Quick breakfasts
Smoothie Recipe With Frozen Fruit: A Creamy Yogurt Smoothie
Blend a thick frozen-fruit smoothie with yogurt, milk, and flexible add-ins, using a simple ratio that works with the fruit in your freezer.
- TIME
- 5 min
- SERVES
- 2
This smoothie recipe with frozen fruit uses a dependable ratio: two parts frozen fruit, one part yogurt, and roughly one part milk. It blends thick and cold without ice, and it is flexible enough for the half-bags of berries, mango, peaches, or cherries already taking up freezer space.
Put the liquid in first. Milk and yogurt around the blades help the frozen pieces move instead of locking into a solid mass above them. Start slowly, then increase the speed once the fruit begins to circulate. Add more liquid by the spoonful rather than pouring freely; a small amount can change a smoothie from spoonable to thin.
Balance the fruit you have
Banana makes the mixture creamy and softens tart berries, but it is not essential. Use half an avocado, a little extra yogurt, or a spoonful of nut butter instead. Mango and peach are naturally smooth; cherries and mixed berries may need a touch more banana or honey. Taste after blending, because frozen fruit varies widely in sweetness.
Rolled oats, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, or nut butter can use up an open packet and make the drink more substantial. Keep the amount modest so the blender can still move. A handful of spinach blends most easily with dark berries, while lemon or lime juice wakes up fruit that tastes flat.
Check cold ingredients before blending
Freezer burn can make fruit dry or dull, but it is mainly a quality issue. Discard frozen fruit with visible mold, an unusual fermented smell after thawing, or packaging that leaked and then refroze after becoming warm. Do not use milk or yogurt that is moldy, curdled unexpectedly, or past the point where its smell and appearance are normal for that product.
Blend only what you plan to drink. A finished smoothie separates as it sits; if you must hold it, refrigerate it promptly in a covered container and use it the same day rather than repeatedly warming and chilling it.
Keep the breakfast rescue loop going by freezing brown bananas for one-bowl banana bread, folding extra greens into five-minute garlicky spinach, or turning a drying loaf into easy French toast.
From fridge to table
How to make it
- 01
Pour the milk into the blender first, then add the yogurt, banana, frozen fruit, optional add-in, citrus juice, and salt.
- 02
Blend on low until the blades catch, then increase to high and blend until completely smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides if needed.
- 03
For a thinner smoothie, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. For a thicker one, add a little more frozen fruit and blend again.
- 04
Taste before sweetening. Add honey or maple syrup only if the fruit needs it, then blend for a few seconds and serve immediately.
