How to make smoothies with a food processor

A refreshing, freshly blended smoothie tastes good at any time of day - as a nourishing breakfast, energising on-the-go snack, or post gym recharge.

Making your own using your food processor’s blender jug attachment couldn’t be simpler, enabling you to blend down even firm fruits and vegetables to a deliciously smooth and creamy consistency in just a couple of minutes. You can experiment with different flavour combinations to create your own recipes - choosing vitamin-rich produce and sneaking in some extra superfoods to give your diet a nutritional boost, or simply work with whatever ingredients need using up.

Here’s our complete guide to making smoothies using your food processor, with tips on combining ingredients and adapting recipes to suit your tastes or dietary needs, along with a couple of our favourite smoothie recipes to get you started.

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Making smoothies with the Multipro Compact food processor

The MultiPro Compact’s durable 1.2L glass blender attachment is perfect for quickly whizzing up your own delicious, nutrient-packed smoothies.

Simply prepare your ingredients, add them to the blender jug and blend until the smoothie is the right consistency. It should be smooth and silky, and not too runny. Some firmer ingredients will take longer to blitz down. If so, just stop the blender and stir to ensure all the ingredients are evenly blended and nothing has got stuck in the blades, before continuing to blend.

Once you’re done, simply pop the blender jug in the dishwasher, pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy!

Choosing your smoothie ingredients

The basic smoothie formula is to combine some fruit with a liquid and something creamy to thicken it, like yoghurt. Beyond that, there really are no rules.

You can experiment with different fruit and veg combinations, add sweeteners or flavour enhancers, or supercharge it with some extra healthy fats or protein. Just be mindful of overall sugar content, as fruit and many dairy or dairy substitute products are naturally high in sugar.

Follow these tips to ensure you get the perfect balance of ingredients:

Pick your fruit

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● Keep things simple by just using one base fruit like banana, strawberry or mango, or go for a more complex combination of your favourite fruits- try tropical fruits or mixed berries.

● Smoothies are a great way to make use of leftover fruit, or you can customise your creations depending on what’s in season.

Fresh or frozen

●   Use fresh or frozen fruit, or a combination of both.

●   Frozen fruit blends up to create a refreshingly chilled smoothie with a thicker consistency. Buy pre-prepped bags of frozen fruit to save time, money and reduce waste, or you can chop and bag up your favourite fruit combos in advance and freeze.

●   If you’re only using fresh fruit, you may want to throw a couple of ice cubes into the blender to chill and thicken your smoothie.

Go Green

● Nutrient-rich leafy greens like spinach or kale work really well in smoothies, and even the most vegetable-averse kids won’t notice the stronger flavours if you pair them with sweeter fruits like mango or banana.

Choose a liquid base

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● Use milk, water, coconut water or a dairy-free milk alternative like unsweetened oat or almond milk to thin out a smoothie to your preferred consistency.

Add a thickener

● To get a creamy consistency you will need something to thicken your smoothie. Try adding plain Greek or coconut yoghurt, banana or avocado.

Optional extras

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●   This is where you can really have fun. To boost your smoothie’s nutritional profile, try adding an extra dose of protein or healthy fats in the form of nut butter, protein or collagen powder or seeds like flax or chia. Adding rolled oats will not only thicken your smoothie but add fibre, helping you to feel fuller for longer.

●   Use herbs and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, fresh or ground ginger or fresh mint to bring in new flavours.

●   Most fruit-based smoothies will be naturally sweet enough, but once it’s blended you can taste and add some honey or maple syrup, if needed. Medjool dates are also a great natural sweetener.

How to get the best consistency

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Here’s your step-by-step guide to whizzing up the perfect smoothie:

1.   Start by pouring the liquid into your blender attachment. This will make blending easier on the blades.

2.   If you’re adding greens, these should go in next. This will help them blend down smoothly.

3.   Next, add in any soft ingredients, like soft fruit or veggies.

4.   Add any harder ingredients last, like frozen fruit.

Start your blender off slowly before gradually increasing the speed. Blend for 30-60 seconds, until smooth.

Our favourite smoothie recipes

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Mango, pineapple and passion fruit juice smoothie
Packed with nutrients- especially vitamin C, mango’s smooth and creamy texture and sweet flavour means it blends really easily and pairs well with pretty much anything. This refreshing smoothie recipe teams mango with pineapple, passion fruit and orange juice for a truly tropical start to the day.

Green Goddess smoothie recipe
Whizz up apple, cucumber and celery with herbs and warming spices in your blender jug attachment to make this vibrant, vegan-friendly green smoothie. Adding spirulina powder gives this smoothie a protein boost, making it ideal for refuelling tired muscles after a workout.

When it comes to making your own smoothies, the flavour combinations are endless- you really can have fun with it and be creative. If you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started, you can find more of our delicious smoothie recipes here, along with some refreshing juices and cocktails.