Drinking smoothies can be a delightful and nutritious part of your daily routine. Finding ways to streamline the smoothie-making process, especially during a hectic morning, can be a game-changer for many.
One effective method is to prep smoothie ingredients ahead of time and freeze them. This saves time and ensures you have a refreshing and cold smoothie at a moment’s notice.
However, with various options available, from glass to plastic and silicone, selecting the proper smoothie prep container for freezing smoothie ingredients becomes crucial.
Let’s explore the best freezer-safe smoothie containers and rank the top options for convenience, durability, and sustainability.
How to Meal Prep Smoothies
Meal-prepping smoothies involves selecting your preferred fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and add-ins, portioning them, and freezing them until you’re ready to blend.
The key to effective smoothie prep is organizing ingredients into single-serving portions, making it easy to grab, blend, and go.
It’s all about convenience and finding ways to reduce the effort required to prep ingredients every day. This is where purpose-made freezer-safe smoothie containers come into play.
The right prep container simplifies your morning routine and minimizes waste by preserving the freshness of your ingredients.
Want a run-down on everything that goes into making the perfect smoothie?
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Making Smoothies!
Why You Should Freeze Smoothie Ingredients
While storing fresh smoothie ingredients in the fridge is an option, freezing them offers distinct advantages. Freezing extends the shelf life of your ingredients, reducing food waste and saving money in the long run.
Moreover, using frozen ingredients directly in your smoothies contributes to a thicker, more satisfying texture. It ensures your drink remains cold and refreshing without the need for additional ice, which can dilute the flavor.
The Best Smoothie Prep Containers for Freezing Ingredients
When storing smoothie ingredients in the freezer, the ideal container should be durable, air-tight, and environmentally friendly. Here’s how different storage options rank:
Silicone Freezer Containers: Best for Long-Term Use
Silicone bags or trays are the top choice for freezing smoothie ingredients. They’re highly durable and endlessly reusable, making silicone a very sustainable solution.
This means you can save money in the long run by not buying single-use items. Silicone is also a flexible material that won’t warp or crack like plastic containers.
Silicone is also microwave and dishwasher-safe, making it a versatile, convenient, and sustainable option for smoothie prep.
Smootheeze Freezer Trays
We love smoothies and weren’t satisfied with the storage containers available on the market. So, we created what we feel is the best option for freezing smoothie ingredients.
Have you ever struggled with frozen bananas clumping together? Our Smootheeze trays solve this by freezing bananas individually—so you can grab, blend, and go without a mess or stress!
Tired of all those bags of fruit in your freezer that aren’t organized, and all the contents get covered in ice crystals? We created the easiest way to freeze perfect portions of your favorite smoothie ingredients that stay fresh longer.
Here are the top benefits that make Smootheeze the best freezer-safe smoothie container.
- Easily freeze a single banana so you don’t end up with one big sticky mess when you want to make a smoothie.
- Use the Smoothie Cube tray to freeze any ingredient you can think of in 1/2 cup portions.
- The 100% silicone trays eliminate single-use plastic from your smoothie routine.
- The air-tight lid helps keep ingredients fresh and reduces the build-up of ice crystals directly on the ingredients.
- The low profile and uniform size make it easy to stack and store the trays in your freezer.
- Smootheeze comes in different colors to organize your ingredients by type, including berries, tropical, and greens.
- We use high-quality silicone that is safe for food and can last decades with proper care.
See how Smootheeze silicone freezer trays can level up your smoothie prep game.
Silicone Bags
Reusable silicone bags are another great option for storing a wide variety of food and leftovers. They also have all the benefits that come with using silicone for sustainability, but they have a few drawbacks compared to Smootheeze trays.
Benefits
- They also reduce the need for single-use plastic and are well-suited to making custom smoothie packs.
- They don’t take up much space and are easy to store in a cupboard or drawer when not in use
Drawbacks
- The biggest downside is that they don’t store neatly in the freezer. They don’t stack and it’s hard to tell what’s in each one.
- Plus, you’ll need to purchase many of them to prepare as many recipe variations as possible with Smootheeze.
- Silicone bags often feature a “zip-lock” design to seal the bags. But it doesn’t always stay shut, and the quality of your ingredients will suffer.
There are many silicone container options with questionable quality. Be sure to do your research to find food-safe products without dangerous fillers.
You typically get what you pay for. If you find an option much less expensive than other products, read the reviews to learn about the quality, and look at the store page to see if it has product safety and certification documentation.
Glass Jars: Great for Freezing Finished Smoothies
Glass containers are another excellent sustainable choice, but they are best for freezing prepared smoothies instead of ingredients. The main reason is that removing frozen ingredients from a glass container is very difficult.
It’s next to impossible to freeze large quantities of ingredients like fresh fruit in a glass container and take out just a small portion, say half a cup.
You could use separate containers for individual portions, but you’ll have to use many of them, which can be challenging to organize in your freezer.
Plus, you’ll need to let the ingredients thaw first, which takes extra time. Who has that when you want to blend a smoothie right now?
Glass containers also don’t absorb odors or colors, ensuring your prepared smoothies remain fresh and uncontaminated.
- When using glass jars and containers, be mindful of how full they are. If you overfill them, the glass will break when the liquids freeze and expand.
- They are challenging to organize in the freezer since some don’t stack neatly and are prone to breaking if they collide with other objects.
- Using a glass container with a plastic lid isn’t ideal since the lid will likely break over time
While glass is heavier and prone to breaking, it’s an eco-friendly alternative to plastic that’s also easy to clean and maintain. For a completely plastic-free option, choose mason jars with metal lids.
Plastic Containers: Least Durable
If you search for freezer containers on Amazon, you’ll find many items, including plastic. There are a few issues that make this less-than-ideal:
- Plastic is not environmentally friendly and can leech harmful chemicals into your food.
- Glass containers with locking plastic lids are still a no-go for environmental and durability reasons.
- Many silicone freezer trays come with plastic lids as well. The issue is that all plastic parts will eventually crack or break apart.
Plastic tupperware-style containers are lightweight and reusable, making them a popular choice for freezing smoothie ingredients. While they are better than single-use items, plastic containers have a shorter life span than silicone or glass.
Plastic will weaken and break down over a few years. It will crack and become useless, especially if exposed to cold temperatures for a prolonged period.
When using plastic, choosing BPA-free containers is essential to avoid potential chemical leaching. Although not as sustainable as glass or silicone, plastic containers are a practical option for budget-conscious people.
Single-Use Plastic: Least Eco-Friendly
Single-use baggies and plastic wraps are abundant and inexpensive. While convenient, they are the least favorable option due to their environmental impact. You should also consider the cost-effectiveness of the products you use over the long term.
Silicone containers are more expensive than plastic baggies. But buying a container like Smootheeze is a one-time purchase and will last literally for decades. Think about all the money you’ll spend on plastic bags over that time.
Even if you reuse your baggies more than once, they’re still leeching microplastics in your smoothie and will pile up in the landfill. They can be helpful for those in a pinch, but try to opt for reusable alternatives whenever possible.
Can You Freeze Finished Smoothies?
Yes, freezing finished smoothies is another excellent way to prepare them in advance. Pour your blended smoothie into tumblers or jars, then freeze (leaving plenty of space at the top for the smoothie to expand). This method is perfect for those who want to take a smoothie on the go.
You can remove them from the freezer and put them in the refrigerator the night before so your smoothie is ready to drink in the morning. Alternatively, you can take them directly from the freezer to work for a still-cold lunch or snack.
Here’s another make-ahead smoothie hack. Streamline prep and batch prep smoothies by blending up whole recipes ahead of time and portioning them out into individual servings.
- Follow your favorite smoothie recipe, but double or triple the amounts
- Combine all of the ingredients and add-ins in a blender
- Add just enough water to ensure everything blends together smoothly
- Divide the mixture equally among containers like our Smootheeze trays
- Freeze until you’re ready to drink a smoothie
- Pop out one serving (about 1 to 2 cups) into your blender with 1 cup of your liquid base of choice. Blend and enjoy
Ready to blend up some magic?
Check out The Ultimate Collection of Timeless Smoothie Recipes
and take your smoothie game to the next level!
Smootheeze Outranks the Competition
Choosing the right containers for freezing smoothie ingredients makes meal prep easier and contributes to a better smoothie experience.
By selecting durable, airtight, and environmentally friendly options, you can enjoy delicious, nutritious smoothies any day of the week with minimal effort.
We might be slightly biased in ranking Smootheeze at the top, but our products were created out of necessity.
We searched for the best container to freeze our smoothie ingredients and couldn’t find it. So, we made our silicone freezer trays to create a hassle-free experience to prep smoothies that prioritizes ease and convenience without sacrificing sustainability.
Happy blending!
Explore More Smoothie-Making Tips
- To Freeze or Not to Freeze Smoothie Ingredients, That is the Question
- Breakdown of My Favorite Liquid Bases for Smoothies
- I Discovered the Easiest Way to Freeze Bananas
- How to Make Deliciously Thick and Creamy Smoothies
- Here’s How I Choose the Best Fruits for Smoothies
- Here’s My Easy Trick for Including More Leafy Greens in Smoothies
