How To Make A Smoothie Without A Blender

Are you trying to work out how to make a smoothie without a blender? Can you even make a smoothie without a blender?! The good news is YES, you can absolutely make a delicious smoothie without using any kind of blending device.

In this article – we’ll show you exactly how to make a smoothie without a blender and share some easy blender-free recipes too.

There are lots of reasons to make a no blender smoothie. If you’re a fan of minimalism, then perhaps you don’t want another kitchen appliance cluttering up your countertops. Not everyone wants to buy or can afford a blender.

There are also situations where you might not have electricity to run a blender. Perhaps you’re camping, caravanning, or just don’t have a reliable supply in your part of the world. Whatever the case, we have a practical solution for you…

How To Make A Smoothie Without A Blender – Overview

Here’s a quick overview of how you can make a delicious smoothie without using a blender…

1. Choose soft ingredients like banana, mango, or ripe avocado
2. Mash them in a bowl until completely smooth
3. Add a little of your chosen liquid (we use dairy-free milk or water) and combine with a whisk
4. Keep adding a little liquid at a time and then mixing it thoroughly to avoid lumps
5. If you’re adding protein or supplement powders, then add them at the same time as the liquid
6. Once all your liquid is added and mixed – enjoy!

Now let’s look at the process in a little more detail so that you know exactly how to prep the perfect smoothie without relying on appliances…

#1 – Choose Soft Ingredients

If you don’t have a blender, then your approach to ingredient selection is essential. The key to a successful smoothie is fruits that will combine easily and produce a super-smooth texture. This means avoiding anything hard or leafy. Ingredients that work well in no-blender smoothies include…

• Bananas
• Mangos
• Kiwis (flesh not the harder centre part)
• Avocado (ripe)
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Pears
• Frozen strawberries that have been thoroughly defrosted
• Yogurt

Unless you’re a master at chopping veg, salad leaves are not going to work. This means that spinach, kale, and chard are a no-no. If you still want to get your green goodness then you could consider adding a green supplement. Fresh is always the best in our book, but there are times when it’s just not a practical option.

If you’re using frozen fruit, then make sure it’s fully defrosted before making your smoothie. If it’s frozen then it’ll be way too hard to break up and could even be sharp enough to cause injury. The good news is, frozen fruit tends to be kind of mushy once it’s defrosted. So, this makes it a lot easier to combine into a smoothie without using a blender.

Another way to make ingredients suitable is to cook them first. This works especially well for carrots and sweet potato. Steam or boil them until super-soft, then mash up with the other ingredients. You can also add the leftover steam water or boiling juices once they’ve cooled so that you don’t lose any of the nutrients.

#2 – Mash In A Bowl

You can use a fork or a potato masher for this step – both work well. Do it in a medium-large sized bowl as opposed to a drinking glass or cereal bowl. This gives you more space to put the utensil to maximum use. It’s much easier to mash fruit thoroughly and mix it with liquid when you have the space to move the utensil fully. It also helps to get more air into your smoothie which will make it lighter and fluffier!

#3 – Add Your Liquid

Add a little liquid at a time to avoid any big lumps and mix it using a whisk. It’s the same ‘little by little’ approach that you’d use for making pancake batter. Add just enough to make it moist and then mix it thoroughly. Then add a bit more and mix, a little more and then mix again. This will help you create a truly smooth consistency without needing a blender.

Dairy-free milk is our go-to because it creates a creamier consistency than water. Almond or coconut milk are ideal as they add their own flavour into the mix too.

If you’re adding protein or supplement powders, then add them at the same time as the liquid. Some products have a tendency to go lumpy so it’s crucial to mix them thoroughly. Otherwise, all your hard work in creating a super-smooth consistency will be for nothing. Once your ingredients are thoroughly mixed, your smoothie is ready to enjoy!

Top tip – You’ll need to add the ingredients in a different order when you don’t have a blender, it’s the reverse of when you have a Vitamix or Nutribullet.

Smoothie Recipes That Don’t Need A Blender

Here are three delicious smoothie recipes that you can make without a blender…

Super-Simple Banana Cappuccino Smoothie

This is one of our favourite smoothie recipes yet incredibly simple to make. You can switch coffee granules for coffee-flavoured protein powder if you want to increase the macro content. Either way, it’ll dissolve straight into the cold milk so there’s no need to mix it with hot water first. Here’s how to make a delicious banana smoothie without a blender…

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup of dairy-free milk
• 1 teaspoon coffee instant granules

1. Mash the banana until super-smooth
2. Add a little dairy-free milk and mix some more
3. Add the coffee granules and mix some more (they’ll dissolve in the cold liquid)
4. Keep adding liquid until it’s all used and then enjoy!

Coconut & Mango Smoothie

This tropical smoothie tastes like a holiday in a glass. Coconut and mango are the best of friends and combine perfectly to create a really delicious flavour. They’re also both full of vitamins that are great for your skin too.

• 1 ripe banana
• 120ml (½ a cup) coconut milk
• ½ cup mango (fresh or defrosted)

1. Peel the banana and mango ensuring you remove the stone
2. Mash them together until super-smooth
3. Slowly add a little coconut milk mixing as you go

Quick tip – Be sure to use coconut milk and not coconut cream (which comes in tins and tends to be used for Asian curries).

Pumpkin Workout Smoothie

Not just reserved for Halloween, pumpkins are in season throughout the winter. They blend well with creamy ingredients like banana and make a mean workout smoothie. Their potassium will help restore electrolyte balance and with only 13 calories per 50g, their energy won’t undo all your hard work. This size serving also contains 123% of your RDA of vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant that’s good for your skin and eyes.

• 50g pumpkin or pumpkin puree
• 1 banana
• 120ml (½ cup) coconut milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and steam until tender
2. Peel the banana then mash with the pumpkin and cinnamon
3. Add a little of the milk at a time, whisking continuously

Quick tip – Try roasting the leftover pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack full of dietary fibre and protein.

So, now you know exactly how to make a smoothie without a blender and have three recipes that you can use. We’d love to hear how you get on – share your creations on Instagram and tag @theblendery to be featured!

FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions we see on making blender-free smoothies…