10 Unexpectedly Tasty Smoothie Ingredients (& Their Benefits)

Let’s mix it up! We’ve all probably had a smoothie with standard ingredients like bananas and berries. It’s hard to branch out once you’ve found your blend; we get it. But when was the last time you tried something new at Smoothie King?! We all have our favorites, which is fine, but let’s try something new in 2022. Discover some tasty smoothie ingredients you haven’t thought of before!

It All Starts with Real Fruits & Vegetables

A good, healthy, and delicious smoothie starts with the basics: real fruits and veggies. Once you mix and match the ingredients, you can start to see different health benefits. Educating yourself on specific ingredients is helpful if you’re looking to achieve certain health goals, such as weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance. We wanted to highlight the benefits of some lesser-known smoothie ingredients, so without further ado, here’s a list of some unexpectedly tasty ingredients with fantastic health properties. Let’s dive in:

• Coffee
• Lemon
• Dates
• Spinach and/or Kale
• Pear Juice
• Papaya Juice
• Ginger
• Carrots
• Kiwi
• Matcha Green Tea

1. Coffee

Naturally, all forms of coffee boost energy, but did you know that coffee is linked to weight management, too? It behaves like an appetite suppressant – an all-natural one, at that. Coffee has also been linked to improved heart health and brain functionality. Luckily for you, Smoothie King has a variety of blends specially made with handcrafted cold-brew coffee to kickstart your day.

2. Lemon

Lemons are high in vitamin C and fiber, and like coffee, they support heart and digestive health. In addition, a regular intake of lemons (without added sugars) can prevent the formation of kidney stones and can help you control your weight. Try our Original High-Protein Lemon blend for a zesty kick!

3. Dates

Dates are high in both fiber and antioxidants such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and Phenolic acid. They’re also a viable source of fructose, the natural sugar found in various fruits. Because they’re so sweet – with a subtle flavor reminiscent of caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, or toffee – they’re the perfect, healthy smoothie ingredient to satisfy your sweet tooth. Our Daily Warrior is the perfect blend of dates and other naturally sweet ingredients.

4. Leafy Greens

Kale is considered one of the most nutritionally dense – if not the most nutritionally dense – vegetables on the market. Rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and antioxidants like lutein and beta-carotene, kale is linked to lowering cholesterol, protecting the eyes, and providing minerals that the average diet doesn’t contain enough of. Give a kale smoothie a try whenever you need a nutritional boost. (Hint: Our Vegan Mango Kale blend is as creamy as it is healthy.)

Spinach is similarly rich in nutrients – specifically, vitamin K, vitamin A, iron, and manganese. Spinach is known to boost the immune system, curb appetite, prevent osteoporosis, keep eyes healthy, support cardiovascular health, and more – all while being a low-cal option! Spinach smoothies are fantastic; rest assured that leafy greens won’t change the flavor profile of your smoothie. You’ll hardly notice they’re there. Don’t believe us? Give our Vegan Pineapple Spinach blend a taste.

5. Pear Juice

Pears are sweet and light and provide small amounts of folate, provitamin A, and niacin. These nutrients are important to cellular health and key to skin health and wound healing. They promote gut health, have anti-inflammatory properties, can lower the risk of diabetes, and may boost heart health. Try a delicious blend of our favorite fruits – including pear – in our Immune Builder Mixed Berry. (Don’t let the name throw you; there’s plenty of pear in there!)

6. Papaya Juice

Papayas are fun, fruity, and tropical – the perfect smoothie ingredient to mix things up. Like many of the ingredients we’ve touched on, papayas are rich in both antioxidants and anticancer properties, and they may improve heart health, fight inflammation, protect against skin damage, and aid digestion. Plus, papaya calories are low and delicious (in our humble opinion). Our Caribbean Way smoothie is a tropical dream!

7. Ginger

Ginger is used in several ways due to its medicinal properties. It can combat nausea, especially pregnancy-related nausea (morning sickness). Used topically, studies showed that ginger had the power to reduce pain linked to osteoarthritis and bone stiffness. Ginger can also lower blood sugars, lower cholesterol, and treat digestive symptoms such as indigestion. If you’re willing to kick things up a notch, ginger completes our Veggie Lemon Ginger Spinach blend.

8. Carrots

Carrots are known to be a good source of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. They’re popular because of their flavor, nutritional value, and classic crunch. Plus, they’ve been linked to improved eye health. Carrots are slightly sweet and bright in color. You know what they say: a balanced diet should be colorful…Try our Veggie Carrot Kale Dream to fuel your wellness!

9. Kiwi

Kiwi is a little fuzzy fruit! Did you know that kiwi can help with asthma? It helps reduce wheezing and improves lung function. Similarly, it helps boost the immune system, aids digestion, assists with managing blood pressure, reduces clotting, and so on. Kiwi is slightly acidic, tart, tangy, and pairs well with berries such as strawberries. Some say kiwi tastes like a blend of citrus, strawberries, bananas, and pineapples, and that sounds like a pretty perfect list of smoothie ingredients to us. Put our Strawberry-Kiwi Breeze to the test and see if it lives up to the hype!

10. Matcha Green Tea

Are you seeing the trend? Matcha tea, like many of the smoothie ingredients on this list, is chock-full of antioxidants. Studies show that matcha may help protect the liver, promote heart health and weight maintenance, and even help prevent cancer. Furthermore, matcha tea can help boost brain function, and when it all boils down, matcha tea tastes great. Plus, green tea calories are low, making our Green Tea Tango a guilt-free treat!

Honest, Whole Ingredients Are the Backbone of Smoothie King

When you sip a smoothie from Smoothie King, you can rest assured that the smoothie is good for you in more ways than one. Not only are they healthy, but they’re customizable, so you can create a blend that suits your health and wellness goals. Plus, they’re equally delicious; our veggie smoothies are as tasty as our fruity blends!

Learn more about the smoothie ingredients on our menu and stop in to try a blend with some of the ingredients we highlighted today. Or, stick to your tried-and-true order. We can’t (and won’t) stop you!

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