The Vitamix is one of those kitchen gadgets that has a cult-like following, and it's not hard to see why. This high performance blender is truly a standout in its field, and many customers claim to use theirs at least once a week. Though the price tag may scare you off at first, there are about a million and a half different ways to save time and effort in the kitchen using a Vitamix! If you recently purchased one, or are thinking about making the investment, then you are definitely in luck. We have compiled some of the best healthy smoothies to make in your Vitamix that will definitely keep your family coming back for more!
Why Is a Vitamix So Great?
You are probably wondering what on earth makes the Vitamix better than your current blender and all the other blenders out on the market. Basically the key is that the blades in a Vitamix create a controlled vortex within the container, which in theory blends your ingredients more consistently and more smoothly than other blenders. Plus, the Vitamixes all come with a 10-year full warranty to help you out in case anything goes wrong, and their website claims that they have about 1% damage rate on all the machines out in the world, so this gadget is definitely going to last you a while. Of course, a Vitamix is a blender, so its most common used as a smoothie maker, although it can also make tons of other delicious foods, such as salad dressing, soups, spreads, dips, and even ice cream! The possibilities are neverending with a Vitamix, but today we are focusing on those delicious fruit and veggie smoothies that this blender specializes in.
Creating Your Own Recipes
Vitamix’s website has a handy section about creating your own green smoothie with the right balance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Check out their list to select all the right ingredients! You can use all of your favorite ingredients, but you will need to play with the ratios to get the best flavor mix. Vitamix recommends adding liquid to the machine first, and then adding your ingredients in order from softest to firmest. This allows all the liquids and softer ingredients to blend first, and then use that mixture to help blend the firmer ingredients more smoothly. They also suggest starting on Variable 1 and slowly increasing to the higher speeds. Vitamixes are more powerful than your typical smoothies, so you should blend for about 45 seconds, but the exact time will depend on the firmness of your ingredients. They offer many other tips and tricks here if this will be your first experience making blender smoothies!
The Everything Smoothie
This smoothie is very different than everything pizza, so don't get your hopes up! It is packed with healthy vitamins and boasts nine different fruits and vegetables--yes, nine fruits and veggies all in one smoothie! You will get the benefits of pineapple, broccoli, bananas, and even grapes, all with a delicious flavor and in less than 15 minutes altogether.
Berry Delicious Smoothie
This smoothie is known for its antioxidant kick! Antioxidants have been linked to better heart health, and even to fighting off certain varieties of cancer, so you can never have enough! They are often found in berries, so it does not come as a surprise that this berry-licious smoothie packs a powerful cancer-fighting punch. Use up your leftover cranberries, blueberries, and strawberries for a delicious and healthy fix.
Berry Mandarin Green Smoothie
This recipe, from Dula Notes, contains six different fruits and vegetables and has a unique flavor with the mix of berries and citrus, that we really love. It uses milk for a creamy blend, and you can always substitute your alternative milks (which, of course, you can make in your Vitamix as well!) if you do not want to drink regular milk. We love the extra twist with pears and clementines in this recipe!
Healthy Breakfast Smoothie
This breakfast smoothie is designed to keep you going all day, no matter what your schedule looks like. It has the added benefit of being gluten free and vegan as well, in case either of those are restrictive for you! Being vegan, you also avoid lactose, in case you are lactose intolerant. This smoothie allows you to choose your favorite milk alternative, and some of our favorites are cashew, coconut, and almond--the recipe actually includes cashews and coconut, so either of those would make a lovely complement. By sweetening this smoothie with natural sources, including dates and stevia, you avoid that sugar spike which can cause you to crash later in the day! That is why this recipe is perfect for breakfast before your busy day at work!
Apple Carrot Kale Smoothie
This smoothie recipe just got an update last year after being the first one they published, so you know it is a classic! It sounds like a juice when you list out all the ingredients, but it is actually consumed more like a smoothie with the pulp still in. We love this as the pulp provides the healthiest parts of the veggies like kale and carrots. If you want to sub a natural sweetener, you can add in some honey or dates, and add any seeds that you have on hand as a pretty topping! We love adding chia seeds or flaxseeds to our smoothies for heart healthy vitamins.
After Workout Energy Smoothie
This smoothie is made for after your heavy workout, to re-boost your energy, so you do not crash throughout the rest of the day. It is packed with chia seeds, spirulina, acai berry, and barley oats to give you that boost of healthy energy and keep you going well past the 2 o’clock haze. There is a little hint of cinnamon to give you a nice comforting flavor, and the recipe can be altered for any size Vitamix! You will not regret bringing this one to the gym with you in the morning!
Almond Butter Milkshake
We could not not include this one! It's called a milkshake, but you can pretend it's still healthy, right? Plus it uses almond butter, another healthy ingredient that you can make right in your Vitamix. The Maca powder is a specialized fruit powder from Peru that helps with healing and recovery, but the almond butter, cinnamon, and vanilla will make this shake taste like it is sinfully unhealthy! If you want an extra boost, feel free to add your favorite protein powder. Enjoy this one if you have an active sweet tooth!
What About Juices?
You may think that juices and smoothies are very similar, and they are in terms of ingredients. However, a juice typically does not have pulp and is contains more fibrous vegetables, whereas smoothies often have more fruits. The good news is that a Vitamix can make juice just as well as an expensive juicer, you just have to know how to work it. Many juicers separate out the pulp and fibers of your fruits and vegetables, leaving just juice behind. The Vitamix will not separate the two, so you can use this method to squeeze out the pulp, or if you want to reap all the health benefits, you can just drink your juice with the pulp mix in it! The pulp is where the fiber and many of the vitamins are contained, so you may want to try this option out!
Cleaning Your Vitamix
After you create a smoothie, you may be left with a giant mess. Hopefully, you contained that mess to the inside of the Vitamix and didn't forget to put the lid on (not speaking from experience, of course). The great thing about the Vitamix is that it is super easy to clean. You just add a little warm water and a dash of dish soap, and either set it to the clean setting (on higher end models) or start on a slow setting and gradually increase the speed. You can see the soapy water suds up and clean the entire Vitamix blender right in front of your eyes! Very few other blenders can actually do that, so the Vitamix is definitely a win on this front!
No matter what you have in the fridge, you can probably create a delicious Vitamix smoothie with it! Sometimes the best healthy smoothie recipes are found by accident, so we encourage you to experiment and try out a bunch of different variations! Let us know in the comments below which ones are your favorites, and stay tuned for more information on all the different things you can make with your Vitamix--you will definitely be surprised by some of them!
Thank you
Bren