Can you use a food processor to make smoothies? A lot of people who don’t own a blender ask this question. Therefore, we would like to share with you our experience using a food processor to make smoothies.
You definitely can make smoothies in a food processor. But, you will need to make some extra steps in the process. It means the smoothie recipe for a food processor will be different from the one for a blender.
In this article, Filmore & Union will show you the easiest way to make smoothies with a food processor. We’re also giving you 15 recipes beyond smoothies that you can make with this equipment.
Let’s explore together!
Table of Contents
Can You Use A Food Processor To Make Smoothies?
You can certainly make smoothies with a food processor. Although it may take more time to make it, most food processors will do the job just fine.
Some food processors come with a mixer mode, allowing you to mix smoothies or any liquid. With devices like these, you follow the recipes you’re used to in a blender.
However, it is important to check the manual if your food processor features crushing ice. If it doesn’t let you do that, it means you shouldn’t add ice or frozen foods to the recipe when making smoothies in the food processor.
For how to do the things we said above, check out our detailed instructions below.
How To Make A Smoothie In A Food Processor
We can’t wait to present you with our recipe to make the best smoothies in the food processor. The 4-step instructions below apply to equipment that does not come with a blending mode.
Before performing any steps, it is necessary to check the food processor safety to ensure that your equipment is in good condition for use.
Source : Youtube eHow
Step 1: Choosing The Right Ingredients
The blender makes restaurant-quality smoothies with every ingredient because it’s built to do just that. But food processors are a completely different case.
This appliance cannot mix all materials. If you want to make a smooth and homogeneous smoothie in a food processor, you need to select the right ingredients. The list below is an example:
- Leafy Greens (baby spinach, kale, or Swiss chard)
These ingredients are large, so they are sometimes the hardest to mix. We recommend that you chop them up before adding them to the food processor.
Note that it will help if you cook the kale before mixing it. If the greens are too thick, you can add a few splashes of water. Do not add too much water, or the whole recipe will spoil.
- Cucumber
You need to know that the food processor makes a very thick paste, so you can only eat it with a spoon, not drink it.
Cucumber contains high water content, which helps you reduce the consistency of smoothies. Therefore, it is essential to add to any food processor smoothie recipe.
- Soft Fruits (berries, bananas, mangos, kiwis, or avocados)
Soft fruits are a good start to avoid clumping smoothies.
Some Useful Tips:
- Make small batches instead of overfilling the bowl with ingredients to avoid spills and splashes.
- Keep the engine running and puree these ingredients before going to step 2. If you try to add liquid in this step, the ingredients won’t come together smoothly.
Step 2: Add Some Ingredients To Loosen The Mixture
- Frozen Fruit
Some food machines cannot crush ice. It means you must not add ice to the recipe. To loosen the mixture, you can add some frozen fruit.
The best way is to drop a few pieces of fruit at a time. We recommend looking for a food processor with a trough through the lid into the bowl.
Now you can drop the fruit into the bowl from the mouth of the trough without opening the lid during the mixing process.
- Milk, Coconut Water, Juices, Chilled Coffee, Kefir, Or Yogurt
These ingredients can loosen smoothies and make them consistent.
Some Useful Tips:
- Don’t add ice to the food processors
- Don’t put too much-frozen fruit at once. This action will cause the blade to get stuck.
- The amount of liquid should not cover the blade.
Step 3: Enhance The Taste According To Your Preference
- Powder, Health Enhancers, Seeds, Flakes, Or Butter
At this step, you can add any flavor you like, for example, powders extracted from petals, cocoa, coffee, turmeric, ginger.
Some people love nuts like oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and other ground nuts.
Meanwhile, if you are active in sports or follow a diet, you can add protein powder or other supplements.
- Extracted Oil, Honey, Plain Syrup, Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar, Jam, And Dried Fruit
These ingredients not only add sweetness to your smoothie but also help to loosen the mix. And most importantly, you can find them anywhere at any time.
Step 4: Serve And Enjoy
Pour into glasses and enjoy fresh smoothies with some toppings on top. You can add ice around this time to loosen the mixture.
If you want it thick and cold, pour into glass containers and refrigerate for 3 to 5 hours. We recommend that you eat your smoothie during the day to avoid loss of flavor and nutritional content.
You can discover some delicious smoothie recipes in this video.
Source : Youtube Nicole Renard
What’s More That You Can Do In A Food Processor?
Below is a quick rundown of the foods you can blend in a food processor and why this equipment is ideal for making these foods.
Source : Youtube Quench Essentials
| Items | Why Is The Food Processor Ideal For Making This Item? |
| Smoothies | The food processor can produce consistent and spectacular smoothies. |
| Meatballs | Save time mixing the meatball in the food processor instead of mixing it by hand. |
| Spreads | The food processor allows you to adjust the consistency of the blend to produce a smooth and uniform texture. |
| Mashed Potatoes | Save time and help you feel the texture more easily. |
| Sauces | Perfect for making thick Italian sauces. |
| Crusts | Allows you to make crunchy crusts that bond instead of crumbling. |
| Jams | The mixing feature creates the consistency of jam. |
| Cookies | The way the blade passes through the butter and flour ensures perfect crumb formation. They are best for making Oreos or crackers. |
| Dough | Save time to knead the dough. But, do not use a food processor to make pancakes. |
| Cauliflower Rice | Only the food processor can create the perfect grain size that requires a ton of grinding if done by hand. |
| Butter | Adjust the motor to low or medium speed for a smooth blend without whipping. |
| Chopped Vegetables | Save time making large servings. |
| Grated Cheese | The food processor is capable of shedding medium-hard and crumbling hard cheese. |
Bottom Line
So, can you use a food processor to make smoothies? Yes. But it would help if you remembered the process would be different from the processor blender.
All in all, the food processor makes a thick mixture. Therefore, you can eat the smoothie with a spoon or dilute it with raw milk at the serving step.
If you have questions about this topic, please feel free to leave a comment. All of your comments will become an inspiration for our next posts.
Thank you for reading!
