It is always a good idea to start your morning with a smoothie.
Smoothies are incredibly light and refreshing, and they are an excellent option for anyone who struggles to eat breakfast in the morning.
By drinking a smoothie, you can get all the nutrients that you need for breakfast without having to actually eat a thing. They really are amazing.
Smoothies are great because you can buy them ready-mixed, or if you have a blender or juicer, you can make them yourself at home.
They can be a great way to easily consume your 5 a day early in the day, and they can also be brilliant for getting your children to eat fruit and vegetables they wouldn’t usually like by hiding them in the smoothie.
If you often find yourself in a rush in the morning, you might be looking for ways to speed up your morning routine.
This might get you wondering if it is possible to prepare smoothies in advance and keep them in the fridge.
This is something that you absolutely can do. Keep on reading to find out how long smoothies last in the fridge.
Do Smoothies Go Bad In The Fridge?
Well, let’s start this off by taking a look at whether, or not, smoothies go bad in the fridge.
As you have probably already guessed, yes, smoothies do go bad in the fridge.
While your refrigerator will extend the shelf life of your smoothie by keeping it chilled at a constant temperature, your smoothie will still go off eventually.
Unlike freezers, refrigerators aren’t actually able to extend the shelf life of food and drink by that much.
Food and drink will only typically be safe for consumption for a couple of days when stored in the fridge, in comparison to months when stored in the freezer. But, food and drink stored in the refrigerator will always last longer than food and drink stored at room temperature.
So, yes, smoothies do go bad in the fridge.
However, storing your smoothies in the fridge is a great way to keep them cool and extend their shelf life.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how long smoothies last in the fridge.
How Long Do Smoothies Last In The Fridge?
If you were to leave your smoothie out on the side of your countertop, it would maybe be safe to drink for a couple of hours.
Depending on the temperature of your home, of course. In contrast, smoothies left in the fridge will last for much longer.
In fact, your smoothie will typically be safe to drink for days when stored in the fridge.
If you were to make a fresh smoothie, then it will typically be safe to drink for 1–2 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Your smoothie may be safe to drink on the third day, but by then the quality will have dropped significantly, and it is likely that your smoothie will no longer be that tasty as the nutrients will have begun to deteriorate.
The same can be said for store-bought smoothies.
While these may initially have a longer shelf life than homemade smoothies, once opened, your store-bought smoothies will need to be consumed typically within 2–3 days of opening.
If you want to extend the shelf life of your smoothies further, then it is possible to freeze the smoothies.
The smoothie will next be transferred into a freezer-safe bag or container and sealed before being frozen. Be mindful that it may expand during the freezing process.
Once frozen, smoothies will typically be safe to consume for up to 3 months.
Simply take one out of the freezer and pop it into the fridge the night before you want to drink it, and leave it to thaw.
When morning comes around, you’ll have a delicious smoothie ready to enjoy.
How Far In Advance Can I Prepare a Smoothie?
We now live in a society where meal preparation is more popular than ever before.
We lead busy lives and as a result, people are constantly looking for ways to make their life easier by prepping food in advance.
So, how far in advance can you prepare a smoothie?
If you are preparing a smoothie using fresh ingredients, then the maximum amount of time before consumption that you will be able to prepare the smoothie is 1–2 days.
Past this, the quality of the fruit will begin to deteriorate as it starts to rot. This is true of prepping fruit in advance to make a smoothie and making smoothies in advance too.
If you want to prepare your smoothies a week in advance, then freezing is an excellent option.
You could blend the smoothies and freeze them, or you could simply prep and freeze the fruit.
Then the day before you want the smoothie, all you need to do is take the bag out of the freezer to thaw.
The next morning you will either have a smoothie ready to enjoy or thawed fruit ready to pop in your blender.
Do Smoothies Lose Their Nutrients Overnight?
Unfortunately, one of the biggest disadvantages of preparing your smoothies in advance is that this means they are no longer fresh.
The fruit has more nutrients when it is consumed fresh, so preparing your smoothies in advance will mean that the amount of nutrients in your smoothie decreases.
However, if it makes your busy life a little easier, then it isn’t necessarily the end of the world if you prepare your smoothies in advance.
The smoothie will still be nutritious, it simply won’t have as many nutrients as it would have if it were prepared and consumed fresh.
Final Thoughts
In short, smoothies last for around 1–2 days in the fridge when prepared in advance.
Preparing your smoothies in advance will reduce the number of nutrients in the smoothie, but it can help make a busy morning less stressful.
Thank you for reading!
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