I love making smoothies. But, sometimes, it feels like a whole lot of effort for just one drink. If you’re also struggling to find the time to blend, read on. Meal prep is the key to all your problems. And, I'm sharing three ways to batch-prep your shakes so you can enjoy them all week long.
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Can you meal prep smoothies?
Yes, you can batch prep smoothies and store them in your fridge for up to 2 days or your freezer for up to 3 months. Meal prepping smoothies is a great way to minimize your time in the kitchen and make sure you use your produce before it goes bad.
When it comes to meal prep, I'm a huge fan of the batch cooking method. While a bit time-consuming upfront, it can be your best friend during the week, helping you eat nourishing meals all week long without any time or effort.
And, one of my favourite things to batch cook is - you guessed it! - smoothies. But, before I get into my favourite make ahead smoothie methods, I want to share a few tips I've learned along the way.
Tips for make ahead smoothies
My tried and true advice for working smoothie meal prep into your weekly routine:
- Pick a day to prep and put it in your calendar: Many people do Sunday meal prep. But, if Wednesday works for you, do Wednesday. Just make it fit in your lifestyle.
- Plan ahead: You can do your planning, grocery shopping and prep on one day. Or, you can plan and shop in advance. My preference is to do it the day ahead so it feels less overwhelming. If that's the route you want to go as well, be sure to schedule the planning session too.
- Pick recipes with similar ingredients. If you want to enjoy more than one type of smoothie during the week, I get it. Variety is the spice of life. But, it's helpful to narrow it down to two or three recipes with similar ingredients. That way you can buy your ingredients in bulk to save money and simplify smoothie prep.
- Shop seasonally. If possible, choose local ingredient that are in season. These are not only cheaper, but also taste better and are better for your health.
- Get the right containers. Depending on the method you choose below, you'll need a silicone ice cube tray, 32 oz wide mouth mason jar, or reusable silicone freezer bags. I've shared my go to products below.
- Be sure to label. It's easy to forget what's in your freezer (and when you put it there). I recommend using sticky labels or a washable marker.
How long can you keep a smoothie in the fridge or freezer?
Save the chart below for reference at a later time:
| Counter | Fridge | Freezer | |
| Smoothie | 2 hours | 2-3 days | 3 months |
In a perfect world, your make ahead smoothie should be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed within two or three days of being prepped. But, if you're looking to meal prep smoothies for a week or longer, they can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Note: If you go the freezer route and hoar frost forms on your fruits or vegetables, don't worry, it's still safe to consume. Simply run the frozen ingredients under lukewarm water to remove the icicles.
Now, finally, onto how to prep smoothies for the week...
Method 1: The Freezer Pack
With this method, you're doing the prep work in advance, but blending the smoothie when you're ready to enjoy it. This method is for you if you have easy access to a blender during the week and want that freshly blended texture.
Here’s how to smoothie meal prep using the freezer pack method.
- Gather the ingredients needed for your smoothie recipe.
- Slice or cut produce into chunks. This will help the smoothie blend more easily when you're ready to enjoy it.
- Measure and add all smoothie ingredients to a freezer bag, except the liquid called for in the recipe.
- Label the bag with the recipe name and date it was stored. You might also want to include what type and how much liquid gets blended with each smoothie pack. That way you don't have to refer back to the recipe when you're ready to blend.
- Transfer to the fridge for up to three days or freezer for up to three months.
- When you're ready to enjoy it, remove the smoothie pack from your fridge or freezer. If it was frozen, you may need to thaw it for a couple of minutes. Then, transfer all ingredients to the blender and add any liquid needed in the recipe. Finally, blend and sip!
Here's what you'll need
- Vitamix or any blender of your choice. I use the Vitamix Explorian now because it has an incredible processing speed that cuts down the time I spend blending. But, I used a Ninja blender successfully for years before upgrading.
- Freezer bags. My go-to are the reusable silicone freezer bags to avoid waste.
- A washable marker. Perfect for labeling!
my go-to products
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Reusable silicone freezer bags
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Method 2: The Mason Jar
With this method, you're doing the prep and blending in advance. This method is for you if you don't have easy access to a blender during the week and want to be able to immediately enjoy a delicious smoothie.
Here’s how to meal prep smoothies using the ice cube tray method.
- Gather the ingredients needed for your smoothie recipe.
- Measure and add all smoothie ingredients to your blender and blend. If you're wondering what order to add ingredients in, I have a guide on how to build a smoothie so it turns out just as good as the ones you buy.
- Grab a mason jar and pour the smoothie in.
- Seal with a lid and transfer to the fridge for up to three days or freezer for up to three months.
- Label the mason jar using a washable marker with the recipe name and date it was stored.
- When you’re ready to enjoy your smoothie, simply grab it from the fridge, shake and enjoy. Or, if it was frozen, thaw it at room temperature for approximately 2 hours. Then, give it a stir and enjoy.
Here's what you'll need
- Vitamix or any blender of your choice. I use the Vitamix Explorian now because it has an incredible processing speed that cuts down the time I spend blending. But, I used a Ninja blender successfully for years before upgrading.
- A 32 oz wide mouth mason jar. This fits a large smoothie perfectly.
- A washable marker. Perfect for labeling!
my go-to products
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Method 3: The Ice Cube Tray
With this method, you're doing the prep and blend work in advance. This method is for you if you're close to your freezer through the week and want control over how much smoothie you're enjoying.
Here’s how to smoothie meal prep using the freezer pack method.
- Gather the ingredients needed for your smoothie recipe.
- Measure and add all smoothie ingredients to your blender and blend. If you're wondering what order to add ingredients in, I have a guide on how to build a smoothie so it turns out just as good as the ones you buy.
- Grab a silicone ice cube tray.
- Pour the smoothie into the tray so that each cube fills up evenly.
- Seal with a lid and transfer the tray to the freezer for up to three months.
- Label the tray using a washable marker with the recipe name and date it was stored.
- When you’re ready to enjoy your smoothie, grab your desired number of smoothie cubes and add them to a glass with a lid (like a mason jar). Transfer it to the fridge and thaw for approximately 1 hour. Then, give it a shake and enjoy. Or, grab a few smoothie cubes and add them to your blender. Blend and enjoy right away.
Here's what you'll need
- Vitamix or any blender of your choice. I use the Vitamix Explorian now because it has an incredible processing speed that cuts down the time I spend blending. But, I used a Ninja blender successfully for years before upgrading.
- A silicone ice cube tray. I like this one because silicon makes it easy to remove the smoothie cubes when you're ready to use them. It's also helpful to have a lid for easy storage in the freezer.
- A washable marker. Perfect for labeling!
my go-to products
Buy Now →
Buy Now →
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Make ahead smoothie recipes
If you’re looking for some smoothie recipes to get started with meal prep, you're in the right place. Below are my go-to make ahead shakes.
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Fast facts
Can you meal prep smoothies?
- Yes, and they'll last for up to 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
- There are 3 easy methods for meal prepping smoothies: the freezer bag, the mason jar, or the ice cube tray. Which method is right for you depends on your access to a blender during the week and a number of other factors.
Now that you know you can meal prep smoothies and how to do it, let's move on. What other foods do you want to prep in advance? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to put together a guide.
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