Smoothie Vs Shake: What's The Actual Difference?

Whether it's coffee and tea, the many types of sodas, or the ever-expanding selection of alcoholic drinks, an enormous range of beverages exists in our daily lives. With set-in-place rhythms of consumption, navigating the offerings can feel natural. However, stop to really investigate, and the distinctions can feel blurry.

For lovers of cold beverages, precisely such confusion can arise regarding smoothies and shakes. Both are thick, on the sweeter side, and often feature a handful of components. While typically considered for separate contexts, start to sip, and the overlapping qualities just keep coming. Nevertheless, there are some contrasts to keep in mind. As per their name, milkshakes err on the creamy side, formed by a combination of several dairy products, with ice cream as its classic base. It's a sweet and dessert-like affair. A smoothie, on the other hand, is built to be more refreshing. Crafted with fruit and vegetables in many forms, it aims to offer something more akin to a meal, albeit perhaps still sweet in nature.

Smoothies encompass an enormous potential of possibilities. As long as an assortment of fresh ingredients is placed into a blender and blitzed, the result fits the categorization. Most popularly, the drink has a fresh, fruity flavor, built upon additions like bananas, berries, and tropical fruit. Nevertheless, vegetables such as avocados, carrots, cucumbers, and kale are also employed. Plus, ingredients like nut butters, aromatics like turmeric and ginger, and energizing ingredients like matcha frequently make an appearance, too.

In order to achieve a drinkable consistency, the solid ingredients are blended into a liquid base. This latter component also varies; milk, yogurt, fruit juices, or simply water are added to the blender. Furthermore, proteins are often integrated into smoothies, thereby achieving extra satiation. While adding ingredients like powder, nut butters, and yogurt are common methods of attaining such a goal, you can also blend in tofu for protein-packed smoothies.

The drink style can range from a simple three-ingredient refreshing pick-me-up to a dense and complex creation. It also offers a variety of benefits, from packing in nutritious qualities to acting as a convenient replacement for a meal. Such malleability is the smoothie's greatest asset.

Shakes emerged from a completely different context. Occupying a dessert-like niche, the name first referenced a whiskey-style drink with eggnog-like ingredients added to it. Then, the invention of malted milk powder pivoted a thick, dairy-forward sweet beverage towards childhood consumption. Come the 1920s, Walgreens added ice cream to the mix, and the modern milkshake arose. With the invention of the blender, the malt differentiated into a style distinct from milkshakes.

Nowadays, a shake alludes to a blended dessert with varying ice creams, milk, and flavorings like syrups and cookies. Oftentimes, there's a whipped cream topping, and the drink is served with a straw in a tall soda fountain glass. Associated with fast food chains and diners, shakes encompass a wide array of flavors, from classic vanilla and strawberry to creative renditions that reimagine entire pies in drinkable form. 

Although ice cream is undoubtedly a common shake component, it's not a defining quality. Regional takes like New England milkshakes take on a more frappe-like creation, frothing chocolate milk into a delightful beverage. Today, milkshakes occupy a nostalgic place in American culture.

Both beverages can contain dairy blended into a thick, yet still drinkable form. However, past such a commonality, the two preparations diverge. For one, there's a foundational divergence in the beverage template. Fruit, vegetables, or a protein source form the solid component of smoothies, with a liquid and ice used to soften the mix. Meanwhile, ice cream is the thick centerpiece of a shake, with more dairy added to liquify the beverage.

Such a difference marks a contrast in beverage enjoyment. Smoothies are a frequent morning or lunchtime drink, oftentimes used to accomplish certain dietary aims. Meanwhile, milkshakes are a dessert, picked up at eateries to enjoy alongside comforting foods. While consumers will wonder what sets Shake Shack milkshakes apart from other fast food, smoothies don't occupy the same cultural niche.

Nevertheless, there's still potential overlap. While smoothies often allude to health, it's still possible to craft a rendition with little nutritional value. That's not to say such a smoothie isn't worth consumption, but as with other labeling, keep an eye on the composition to pinpoint a drink's purpose.