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Green smoothies are all the craze these days. The taste and health benefits they provide are countless. However many times your smoothie can get foamy or frothy at the top and separate. If you want to know how to reduce green smoothie foam or even get rid of it, Blender Babes has the answers!
Why Does Your Smoothie Get Foamy and Separate?
Insoluble Fiber Is The Culprit
If you find lots of foam after your blend, it’s typically coming from the type of fruit or leafy greens you add to your green smoothies.
The reason for this is insoluble fiber which is usually found in the skin of fruits and vegetables.
When you use fruits or veggies with higher amounts of insoluble fiber, your green smoothies may become foamy.
Your green smoothie will usually separate as well.
We found the most popular culprits of foam causing fruits with high amounts of insoluble fiber are apples (Note: In our experience red, granny smith & pink lady apples seem to produce more foam than fuji and green apples), tomatoes and all leafy greens.
Soluble Fiber Makes Smoothies Creamy
If you use soluble fiber fruits in your smoothies, the texture will be creamy instead of foamy.
Even if it sits for awhile in the fridge or counter, it will not separate.
Mango and bananas are popular fruits with lots of soluble fiber and when liquid is added, it becomes thick and gel like.
Mango is also a great substitute if you’re looking for smoothies without bananas.
Other great options include passion fruit, avocado, apricots, kiwi, peaches and pears.
How To Remove Green Smoothie Foam
1. Run your blender on low speed for 10-20 seconds after you’re done blending. (With Vitamix and Blendtec use Speed 2)
2. Use frozen fruits, vegetables & greens that have insoluble fiber – our community members noticed zero foam when using cut up frozen apples and leafy greens vs fresh, so we tested this – and it works! 🙂 This is a great recommendation, especially if you HATE the foam OR you want to save time by making Frozen Smoothie Packets!
3. Avoid it! Pour slowly from the blender, perhaps even using a spatula to hold the foam in the blender – serving the smoothie out from underneath the foam.
4. Stir the foam back into your green smoothie if some made it into your green smoothie cup.
5. Select soluble fiber fruits like mangoes, pears, peaches and bananas. These selections will give your smoothie a creamy texture and it will help keep from separating.
6. Add a little bit of healthy fats prior to blending, such as coconut oil, flax oil, or antioxidant oil
7. Get a good power blender, such as a Blendtec or Vitamix – they seem to get less foam than “regular” blenders
8. Blender Babes community member Tricia recently found another solution! Try adding seltzer water – it will soften the thick foam. Thanks Tricia!
This was very helpful and informative.
Thanks a bunch!!!
You are so welcome Otis, glad it helped! 🙂
Thank you! I’ve literally gone off {green} kale drinks cuz of the foam. I couldn’t handle it. But it wasn’t everytime and I couldn’t figure it out. Was it the blueberry ratio to kale or what? lol…. Your tip about adding fat was it. The times I’d added liquid coconut oil were the times it didn’t foam {or as much}. I’m going to do this again tomorrow and see. Love the apple suggestion too. You’re wonderful – Thanks again! ♥ Subscribed
Yay! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed! You’ll have to let me know how the recipe worked for you. Happy Blending <3. ~ Tarashaun
This is super helpful! With produce being so expensive, I love the tips, (i.e. The smoothie froth in the ice cube trays)!
Wonderful Dale! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
My smoothies aren’t foamy there thick on top. Thick like I can eat it with a spoon. But under that part, it’s fine, and water, or juice like. I use a half of a frozen lemon. 50/50 blend, or spinach, or kale, or collard greens
Really anything green. And coconut water, or regular water. PLEASE can anyone help me?
Hey Jaqueda! What blender are you using? How long are you blending? Have you tried the tips in this post? I would try adding some healthy fats, such as a teaspoon of coconut oil. ~Tarashaun
Thank you!!!! This wasite exactly the info I was looking for.
Awesome Em! Glad it worked out for you. 🙂 HAPPY BLENDING!! ~ Blender Babe Tarashaun
I have a brand new blentec 675 and am getting VERY frothy/airy smoothies. My everyday recipe is almond milk, frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, protein powder and handful of spinach. I use the pre-programmed smoothie button. i’ve tried blending the spinach and almond milk first, then putting the rest in…same result. its not a top layer of foam like i’ve seen on other posts on here, but an overall very ‘airy’ smoothie. Any advice??
I love the Blendtec 675! That’s interesting why that’s happening though… How much milk are you using? My best suggestion is to try adding 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil or flax oil in your smoothies. Also try using frozen spinach instead of fresh. Also remove the protein powder and see how it turns out. If you still want to add it, pulse it in at the end. Let me know how it goes Valerie! 🙂
I only use banana and lemon in my green smoothies and get a ton of foam.
P.S. I can’t see the left side of your web page cause of the facebook/twitter bar that hangs on the side.
nvm I widened the web page from the left and it’s fine now.
I am ready to buy one but here is the question. Being slightly diabetic I need to put in more green the sweet fruits. I read someplace that Vitamix makes enough less foam then the Blendtec to make it better if that bothers you and that, for green smoothies, the Vitamix gets it smoother then the Blendtec. Is this true?
Hey Ger! To get rid of green smoothie foam, just add a tiny bit of coconut oil or flax oil. Also follow these tips for how to make low sugar green smoothies. The Blendtec gets just as smooth as the Vitamix. It’s a more powerful motor. You may have read this b/c due to it’s automatic settings, it stops after a certain time where as with most vitamix models, you manually stop it when you see it’s a consistency you like so it will blend longer than the automatic setting timing. If there’s lots of fibrous veggies, we just add lots of ice and use the soup button, or we press the whole juice button twice.
Thanks for this info! I will start paying attention to the insoluble fiber in my ingredients. The problem I would like some help with is not whether foam is floating on top of the mix (I’ve never had this problem yet but I’m just starting out), but when the blended mixture itself is highly air-entrained, so that it’s very light in texture, like a mousse, made up of countless tiny bubbles. There may be a relationship between air-entrainment and how thin the mix is: the more water, the more airy. Thick cold shakes are the least foamy, thin hot soups the most. Can you shed any light on this? I am using a Blendtec Total Classic Blender. Thanks!