How to make smoothie freezer packs for easy smoothie recipes any time you want! Get tips on how to make smoothies and how to freeze them for later plus 14 great fruit smoothie recipes.
I normally just whip this Banana Protein Smoothie or one of these High Protein Smoothies.
However, when I am meal-prepping ahead of time I will often times make a batch of these freezer packs to have everything ready to go easily.
Pretty much any day of the week, Dustin and I enjoy a smoothie for breakfast. You can find me, coffee in hand, blending away some of my favorites, like my Blueberry Muffin Smoothie or my Pink Power Beet Smoothie. Recently, I started prepping my smoothies ahead of time in smoothie freezer packs so I could have handy smoothie packs ready to grab and blend from the freezer.
If that sounds amazing to you, you're right. It's been awesome. All I have to do is add my milk of choice (usually unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk), and blend in my blender. Even better: in just the prep time it takes to make one smoothie from scratch, you could have an entire weeks worth of smoothies prepped and waiting for you in the freezer.
How to Make a Smoothie
The first step in making your own fruit smoothie freezer packs is to understand how to make a smoothie. Fortunately, this is very simple. Here are my tips for how to make a smoothie:
- Liquid: Use 1 cup of milk (or liquid of choice) per serving. When ready to blend, you'll want to start with the liquid. This will help your blender get moving.
- Produce: With fruit smoothies, you'll need a fruit base. Bananas and avocados make great bases for smoothies and don't overpower the flavor. Other produce that works great includes: berries, mango, pineapple, peaches, spinach, and kale.
- Thickeners: Personally, I like my smoothies to be thicker, rather than thinner. In order to add a thick, creamy texture to your smoothies, you can add fillings that are nutritious, such as peanut butter, almond butter, chia seeds, flaxseeds, rolled oats, or greek yogurt.
- Flavors: Now that you have the basics down for your smoothie, you might want to give it a boost of flavor. This can be done using spices, such as cinnamon or mint or using sweeteners, such as dates or raw honey.
- Boosts: This is where you can add healthy add-ins and nutritional boosts that add a punch of vitamins, antioxidants, and even a little texture to your smoothie. Great boosts include flaxseed meal, chia seeds, protein powder, matcha, and spirulina.
Can You Freeze Fresh Greens For Smoothies?
One of the absolute best things about these make ahead fruit smoothie freezer bags is that you can freeze fresh produce and enjoy it later. Gone are the days of grabbing that container of baby spinach or that bag of fresh kale, only to find it's old and unusable. Instead, you can add them to your freezer bags and have them ready to blend any time you want. Freezing the greens doesn't have any effect on their flavor, texture, or nutrients when used in these freezer packs!
To freeze raw kale, wash it and get rid of all the woody stems. Drain it of any excess moisture and place in an airtight container or a freezer bag. Kale can last up to 10 months in the freezer and is a great addition to your favorite green smoothie!
Are Mason Jars Safe For the Freezer?
Mason jars are a great, inexpensive and eco-friendly storage option. Mason jars are safe for the freezer as well, but you have to be careful in order to prevent the glass jars from cracking or shattering in the freezer. I like using these 16 oz mason jars for freezing, but you can also use 1 quart plastic storage bags for smoothie freezer packs.
If adding liquid, don't fill the jar all the way up, but up until about an inch or two from the rim. Liquids expand when frozen and this will keep the jar from cracking up in the freezer. Defrost your mason jars in the fridge or at room temperature. I wait to add the milk to the smoothie until it's time to blend my smoothie and freeze everything else.
How Long Can You Freeze Smoothies in the Freezer?
If stored properly in a freezer-safe ziploc bag, these freezer packs will last up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to enjoy, you can either thaw the night before or blend straight from the freezer. If blending straight from the freezer, you might need to add a little more liquid to help balance out for the frozen produce.
How To Freeze Dairy
This is definitely one of the questions I get asked often. Whether you just want to stock up on your favorite dairy product when it’s on sale or make sure it doesn’t go bad when you’ll be off for a few days, it’s good to know that you can easily freeze dairy products, and especially greek yogurt.
Frozen milk and cream are best used within 2 months, while cheese can last up to 3 months without losing its taste and consistency.
When freezing greek yogurt, make sure to use them within 2 months. Yogurt may get a little grainy when frozen, but once you whisk it well or incorporate it into your smoothie, you won’t be able to taste the difference.
For freezing the greek yogurt for these smoothie packs, I find it helpful to freeze using a simple ice cub tray. Each slot is about 2 tbsp. so I use that as a basis for how much to grab and put into my freezer pack. You could also plop greek yogurt out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then freeze individually before adding to the smoothie packs if you don't have an ice cube tray.
How to Freeze Peanut Butter
If I’m being honest, no matter how big the jar, peanut butter does not last long in our household. A spoonful here, a spoonful there and it’s gone before you know it. However, if you make a really big batch of my natural peanut butter or you want to make it easier for these smoothie freezer packs to just dump into the blender, add milk, and blend, you can easily freeze peanut butter.
Peanut butter has a very high oil and low moisture levels and - very good news - holds up very well in the freezer. Defrosted peanut butter tastes pretty much the same as the one you took directly off your shelf.
Instead of freezing an entire jar, split the peanut butter into smaller portions and freeze separately. I always do it using ice cube trays, it's simple and easy. Later just grab a cube and pop it into your smoothie. Perfect!
How to Freeze Avocado
When you freeze an avocado, the texture does change slightly when it's thawed. However, the good news is that this doesn't make one bit of difference in your smoothie if you freeze avocados in your smoothie freezer packs. Personally, I can't stand any brown spots on my avocado, even if I'm adding it to a smoothie, so freezing perfect avocados in my freezer packs so they're ready to blend later is a great option.
In order to freeze an avocado for your smoothie freezer pack, just dice it into small cubes so it breaks down easily in the blender once frozen. A little lemon juice helps keep it from browning as well. Then, add it to the freezer pack and freeze.
14 Smoothie Freezer Pack Recipes
Okay, so now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s get to the smoothie freezer pack recipes!
Tips for How To Make Smoothie Freezer Packs
- Use a 1 quart freezer ziplock bag to make individual portions (or any freezer-safe container)
- Cut all produce including the banana into smaller pieces to make it easier to blend when frozen
- Label the freezer bag so you know exactly what smoothie recipe you’ve prepared
- Use either fresh or frozen fruit to make your freezer packs
- Add protein powder into the freezer packs or when blending to add more protein
- For these smoothie packs, you can just take the contents of the packs and add them into a blender, along with the milk of your choice and any other liquids, like greek yogurt, peanut butter, or raw honey. Then, just blend them together and you’re all set with your easy smoothie
These 14 smoothie freezer packs will give you an entire weeks worth of variety, flavor, nutrition, and fruit smoothie satisfaction.
Blueberry Muffin Smoothie Pack
Make this Blueberry Muffin Smoothie for a sweet and healthy take on a blueberry muffin.
Mango Green Smoothie Pack
This Mango Green smoothie is fresh, vibrant, and full of flavor.
Pink Power Smoothie Pack
Make this Pink Power Beet Protein Smoothie for a nutritious and vibrant fruit smoothie recipe.
Blackberry Coconut Smoothie Pack
Make this Blackberry Coconut Fruit Smoothie using just a few simple ingredients for a whole lotta flavor.
Spiced Pear Smoothie Pack
This spiced pear smoothie has fresh pear and warm flavors, like nutmeg and cinnamon, and is a great change up in the smoothie rotation.
Kiwi and Kale Smoothie Pack
Make this Kiwi and Kale Smoothie for a fresh and green smoothie recipe to start your morning off right!
Caramel Apple Smoothie Pack
This Caramel Apple Smoothie has all the flavors of a caramel apple, packed into a nutritious and healthy fruit smoothie.
7 Smoothie Freezer Packs
PB&J Smoothie Pack
It’s time to swap your favorite sandwich for a smoothie! PB&J Smoothie is packed with flavor and makes an easy and quick breakfast on the go.
PB&J Protein Smoothie
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries , frozen
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- ¼ cup rolled oats (uncooked)
- ½ tablespoon raw honey, as needed, for sweetness
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder , I use cleanish protein
- Ice , as needed
Instructions
- In a kitchen blender, start by adding the unsweetened almond milk, followed by the remaining ingredients.
- Now, blend everything until its very smooth
- If to thin, add ice, ¼ cup at a time, to thicken. If too thick, add additonal almond milk, 2 tablespoon at a time, to loosen.
Nutrition
Avocado Kale Smoothie Pack
It’s about time you try a kale smoothie you’ll actually like! The Avocado Kale Smoothie is packed with vitamin C and healthy fats that will fill you up and boost your energy levels!
Cherry Vanilla Smoothie Pack
Sweeter than a cherry pie and much better for your waistline, too! This Cherry Vanilla Almond Smoothie is a perfect snack to curb your dessert-cravings!
Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie Pack
Fuel up on all things good for you like mandarin oranges and bananas with this Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie.
Make this Orange Protein Shake for a sweet and healthy take on an Orange Julius.
Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie Pack
This protein-packed Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie is great for a quick-filling breakfast or as a post-workout meal.
Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie Pack
Indulge in your favorite desserts while maintaining your healthy lifestyle. This Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie recipe is yummy, healthy and contains no artificial sweeteners!
Coffee Bean Smoothie Pack
Instead of stopping for a sugar-filled coffee drink on your way to work, start your day off right with a Coffee Bean Smoothie!
7 More (New!) Smoothie Freezer Packs
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Vanessa
Thanks for creating these recipes! I did notice that some of the recipes are missing the almond milk in the ingredients, so you don’t know how much to add.
Allison A Rollette
Way up at the top of the page you will find the "how to make a smoothie" section. Apparently, each smoothie would have about a cup of milk of your choosing. 🙂
Alyssa
I know this has been posted for a while, but I'm allergic to bananas and pineapple - any good substitution ideas for all the banana recipes? Thanks!
Jeanne
I recently found your smoothie freezer packs and they have been GREAT!
How about some seasonal flavors like pumpkin, egg nog, chai (or dirty chai with coffee) or chocolate peppermint?
Thanks for your content.
Barbe Hupe
I just tried the kiwi and kale smoothie, it was awesome ! I had already made 6 bags for the freezer, and had 2 kiwis left over so I made one to drink, I did add vanilla protein powder and it was spectacular. doing the carmel apple next, then going to see what all fruit I have to use up and go from there. even my husband can do this we have a vitamix so its ad milk or choice and bag and go. Thank you, I look forward to all the new recipes.
Wanda
How on earth did you get your nut butters to freeze? I have tried almond, cashew and peanut with zero luck and sadly a ton of waste😔.
Heidi
Really appreciate all these recipes in one place!! Can't wait to try them all!!
Cheryl
Do you know if the nutritional content listed for each recipe is just the smoothie pack or does it include the added almond milk?
Naomi
Hello! I plan to make some of these soon...I dont plan to add liquid until I put it in the blender-is there anything I need to do to keep mason jars from cracking? Also in your experience do the lids hold up well in the freezer too or should I had a lining of plastic wrap or wax paper?
Additionally, do your bananas get brown in the freezer when sliced?
Sarah
Looks yummy! Is there a link to print all 14? Thanks!
Britney
These recipes all look delicious! I did notice, however, that most of them are fairly high in carbs. Is there a way to still make them but get the carb count lower?
Lacey Baier
So glad you think they look delicious! If the carbs are too high for a snack or post workout meal for you, you can always add a scoop of protein to make it a meal. That way you also get all that protein, too.