Skip those smoothie mixes in the freezer section and make your own homemade freezer smoothie mix at home.
It is pretty obvious by our weekly menu plan that we love smoothies. We usually have them several times a week for breakfast and lunch.
I love to make different versions of smoothies and I almost always have freezer smoothies ready for times when we need them.
I will admit thought that I have bought those convenience packs of smoothie mixes that you find at the grocery store.
You know the ones that am I talking about don’t you?
Yes, I will admit I have bought those several times.
When I buy them it is usually when I have found them on sale but honestly, even at a really good price, it seemed like a bit of a waste when you think about what they are.
They are simply frozen fruit and frozen chunks of yogurt. And I quickly realized I could easily do this at home.
I mean who can’t freeze yogurt and fruit. I knew I could figure this one out.
How To Make Homemade Smoothie Mix
I started by freezing yogurt in ice cube trays, which was very easy. This does make the chunks of yogurt a little bigger than the kind in the package, but you can also use smaller ice cube trays.
You can also place blobs of yogurt on a try or cookie sheet and freeze them that way. Either way works.
Once the yogurt was frozen I simply popped it out of the trays. I like to use a mix of vanilla and strawberry yogurt, but you can use your favorite kind.
I put them in a ziplock bag and mix in some frozen fruit. I like to freeze bananas and other fruit on cookie sheets until solid and then add them to the bag. I also use frozen strawberries, raspberries, etc. Really whatever I have.
The ratio we like best is about 1/3 yogurt and 2/3 fruit, but you can vary that depending on how much you like. It does not have to be exact.
Place the bag in the freezer and when you are ready to make a smoothie place about 2 cups of fruit yogurt mixture into a blender and add in about 1 1/2 cups milk. Blend until smooth, adding more milk if desired.
You will notice the bag in the picture says 2 cups fruit 1 cup milk. We have actually decided that we like about 1 1/2 cups of milk. We like the texture a little better and I find they blend better that way. So, ignore the picture and use 1 1/2 cups milk or adjust for the consistency that you like.
Smoothie Ingredients
- yogurt
- fruit
- milk
Homemade Freezer Smoothie Mix
Skip those bags of smoothie mixes from the freezer section and make your own at home.
Ingredients
- 3 cups lowfat frozen yogurt
- 9 cups fruit, berries, bananas, peaches, etc
- milk for serving
Instructions
- Freeze yogurt in an ice cube tray. This will make yogurt cubes like the freezer mix. You can also place blobs of yogurt on a tray or cookie sheet and freeze them that way.
- Once the yogurt is frozen pop out cubes.
- Place yogurt cubes and frozen fruit in a large zip-top bag.
- When ready to serve blend 2 cups of fruit yogurt mixture with 1 1/2 cups milk. Blend until desired texture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 190Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
I do this too! we love it! I buy yogurt in the big huge containers.. (we live by Westby Creamery) nice to be able to do that.. I also buy Fruit in bulk from one of my Amish neighbor and puree it and freeze it the same way..
I make these all the time. I make mine with coconut or almond milk and add a bit of honey. Delicious!!!
Yes I have bought them but only on sale and with a coupon too. I usually just dump whatever I have in the blender without any measuring.
When I saw the price of the frozen yogurt smoothies, I just couldn’t do it. Especially when it is so easy to dump fruit, yogurt and milk for thinning into the blender and voila – instant yum! I don’t even freeze my fruit or the yogurt – it makes great smoothies without doing that.
My kids and I love smoothies. I use whatever fruit I have and plain yogurt. A little agave syrup if it needs it. I freeze whole bananas when they get past their prime. They peel easily with a sharp knife. Also, if I have it, I put fresh spinach in the fruit smoothie to boost the vitamin/mineral content. My kids don’t have a clue that it’s in there! A great mixture is with red fruits because the color doesn’t show. Our favorites are: mango/peach(with skin)/banana, mango/pineapple/mandarin oranges, mixed berry(with spinach), cantaloupe/banana, blueberry/pear(with skin)/spinach. We also just throw in the blender whatever bits of fruit are left , and that seems to be the best of all!
I didn´t even know they make ready made smoothie packages. I just usually dump stuff in, whatever I have without measuring. I like the pre made packet idea though and will be doing it soon!
Never bought the frozen smoothie package. Usually just make my own with whatever frozen fruit I have on hand, although I have never frozen my yogart. For a different taste, I keep frozen pureed watermelon and honeydew in the freezer for a melon smoothie.
Yes, I have been making smoothies all summer! I love them. Since fruit has been at a great price, I’ve been buying lots (some to eat and some to freeze for smoothies). I just cut the fruit up into smaller chunks and then freeze in a bag. Since I like to make a different mix each time, I just put like fruit in ziplock bags together.
I do a very similar ratio as you 2/3 part fruit to 1/3 part yogurt, but then I also add other ingredients such as old fashioned oatmeal (about 2 small handfuls) and ground flax seed (1-2Tbl.). Just recently I even added a heaping cup of spinach to my smoothie!! It’s so much fun to play around with combinations. My favorite recently has been strawberry, pineapple, and blueberry with vanila yogurt and milk.
I have purchased the packaged smoothie mixes, and have made my own. I love the idea of freezing the yogurt – a great way to use extra yogurt and fruit.
I bought these once but was really disappointed to see that they added artificial sweetners, which we try to avoid. If they would use a natural sweetner, I would definitely consider trying them again for the convenience.
@Lella,
I forgot to mention that I love your homemade frozen mix idea. I will definitely have to try it, as it gives me a lot of control over the ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
We prefer smoothies made with fruit juice rather than yogurt or milk. Most often I use 2 cups frozen strawberries, a banana and a can of peaches in fruit juice (which I buy when they are on special offer) Then I add which ever fruit juice I have in the fridge, apple, orange or tropical, to get a good pourable smoothie. Also I cube any leftover watermelon slices and freeze them. they are a great addition to smoothies! My family love these for a special breakfast drink.
I have bought those Smoothie bags but only once, I had a coupon and wanted to try it. I didn’t think it was worth it when I could do the same thing and save a lot of money. I have yet to do it though! haha. I am such a procrastinator, but your blog sure makes me want to get going on the freezer meals .
I havent tried the smoothie bags because we’re dairy free, but I absolutely love this idea. Im definately going to be freezing my coconut milk yogurt. Thanks!
i’ve never tried smoothie mixes but we have a big bag of strawberries that we buy from sam’s, then freeze bananas, and use unfrozen yogurt and milk. i also like to throw a handful of spinach in there for extra veggies but my husband isn’t a fan of that. 🙂
At first I thought the pre-bought ones looked like a neat idea but like others have said I didn’t like the price or the fact that they had artficial or excessive sugar in them! We usually make ours fresh but I like your idea of freezing the yogurt in cubes. We buy the big tubs also but some weeks it’s more popular than others (guess we get tired of it sometimes). Freezing it in cubes is a great way to not let it go to waste. I also cut up and freeze bananas that are getting overripe. Just keep those in a big bag in the freezer to pull out for smoothies or other things. Like Sarah, we also buy the strawberries (and sometimes other frozer fruit) from Sam’s.
I did a similar post on making up frozen smoothie kits a couple of months ago. It was in relation to making these up to bring to friends who have just had babies, are recovering from illness/surgery, etc. It’s a great way for them to get something nutritious made quickly and all they need to do is add their liquid of choice and blend it up!
I’ve never bought those. I freeze bananas past their prime and always have frozen blueberries and raspberries on hand for smoothies. Most of the time I don’t even use yogurt, just fruit and o.j. or apple juice. . I am going to try to freeze some in some cups to see how that goes. Great idea.
I bought those over the summer while we vacationed in southern Florida and I have to admit I wasn’t all that impressed. I make fruit Smoothies at home with different fruits, yogurt, protein powder and ice. Since I need to restock my freezers since our 4.5 days without electric …. I will leave room for your idea and make my own mix
We do theses year round. It’s an easy delicious breakfast. I try to stick to vegan recipes (we are not strict!), and avoid dairy; so we just skip the yogurt. The kids actually like the fruit smoothies better. Our current fave is 1 frozen banana, some almond milk and a dash of cinnamon. Any thing goes! We make juice ice cubes and toss in all sorts of fruit combos. When no one is looking, I use wheat germ, oat meal, flax seed and /or nut butters.
One of our favorites is to blend 1 banana, 1 cup frozen vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup milk, and one container Key lime yogurt (I use Yoplait) in the blender; it makes 2 large glasses.
One of our favorite’s is to skip the dairy altogether. Instead I mix some frozen apple juice or grape juice concentrate (for natural sweetness) with frozen fruit and enough water to give it the right texture.
How do you get the yogurt to just pop out? I bought some silicon trays at walmart and froze some greek vanilla yogurt [i compared it to weight watchers yogurt and it had more sugar but also way more protien in case any one was wondering] any way the yogurt is frozen now but it doesnt seem to want to just pop out.
Sometimes if mine won’t come out right away I let them sit out for a few minutes and then they come right out. You might try that.
Yep, I’ve bought them a few times as well.. :o/ Thanks for the tips on how to DIY! I’m going to try this out!
I have purchased the pre made smoothie bags, but like most of you, used a coupon. I make my own smoothies and add 1 egg white, some honey and flax seed. I also mix it up and sometimes substitute the milk with orange juice.
I have a smoothie every single morning for breakfast before my coffee. I don’t like yogurt so I admit that I was addicted to these exact smoothie packages because of The Biggest Loser (my best friend watches). Now I make my own with plain greek yogurt (frozen in ice trays) and add frozen fruit to the baggies then mix with 1 cup of skim milk and one scoop of whey protein. They are delish! Thank you for posting this – it is so much more economical!
You are welcome. I am so glad that you enjoy them.
Thank you for the idea of skinning, chopping and freezing the fruit. I make smoothies everyday sometimes twice a day! I freeze bananas and add my home fermented yoghurt. It’s been fermented for 24 hours so virtually has no lactose. Whizz up with honey, ice cubes and cold water and sometimes add berries. Very yummy.
When I first saw this post I thought it was a great idea, but I have to admit that I never quite got around to making them. Well strawberries have been on sale for 79 cents per pound and the good is they’re super ripe, super sweet berries BUT that’s also the bad! Anyway while I was standing there looking @ them trying to decide how many we could eat before they went bad I remembered your recipe! Needless to say we are well on our way to having strawberries for smoothies all summer long;) thanks again for another great idea!
I am glad you enjoyed it and remembered about it. I think smoothies are a great way to use up on sale fruit. And we drink tons of smoothies during the summer months. I hope you enjoy them.
We love smoothies of all kinds and would love to keep frozen mixes on hand. One thing you don’t mention is what you do with your frozen blend. Do you allow it to thaw and then just stir it? Put in blender? Add liquid while blending?
Thanks!
We just let them defrost. If we want them for breakfast I try to place them in the fridge to defrost over night and if we are using them for lunch I just place them in the lunchbox and they are ready at lunchtime.
Thanks for the tip on the containers. I freeze any fruit that has gotten too ripe, even kiwi, and just throw it in the blender with yogurt. I buy the large containers of either vanilla or plain yogurt.Consequently, none are ever alike. After making the smoothies, I will freeze what is not consumed.
I google how to make smoothies because we just purchase the same yoplait package at costco on Saturday and I realized this can not be that hard to make with your simple ratio of 1/3 yogurt to 2/3 fruit plus milk, So now I want to go out and get the items and make packages for the week. It will be a fun experiment to get the combination we all like. Plus a healthy meal instead of carbs
I am glad you found my site. I hope you enjoy the smoothies!
I just bought one of these the other day and thought to myself you really need to figure out how to make this up yourself instead of spending the money on this. Never got around too it. I’m really glad I saw this post. Thanks for doing it for me!
I hope you enjoy them! They are so easy to make at home!