Frozen Smoothie Packs – Meal Prep Recipes & Guide

If you struggle with finding a healthy breakfast or snack in the morning and love smoothies, then frozen smoothie packs might be a great fit for you. Instead of buying $8 premade smoothies at the store, take 10 minutes in your week and meal prep some packs based on what you like. 

This post will give you a fun variety of ways to prepare smoothies for the week and also give you options for how to customize each healthy smoothie.

Why bother prepping smoothies?

With make-ahead smoothie bags, all you have to do in the morning is pick your flavor and add your juice, milk, or water. It’s a super-fast way to get a tasty and healthy breakfast or snack when you’re hungry. This is perfect for those mornings when you need to eat, but are still in a daze. Low effort, high reward!

These frozen smoothie packs are also a great way to use up some leftover vegetables, berries, or other fruit you have in the fridge too. I like to purchase bulk greens and produce at Costco, but sometimes I don’t have enough time to eat everything before it spoils. These make-ahead smoothie recipes give you an option to meal prep smoothies for the future and also save an abundance of food from going bad by freezing them.

Cost savings of making smoothies at home

If you’ve ever stepped foot in a smoothie shop, then you know how much smoothies at juice bars can add up over time. Prepping one smoothie bag saves me about $7-$8 for a 16 oz smoothie at my local juice bar. If I meal prep for at least 5 days of smoothies, I’m saving at least $35 per week. 

Buying produce in bulk will also give you some more savings because you’ll be able to make more smoothies–just make sure you have enough freezer space! 

My template for unlimited smoothie recipe ideas

Here’s a guide to customizing smoothies so you can use just about any kind of leftover fruit and veggies you have at home, but still make a tasty and balanced smoothie. Start with this basic recipe or ratio and you can adjust to your liking:

• 2 cups of fresh vegetables (or 1 cup of frozen vegetables): spinach, kale, alfalfa sprouts, cauliflower, ginger, carrots, microgreens
• 1 cup of fruits (fresh or frozen): pineapple, apple, watermelon, banana, berries, lemon, coconut, cucumber, peach
• 1-2 tbsp protein: protein powder, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, nut butter 
• 8-16 fl oz of liquid: water, coconut water, almond milk, oat milk, greek or coconut yogurt 
• Boosters: goji berries, dates, cacao powder

Are frozen smoothie mixes healthy?

There are also premade frozen smoothie mixes available for purchase at the grocery store, but I still prefer making my own because they can cost just as much as a smoothie at the store AND include preservatives and additives.

Making your own smoothie bags gives you the option to pick organic produce and different flavor combinations tailored to your taste. You can even experiment with other varieties like an anti-inflammatory turmeric smoothie to target specific health benefits. If you need a caffeine boost with your smoothie or shake in the morning, try our healthy coffee protein shake recipe too.

Can I freeze my smoothie ingredients?

You can definitely freeze a majority of the smoothie ingredients to meal prep smoothie bags for the morning or whenever you want to drink them. When I make them at home, I like to sidestep a lot of prep and buy frozen and pre-cut vegetables and fruit. You save time on cleaning and cutting the produce, all you have to do is pop them into Ziplock bags, label them, and then put them in the freezer. If you have any excess of greens like kale, you can also learn how to freeze kale to use for later.

Make sure to only freeze produce for these smoothie bags because you need liquid, protein, and boosters to thicken and blend the frozen ingredients properly. When you want to make a smoothie, put all your frozen ingredients in the blender, then add the liquid, protein, and any boosters on top. 

Is frozen or fresh fruit better for smoothies?

This varies greatly depending on your priorities. If you like buying local, organic, and in-season produce from your local farmer’s market, then buying fresh fruit is probably best for your smoothies. However, if you need to cut the time to prepare smoothies and need an inexpensive and fast meal prep, then buying frozen produce is the way to go. You can also buy organic frozen produce too. 

Oftentimes when you want a specific type of fruit or vegetable, but it isn’t in season, try to find it in the frozen section. Most frozen produce is picked at the right time when it’s ripe, but frozen so you can find it at other times of the year. 

Can I pre-blend smoothies and freeze them?

While you can meal prep smoothie bags to blend later, you can also premake the entire smoothie in the blender, freeze them, and slightly defrost them to drink later. I’ve actually done this with smoothies I’ve purchased at stores and didn’t have time to drink. I like to defrost them for about 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge, or even faster on the counter. 

Try to not freeze them in glass containers because water expands when frozen–you don’t want a mess in your freezer, trust me! I like the option of freezing them in metal or silicone cups so you can avoid using plastic or BPAs. Another option is also making popsicles with smoothies and freezing them for a fun treat. 

How long can you keep frozen smoothies in the freezer?

You can keep frozen smoothies or frozen smoothie bags in the freezer for up to 2-3 months as long as it’s in an airtight container. I like to prep about 1 week’s worth of ingredients just so I can change out flavors from time to time. 

How do you unfreeze a smoothie?

My favorite way to unfreeze a smoothie is to let it defrost in the fridge. Since the fridge is still chilly, it won’t melt too fast and keep its thick texture. I keep it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get the right consistency.

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Frozen Smoothie Pack Recipe & Guide

Learn how to make a variety of fun frozen smoothies for the week that are just as tasty as they are healthy.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy smoothie, meal prep

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Equipment

• knife & cutting board
• Airtight bags or containers
• strong blender
• pen

Ingredients

Tropical greens smoothie

• 1 c fresh spinach ½ c frozen
• 1 c fresh kale
• ¾ c cucumber sliced
• ½ c pineapple in 1/2 inch pieces
• ½ c mango in 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 ½ c coconut water or water

Pine colada smoothie

• 1 ¼ c fresh cauliflower or ¾ c frozen, minced
• ½ c alfalfa sprouts
• ¾ c pineapple in 1/2 inch pieces
• ½ c mango in 1/2 inch pieces
• ½ c green apple in 1/2 inch pieces
• ¼ c coconut meat
• ¼ c coconut yogurt
• 1 ¾ c coconut juice or water

Ginger peach smoothie

• 2 c carrots in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 inch ginger cut into thin strips, add more ginger if you like the flavor
• 1 c peaches
• ¼ c mango in 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 ¾ c orange juice or water

Chocolate peanut butter smoothie

• 1 c fresh spinach ½ c frozen
• 1 ripe banana cut into slices
• ½ avocado sliced
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tbsp nut butter
• 1 ½ c alternative milk

Additional toppings or boosters

• goji berries
• dates
• protein powder
• chia seeds
• flax seeds
• hemp seeds

Instructions

• Add your clean and cut vegetables, greens, and fruit in a Ziplock bag. Squeeze out all the air and seal. Label each bag depending on what the smoothie name is.
  
• Place it in your freezer for up to 2-3 months.
  
• To make your smoothie, put the frozen ingredients in the blender, pour the liquid, and add any boosters. Blend until all ingredients are combined. If it’s too thick, add a little more liquid.