If you’re interested in learning everything about how to make a smoothie sweeter, be prepared to enjoy a sweet ride.
I think I should also write some sort of disclaimer: I’m not the kind of person who believes that sugar, especially white sugar, is the root of all evil.
While I might have given up drinking sodas while I was in my 20s and I’m trying to eat less sweets now that I’m in my 30s but I don’t run away from sugar, either.
I could never pursue a strict diet where it’s all about eating this and not that. I don’t have the mental capacity for all that and I’m all about making tasty drinks and treats at home.
How to Make Smoothie Sweeter: My Favorite Sweeteners
If I’m making a green smoothie with ingredients like cucumber, spinach leaves, kale leaves, green apples, bananas, and maybe even a celery stalk, you can be totally sure that I’m going to be using something to make this whole green beauty a bit sweeter.
For those kinds of green smoothies you can use water, coconut water or you can make a fruit juice if you also have a juicer.
You can totally use water to make smoothies if you don’t have any other liquids in the house.
I prefer making pineapple juice, mango juice or orange juice for my smoothies. These fruit juices work so well with green smoothies and they also sweeten them a bit.
If you’re adding some really ripe bananas to a smoothie, you might not even need to search for additional smoothie sweeteners.
Sweet grapes are another ingredient I totally love in all my smoothies but you need to make sure that your blender will obliterate the seeds. Grapes are another fruit that can sweeten a smoothie.
Combine sweet grapes with 2 ripe bananas and you’ve got one very healthy way to make a smoothie sweeter.
Sugar or no sugar?
Moreover, to sweeten some very healthy, green smoothies I prefer adding honey, date paste, maple syrup, dried fruits (dates, figs are my favorite), brown sugar or regular white sugar. Whatever I have, that’s what I’m going to use.
I don’t add all that much, maybe a whole tablespoon if I make 4 large smoothies so, even if I use white sugar, the quantity is not that important given the volume of smoothie I’m making.
On the other hand, if I’m making a smoothie from fruits, fresh or frozen fruits alike, then, in most cases, I’m not going to add any sweetener.
Well, there can be exceptions even to fruit smoothies.
I bought a frozen bag of berries once and I was totally excited to make a delicious summer-tasting smoothie in the winter.
Thankfully, I tasted the smoothie before serving it to others because I saved them from a drink more sour than lime juice.
I poured a bunch of honey in the container, blended it for about 30 seconds and the result was kind of sweet. But the underlying sourness still remained. There are some unfortunate situations when it’s not about learning how to make a smoothie sweeter. It’s about thinking when will this bag of frozen fruits end?
Natural Sweeteners for Smoothies
Natural sweeteners are even sweeter than refined sugars. You don’t have to use as much but it also depends just how sweet you prefer your smoothies to taste.
For example, one tablespoon of honey can be enough for 4 large glasses of smoothies, especially if you’re also using ingredients like ripe bananas, sweet pears, mango, strawberries, grapes, etc.
Thus, how much sweetener you use will also depend on the ingredients from which the smoothie is made.
Green smoothies might need a bigger quantity of natural sweeteners than fruit smoothies.
My advice is to start with 1 teaspoon natural sweetener if you are making a smoothie for one and see if more is needed or not.
The most popular natural sweeteners are:
- honey
- maple syrup
- molasses
- stevia
- xylitol
- erythritol
Honey
I’m fascinated by honey. Whenever I buy a new jar of honey, it tastes different than the one before.
Honey has a complex taste which is influenced by its nectar source.
It can be floral, fruity, smoky, woody, spicy, nutty or earthy.
Even its colors can vary, from almost the clear color of water to dark as molasses.
Unfortunately, I know that it’s not a cheap natural sweetener in many parts of the world. If you’re making smoothies daily for a bigger family, the cost of honey for smoothies will add up quickly.
Thus, if you’re looking for cheap sweeteners, sugar remains the best option for people around the globe. And that’s the main reason why I’m not going to say that using sugars to sweeten smoothies is something you shouldn’t do.
I would say that 1-2 tablespoons of honey for 4-6 big glasses of smoothie are more than enough.
Maple syrup
If honey is expensive, maple syrup might be even more so, it depends where you live.
Maple syrup, like its name suggests, has a clean, complex maple flavor with hints of caramel, vanilla and prune.
Start making your smoothies with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and add more if that’s not enough.
Molasses
Molasses is actually a product of the sugar beet and sugar cane refinement processes.
It’s also the ingredient that gives brown sugar its color, moisture and flavor. Brown sugar actually has a bit of flavor, while white sugar doesn’t have any flavor.
According to foodinsight.org, molasses contains more minerals and vitamins than other sugars. That’s why people prefer using it as a substitute in many recipes.
Stevia
Stevia is another sugar substitute that you can use to sweeten smoothies. It is made from the leaves of the stevia plant.
However, when you use stevia to sweeten drinks or to make desserts, keep in mind that it’s 100 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.
I recommend buying stevia in packets because it’s easier to use.
Start by adding just one packet to your smoothie blend and see how it tastes. Add another packet if it’s not sweet enough.
How to Make Smoothie Sweeter with Dried Fruits
I’ve mentioned that we can use fresh ripe fruits to make smoothies sweeter. Plus, we can use fruit juices as a liquid base if we don’t want to use water, coconut water, dairy milk or nut & bean milks.
Another popular choice for delicious sweet smoothies is dried fruits. There are a bunch we can use.
Dried fruits are considered natural sweeteners.
Dried fruits have their water content removed through drying methods. The fruit shrinks and becomes an energy-dense dried fruit that is highly nutritious, loaded with fiber and antioxidants.
However, what makes dried fruits perfect for all smoothies is their high content in natural sugar. Still, I don’t recommend candied fruit (dried fruits with added sugar) because I simply don’t see the need for the added sugar. They’re plenty sweet on their own.
Dates
For me, dates are the most delicious of all dried fruits. I love eating them as a snack, adding them to smoothies and making desserts with dates. But they’re also a good ingredient for savory dishes. There’s a lot to explore.
Dates are sweet and have an intensive caramel taste. They feel like chocolate with notes of cinnamon, butterscotch and toffee. You can read more about dates here.
They’re extremely sweet. If you’re only making a smoothie for one or two people, even adding just 2-3 dates will make a difference.
Date paste
The alternative to using whole pitted dates is to use date paste. For some, it’s going to be more convenient to buy a jar of date paste or to make their own date paste at home.
Date paste is one highly versatile sweetener.
Besides being one of my favorite recommendations in this guide on how to make smoothie sweeter, I also want you to understand that date paste is the perfect alternative to refined sugar for many other recipes.
It can be used to make baked goods and bars. If you want to make cakes, muffins, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and much more, date paste is the perfect sugar replacement.
It’s also used for sauces and marinades, for fruit dips, salad dressings, to sweeten tea and coffee drinks.
Replace date paste for dry sweetener in a 1:1 ratio, it’s very easy to use.
In order to make your own date paste at home you need:
- dates (start with 1 cup pitted dates but use more if you want to make a bigger quantity)
- presoak the dates to soften for about 30 minutes
- keep 1/2 cup of the soaking water to blend with the 1 cup of dates
- blender to make the paste on high speed until it’s totally smooth
- jar/container with lid for storage
Figs
If you can’t find dates, use figs. They’re addictive with their tiny seeds. Those tiny seeds and the chewy texture make figs more addictive than chips.
Figs are sweet and have a honey flavor. If you don’t have any honey to sweeten your smoothie, you can use dried figs as a substitute.
Raisins
If we cannot use sweet, fresh grapes then we can use the dried version. Raisins are delicious and, in my opinion, sweeter than honey.
Raisins are a burst of flavor in tiny packages. They’re sweet, tangy and intense. Raisins are used both for sweet and savory dishes.
If you enjoy lighter flavors for your smoothie sweetener, I recommend using golden raisins. Golden raisins have a fruitier and lighter flavor.
You can use ½ cup of raisins for 2 big glasses of smoothie if you’re not using many ripe, sweet fresh fruits in the mix.
Prunes
We know about prunes (dried plums) being natural laxatives, which will be very good for some people.
I love making smoothies with plums so, naturally, I love prunes just as much. To be honest, if I’m tired of snacking on dates or figs, my next choice is going to be prunes. Raisins are great but prunes are more delicious and so chewy, their texture is a major pro.
Prunes taste like sweeter plums, with a more concentrated flavor. Because they’re plump, they’ll be easily blended in a smoothie by a blender with sharp blades.
Moreover, since prunes are not as sweet as dates, you can use more in a smoothie. Start with 5 prunes for 2-3 glasses of smoothie and see if it matches your preferences.
In the end, what I wanted to highlight in this guide on how to make a smoothie sweeter is that we have a whole lot of options at our disposal, you just have to choose which would be best for you.
