This article was co-authored by Linda McNally. Linda Ingaldson McNally is a Personal Chef & Nutritionist and the Co-Founder of Sage Home Chef based in Portland, Oregon. Linda and her team specialize in personalized meal preparation and create seasonal menus to accommodate various dietary restrictions. She has extensive knowledge in nutrition relating to women's health, mindful eating, and therapeutic diets. Sage Home Chef won the AI Business Excellence Awards for Oregon's Best Healthy Cuisine Personal Chef Services and Best of Portland Personal Chef Services in 2022. Linda has a degree in Journalism, Social Justice, and Family Studies from the University of St. Thomas and earned an MS in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland.
wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 14 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status.
This article has been viewed 785,996 times.
Strawberry smoothies are healthy, delicious, and refreshing — and best of all, they’re easy to make! With just 4 ingredients and a blender, you’ll have a nice cold treat that’s sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. This smoothie calls for strawberries, but any fruit can be substituted or added!
Ingredients
- 10 strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup or 125 ml of milk
- 5 ice cubes
-
Optional:
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar
- 3 scoops of ice cream
- Protein supplement for added protein
- 10 strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup water (or juice of any flavour) or 1/4 cup of a milk alternative (almond, oat, etc.)
- 5 ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) honey, agave, or sugar
-
Optional:
- Protein supplement for added protein
Steps
-
Cut your strawberries into pieces. While the recipe calls for 10, you may need fewer or more, depending on their size. And depending on your smoothie craving! The following are useful tips:
- It'll be the easiest on your blender if you cut off the tops and then cut them in half.
- Make sure you're using a clean knife and cutting board!
- Make sure you wash your fruit! (Use baking soda and water)
- Frozen strawberries give the smoothie a thicker consistency without watering it down.
- Throw them into a blender. A Magic Bullet or food processor will work, too.[1]
- Put the milk into the blender. 2% will make for a creamy, thicker smoothie, but non-fat, soy, and almond work, too. If you don't have milk, yogurt works as well.[2]
- Add ice. For a thicker, colder smoothie, throw the ice in the blender with everything else. However, if you'd like your smoothie to be more concentrated (at least initially), you can just put the ice into the smoothie when it's finished. Decisions, decisions.
- Blend until liquefied. Depending on the strength of your blender and the size of your ice cubes, this should take anywhere from about 15 seconds to a minute. It may need a stir to get the last chunks of ice smoothie-ready, so break out your spoon if need be. Did someone say taste test? You can also add frozen strawberries instead of ice to maintain flavor![3]
- Add in the sugar, blending a few seconds more. If the strawberries are sweet enough, you may not need the extra zing. Or if you'd like something more natural, honey is a great alternative. It's a good idea to try it out and see. If you add too much, you can always add more strawberries or milk!
- Pour the smoothie in a glass. Cut a strawberry in half, then slice half of it so you can put it on the edge of the glass for a garnish. Grab a straw, your cocktail umbrella, and you're set.
- A chilled glass is even better -- it keeps the smoothie from becoming runny too quickly. Keep one in the freezer for the next time a smoothie craving strikes without warning.
-
Enjoy! The recipe above makes one strawberry smoothie. Watch out -- smoothies have been known to bring boys and girls to the yard, too. Hope you have extra ingredients on hand for when you're expected to share!
-
Slice 10 or so strawberries in half. 10 is a good number for a single serving, but more is always welcome. You could always double the batch for later! Grab your cutting board and knife and see where the moment takes you.
-
Add the strawberries and water or juice to your blender. Water will do the job and highlight the sweet strawberry-ness of your drink, but juice will get it more pizzazz -- apple, pineapple, mango, heck, even grape or cranberry. It'll drive down the strawberry flavor, but it'll give your smoothie or more complicated, sharp twist.[4]
-
Pour in the honey or spoon in the sugar. Honey is mother nature's sugar, but the white stuff will do the trick, too. However, both are optional! If your strawberries are sweet enough, your smoothie may not need it.
- You can always blend everything else up and then see if your smoothie needs sugar. An excuse for a preemptive spoonful, really.
-
Add the ice cubes. The smaller they are, the easier it'll be on your blender, but they'll eventually get decimated all the same. If you're wary of adding too much ice, try adding half now to be blended and then adding 1 or 2 whole to your drink at the end to keep it chilly. You can also add frozen strawberries instead of ice to maintain flavor!
- Another good alternative is a chilled glass -- that way the glass acts as the ice and your smoothie stays a thicker, more filling consistency.
-
Blend on low and gradually move to high. The ice gets pummeled on the low setting, but it all smoothie-fies on high. You'll know it's done when everything is a red fruity liquid. Grab a spoon -- how's it taste?
- Then you may want to blend it on high for another 30 seconds to aerate. This will give it a bit of volume, too (read: more bang for your smoothie buck).
-
Enjoy! Garnish with a wedge of fruit -- maybe lemon, lime, pineapple, or more strawberry? A straw and an umbrella, too! Ah, fruity goodness. Have fun making and drinking!
Community Q&A
-
QuestionCan I replace the sugar with honey?QamarTop AnswererYes, you can. Honey is a natural sweetener and will work well.
-
QuestionCan I use frozen strawberries and skip the ice?Community AnswerYes.
-
QuestionHow many servings does this make?QamarTop AnswererEach recipe makes about 3-5 servings.
Video
Tips
-
A recommended ice cream for this smoothie would be vanilla. It's sweet, creamy, and adds the perfect blend.Thanks
-
If you would like to have your smoothie with bits in it, avoid blending your smoothie too much.Thanks
-
You can add any more fruits if you desire such as mangoes, bananas, orange, etc.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Blender
- Glass
- Spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Straw (optional)
- Blender glass
References
About This Article
To make a traditional strawberry smoothie, cut about 10 strawberries in half and remove the tops. Place the strawberries into your blender, then add 1/2 cup of milk and about 5 ice cubes. Blend the ingredients for about 15-60 seconds or until you get a smooth consistency. If your smoothie isn’t sweet enough, add 1 tablespoon of sugar or your favorite sweetener to the blender and turn it on again for a few more seconds. If you’d like to learn how to make a dairy-free smoothie, read on!
Reader Success Stories
-
"This helped me because the page tells you the ingredients, you can tap the little box beside it, and you will know that you have the ingredients out already. This recipe is very delicious."..." more