Fresh Or Frozen Avocado Is The Key Ingredient To Thicken Smoothies

Creating a thick, creamy texture is the quickest way to make your morning smoothie feel more like a milkshake. While you can use frozen fruits like bananas and berries to make your drink less liquidy, try upping the ante even more by throwing in some fresh or frozen avocado chunks. If the thought of throwing something green in your fruity drink sounds a little gross, don't knock it 'till you try it. Not only can avocados give your concoction a mild, buttery flavor and a thick, silky consistency, but they're technically a fruit anyway. And if you've ever made avocado pudding or topped your avocado toast with a honey drizzle, you know the ingredient pairs well with sweet flavors without overwhelming the whole dish.

Why do avocados make such an impact on the texture of your drink? Compared to other fruits, they're relatively low in water and high in fat. According to Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, they're 72% water, and one Hass avocado contains 21 grams of fat. Even fresh chunks will create thickness, but if you really want to create cold creaminess, try using frozen avocado cubes. Once the water in the fruits turns to ice, it mixes up in your blender to give your smoothie more structure.        

Luckily, you can add avocado to almost any fruit smoothie and the flavors will mesh. Try whipping up an avocado blueberry smoothie, for example, with blueberries, a banana, lemon juice, honey, coconut milk, and coconut flakes. The fruits also work well with citrus options like oranges, lemons, and limes, where the acidity balances out the avocados' creaminess, and strawberries, kiwis, and watermelon. But because of its mild flavor and buttery texture, you can also use avocados to whip up a dessert-like drink. The fruits make a delicious combination when paired with chocolate (potentially in the form of cocoa powder), matcha, coconut, and peanut butter.

When dipping your toe into the world of avocado smoothies, start small to make sure you like them. Try replacing a quarter cup of your fruit with the diced green fruit, and go up from there. Luckily, frozen chunks will keep for a few months, so you'll have plenty of opportunities for future beverage experiments.