I recently noticed that my Vitamix pitcher was cracked, so I reached out to their kind customer service team to get it repaired. I was surprised to learn that, according to Vitamix, the crack occurred because I was blending mine. Smoothies wrong way. File under things I didn’t learn in culinary school.
In addition to causing harm My beloved blenderI also learned that the reason my smoothies aren’t very smooth is because I’ve been loading the blender with the ingredients in the wrong order all these years.
You’re probably familiar with the following scenario that I encounter every time I make a smoothie: You put ingredients into a blender thinking you have the right amount of liquid only to find that the smoothie turns out muddy. is thick, and has no blades. Don’t pick up anything. You add a little more liquid to get things going, it spins for a while, then gets stuck again. By the time you can pour this mixture into a glass, it’s half water, contains unadulterated frozen fruit chunks, and has lost that coveted icy texture that every smoothie lover craves.
The best way to get that creamy smoothie and protect your blender is to layer your ingredients in a specific way. Vitamix recommends:
Liquids go in first, followed by grains or powders, then leafy greens, fresh fruits, and finally frozen ingredients.
The logic behind this arrangement is simple: things that are easy to blend should be at the bottom of the blender so that the blades come into contact with them first.
Once the blender is up to speed, it will work to speed up liquids and powders before diving into hard-to-blend ingredients like bananas and frozen fruit. It also ensures that hard ingredients don’t get stuck on the blades, causing you to often have to stop and start the machine, stir the ingredients, or add more liquid.
4 More Smart Smoothie Blending Tips
Although my customer service call with Vitamix was humbling, I appreciated the advice I needed to make my morning run smoothly (on smoothies). You learn something new every day! Here are a few more tips for making my favorite smoothies:
- Leave the water. Swap it for a more flavorful liquid. I prefer coconut water, almond milk, or coconut milk.
- Bulk it up.. It may sound surprising, but adding frozen riced cauliflower can give your smoothie a nice creamy texture. Promise it won’t taste like cabbage!
- Spice it up.. I rarely add sweetener when making smoothies—fruit is sweet enough for my liking—but I add a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg for extra flavor. I also like to add a splash of vanilla extract to brighten things up.
- Add some oats.. Don’t have time for a more filling breakfast? Add rolled oats straight into your smoothie. It gives it a creamy texture while adding fiber and whole grain goodness.