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If you love green smoothies AND want to maximize your time and money while making them, then this smoothie prep tutorial is for you! I love buying fresh, in-season produce, yet I don’t want it to go bad before I use it all in my daily smoothie. Meal prep smoothies get me through busy seasons with ease.
Meal prep smoothies are my jam! I love doing smoothie prep in batches so I make one mess at a time and get a week (or month) of ready-to-blend smoothies for my efforts. Today, I’m sharing all my tips and tricks to make smoothies for the week as well as giving you a sample menu and shopping list to get started!
Table of Contents
How to Meal Prep Smoothies for a Week
First, gather the following items: measuring cups, quart bags or canning jars (I like wide-mouth jars best!), a permanent marker, your favorite fruit and leafy greens and either my blog or the Daily Blends Smoothie App. These items will make meal prepping smoothies a breeze. Next:
- Decide which recipes you’ll make for the week and have them on hand. Feel free to use my free 10-Day Smoothie Challenge recipes.
- Slice or cut fruit into chunks. You can also cut fruit into smaller pieces and freeze ahead of time on lined baking sheets or use packaged frozen fruit. This helps keep the fruit and leafy greens from freezing together in a large clump, plus the smoothies blend more easily.
- Label bag or jar lids with recipe name and date. Be specific. You might also want to include how much of which liquid gets blended with each smoothie pack (to have when you’re ready to blend).
- Measure out the ingredients and pack into jars or bags.
- Remove as much air as possible from bags and jars when sealing closed. Pack fruit and leafy greens tightly into the jars and screw on the lids.
- Place in freezer. Don’t pack your bags/containers too tightly together. There should be some air circulation to help the contents to freeze quickly.
When you’re ready to use your meal prepped smoothies, remove smoothie pack from freezer. Add liquid base to container or bag (which helps defrost the fruit slightly). You can also thaw for a few minutes on the counter or in warm water. This helps the fruit and greens come out of the container more easily. Pour into blender and blend until smooth.
Prep smoothies for the week, month, or quarter, whichever length of time fits your time and lifestyle (and space!) best. I took the 7-day Smoothie Challenge inside Daily Blends Smoothie App for recipes and prepped for an entire month!
Tips for Make Ahead Smoothies
- Pick recipes with similar ingredients and buy in bulk. This saves money and cuts down on the number of ingredients needed.
- Buy seasonally! Choosing ingredients that are in season (or better yet, local!) also cuts down on cost. Food has the highest nutrition when harvested during its rightful season. Plus, it just tastes better.
- Help your future self by labeling! Know what that prepped jar needs for the liquid base so that when you are ready to blend, you are prepared.
- Set aside time to prep. Whether it’s on the weekend, Monday morning or Thursday evening, make time for prep. This helps you set yourself up for success.
- If you don’t like to or have time to chop up fresh ingredients then buy frozen! I love getting frozen pineapple and mango from Costco to save myself time. Frozen ingredients are picked at height freshness then flash frozen to preserve as many nutrients as possible.
Have any more tips for meal prepping smoothies? Drop a comment below and let us all know!
Smoothie Prep Menu
If you’re looking for some make-ahead smoothie recipes to get started, try out this plan:
- Beginner’s Luck Smoothie
- Clear Skin Smoothie
- Mango Spinach Smoothie
- Vegan Tropical Smoothie
- Spinach Banana Smoothie
- Island Green Smoothie
- Chia Seed Smoothie
For this round of meal prep smoothies, I stuck with tropical smoothies that have similar ingredients so that I can buy in bulk. Here’s the shopping list to prep the above seven smoothies:
| 7.5 cups Spinach | 3 Bananas |
| 1.5 cups Mango | 1 Avocado |
| 1 Lemon | 2 tbsp Chia Seeds |
| 4 Oranges | 2.75 cups Coconut Water |
| 3 cups Pineapple | 2 cups Water |
If you want to simplify your shopping list further, swap coconut water for regular water (which you don’t need to purchase), and you can meal prep smoothies for a whole week with eight ingredients.
For this list, I would pick up my supplies at Trader Joe’s and opt for frozen mango and pineapple, while choosing fresh for the remaining ingredients. Since avocado is only needed in one recipe, I’d just add it into a few other smoothies for a healthy fat boost.
Common Questions Around Smoothie Prep
Yes! While smoothies start to lose some nutrients about 15 minutes after blending, you can definitely blend one the night before. Just give it a good shake before you start to drink.
Yes! Simply add your fruit and veggies and leafy greens to a mason jar or freezer-safe container and freeze! When you’re ready to make a smoothie, thaw slightly on the counter then dump into your blender along with the liquid of your choice and any superfood boosts you want and blend. This is a great way to make sure your ingredients don’t go bad.
Yes! The key to a meal replacement smoothie is adding in protein and healthy fat. These two components will help you get full and keep you full longer.
Make Ahead Smoothies
Did you know that you can even freeze already blended smoothies? For real! Make sure you use freezer-safe containers and leave space when filling them, as liquid expands when frozen. Put in the fridge the night before you want to drink, carefully defrost in warm water or just toss it into a cooler if you’re taking it with you.
I love smoothie prepping blended smoothies for road trips. They act as ice packs for snacks and are perfectly chilled but defrosted when I’m ready to enjoy them.
Meal Prep Smoothies
Ingredients
- 5 cups spinach
- 2 cups kale
- 3 bananas
- 5 oranges
- 3 mango
- 1 pineapple
- 2 cups strawberries
Instructions
- Decide which recipes you'll make for the week and have the recipe on hand. Feel free to use my free 10-day smoothie challenge recipes. For this sample guide I'm using my original Simple 7 Smoothie Guide.
- Slice or cut fruit into chunks. You can also cut fruit into smaller pieces and freeze ahead of time on lined baking sheets or use packaged frozen fruit. This will help keep the fruit and leafy greens from freezing together in a large clump and the smoothies will blend more easily.
- Label bag and jar lids with recipe name and date. Be specific. You might also want to include how much of which liquid gets blended with each smoothie pack (to have when you're ready to blend).
- Measure out the ingredients and pack into jars or bags.
- Remove as much air as possible from bags and jars when sealing closed. Pack fruit and greens tightly into the jars and screw on the lids.
- Place in freezer. Don't pack too tightly together. There should be some air circulation to help the contents to freeze quickly.
When ready to use
- Remove smoothie pack from freezer. Add liquid base to container or bag (which helps defrost the fruit slightly). You can also thaw for a few minutes on the counter or in warm water. The fruit and greens will come out of the jar/bag easier too.
- Pour into blender and blend until smooth.
Equipment
- freezer
- measuring cups
- quart sized jars or bags
- permanent marker
Video
Notes
- Smoothie packs will keep for several months in the freezer but are the very best quality when used within 2-4 weeks.
- This sample prep guide uses naturally sweeter fruits. To lower the natural sugar in a smoothie, swap 1 banana with 1/2 an avocado.
- If hoar frost forms on the fruit and greens, it is still perfectly safe to consume. It can be rinsed off with lukewarm water.
- Store smoothie packs away from foods with strong odors. Glass jars offer the best protection against odors.
- Pick smoothie recipes with similar ingredients for bulk purchasing and to save money.
I’ve not been successful with the smoothies because they have too much fruit and I am restricted to one fruit per day. Are there smoothies with more veggies and less fruit? Sweetness becomes a problem, I know….especially since I can’t use artificial sweeteners and wouldn’t want to even if I could. Any advice?
Sorry for the second post….I’m just wondering if there are any “sweet veggies” that can substitute….or any other options
Hey Jem– I make a green smoothie every morning with barely any fruit. What I use: spinach (a handful or two) blended up with water for one round. 2nd round I add cucumber (half, peeled), celery, and a green apple. Green apples I think have lower sugar than most and arent too sweet. Also ginger (1 inch, peeled), when on hand, takes smoothies to a whole new level! Mint is also great to add another dimension and “sweetness” without sugar. I pour the smoothie over ice because none of the ingredients are frozen before hand. hope you like it!
Check out this page, Jem!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/fruit-and-vegetable-smoothie
I have mentioned on other places that aa a Sabbath observer I frequently mix my smoothie on Friday, store it in the fridg til Saturday morning, and with just a spoon stir it is fine. Also I keep paper cups of frozen blended spinach and toss them with fruit and liquid, fast and easy.
Very helpful, Shelley!
Why Is the fruit placed on a cookie sheet? What’s the difference between doing this versus placing the fruit in ziploc bags?
If you put the cut up fruit on a cookie sheet, all spread out, then it freezes quickly. And when you put the fruit in the ziplock bag, it won’t all get stuck to each other as a blob of fruit because it’s already a frozen unit.
I usually quick freeze fruit for an hour and then put the fruit into bags.
Thank you, that’s really a smart idea!
The purpose of the baking sheet is to keep the pieces of the fruit seperated so they do not freeze into each other forming a big frozen chunk of fruit that can be harder to blend smoothly, and sometimes can damage your blender.
All great answers for ya, Alexis!
Such a great tip. Thank you for this.
With a 4 year old things are quite hectic in the morning so this will be the perfect solution to not skipping a day. Easy and efficient.
I make my smoothies every night before bed, put it in an airtight container and throw it in the fridge for the morning. I work two jobs, so I pack my lunch as well as my smoothie in a cooler when I leave in the morning. I eat lunch around noon, then have my smoothie at about 4pm to hold me over til 8pm when I finally get home to cook dinner. It makes my long days much easier! Thanks SGS <3
Sounds great, Hilary! Keep it up!
I make mine ahead in baggies. And freeze 12-20 at a time. I love my morning smoothie. I find I don’t even finish my one cup of coffe on some days.
My smoothies are basically always the same. I don’t mind for taste it varies a bit by what’s in the bag or how much yogurt or coconut water I add at blend time. Do you think it’s bad to keep it always the same? The other ingredients like avocado,cucumber are hard to keep on hand ready to go. Any suggestions?
Hi Christine!
It’s not too bad to have the same smoothie a lot, but we recommend switching it up every now and then to give your body access to different nutrients!
Buy in bulk and freeze ahead. Just add liquid and blend!!!
I use frozen organic fruits and greens, still making daily smoothies are time consuming for me. This idea of prepping the ingredients by recipe seems amazingly quick. Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
I have been doing the prepackaging if fruit for awhile. I will definitely be making the smoothie and freezing it for mornings when there isn’t an extra minute as I head out the door. Thank you so much for the tip and the awesone recipes. I live this site.
I have had a bit of trouble drinking one everyday and getting to the store for the different recipe ingredients. However, I think this a fantastic opportunity and gift to so many. Thank you very much for the recipes. I want to try each one. You have helped me to lose around 9 pounds.
Congratulations! Keep up the good work!
Yes, keep up the good work, Candy!
I make several smoothies & freeze them. This is really convenient for me. I just grab & go in the morning.
I LIKE YOUR IDEA OF PREPARING SMOOTHIES A HEAD OF TIME I ALWAYS ENJOYED YOUR TIP THANKS
Great tips everyone!
My easiest time saving tip is to pre-blend all the spinach and freeze it. I can fit three cups of fresh baby spinach and 3/4 cup of water in my Thermomix and I blitz it until it is a green liquid. I divide all of that into three little containers and put them in the freezer. I repeat this process using about 500 grams of spinach. That way I always have a measured out cup of greens ready to add to my smoothie. The in the morning I throw in the fruit, liquid and pre-blended greens and blitz for 20 seconds. Done!
I buy in bulk, blend a lot of ingredients then freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen I transfer to smoothie bags so the ingredients are quick and easy and take up less space in my small freezer. I have one for spinach, one for pear and mango etc 🙂
Some of these ice cubes are also great in drinks or yummy to eat by themselves on a hot day 🙂
Glad to get the visual pics to remind my brain to plan ahead of time. Lately, because I get up extra early for work and forget to make smoothie before I go to bed because I’m going to bed too late…! … Now I will think of these pics and organize the ingredients and store. But when I remember, I make them at night and just leave in the vitamix in frig and then whizz up again in the morning. (But then I have to stop and clean up blender, get containers, etc) So I will try your idea and store and just enjoy fresh every morning! Thanks!
I am going to start doing this for quicker smoothies! Also when is the next 30 day challenge? I really like participating it keeps me on track!
It starts July 1, Laurie!