For A Perfectly Thick Smoothie, Just Add A Nut Butter

Smoothies are an ideal way to start the day. Whether it's a convenient grab and go option when you're on your way out the door, or enjoying a restorative beverage after a satisfying workout, you can pack not only sustaining nutrients into your glass but a whole lot of flavor, too.

That said, your smoothies may come up a bit on the thin side at times. Those made simply by combining fruit and vegetable juice and pulp with ice may be super delicious and refreshing, but can lack body and probably won't hold up as a meal substitute. If you find yourself hoping for something a little bit more substantial, fortunately there's an easy fix you may already have in your pantry — and that's nut butter.

At their most basic, nut butters are simply made by blending nuts, sometimes with water. They may have supplementary elements like salt or a sweetener, but no matter what, their naturally paste-like quality can do wonders for adding thickness to a smoothie — as well as a range of nutritional benefits, from protein and fiber to good fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Another perk to incorporating a nut butter component in your smoothie recipe is the spectrum of flavors and qualities from which you can choose. There are some peanut butter myths you can stop believing, but you probably don't need to question whether or not it's delicious stuff, and when added to the smoothie, it brings that familiar roasted quality. Pistachio butter may be a bit more earthy while walnut butter reflects a touch of the nut's pleasant bitterness. Perhaps less common options like Brazil nut or chestnut butter offer opportunities to experiment with your formulas, but you can also use seed butters like sunflower, or alternatives like granola butter for a nut-free option.

These butters tend to work really well with other classic smoothie ingredients too, from berries to bananas (and there are even some helpful best practices when it comes to freezing bananas for your smoothie). You can easily learn how to make homemade nut butter too, which allows you to add a little personality to the spread. Decisions like whether to toast your nuts, use a sweetener like honey, or add salt and seasonings like cinnamon or clove will all contribute to a particular flavor profile that can make a difference in your drink. You can experiment with how much to add to your smoothie, but about ¼ cup of nut butter per 1 cup of milk is a good starting point, adding more based on your desired thickness.