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Blueberry Smoothie from Lollicup

A smoothie is a blended, chilled, sweet beverage made from fresh fruit. It is sometimes blended with crushed ice, frozen fruit, or frozen yogurt, although it can be argued that adding these items makes the drink less of a smoothie and not entirely natural. They have a milkshake-like consistency which is thicker than slush drinks, but unlike milkshakes, they do not usually contain cow's milk or ice cream. Smoothies are marketed to health-conscious people, and some restaurants offer add-ins such as soy milk, whey powder, green tea, herbal supplements, or nutritional supplement mixes.

Smoothies became available in the United States in the late 1960s when ice cream vendors and health food stores began selling them. By the 1990s and 2000s, smoothies became available at mainstream cafés and coffee shops and in pre-bottled versions at supermarkets.

Health food stores of the west coast of the United States began selling pureed fruit drinks in the 1930s. (Brown 2005, p.3) , the founder of Smoothie King, claims to have coined the term "smoothie" and created the original "smoothie" drink in the late 1960s.[1] He worked as a soda jerk in his teens, serving people milkshakes, but he could not drink milkshakes due to his dairy intolerance. He claims that he developed non-dairy blended fruit drinks, which he called "smoothies".[2][3] Today, Smoothie King is the second largest smoothie franchise in the US. The Sunshine Juice Bar in Laguna Beach California sold "Smoothies" in the late 1960s.[4]

While Kuhnau claims to be the coiner and inventor of the term "smoothie" in the 1960s, the 1940s-era Waring "Blendor" cookbooks published recipes for a "banana smoothee" and a "pineapple smoothee." The name "smoothee" or "smoothie" was used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in blenders.

Smoothies depend on bananas or frozen yogurt to give them their thick, creamy texture. The addition of yogurt gives the smoothie a more milkshake-like texture. Smoothies are found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, typically using yogurt and honey as well as a range of fruit. Smoothies can also be mixed with soda pop and/or alcohol to make a cocktail.

Smoothies appeal to a wide range of age groups because of their sweetness, fresh fruit flavor, and nutritional value. Most are high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Pre-bottled smoothies such as Odwalla, Naked Juice, and Bolthouse Farms are available in the fresh fruit and vegetable sections of supermarkets. They have a short shelf life and must be refrigerated. Because of their high price tag (usually $3-4 per 12oz bottle in 2007), their target market is health food enthusiasts.

Concerns have been raised^{[citation needed]} about the sugar content (and resulting caloric density) of some smoothies.

• Milkshake
• Jamba Juice

• Brown, Ellen (2005). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Smoothies. ISBN 1-59257-318-5.
• Innocent Smoothies. "Little Book of Drinks"

• Smoothie Recipes
• How to Make a Smoothie
• History of the term Smoothie