Unless you’re storing your fruit smoothies in the freezer, you probably don’t know how long a fresh smoothie will keep in the fridge. A smoothie’s shelf life depends on several factors, including its air-tight container and refrigerated temperature. If you’re not sure, read this article to find out. Listed below are some tips on how to store your smoothies properly.
How Long does a Fresh Smoothie Last in the Fridge?
Before using your smoothies or smoothie ingredients, store them in the refrigerator for a minimum of two days. The fresher the smoothie, the better it will taste and the more healthy it will be. Chlorophyll, a green component included in leafy greens, can prolong the life of your smoothie by up to 48 hours. To guarantee optimal freshness, nutrition, and flavor, Raw Blend only advises keeping your green smoothies in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
You can keep smoothies or their components for up to three months in the freezer. They are ideal for preparing in advance and enjoying every week.
The basis of many smoothies is dairy. Therefore, you must be cautious about how long you preserve it. Smoothies have a roughly one-month shelf life when kept in a Ziploc bag.
Smoothies work best when kept in Mason jars or Tupperware containers. When compared to freeze bags, these jars’ seals are tighter. A smoothie may stay fresh for three months if you use mason jars!
You can go one step further to ensure that you don’t forget about the smoothies. Date all of your bags and jars. So that you’ll be aware of how long the smoothies have before going bad the next time you open your freezer.
What are the Three Techniques for Making Smoothies in Advance?
Method 1: Using an Ice Cube tray
This is my favorite method for making smoothies in advance since it gives you the option of either blending the smoothie ice cubes straight away or letting them thaw to room temperature before giving the smoothie a quick shake.
- Fill an ice cube tray with it. After preparing your smoothie, pour it equally into each “cube” slot of an ice cube tray. These silicone trays are great for quick removal.
- Freeze. For a few hours, an entire night, or up to three months, freeze your ice cube tray.
- Shake and thaw. When you’re ready to have your smoothie, put the smoothie cubes in a large glass with a lid (I suggest a mason jar), and then chill it in the fridge for around one hour. After that, shake the glass to prepare your smoothie for consumption.
- If you’d like, blend. Alternatively, you can return the smoothie cubes to the blender, add more milk, and mix until smooth before serving.
Method 2: Uses a Mason Jar
- It is put in a jar. Pour your smoothie into a mason jar, then cover it with a lid after it has been prepared.
- Freeze. You can freeze your mason jar for up to three months or put it in the refrigerator for two to three hours.
- Shake and enjoy. Give it a shake when you’re ready to drink it if it’s been in the fridge, or if it’s been in the freezer, let it thaw for a few hours in the fridge or at room temperature.
Method 3: The Freezer Pack Smoothie
This technique offers a few different alternatives. You can either prepare your smoothies and place the same reusable sealed bags with all of the ingredients.
- It’s put in a bag. Fill a reusable, sealed bag (like these) with your smoothie. OR combine all of the ingredients for your smoothie—excluding the liquid—in a single bag.
- Freeze. For up to three months, store the reusable bag in the freezer.
- Blend and thaw. Add the frozen smoothie back to the blender along with more milk when you’re ready to consume it, blend, and enjoy. It might need a little thawing beforehand.
- Use whole ingredients, if desired. If you have frozen the components separately, combine them with the liquid specified in the recipe in your blender before blending.
How to Make Smoothies Taste Better?
Making consistently great smoothies requires a few important ingredients:
Use natural sweeteners to make your smoothie sweeter. My favorite is super-ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots, but you can also use soaked Medjool dates. The ideal sweetness will be provided by other berries and fruits that are in season, such as mango and pineapple. To sweeten your smoothie, we advise using either 1 banana or 3 soaked Medjool dates.
Try simple substitutions; many fruits are simple to replace! Feel free to substitute other fruits for those specified in a recipe, such as pineapple with mango or peaches (and vice versa).
Don’t be hesitant to use vegetables; a boost of greens from 1-2 cups of spinach or kale, or even 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower or shredded frozen zucchini, shouldn’t change the flavor of your smoothie. Promise!
A few of my smoothie recipes feature warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, richness from cacao powder, extracts like vanilla and almond extract, and flavor from tahini, peanut, or almond butter. Try some cozy spices and flavor enhancers. Try adding a dash of cinnamon, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, or your preferred nut butter the next time since these flavors are sweetener-free.
Choose a tasty smoothie foundation by switching to vanilla almond milk, oat milk, or even canned coconut milk, which is inherently sweet, in place of ordinary non-dairy milk. A dash of freshly squeezed orange juice or flavor-infused yogurt would be delightful additions, and brewed, chilled coffee or cold brew provides a great, rich flavor. Use coffee in smoothies that just contain bananas or dates as the fruit, and match the fruits with any liquid.
What are the Smoothies Freezing Techniques?
Smoothies’ ability to be frozen is the key to choosing between a peaceful morning and a crazy day. You can have plenty of time during the week if you prepare smoothies in bulk for a few week’s worths of consumption.
So how exactly do you freeze smoothies? There are two methods to follow:
Blended Smoothies
The best make-ahead strategy is this. As usual, you’ll create smoothies, then freeze them. Although this method is quite practical, the overall flavor of your smoothies may suffer as a result and eventually deteriorate:
Blend a Smoothie
The components should be blended as usual. You put everything into the blender and begin blending it. The mixture is continued until the finished product is drinkable.
Divide into Bags
Pour the smoothies into freezer bags or airtight containers. You must attempt to remove as much air as you can when you close them up. This prevents other odors from seeping in and helps smoothies retain their flavor and smell.
Freeze
Put the frozen item there, and you’re done.
The best way to freeze smoothies is not by using this technique. Instead, we advise packaging the components for smoothies and freezing them.
Putting Smoothie Packs in the Freezer
You can lose some of the flavors if you make a smoothie in advance. This technique aids in avoiding that:
Prepare the Food
Prepare your ingredients beforehand. Wash your fruit, slice up your bananas, peel your kiwi, and cube your mango, then place them all in a big bowl. Use any fruit you like, and carefully combine it all in the bowl.
Quick Freeze
Gather a few baking trays, and then pour the mixed fruit onto the trays, spreading it out so that no pieces contact. Place for a few hours in the freezer.
Mix
Re-pour the frozen fruit into the dish to blend once it has completely frozen. To ensure an equitable distribution of fruit in each bag, combine the ingredients.
Divvy up and Freeze
Grab several sturdy freezer bags and fill each one with about 125g of fruit. This will be the same as one serving of smoothie. Add the freezer to these bags.
Take the ingredients out of the freezer and blend them whenever you want a smoothie. All you need to do is add one cup of liquid or half a cup of liquid and half a cup of yogurt to get started blending.
How do You Defrost Smoothies?
Smoothies thaw with the utmost simplicity you’ll ever witness. Simply move a single-serving smoothie or jar to the refrigerator. You let it defrost overnight so that it regains its creamy texture.
- Therefore, put one in the fridge the night before if you want one for the morning.
- You don’t even need to defrost the smoothie packs if you’re using them. Simply add the ingredients and some liquid to your blender, and blend as usual.
- Separation could happen during the thawing process. All it needs is a quick, forceful whisk with a spoon to combine it once again.
What are the Health Benefits of Drinking Smoothies?
The use of smoothies may offer the following five health advantages.
Encourages More Fruit and Vegetable Eating
To maintain good health, one must consume adequate fruits and vegetables. One to two or three cups each day can lower blood pressure, lessen the risk of several malignancies, lower the risk of diabetes, and cut the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Increases Intake of Fiber
Fiber supports the digestive tract and may lessen the risk of developing colon cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, pears, apples, bananas, dark leafy green vegetables, chia seeds, sunflower kernels, ground flaxseed, and almond butter are just a few examples of foods high in fiber that can be included in smoothies.
Could Substitute for a Meal
Smoothies produced with healthy ingredients can serve as a meal replacement during a weight loss program and supply necessary nutrients. Make a container of smoothies ahead of time for quick consumption if you are too busy to prepare and eat regular meals and wish to stay away from fast food.
Could Offer a Balanced Diet of Vitamins, Minerals, Protein, Carbs, and Fats
Utilizing fruits and vegetables as the main ingredients, and enhancing them with protein, and healthy fats from seeds, nuts, or nut butter, is the key to establishing nutritional balance in a smoothie.
Reduces Dietary Cravings
One advantage of having smoothies for breakfast is that they can provide a source of protein and energy. Higher protein intake makes people feel fuller and decreases food cravings later in the day, according to research. Because proteins are more intricate molecules that take longer to degrade than carbs, they offer more sustained energy.
High-protein smoothies are a fantastic weight-loss snack since protein helps prevent muscle loss when reducing weight on a calorie-restricted diet. Smoothies frequently contain plant-based, dairy-based, or egg-based protein powder. Almonds and other nuts, peanut butter, flax seeds, soy milk, and tofu are a few examples of foods that are high in protein.
What are the Risks Related to Drinking Smoothies?
Green smoothies are well-liked, but there is a catch. Leafy green veggies can be consumed in excess. Thiocyanates are an ingredient found in significant concentrations in cruciferous vegetables and greens. The absorption of iodine may be hampered by these substances.
One of the drawbacks of smoothies is this. Always exercise common sense, and avoid following a “green smoothie” diet. Other significant drawbacks include:
The Dangers of Eating too Much Sugar
- Including smoothies in the diet without restricting calories, increasing food intake, or running the danger of weight gain
- relying excessively on smoothies as a source of nourishment and limiting dietary nutrients
- The smoothie might not be healthful depending on how it is produced.
Additionally, whole fruit has intact fiber that inhibits the body’s conversion of meal sugar into blood sugar when compared to drinking a smoothie. Some fiber is lost when the fruit is pureed. Whole fruits will prolong your feeling of fullness.
Conclusion
When properly stored in an airtight container, fresh smoothies can last up to two days. Keep in mind, however, that smoothies will degrade in quality over time if they are left in the fridge for too long. If you’re not using the smoothie within that time frame, you should keep it refrigerated for at least one day. This will help you make sure you get the most out of your smoothies.
When storing smoothies and juices in the fridge, be sure to use an airtight container that keeps them at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. It’s best to use an insulated container with multiple ice packs. This will prevent oxidation and help keep smoothies fresh for several days. For easy transport, use a lunchbox or insulated travel mug that’s not susceptible to spills.
