Diet & Weight Loss

The Expert Guide To Making Healthy Smoothies

By Kirsten

June 29, 2022 5 Min Read

Updated on July 7, 2026

The Expert Guide To Making Healthy Smoothies

Not all smoothies are created equal.

In fact, many smoothies found in stores are filled with added sugars.

This is why many smoothie experts make their own smoothies.

If you’re new or never made your own smoothies, then don’t worry. I’m here to explain what makes a healthy smoothie.

What Makes A Smoothie Healthy?

So, what makes a smoothie healthy?

There are three golden rules.

First, it must be fresh and not store-bought.

Second, it must contain greens, fruits, and omega-3s.

Third, it must not contain store-bought juice, such as orange juice.

Misconceptions About Sugar From Fruits

There are a lot of misconceptions about sugar from fruit. Let’s compare a banana and a Snickers bar.

A medium-sized banana has 14 grams of sugar while a 1.56 oz Snickers bar has 20 grams of sugar.

The bananas and the 1.56 oz Snickers bar both have sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The key difference is how they’re broken down in the body.

The Snickers bar has zero fiber which causes the sugar to go directly to the bloodstream. This causes a spike in sugar levels. Meanwhile, the fiber in the banana causes the sugar to be released slowly into the bloodstream.

You want a slow release of sugar into the bloodstream.

When you supply the bloodstream with too much sugar at once, over time, it can lead to Type-2 diabetes.

Type-2 Diabetes happens when insulin levels cannot keep up with sugar found in the bloodstream.

Fresh Orange Juice Verse Store-Bought Orange Juice

My mom first introduced me to smoothies at a young age. We would make a strawberry banana smoothie with orange juice. I remember it tasted delicious. BUT, it wasn’t healthy. Even though it had fresh strawberries and bananas, the orange juice is what killed it. AND, it was missing greens and omegas.

Many people believe that store-bought orange juice is healthy. This simply is not the case. Store-bought orange juice is packed with added sugars and extra calories.

According to HealthLine, “Stores also sell orange juice with added calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients. However, due to its high-calorie count, you shouldn’t drink it just for these added nutrients…these drinks contain added water and sugar substitutes — either natural ones, such as stevia, or artificial ones.”¹

It’s better to use fresh-squeezed or fresh oranges in your smoothie.

There are healthy alternatives when it comes to adding liquids to your smoothie which will be discussed later in this article.

The Smoothie Process

Ok, now the fun part!

I’m going to walk you through how to make a smoothie.

Here is a quick video of me making my smoothie!

Healthy Smoothie Liquids

First, you’ll need to pick out your smoothie base. Your smoothie’s taste will differ depending on what base you choose.

Here is a list of healthy liquids to add to your smoothie. Note, for a single serving, you only need 1 cup.

Filtered Water
Coconut Water
Almond Milk
Coconut Milk
Brewed Green Tea or Ginger Tea

It’s important to know that coconut water is not a low-calorie drink. It’s about 50 calories per cup and has 11 grams of natural sugar, and no added sugar. However, some brands do add sugar to their coconut water so it’s important to read the label.

The great benefits you’ll receive from drinking coconut water are potassium, calcium, manganese, sodium, and phosphorus.

If you know me, I’m all about a plant-based diet as to why I highly recommend any plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk as it doesn’t cause inflammation in the body AND it’s better for the environment. Plant-based milk is also lower in calories, fat, cholesterol, and carbs which can help with weight loss.

Add Fruit

Next, determine what fruits you would like to add.

The Endless List of Fruits

Here is a list of all the fruits:

For fruits, you only need 1–2 cups but I would start with 1 cup of fruit if you’re only making a single serving.

Frozen fruits will give your smoothie a thicker texture and you will not need to add additional ice when using frozen fruits.

If using fresh fruit, I recommend adding 2 ice cubes to your smoothie.

Add Healthy Greens

When it comes to healthy smoothies, you NEED to add greens.

It’s common for new smoothie drinkers to only add spinach to their smoothies BUT you need to use different types of greens.

List of Healthy Leafy Greens

Here is a list of greens you can put in your smoothie:

I would recommend starting with spinach, as it’s the blandest, BUT you do want to mix up your greens! For example, rotate one smoothie with spinach and the next with Kale.

Also, you only want to add a handful of leafy greens to your smoothie BUT if you want to pack in more that’s fine too!

Some other greens you can add in are

Make it Creamy

Next, you’ll want to make your smoothie have a creamy texture.

You can do this by adding one of the following items:

One medium banana
1/4 or 1/2 avocado
1/4 cup silken tofu

Boost The Flavor

If you want to give your smoothie a kick, add one of these

Ginger
1/2 Lime Juice
1/2 Lemon Juice
Fresh herbs-cilantro, basil, mint, or parsley
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cayenne pepper
Cocoa powder

Omega-3s

Don’t skip these! They’re important for your health!

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that play an important role in your body and provide many health benefits.

The type of omega-3s that would be added to your smoothies is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This type of omega-3 provides your body with energy.

This type of omega-3 can be found in foods like flax seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and soybeans.

When buying flaxseeds, it is important to buy ground flaxseeds instead of whole flaxseeds so your body can absorb them.

Nutrition Add-Ins

Protein Powder

Feel free to add a scoop of protein powder to your smoothie. This will help you stay fueled longer and will provide added benefits.

Checklist of Best Plant-Based Protein

That’s It!

That’s all it takes to make a healthy smoothie!

If you find this guide overwhelming, I highly suggest looking into The Smoothie Diet as they provide 36 smoothie recipes, a 3-week shopping list, and a 3-day detox plan. OR you can try Pinterest, Youtube, or simply Google green smoothie recipes.

But, hopefully, now you understand what makes a healthy smoothie healthy!