Ingredients

Smoothie ingredients

Every ingredient the calculators on this site know about, what job it does in the blend, and what it costs you per serving. 20 of them have a page of their own.

The short version

A smoothie is a liquid, some frozen fruit, a creamy base and an optional boost. Everything else in the list below is flavor — it changes how the drink tastes, not how it behaves.

The four roles

The ratio model portions four of the five roles by volume. Get the split right and the texture is right, whichever ingredients you picked — which is why the role matters more than the shopping list.

Liquid
Thins the blend and gets it moving
7 ingredients
Frozen fruit / ice
Chills and thickens — the body of the smoothie
11 ingredients
Creamy base
Adds richness, protein and staying power
9 ingredients
Thickener
Optional — dials texture up without more liquid
6 ingredients
Flavor
Greens, spices and sweeteners — no texture role, so no share of the glass
15 ingredients

Ingredient pages

These are the ingredients people search for by name. Each page has how much of it goes in a glass, what it does to the texture, its full nutrition, what it pairs with and what to use instead.

Yogurt in a smoothie

The base that turns a fruit smoothie into something with protein in it.

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Banana in a smoothie

The one ingredient that thickens, sweetens and creams at the same time.

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Maca powder in a smoothie

A stir-in root powder with a malty edge — small amounts, blended in properly.

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Almond milk in a smoothie

The default liquid on this site, and the reason most blends here are light.

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Coconut oil in a smoothie

Pure fat, no texture role, and it behaves oddly in anything cold.

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Pomegranate in a smoothie

Sharp, deep red, and the seed inside every aril decides how you blend it.

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Peach in a smoothie

Soft, mild and one of the lightest ways to fill the frozen half of a blend.

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Beets in a smoothie

Earthy, deeply colored, and the raw-or-cooked question changes the drink.

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Medjool dates in a smoothie

The sweetener with fiber attached — one date does the work of a spoon of honey.

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Pineapple in a smoothie

Bright, sharp and sweet at once — the tropical fruit that cuts through greens.

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Spinach in a smoothie

The green you can hide — a full cup disappears behind almost any fruit.

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Matcha in a smoothie

Whole ground leaf, not brewed tea — which is exactly why it works in a blender.

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Eggs in a smoothie

A protein base with a food-safety question attached — worth reading before you blend one.

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Celery in a smoothie

Almost nothing but water and fiber — which is both the appeal and the limit.

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Kale in a smoothie

The stronger green — more flavor to hide, and a stem you should take out.

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Ginger in a smoothie

The one ingredient here measured in teaspoons for a reason.

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Chia seeds in a smoothie

The thickener that keeps working after you have stopped blending.

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Avocado in a smoothie

The only base that makes a blend rich without making it sweet.

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Turmeric in a smoothie

A teaspoon of color and earth — and the one ingredient here that stains everything.

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Lemon in a smoothie

A tablespoon of acidity that changes how everything else in the glass reads.

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The whole ingredient list

All 48 ingredients, grouped by the role they fill. Calories, protein and sugar are for one everyday measure of each — the measure is under the name — so the numbers compare directly rather than by weight.

Ingredient
Calories
Protein
Sugar
Role
Color
36
1 g
0 g
Liquid
Neutral
Coconut Water Per cup · 240 g
46
2 g
6 g
Liquid
Neutral
Oat Milk Per cup · 240 g
108
2 g
10 g
Liquid
Neutral
Orange Juice Per cup · 248 g
112
2 g
21 g
Liquid
Orange
Soy Milk (unsweetened) Per cup · 240 g
79
8 g
2 g
Liquid
Neutral
Water Per cup · 240 g
0
0 g
0 g
Liquid
Neutral
Whole Milk Per cup · 240 g
146
8 g
12 g
Liquid
White
Frozen Banana Per cup (sliced) · 150 g
134
2 g
18 g
Frozen
Yellow
Frozen Blueberry Per cup · 148 g
84
1 g
15 g
Frozen
Purple
Frozen Cauliflower (riced) Per cup · 120 g
30
2 g
2 g
Frozen
White
Frozen Cherry Per cup · 155 g
98
2 g
20 g
Frozen
Red
Frozen Mango Per cup · 165 g
99
1 g
23 g
Frozen
Orange
Frozen Mixed Berries Per cup · 140 g
70
1 g
10 g
Frozen
Purple
Frozen Peach Per cup · 155 g
60
1 g
13 g
Frozen
Orange
Frozen Pineapple Per cup · 165 g
83
1 g
16 g
Frozen
Yellow
Frozen Raspberry Per cup · 140 g
73
2 g
6 g
Frozen
Pink
Frozen Strawberry Per cup · 145 g
46
1 g
7 g
Frozen
Red
Ice Per cup · 120 g
0
0 g
0 g
Frozen
Neutral
Almond Butter Per tbsp · 16 g
98
3 g
1 g
Base
Brown
Avocado Per /2 medium · 100 g
160
2 g
1 g
Base
Green
Cottage Cheese (low-fat) Per /2 cup · 113 g
81
14 g
5 g
Base
White
Egg (raw, whole) Per large · 50 g
72
6 g
0 g
Base
Yellow
72
13 g
4 g
Base
White
Peanut Butter Per tbsp · 16 g
94
4 g
1 g
Base
Brown
Rolled Oats Per /2 cup · 40 g
156
7 g
0 g
Base
Brown
Silken Tofu Per /2 cup · 124 g
68
6 g
1 g
Base
White
Sunflower Seed Butter Per tbsp · 16 g
99
3 g
1 g
Base
Brown
Chia Seeds Per tbsp · 12 g
58
2 g
0 g
Boost
Neutral
Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) Per tbsp · 5 g
11
1 g
0 g
Boost
Brown
Ground Flax Seeds Per tbsp · 7 g
37
1 g
0 g
Boost
Brown
Hemp Seeds Per tbsp · 10 g
55
3 g
0 g
Boost
Green
Pea Protein Powder Per scoop · 30 g
114
24 g
0 g
Boost
Neutral
Whey Protein Powder Per scoop · 30 g
111
24 g
1 g
Boost
Neutral
Beets (raw) Per /2 cup (chopped) · 68 g
29
1 g
5 g
Flavor
Purple
Celery Per stalk · 40 g
6
0 g
1 g
Flavor
Green
Coconut Oil Per tsp · 4.5 g
39
0 g
0 g
Flavor
White
Cucumber Per cup · 120 g
18
1 g
2 g
Flavor
Green
Fresh Ginger Per tsp · 2 g
2
0 g
0 g
Flavor
Neutral
Ground Turmeric Per tsp · 3 g
9
0 g
0 g
Flavor
Orange
Honey Per tbsp · 21 g
64
0 g
17 g
Flavor
Yellow
Kale Per cup (chopped) · 21 g
10
1 g
0 g
Flavor
Green
Lemon Juice Per tbsp · 15 g
3
0 g
0 g
Flavor
Yellow
Maca Powder Per tsp · 5 g
16
1 g
1 g
Flavor
Brown
Maple Syrup Per tbsp · 20 g
52
0 g
12 g
Flavor
Brown
Matcha Per tsp · 2 g
6
1 g
0 g
Flavor
Green
Medjool Dates Per date · 24 g
66
0 g
16 g
Flavor
Brown
Pomegranate Arils Per /2 cup · 87 g
72
1 g
12 g
Flavor
Red
Spinach Per cup · 30 g
7
1 g
0 g
Flavor
Green

Rounded to the nearest whole number for one household measure. Every calculator and every recipe on the site sums from these same figures, so a total anywhere else will agree with this table.

Start from what is in the kitchen

Add the ingredients you already have and the calculator handles the amounts, the texture and the numbers.

Open the ratio calculator

Estimates, not advice. Every figure on this page is calculated from published per-100 g reference values and standard household measures, so your own brands, portions and equipment will move it. Nothing here is medical, nutritional or dietetic advice — talk to a qualified professional before acting on it, particularly if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or feeding a child.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

More on what goes in a smoothie

What ingredients go in a smoothie?

Four things, in this order: a liquid to get the blades moving, frozen fruit for body and chill, a creamy base for richness and staying power, and an optional boost to dial the texture up without more liquid. Everything else — greens, spices, sweeteners — is a free add that changes the taste rather than the texture.

What is the correct ratio of smoothie ingredients?

About two and a quarter cups of ingredients per glass, split roughly 45% liquid, 33% frozen fruit and 22% base. That is the split every recipe on this site is built from, and the ratio calculator will rebalance it for you when you change one part.

Which smoothie ingredient has the most calories?

By weight, oils and nut butters, well ahead of anything else. By what actually goes in a glass, the liquid usually decides it — a cup of juice or whole milk carries far more than a cup of unsweetened plant milk, and it goes in before any fruit does.

Do I need protein powder in a smoothie?

No. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, silken tofu, oats and seeds all carry protein, and a blend built on two of them lands in the same place as one with a scoop in it. Powder is a shortcut, not a requirement.

Can I use fresh fruit instead of frozen?

Yes, but the drink will be thinner and warmer, and you will need ice to compensate — which dilutes it. Frozen fruit does the chilling and the thickening at once, which is why every recipe here is built on it.

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