Freeze-Dried Fruit Smoothies (two!)

Especially in the summer, I love a good smoothie for breakfast.  I would like to have this capability in an emergency, too, without access to all the fresh fruits and yogurt I'm used to.  So this sent me on a quest:

Can I make a healthy, tasty smoothie using only ingredients I can store in my pantry?

Smoothies often have a combination of frozen fruit and fresh fruit in addition to yogurt and some kind of liquid (like milk or juice).  Since my goal is to make this smoothie pantry-friendly--in other words, not dependent on a refrigerator or freezer--I've got a couple of creative ideas thrown into this smoothie.

I've tasted freeze-dried fruit (just plain) and the freeze-dried yogurt from Thrive Live before, and it's quite good without even being rehydrated.  So I knew that was going to be my best source for making a smoothie using just freeze-dried ingredients.  (By the way, I'm not affiliated with Thrive Life beyond just being a happy customer.  I do use their Refer-a-Friend links in some of my posts here, and if you always use that link to order, you can get 15% off your Monthly Delivery Service.  I personally love that service because there's no minimum and I can skip months if I want.)

I came up with two different fruit smoothies using freeze-dried fruit.  Canned fruit is also a great option for a pantry-friendly smoothie, and one of these smoothies uses both.  Give them a try, and don't be afraid to mix things up a bit for variety and lots of flavor.

Both of these smoothie recipes don't use any frozen fruit, so they may be thinner than you are accustomed to.  If you want to thicken either of these smoothies, you can add:

• protein powder
• a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal
• navy beans, mashed
• tapioca
• a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

Each of these smoothie recipes make one smoothie, so multiply these ingredients as needed to serve more people.

The smoothie on the right is a berry smoothie with two kinds of dried fruit, and the one on the left is an apple-peach smoothie!  The berry smoothie has a great berry flavor, while the apple-peach one is a milk flavor.  Both recipes follow.

(TWO) FREEZE DRIED FRUIT SMOOTHIES

PREP TIME:  8-10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

BERRY SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberry yogurt pieces (or choose blueberry or vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried strawberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried raspberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

BERRY SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried Greek yogurt pieces (or choose vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. dried apple slices (I like this brand for freeze-dried, or you can get dehydrated apple slices here and here--or to buy in bulk, get them here)
• 6 slices of peaches from a can
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

To print this recipe, hit the "print" button below.  If you don't see the print button, scroll back up and click on the title of this blog post, then scroll back down and you'll find the button below.