How to Freeze Fruit and Make Better Smoothies

Freezing fruit can provide an easy way to make delicious and nutritious smoothies. Learn how to properly freeze fruit and create better smoothies with these tips and tricks.

One thing that I’ve really been working hard on this year is having a healthier breakfast. I was always a die hard cereal girl which is totally fine, but I was missing out on a lot of nutrients that could help me have a better, more energized day.

So, I started drinking green smoothies with a little protein or doing breakfast parfaits with granola (or oatmeal but summer is generally more about the smoothies.), but I quickly realized three things which is why we are doing a post on how to freeze fruit and make better smoothies.

Smoothie Musts

So if I’m going to be having fruit smoothies for breakfast, I have some thoughts…

1. I need a little fruit in my smoothies to love them, otherwise it is too bland or bitter for me. Plus everyone needs a little fruit in their lives.
2. Making smoothies is expensive. I know a lot of people that eat the whole foods diet or are big on fresh produce swear it’s not bad, but it is expensive. So my solution was to start buying things on sale and freezing them because it allowed me to still incorporate fresh fruits into the smoothies, saved us money!
3. I like my smoothies thick like a shake and not thin like a juice, so using frozen fruit thickened up the texture of my shake without adding ice cubes.

I’ve compiled a list of fruits that freeze well, but the how-to is quite easy. The most important part about this, other than actually freezing is to buy fresh fruit when it’s on sale at the grocery store, and buy a lot. That way you can freeze fruit at it’s cheapest and overall save money versus buying frozen or fresh fruit that’s not on sale.

Is It Cheaper to Freeze Your Own Fruit for Smoothies?

Yes! I’m looking at a bag of frozen sliced bananas right now at Smith’s. It costs $2.99 for a 16 oz bag (or 1 lb). In comparison, fresh bananas cost $0.25/lb, so let’s say you buy 2 lbs of bananas since you will need to remove the peel. That will only be $0.50 for bananas and little bit of work peeling, slicing and properly freezing them.

Here’s another example for strawberries. A 10oz bag of frozen strawberries costs $2.99. You can get a 1 lb (or 16oz) carton of fresh strawberries for the same price, so you get almost 1/2 lb more of strawberries for the same price. You can get fresh strawberries for even cheaper than that when they are in season or on sale.

How to Freeze Fruit for Smoothies

Peel (if needed), remove stems, and rinse the fruit well, chop into small chunks or slices and dry with paper towels. Next, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay the fruit out flat in a single layer, trying to keep a little space between each piece. Now place the tray in the freezer for 3 hours or up to 1 day. Remove the fruit and place in ziploc freezer bags, pressing out all the air and sealing shut. Now the fruit will keep for 6-9 months.

Fluffy Cheesecake Fruit Salad [+ Video]

This cheesecake fruit salad is awesome for a side at a potluck or BBQ or even as a dessert! Plus it’s so easy it’s foolproof! The perfect summer salad!

Ummmmm I could eat this berry cheesecake salad recipe for the rest of my life and die happy. Seven years ago we posted this recipe and I’ve been waiting all winter for berry season to hit so we could bring this recipe back to the front for everyone to enjoy.

It’s sweet deliciousness. It seems a little wrong to take all of those healthy berries and turn them into a calorie fest with everything you put in this dish, but guess what, WORTH IT!!

Seriously, you should all make this on a perfect sunny day and eat outside with the family. Or maybe take it to a BBQ so everyone can ask you what the amazing recipe is.

Cheesecake Fruit Salad Ingredients

This fruit salad recipe is so versatile. I’m going to list out the ingredients that we love, but know from the start that you can totally swap out different fruits or flavors of yogurt. Here is what you will need:

• Instant Cheesecake Pudding: You want just the pudding powder to add that yummy cheesecake flavor.
• Cool Whip: adds sweetness and creaminess
• Strawberry Yogurt: adds more fruity flavor and creaminess to the salad
• Bananas: cut into 1/2 inch slices
• Strawberries: stem removed and sliced
• Raspberries: left whole but rinsed
• Optional: Blueberries, Blackberries, Peaches, Cherries or Grapes
• Graham Crackers: If you really want to make this salad taste like a true cheesecake, add crushed up graham cracker.

PRO TIP: After trying many different combinations of fruit in this recipe, I’ve decided my favorite concoction is fresh bananas, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh blackberries. So fresh! Haha!

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Cheesecake Fruit Salad

One of my favorite things about this side dish is that it couldn’t be easier! Just two quick steps and you have a delicious fruit salad.

1. In a large bowl, mix the pudding powder, whipped topping and yogurt together.
2. Add the fruit and carefully fold it into the creamy cheesecake mixture. Then let it chill in fridge until it’s ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).

These instructions can also be found in the recipe card below where you can also print or save the recipe.

Watch How This Fruit Salad is Made…

Strawberry Fluff Fruit Dip [+ Video]

This strawberry fluff fruit dip is one of the first recipes I fell in love with as a kid and I still can’t get enough of it. All you need is two simple ingredients!

When I was a teenager, I had this marshmallow fluff dip for the first time and while I think it’s from Shannon Mattson —one of the sweetest, spunkiest and most tender hearted people I know — I could also be totally wrong. Either way, this easy fruit dip is pure heaven and I’ve got three kiddos over here licking their bowls clean in order to not miss out on a single bit.

And the very best part? It uses just two ingredients. Boo-yah. There’s literally nothing easier than buying two things at the store, whipping them together and serving with a platter of fruit. 

I’ve actually mentioned this a few times, but in case you are new on this blog, fruit and I are the best of friends. I’d actually take it over chocolate most of the time. Most of the time. (I mean, who could ever turn down a hot, homemade chocolate chip cookie?).

Strawberry Fluff Fruit Dip Ingredients

Like I said already, this is such an easy fruity dip recipe! To make this strawberry dip, you’ll need: 

• Marshmallow Fluff – the jarred stuff you can buy at the store, Jet Puffed makes one called marshmallow creme. I’ve also heard you can buy strawberry flavored marshmallow cream, so if you can find that, go for it!!
• Strawberry Cream Cheese – Philadelphia is my preferred brand, it’s a 7.5oz container

Seriously, that’s all it takes to make this incredible cream cheese dip! The exact measurements for each ingredient and instructions for the making the dip can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Fruit Dip 

This strawberry marshmallow dip is so simple to make I think it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare! Here’s how to make fruit dip: 

1. Beat the marshmallow fluff and cream cheese together until smooth. 
2. Spoon into a serving dish and serve alongside your choice of fruit. 

Couldn’t be easier, right?! My kind of appetizer! It would be so cute at a baby shower for a little baby girl! Or a bridal shower! It is always a hit!

What to Serve with Fruit Dip

This is one of those fruity dip recipes that works best with strawberries and bananas, but really any fruit will work. Think: apples, pineapple, or even peaches and pears.Read more

Kara’s Christmas Cranberry Jell-o

Simple cherry jell-o full of fresh cranberries, apples and bananas makes for the best Christmas side dish on the dinner table!

Two years ago we had our cute friends over and Kara brought jell-o. Whhhhaaaaaa? When is the last time that someone brought jell-o to dinner? I was OBSESSED with it growing up, like it was one of my favorite things, but now I’m so old and it’s so sugary so I kinda ditched it, but I AM BACK!!! 

I’m so in!!

Kara’s Christmas Jell-o is one of those unexpected surprises. It’s so flavorful, the color is so bright and cheery and my goodness, it hits every good thing about life. I cannot get enough of it and I wouldn’t even share it except based on the love you all have for our raspberry pretzel jello, lemon pudding orange jello and our lemon jello cake, I’m gonna guess you all are fans of those killer jello recipes too. 

Kara is the friend that always remembers me. I don’t know how else to say it, she just is. She’s the one that pops by when I’m totally not expecting it. She’s the one that invites us over, asks about our kids and just loves us. 

And we love her, and her jell-o. Pretty sure you’re going to love it too.

Ingredients for Christmas Jell-o

You only need 5 ingredients to make this bright and festive Christmas side dish! Here is your shopping list:

• Cherry Jello
• Sugar
• Cranberries
• Apple
• Banana

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.