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You know, recipes turn out differently from time to time. When I say add a banana, if you had a banana that’s 10 inches long and the time I made it I used a 5 inch banana, well, naturally the output will be a bit different.
Same goes with greens. I have had rocket (or arugula) that is strong and peppery. I have also had it when it’s quite mild.
Smoothie recipe results rely on the beauty of nature in all its color and variations. Being a little flexible is sometimes important.
So here are some suggestions for ‘rescuing’ a not-so-delicious-tasting smoothie.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised how often you’ll be able to bring one back from the brink of disaster! Rule of thumb? Don’t just automatically throw it away if it didn’t seem to work.
Too sweet:
- Add more greens. Try some stronger greens. Add herbs such as basil or parsley.
- Parsley is wonderful for reducing sweetness and rebalancing your smoothie without making it bitter.
Too sour or acid:
- Add something to sweeten your recipe. Maybe your apple or pineapple or other fruit was too sour. Raspberries are not very sweet and you may find you need to add something extra. You can add a banana or some mango or grapes or pear to any smoothie to sweeten it up.
- If your smoothie is too sour you can also add more greens – or often what really works is adding some avocado. It has a neutral taste (often) and can soften the sour effect.
- You can also add a sweetener. See below.
Sweeteners you can add:
- Bananas (as mentioned), mango, pear, stevia, agave syrup, honey, rapadura or palm sugar. Basically you want an unprocessed form of sugar.
- A wonderfully nutritious form of sweetener is dried fruit. Try dried peaches, apricots and figs.
Too thick:
- Add water or add ice. Ice can temporarily thicken a smoothie a little because if you add a fair bit it can make your drink a little granita-ish (or in other words similar to a sorbet or slushie).
- The consistency of a smoothie can affect your enjoyment. Add more water if you prefer a thinner smoothie. I prefer thick, Robert prefers thin. We both drink the same smoothies, he just adds more water.
Too gritty:
- Smoothies don’t have to be smooth. Sometimes a little something to give it texture creates a different experience for you. I like the variation and will often intentionally add ingredients for the texture.
You’ll find ingredients such as dried figs, cacao nibs, dates (if added at the end to produce a sweet soft chewy speck) can change the mouth feel. Of course I don’t think it’s gritty then because I like those ingredients. It’s all in the mouth of the beholder.
But perhaps you add the occasional mistake of some husk, or some super fibrousy green that your blender finds difficult to pulverize under normal conditions. It can create a less than optimal experience. Try blending again for another 30 seconds and test.
If your smoothies are consistently gritty then it could be a matter of needing to either upgrade your blender or put up with it!
Too salty:
- If for some reason your smoothie is too salty, add more greens, some parsley, or more of the dominant flavor in your recipe that you would like to champion. For something neutral add an avocado or more mild greens. Be aware when adding avocado because if your smoothie was designed to be light and fresh and non-creamy it will change the consistency.
Too grassy-tasting:
- If your smoothie tastes a little grassy (and yes, sometimes that happens) add more of the non-green leafy ingredients. A portion of an avocado goes a long way to soothe away many smoothie rescue issues. You can also try a few drops of lemon or lime juice.
Add vanilla:
- When you have a sweeter smoothie that needs a pep-up, vanilla is a wonderful addition. I like to be quite generous with vanilla. You can use essence, powder, paste or even the bean itself.
Add spices:
- Sweet smoothies become even more indulgent with a dash of cinnamon and or nutmeg. Try cloves or cardamom (they definitely make a lovely chai-tasting smoothie). They complement vanilla beautifully. Cinnamon also adds something special to non-sweet smoothies too.
- Experiment with a sprinkle of cumin or a curry powder. Cayenne is one of those superfoods that has many health benefits from digestive to circulatory stimulation and more. You can add a dash of cayenne to a sweet OR a savory smoothie.
Add lemon:
- When your smoothie needs to cut back on sweetness try adding ½ teaspoon of lemon. Watch out because it’s easy to go too gung ho on the lemon. A few drops may be all you need.
Add salt:
- Remember to only use sea salt for ANY food, ever. Don’t touch that table salt. It’s really not good for you at all. Believe it or not, salt can really bring out the sweetness in your food. If you’re making a sweet smoothie grind a few grains of salt into the mix and you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise. Think of adding salt to a drink that needs a flavor boost. You could add Bragg Liquid Aminos too.
Add ginger:
- Ginger is great for adding a little zing. If you add a very small amount you will find it lifts your smoothie. The more you add the spicier it tastes. Ginger has great benefit to the immune system, helps with motion sickness, pain relief and inflammation amongst other things.
