Does Smoothie King Use Real Fruit?

Does Smoothie King Use Real Fruit?

This seems like a silly question to have to speak on, but in the spirit of transparency, we want to dive in and discuss all the delicious details about our smoothies. You can always look to our website to see the fruits, juices, and other ingredients in our delicious smoothies. We’re starting here by answering the simplest, most straightforward question we can: when we refer to fruit as an ingredient, does Smoothie King use real fruit? The short answer is yes, but we want to do better than that.

What Counts as Real Fruit?

We want to be there for people who strive to feel their best and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. In the past, smoothies have gotten a bad rap for being unhealthy and void of any substantial nutritional benefits. We wanted to reverse that belief and provide smoothies with a purpose to the public.

This is why you’ll only find real ingredients in our blends. Plus, our smoothies taste just as good, without any preservatives or syrups needed. Does Smoothie King use real fruit? Absolutely, we do. And we’re proud to be able to say so.

If you’re after a tasty treat that aligns with your wellness goals (whether you’re wanting to slim down, bulk up, treat yourself, or just improve your overall health), Smoothie King is your one-stop shop. Our menu is made just for you — with countless combinations of whole fruits, organic veggies, and more for endless ways to Rule The Day. We offer delicious smoothies and tasty snacks that will hit the spot no matter when you stop in.

Real fruit stands alone, with no added sugars, syrups, sweeteners, or flavors – just fruit, plain and simple. Now let’s talk frozen fruit. There’s a big misconception in the food and grocery industries surrounding frozen fruit, claiming it cannot be real fruit by nature. Some believe that real fruit is only that which comes straight off the vine or purchased as-is from a market (best from a farmers market or natural grocer, according to purists), but that isn’t completely accurate.

It’s widely known that fresh fruits and vegetables are some of the healthiest foods available, as they’re rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Yet, fresh fruits aren’t always widely accessible, depending on the season or the area of the world, which is why it’s important to be aware of any nutritional changes between fresh fruit and their frozen counterparts.

Healthline broke down the nutritional differences and shelf life between the two. Here’s an excerpt from their Fresh vs Frozen Fruit and Vegetables page:

“Frozen fruit and vegetables are generally picked at peak ripeness. They are often washed, blanched, frozen and packaged within a few hours of being harvested.”

They say that during the process, fruits can be treated with ascorbic acid or added sugar to prevent spoiling, but in our experience, that’s optional. The freezing process allows fruits to retain nutritional value, but it’s still best to use your frozen produce within a relatively short time frame to ensure peak vitamin content.

So, Does Smoothie King Use Real Fruit?

Yes! When we use fruit as an ingredient, we use a blend of fresh and individually quick-frozen (IQF) fruits. These fruits thaw in their own natural fruit juice, with no added syrups, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Most, of our blends also contain 0g of added sugar. Our smoothies are 100% non-GMO fruits and veggies and contain no trans-fat, hydrogenated oils, gluten, or added hormones. Most of all, we focus on utilizing fruits and organic vegetables.

More About IQF? You Got It!

After it defrosts, IQF fruit retains its color, shape, taste, and smell better than other freezing or preservation methods. Another advantage of IQF technology is its ability to separate units of the products during freezing. This allows for less food waste on the individual and business side, as we can defrost exactly what we need for a given day rather than having to mass-defrost and potentially waste unused produce. That’s a lot of jargon. TLDR: we use IQF technology to freeze our fruits and organic vegetables to maintain nutrition and freshness until we need to use them in our delicious smoothies. Hopefully, that puts the “does Smoothie King use real fruit” debate to rest.

Get Real Fruit and Vegetable Blends from Smoothie King

Get started by visiting our ‘How to Order’ interactive page to find out what blends will work with your current health, fitness, or wellness goals.