’ve never heard of doing this, nor have I done this! I’ve always assumed that my smoothies wouldn’t be the right consistency if I froze them. Although I did once see my Mom freeze a smoothie for my Grandpa who was leaving the next morning for a long trip. She put it in the freezer, and he grabbed it as he left (very early) and it thawed as he drove along – not sure how long though it took for him to be able to enjoy it!
@Lynette, We took them on a day trip last week and I took them out in the morning before we left and they were just about right by lunch time, so I think they could work in a lot of ways.
I will have to try it with my kefir smoothies. We usually eat them in the evening, but it would be nice to try them for breakfast.
@Amy, I am guessing they would work fine with kefir. I made some a few weeks ago and used part kefir and part yogurt and it worked well. You could also take these out in the morning and they should be ready to eat late in the day.
@Lynn,
Thanks! I use part kefir and part yogurt too. Does the consistency change when you freeze it?
@Amy, I thought it was about the same as using all yogurt or part yogurt and milk.
Thanks for sharing this. I have never tried this, but will try it the next time we make smoothies. I loved the idea of using the containers as I can send my kids off to school with a nutritious breakfast and not have to drag out the blender in the early hours of the morning!!
I’ve never tried it before, but now I”m wondering… I wonder if it would work with an Orange Julius?
I have frozen my smoothies (yogurt based) in popsicle containers for treats – great way to use the extra smoothie when making it. Will put some in regular containers to have for breakfast as well.
We freeze our extra in popsicle containers as well. Definitely need more smoothie recipes though – ours are always the same. 🙂
What a great idea!
That is a great idea! I just put a coconut milk, honey and strawberry mixture in popsicle molds tonight for my kids “breakfast” in the morning. They are 2 and 5, so popsicles for breakfast are a real treat!
I never really thought to freeze them like this to use later… but we do make some AWESOME smoothie Popsicle that we all love! 🙂
Thanks for the post. Those are some great ideas and I will definitely be trying them. I never knew you could freeze them after making them. I’m glad you showed a picture with your containers. I’ll have to get some but those will work great, I’m sure.
I have always dumped my ingredients but I will follow your recipe for straw/ban next time and see the difference.
We have been freezing them in popsicle molds for years….usually yogurt based, fruit and a splash of juice for thinning. the kids eat them for breakfast, snacks and even dessert. Great way to use up the bit that is in the bottom of the blender when everyone is full too!
Whenever we have left over fruit, I blend them all together and put them in cups in the freezer. You can add anything else you have before blending. I just put them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and I have a nice fruit slush. I learned this from my brother. Thanks for your great ideas.
Although this had not occurred to me before, I will certainly try to make up for lost time! This sounds like such a good idea!
Thanks for letting us know about it —
Pat
Where did you find those little containers?
@Beth, I found them at Walmart in with the kitchen storage stuff or the canning and freezing stuff. But I have also seen them at places like Target. I hope that helps.
We eat smoothies more in the summer. I use yogurt, any flavor, and any combination of frozen fruit I have. I feeze bannana’s when they are starting to brown. On warm days we enjoy them mostly frozen, not too liquidy. Thank’s for the reminder on smoothies, since I usually only make them in the summer. I’m gonna try them for breakfast. It’s hard to make a quick healthy gluen free breakfast on school days. This would be great.
Thanks Lynn for this great idea I have been making smoothies for about a month now for breakfast pulling out that magic bullet style blender everyday to make smoothies but (they can be loud when others are sleeping) plus I love this idea for work…I can just grab toss in my lunch bag and place it in the frig at work and assuming all goes well have a smoothie to drink about 6-8 hours later. Thanks again now I just need freezer space but the baggie idea will be perfect :O)…
This is brilliant!!! my husband loves smoothies but I am so not a morning person to get up as early as he does to make him some. I totally need to get some containers like that and make them ahead….awesome thanks
I can’t wait to see what your recipe is! I am definetly going to have to try these out. One question, where did you get your little containers?
@Jessica, The containers I found at Walmart and I have also seen them at Target. They are usually either with the canning stuff or with the food storage containers. I love them for freezing all kinds of things. Here is the recipe for my pineapple orange smoothies and also my strawberry banana. Both are simple but very good. https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/04/pineapple-orange-smoothies.html and https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/03/strawberry-banana-smoothie.html
I love this tip! I hardly make smoothies since I have to eat it all the same day since I’m the only one that eats them. I cringe a the thought of using disposable bags, such a waste, but you already tested a better solution. Thank you, you just helped me on a figure out a fun yummy way to eat more fruit and eat healthier, without having to get the blender out and mess every day.
What a great idea!!!!! I can put one in my lunch and it will keep the rest of my lunch cold and I can enjoy it with it!!!
I never thought to freeze and thaw them.
We DO freeze any leftovers as popsicles, though, which gives us a decent variety of popsicles in the freezer.
I make these to send in my daughters lunchbox:) I put them in bags because we don’t have the room in the freezer for small containers. I freeze the bags laying flat and they don’t take up much space. (we have a side by side) At lunch time all you have to do is give the bag a shake, open the bag a little and insert a straw! It also means she can throw everything away and not worry about remembering to bring the container home.
This sounds like a great idea! Next time I go shopping I will look for containers like this.. Then as soon I’ve emptied the freezer I can start freeze smoothies 🙂 /E
I make my smoothies with no aspartame crystal light frozen fruit frozen bananna , yogurt and occasionally throw a raw egg in for a bit of protein.
My magic Bullet whirls them up and off I go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m going to try freezing my frozen fruit protein smoothies to eat as a frozen treat (my son likes ice cream even in the winter, but this is healthier!).
Many blessings,
Nancy
I struggle with eating breakfast so freezing the smoothies ahead is a Great idea! Because I’m lactose intolerant I use silken tofu with a frozen bananna and a dash of nutmeg. Banannas can be frozen whole and then sliced when you need them!
Thanks for posting!
Where did you get your resuable containers?
Walmart and target in the canning section. I believe amazon sells them also.
Genius!! Co-op & church mornings will never be the same, and in a very good way! Thank you so much for sharing this!
I hope you enjoy them. We love them for busy mornings.
I use the Tupperware tumblers that have lids with a silicone slit for a straw. The smaller size is great for the kids. I also like to do this with green smoothies – then I don’t have to worry about having fresh greens on hand every day.
I just bought the new silicon containers that look like yogurt tubes. I am planning to try that out in the yogurt tubes!!
Great idea….I was just googling this question “can you freeze smoothies?” and was guided to your wonderful website :o) The smoothies you have in the photo look delicious! What kind are they?
I am glad that you found it helpful. The smoothies in the picture are https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/03/menu-plan-march-13th-19th.html/strawberry-banana-smoothies-pictures and https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/04/pineapple-orange-smoothies.html I hope you enjoy them.
Thank you for your recipes Lynn. Can’t wait to make the pineapple- orange smoothie. I ha fresh pineapple that I blended and froze. I always freeze batches of smoothies. Since I have a regular freezer I have used
pint sized canning jars. Amazon has plastic plastic caps for the jars. I take a jar out of the freezer the day before I plan to have for breakfast. Pop a straw in the a.m. and there is my breakfast!
Don’t forget that you can add Flax seed/meal, chia seeds, or oatmeal (uncooked) to your smoothies for extra nutrition.
Have you ever made a blackberry smoothie or with any other type of berries? I have quite a few frozen containers of blackberries and was wondering if you ever found a recipe that you loved. Thanks again for the post!
I have used other berries in smoothies, but I usually mix them with other things. I love blackberries and raspberries in smoothies, but since my family does not really like all the seeds in them I find that using just a few and mixing them with other fruits work best.
I have been freezing leftover Smoothies for quite some time. I use smaller mason jars ( for jam). But they rarely get defrosted…my 17 yo prefers to eat them straight out of the freezer!
Great idea, and yes, I like the idea of the reusable container so as to not create more garbage!
Wow!! I feel so silly i have never thought of this. Made 2 batches this morning! One fruit smoothie for my daughter and one with my green happy shake for me! This will be a great after school snack or breakfast in the morning! We love smoothies but I don’t enjoy the clean up every day. Thank you!!!!
We make a batch every week and store them in mason jars in the freezer. Usually a few spoon fulls of greek yogurt, a couple scoops of protein powder, apple juice, and what ever frozen fruit blend I have in the freezer. It works perfectly as an ice pack in my husband’s lunchbox and it is just thawed enough by lunchtime to eat.
We have been doing this for a couple years, but I freeze them in Popsicle containers and the kids grab them as a frozen smoothie. Is a great snack. Especially for summer. would not work on the go, so I like this idea. I did not know you could thaw them and they would taste the same.
Yes it works great this way. The popsicle idea works well also, my kids love them that way as well.
WOW, I thought about doing this but never did because I worried it wouldn’t work. I am definitely doing this since time in the morning is an issue for me… Thanks for bringing that up 🙂
I hope you enjoy them!
I tried doing this and they have a bitter taste. Anyone else experiencing this problem or have any suggestions?
Karen, you can either add a sweetener (sugar, honey, crystal light, or a few dates (if they’re not soft, soak in warm water for several minutes), the dates o sweeten it), put any of these in and blend. Works for me.
Karen PS I have at times noticed that I will get a bitter taste from frozen strawberries (?)
helps to use other fruit with them. That is how I came up with the sweetner idea.. For green smoothies I use sweetener pkts. if needed.
Do you know if the nutritional value of the fruit holds up through the freezing process?
I am glad to see this, I have been wondering about the best methods. I was also wondering, when freezing fruit or vegetable smoothies, is the nutrition retained in the foods? Would love info on this. Thanks!
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
How about vegetable smoothies, green smoothies. I love those too! Any advice on freezing these?
Hi Lynn,
I need some advise on the frozen smoothies..
Im wondering if the frozen smoothie mixture looses there flavor ,once thawed out?
Do you have a direct email?
Robbie
I think the flavor is the same. The texture might be slightly different, but the flavor stays the same.
I just ran across your smoothie idea and I love it!!! I have been trying to think of away to make them and save them.
Thanks
Do you know the calorie content per serving?
How d9o you keep the bananas from Turning brown
Rebecca, I take ripe bananas and place in a freezer bag, freeze. They will get a little brown, but it doesn’t
affect the flavor of the smoothie. I freeze them whole, then just break in half or thirds when ready to use.
This helped me sooo much, I searched everywhere and saw all the ingredients put together but not actually blended. I wanted to use mason jars so I didn’t have to waste so much plastic and it be as expensive. Thank you!
I am so glad that you found it helpful!
The idea just occurred to me and your article came up first in the search. Now I know Iit gonna work, breakfast problem solved. Thanks fire the info!!