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Last updated: July 3, 2023
Ten tasty and nutritious smoothie add-ins for extra flavors so that you can get the most out of your delicious smoothies.
When preparing smoothies, I always look at ways to quickly add extra ingredients, not just for the flavors but also for the extra nutrients.
My most-used smoothie ingredients, such as kale, spinach, bananas, berries, and avocado, are pretty common fruits and veggies to blend and perhaps not very exciting.
But some of my favorite smoothie add-ins that I often use to maximize my nutrient intake are a bit more surprising and can even raise a few eyebrows!
In this article, I am going to share ten of these extra smoothie ingredients that I highly recommend you try out.
Top 10 Smoothie Add Ins
Please note that all of these add-ins have their own unique flavors, so it does require a bit of experimenting to work out what your preferred balance is.
Read my article about the best smoothie ratio for more practical blending tips.
1. Ginger
Fresh ginger is a popular ingredient in many recipes because of its unique flavors and nutritional properties. Adding it to smoothies helps to enhance the flavors of your drink.
I love the taste and smell of fresh ginger, so much so that I have even tried to grow ginger at home, which turns out is much easier than you may think.
Go ahead and try to add a bit of ginger to your next smoothie. The extra flavors are delicious, and the benefits of ginger are plentiful.
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are super tiny, but they pack a punch when it comes to nutritional value. In fact, they are among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain roughly three times more iron and magnesium than a handful of spinach, twice the fiber of a cup of oatmeal, as much calcium as half a glass of milk, and about as much potassium as a small banana. Chia seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
What’s great about chia seeds is that you can easily add them to things like yogurt and desserts, but also to smoothies. Be careful, though, when adding these tiny seeds to smoothies because they turn into a gel-type texture when soaked in liquid and can quickly make your smoothie too thick.
3. Honey
Good quality honey is rich in antioxidants, and can offer a pleasant sweet taste to a smoothie.
Using a bit of honey is an easy way to add sweetness to your smoothie. This is especially useful when you have a smoothie recipe with mostly vegetables.
But don’t use too much honey, as it can quickly become the dominant flavor. The sweetness of honey is very different from the sweetness of fruit.
4. Spirulina
Spirulina is one of the most popular and perhaps most hyped-up health foods in recent times. Some say it’s a fad that will slowly disappear, while others say it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
With 58g protein per 100g, dried spirulina is a popular source of protein for vegans. Spirulina is also a great source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and various B vitamins.
To take advantage of these nutrients, I often add a teaspoon of spirulina powder to my green smoothies.
Spirulina, even the powder form, has a strong seaweed flavor, so be gentle when adding it to your smoothies.
5. Avocado Seeds
Avocado seeds? Yes! When I eat an avocado, I often keep the seed for use in my next smoothie.
Rich in antioxidants, fiber, and other nutrients, avocado seeds are edible. And one easy way to consume them is by blending them with fruits and veggies.
The best way to remove the seed from the avocado is to cut it in half around the circumference. Then either insert a knife into the seed and pull it out or use a spoon to lift it.
I usually add one whole avocado seed straight into my Vitamix blender, as I know it will easily crush it. If you have a less powerful blender in your kitchen, try and cut the seed in half to make it easier to blend.
6. Protein Powder
Protein is an essential nutrient that functions as one of the building blocks of body tissue. With a regular diet, we should be able to get enough protein to function properly.
But depending on our lifestyles and habits, whey protein supplements can be useful to help our bodies recover more quickly from, for example, heavy workouts.
The quickest way to consume protein powder is by mixing it with water. But I often add a teaspoon to my smoothie if I feel that my body can use a bit more protein.
When using protein supplements, it’s recommended to choose natural whey protein powder that doesn’t contain any extra, unwanted ingredients.
7. Almonds
Also referred to as “the king of nuts”, almonds offer a great number of nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin E, manganese, copper, fiber, protein, and omega-3s.
Despite their fat content, almonds are not fattening, and they fit well in a weight loss diet. Another advantage is that almonds contain very little sugar.
Almonds are my favorite snack in the afternoon. They are healthy work snacks that satisfy my taste buds and prevent me from resorting to conventional snacks.
But almonds are also one of my favorite smoothie add-ins. Depending on the other ingredients, almonds give my smoothies a good texture, and they add nutritional benefits.
8. Green Tea
Most green smoothie recipes need at least some water to make them blendable. But instead of adding water, you could try adding green tea.
There are two ways you can add green tea to your smoothies. You can either add freshly made green tea, or you can also add some Matcha green tea powder.
Matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea, mainly produced and grown in Japan. In their last stages of growth, green tea leaves are placed in a shaded environment before harvesting.
Protection against sunlight increases the levels of chlorophyll and amino acids. The leaves are then ground to produce a fine powder.
9. Egg Shells
Did you know that egg shells consist of 95% calcium carbonate? The makeup of eggs shells is very similar to our bones and teeth, making them an excellent calcium supplement.
One effective way of consuming egg shells is in a powdered form, but it’s important to clean the shells properly before consumption.
I have been adding small amounts of powdered eggshells to my green smoothies for a while now, and it seems to work nicely. But moderation is key, as too much calcium is not good for you.
10. Turmeric
Turmeric is part of the ginger family and comes in two different colors, white and yellow. The yellow version is the most common type of turmeric.
Native to India and often referred to as “Indian saffron”, yellow turmeric has brown/yellow skin and orange/yellow flesh. It smells a bit like a mix of ginger and orange with a peppery and bitter flavor.
Turmeric in powder form is created by boiling, drying, and grinding the root. I love adding a teaspoon of turmeric to my smoothies. It certainly isn’t for everyone, as the flavors can be quite dominating, but it’s worth trying.
