How to Freeze Fruit and Make Better Smoothies

Freezing fruit can provide an easy way to make delicious and nutritious smoothies. Learn how to properly freeze fruit and create better smoothies with these tips and tricks.

One thing that I’ve really been working hard on this year is having a healthier breakfast. I was always a die hard cereal girl which is totally fine, but I was missing out on a lot of nutrients that could help me have a better, more energized day.

So, I started drinking green smoothies with a little protein or doing breakfast parfaits with granola (or oatmeal but summer is generally more about the smoothies.), but I quickly realized three things which is why we are doing a post on how to freeze fruit and make better smoothies.

Smoothie Musts

So if I’m going to be having fruit smoothies for breakfast, I have some thoughts…

1. I need a little fruit in my smoothies to love them, otherwise it is too bland or bitter for me. Plus everyone needs a little fruit in their lives.
2. Making smoothies is expensive. I know a lot of people that eat the whole foods diet or are big on fresh produce swear it’s not bad, but it is expensive. So my solution was to start buying things on sale and freezing them because it allowed me to still incorporate fresh fruits into the smoothies, saved us money!
3. I like my smoothies thick like a shake and not thin like a juice, so using frozen fruit thickened up the texture of my shake without adding ice cubes.

I’ve compiled a list of fruits that freeze well, but the how-to is quite easy. The most important part about this, other than actually freezing is to buy fresh fruit when it’s on sale at the grocery store, and buy a lot. That way you can freeze fruit at it’s cheapest and overall save money versus buying frozen or fresh fruit that’s not on sale.

Is It Cheaper to Freeze Your Own Fruit for Smoothies?

Yes! I’m looking at a bag of frozen sliced bananas right now at Smith’s. It costs $2.99 for a 16 oz bag (or 1 lb). In comparison, fresh bananas cost $0.25/lb, so let’s say you buy 2 lbs of bananas since you will need to remove the peel. That will only be $0.50 for bananas and little bit of work peeling, slicing and properly freezing them.

Here’s another example for strawberries. A 10oz bag of frozen strawberries costs $2.99. You can get a 1 lb (or 16oz) carton of fresh strawberries for the same price, so you get almost 1/2 lb more of strawberries for the same price. You can get fresh strawberries for even cheaper than that when they are in season or on sale.

How to Freeze Fruit for Smoothies

Peel (if needed), remove stems, and rinse the fruit well, chop into small chunks or slices and dry with paper towels. Next, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay the fruit out flat in a single layer, trying to keep a little space between each piece. Now place the tray in the freezer for 3 hours or up to 1 day. Remove the fruit and place in ziploc freezer bags, pressing out all the air and sealing shut. Now the fruit will keep for 6-9 months.

Do You Have to Defrost Fruit Before Adding It to Smoothies?

No and I actually prefer to add then fruit in totally frozen. It helps the smoothie be thick and creamy without adding ice. I don’t mind adding ice to a smoothie, but if I can avoid it, I do. It melts quickly and can water the smoothie down.

Fruits for Freezing

Here are some fruits that are great for freezing:

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Marionberries
• Bananas
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Papaya
• Cherries (pits removed)
• Blueberries
• Avocados
• Peaches

Smoothie Recipe

Here are some of our favorite smoothies and the ingredients you need to make them. They all use frozen fruit. We love having all our fruit prepped ahead of time so we can just toss them in with some sort of liquid and maybe some vegetables and blend it up for the best smoothies! We highly recommend using a Blendtec blender!

• Cold Bust Smoothie: Orange Juice, Spinach, Orange, Baby Carrots, Frozen Bananas, Frozen Pineapple, Apple and Vanilla Protein Powder
• Raspberry Pineapple Coconut Smoothie: Frozen Raspberries, Frozen Pineapple, Frozen Bananas, Coconut Extract, Coconut Milk and Honey or Agave
• Peach Berry Protein Green Smoothie: Almond or Coconut Milk, Vanilla Protein Powder, Spinach, Frozen Mixed Berries, Frozen Bananas, Frozen Peaches, Granola, Chia Seeds and Almonds
• Pineapple Orange Banana Green Smoothie: Spinach, Frozen Banana, Frozen Pineapple, Mandarin Orange, Milk and Chia Seeds
• Protein Green Smoothie Granola Parfait: Milk, Spinach, Frozen Mangoes, Frozen Bananas, Almonds, Vanilla Protein Powder and Granola

When you freeze fruit ahead of time, you are prepped to make creamy smoothies for healthy and filling breakfasts every day of the week!