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
Equipment
- freezer
- measuring cups
- quart sized jars or bags
- permanent marker
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.Â
- 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.Â
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.Â
- 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.Â
So glad to see this and excited to start the challenge this weekend!
I freeze in REGULAR mouth jars with plastic lids. In the morning, I add whatever liquid needed, and screw it directly to my blender base! Then I top it with one of those straw drinking lids and off I go! Now I only need to clean the blade base and I’m all ready for the next day. Freshly blended, and less things to wash!
I could never do daily smoothies without freezer prep. Thanks for the motivation!!
Sounds like you’ve got your method down!! Way to go! I’m always so much more likely to drink my daily smoothie if it’s already prepped and ready for me.
This is super important for first time Simple Green Smoothiess! I hate buying produce and then have to discard it because I didn’t use it quickly enough. I usually print out the recipes and cut out the instructions with the name of the smoothie and put it in the quart bag with my ingredients. That way I know exactly which pack to pull out when I am ready to BLEND!
I pack the greens in a sandwich baggie and fruits in a separate sandwich baggie. That way I can blend the greens first and then add fruits and extras in my second blend. Thanks for making your instructions and prep guides so detailed – it makes getting ready for the week much easier! Especially the shopping list! Love it! – Valerie
Such great ideas for more smoothie pack inspo Valerie!!! Love the ability to blend greens separately, since many blenders need that step to get it smooth. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Beginner’s Luck smoothie is one of my favorites. I use coconut water instead of plain water to add to the tropical feeling the pineapple brings! Day one is off to a great start!
This is a terrific idea, Lisa. I was born in the Kenya and have been living in cold Canada (in various cities since 1974). We used to drink fresh coconut, mango and sugar cane juices among others. We can get fresh tropical fruits only during summer months so canned coconut juice will work for me. Thanks for the tip.
Great article. Great tips. I feel prepared for the challenge ahead while saving time. Thanks.
Hello,
Make ahead – wonderful!
Can you freeze the fax seed, protein powder along with other ingredients?
Thank you!
I enjoy carrot juice too! Can I use carrot juice/beet juice combination made in the PM, then use the juice as a base to a blended Green Smoothie in the AM?
Love this question, Leroy! You can totally use any liquid base you prefer for your smoothies! Just keep in mind that adding juice will up the sugar content of your smoothie if that’s something you’re needing to watch out for.
Hi there,
I have a recipe with lettuce, spinach, green apple, almond butter and coconot water, could I put everything together in a bag when I am doing the prep time? I was wondering if the apple will go brown?
Thanks a lot
You can totally prep ahead and freeze all but your coconut water in a freezer-safe bag or jar! The coconut water (or any liquid) should be added in when blending. The apple could be tossed with a little bit of lemon juice before freezing to prevent it from turning brown.
Hello, I love your videos and I’m so ready to start. The plant concept is right on time. What size mason jars do you use? I want to purchase before I start the challenge. Thx…Linda
Awesome Linda! We used pint sized, wide mouth mason jars for this make ahead smoothie prep. 🙂
I have a history of kidney stones and have been told to eat foods that are low in oxalate. Do you have suggestions for greens to use instead of spinach? Spinach is very high in oxalate. I know kale is good but just wanted other suggestions. I’m excited to start my smoothie journey!
Thanks!!!
Hi Mandy,
Kale, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower are some of our favorite low-oxalate veggies to blend with. Have you tried cauliflower? If you haven’t, make sure and freeze it beforehand. It creates a really mild flavor and makes your smoothie super creamy. Here’s one of my favorite recipes:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/smoothie-recipes-for-kids
Hi
Thank you so much for these lovely ideas. I just love it.
It is never wasted
Joy
Rudi
You’re welcome! 🙂
I am really feeling great since monday I started. My cloths fit now and more energy. Thank you so much.
Awesome, Njideka! Love to hear this. 😀
I have used this prep guide SOOO many times to get my smoothies ready for the week. Its really does make a big different in having a daily smoothie when you prep it ahead like this!
Yay! Prepping is the key to success!!!
Day 1 was great as usual. Just love love love your smoothies. I have a couple of recipes of my own that |’ve tried and they taste oh so good. Can we use Almond or Cashew Unsweetened Milk which is only 30 cal. per cup? I’ve used Almond Milk before and the smoothies comes out great. I have a friend who’s an ex-classmate of mine. For decades since we were in Grade 1, she’s been heavy. I’m trying to get her into drinking your smoothies. Wish me luck.
Hey Rashida,
Yes you can totally add in some almond or cashew milk to this recipe! We want you to make this work for you so if you feel that it needs something extra to get you excited, then go for it!!
That is so awesome you are sharing the smoothie love with your friends. Kale yeah!!
Day 1 tasted great but very cold for winter months can I use warm water or do you have any other suggestions. Thanks
Refreshing and nourishing