This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission. Thanks.
My wife and I have been making smoothies almost daily for the last couple of years! It took a while for us to perfect our smoothies, but we finally figured how to make smoothies smoother every time!
Nothing is worse than a smoothie that’s too gritty, grainy, chalky, or chunky.
Today I’m sharing all our tips on how to make smoothies smoother every time.
Diagnosing the 6 Most Common Smoothie Problems!
There are a number of ways that a smoothie can get messed up. If you’re new to making smoothies here’s a quick chart to help you diagnose what the issue is + find a solution.
| Smoothie Problem | How to Fix it |
| Too thin | Use less liquid or add more food/ingredients |
| Too thick | Use more liquid |
| Gritty or Grainy | Use milk as your smoothie base and avoid gritty ingredients |
| Lumpy or Chunky | Use a stronger blender and use less frozen fruit |
| Foamy | Use creamier liquids like milk + don’t blend for as long |
| Separating | Use creamier liquids like milk |
9 Blending Tips to Make Smoothies Smoother
There are a bunch of ways to make smoothies smoother that all come down to blending. You could have all the right ingredients, but the wrong strategy/tactics for knowing how to actually best blend up the ingredients.
- Add more liquid – If you don’t use enough liquid your smoothie will be too thick. Adding some liquid will make a smoothie thinner and easier to blend leading to less chunks.
- High powered blender – The stronger your blender is the stronger it will be to break down ingredients like frozen fruit. This is one of the best ways to make smoothies smoother.
- Pulse – Pulsing your smoothie is a great way to blitz away the chunks! After the smoothie is blended up, give it a few pulses for good measure.
- Use the tamper – If your smoothie is too chunky, try using the tamper to push the ingredients down towards the blades. This will help blend up all the food into the consistency you want!
- Less ingredients – You might be using too much food / dry ingredients. You might need to back off how much food you add into the smoothie or go back to step 1 and add more liquid.
- Layer your ingredients – Try layering your ingredients! Start with liquid or yogurt first and any smaller fruits or veggies. Then add your fruit and bigger ingredients! This layering will help your blender work most effectively!
- Don’t start on max speed – If you start blending on max speed, it can cause issues with your blender. Start it on low and slowly ramp up to a higher speed.
- Blend longer – If your smoothie is lumpy or chunky then the first step is to just blend it longer!
Advanced Tip! Try Blending in Stages
One of my favorites ways to make a smoothie perfectly smooth is to blend my ingredients in stages. I’ll add liquid to the smoothie container along with the ingredients that might be hardest to blend like spinach or protein powder.
Then, slowly later in other ingredients like frozen fruit or more veggies. If you have any flavorings like honey, agave, or something stickier like nut butter, add those in last.
8 Ways to Make a Smoothie Smoother
If you’re using your blender the right way, then you might want to keep an eye on what you’re actually blending! Certain foods are best to avoid and others can be used, but only if you follow a couple of steps.
1. Avoid Kale
Kale can be a risky ingredients when it comes to getting the right smoothie consistency! It’s SO healthy that it’s tempting to use, but it can get stringy, caught on your blades, or stuck to the side of the blender container. It can also add a gritty consistency.
If you’re looking for an easier green to use, spinach is a great alternative packed with valuable nutrients and tons of benefits of smoothies!
We do have a list of healthy kale smoothies if you are interested though!
Pro Tip!
If you want to use kale, I HIGHLY recommend soaking the kale in water for half an hour. This will soften the kale and make it blend much more easily.
2. Use the right kind of liquid
Certain liquids for smoothies are creamier than others! Water, kombucha, tea, and coffee are thinner and less helpful for getting the best consistency.
If your goal is to make smooth smoothies then I recommend using milk for smoothies (whole milk, 2% milk, or almond milk)! You can make smoothies with water, but sometimes that can make your smoothie too foamy.
3. Be careful with frozen fruit
Frozen fruit is one of the BEST ingredients for thick, creamy, and smooth smoothies. But if you don’t have a strong enough blender then you’re going to be stuck with chunks of whole fruit in your smoothie.
Getting a big whole bite of frozen banana in your smoothie is terrible.
Use frozen fruit, but make sure it’s getting blended up well! We don’t recommend trying to blend frozen fruit without liquid.
4. Add nut butter (creamy only!)
It’s easy to imagine how much a big spoonful of peanut butter can make a smoothie smoother! I recommend adding a couple of tablespoons of creamy PB or almond butter.
You have to be careful with the all natural kinds because it can be a bit gritty/grainy. The good news is that nut butters are also a great way to make smoothies sweeter naturally!
5. Use yogurt
Greek yogurt, or any yogurt really, is one of the best ways to get a smoother consistency for your smoothies! This is one way to use less liquid (leading to less smoothie separation) + getting a thicker consistency.
If you’re smoothies have been too thin, try cutting your liquid back in half and replacing that with yogurt! This is a great way to make smoothies thicker + smoother.
If you don’t have any on hand, check out our list of substitutes for yogurt in smoothies.
6. Use protein powder the right way
Protein powder is such a great addition to most smoothies! It’s an essential ingredient in meal replacement smoothies! The only downside is that it can be your smoothies a bit chalky or gritty.
Thankfully there’s a pretty fix.
Key Tip!
Stir your protein powder into the liquid base that you’re using! Get it super well mixed in and then use that protein shake as your smoothie base! This will make sure the protein is fully dissolved and not gritty in your smoothie.
We have a list of high protein smoothies without protein powder if you need some inspiration! These incorporate our full list of ways to add protein to smoothies!
7. Avoid ice cubes
If you don’t have a powerful enough blender then you may not be able to blend ice cubes up enough! A good blender wattage is 800+, but 1000+ is really ideal for crushing ice in a blender.
8. Use creamier fruits
Fruits like bananas and avocados can help add a creamy texture to your smoothies! We highly recommend them for making smoothies creamier. These creamier fruits will also help make smoothies smoother!
You can also check out our list of banana substitutes for smoothies if you don’t have any on hand!
Common Questions About Making Perfectly Smooth Smoothies
The best way to fix a gritty smoothie is to use a more powerful blender and to use the right ingredients. Certain foods can make a smoothie grittier.
Your smoothies come out chunky because the blender is having a tough time making it smooth. There are 4 ways to fix this: Use a stronger blender, blend for longer, use more liquid, or use different ingredients.
