Using Fruit As A Smoothie Base
When making a fruit smoothie, and especially a green smoothie, I highly recommend that you use fruit as the base instead of yogurt. A smoothie’s base gives it that creamy texture that makes a smoothie smooth. However, you can’t just use any fruit. For example, if you were to put an orange and a bunch of grapes in a blender, you would end up with pulpy grape-orange juice since both grapes and oranges have high water content. However, if you but an orange and a banana together in blender, you would get a creamy, banana-orange shake. Certain fruits have a texture that make them perfect for making smoothies with.
Perfect Smoothie Base Fruits
Bananas are the best for making smoothies! Even if you do not want bananas as the dominant flavor, adding half of one to a smoothie that came out too runny will thicken it right up into a proper smoothie.
Other great fruits to use for a smoothie base due to their texture include mangoes, pears, papayas, apples and peaches. Avocados are a wonderful base, but also high in fat and calories, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all. If you add avocado to a fruit smoothie, I recommend using no more than 1/4 avocado for a tall glass or 1/2 avocado for an entire pitcher. The first time I added avocado to my smoothie, I put the entire fruit in there and ended up with pineapple flavored guacamole! It was good, but a bit too thick to drink!
Fruits That Do Not Make A Good Base
Most other fruits do not make a good base for a smoothie and using too many of them in one recipe can cause your smoothie to separate before you finish drinking it. Any fruit with a high water content should be used as a flavor fruit or juiced for their liquid instead.
Learn more about how to make the perfect green smoothie.
