Healthy Blender Recipes for Weight Loss

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to cook your meals at home. In your own kitchen, you can control calories, choose healthier ingredients and monitor portion sizes more accurately than you would in a restaurant. But many times, you don't want to deal with the mess of baking, grilling, boiling and roasting a full meal. So why not just use a diet-friendly healthy blender recipe, instead?

Use Your Kitchen Blender to Lose Weight

healthy smoothie recipes

When you use your kitchen blender to lose weight, you'll enjoy several benefits. First, using a single appliance saves on both prep time and clean up time.  In addition, most blenders allow you to use whole fruits and vegetables so it's easy to eat more healthy, low-calorie foods. And lastly, since the blender sits on your counter, it's always ready to use. There is no preheating necessary and you don't need any special pans or trays. Since most blender jars have pre-measured marks on the sides, you may not even need to use measuring spoons or cups.

The Best Blender for Smoothies

Before you buy a blender, you need to decide how you will use the appliance in your weight loss program. Believe it or not, you can use it to make more than just smoothies. In fact, you can use a blender to make low-calorie soups, dips, snack bars, and even ice cream. But you need to buy the best blender to get it all done.

There are dozens of blenders on the market. I'm a huge fan of my Blendtec 725 because it has enough power to blend just about anything. It also has a great touchscreen display that takes the guesswork out of preparing healthy meals. However, this blender is more expensive than many that you'd find in your local home store.

Look for a blender with at least 500 watts and at least three speeds.

Even though I recommend buying the best blender that you can afford, there are less expensive brands that also work well. Some blenders also have preset programs for different types of food. This feature takes the guesswork out of blending different recipes. But it is not essential. Skimp on this feature if you are concerned about budget.


A healthy smoothie is the cornerstone of many weight loss plans. But it's important that you follow certain guidelines to make sure your smoothie is both healthy and diet-friendly. Many smoothie recipes look healthy but are very high in sugar and in calories.

To keep calories in control, you can start with a basic recipe and make adjustments as needed. A basic green smoothie recipe will include a sweet fruit, a green vegetable and uses water as the base so it is low in calories and naturally fat-free. Perfect for dieters. Experiment with different fruit and green veggie combinations to find a few that you like.

You'll probably want to try a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie  or a Dairy-free Strawberry Smoothie.


Did you know that you can use your blender to make low-calorie soup? Most store-bought soups are high in sodium and often high in fat or calories. When you make your own soup at home, you can control the amount of fat and salt that is added so your recipe stays healthy. It's also one of the best ways to use up vegetables before they go bad.

To make the most basic healthy soup, simply steam a few cups of your favorite vegetable and add it to the blender jar with a small amount of chicken or vegetable stock. Your blender may have a specific setting for soups, but a more basic blender will probably require a few blending cycles to get the recipe smooth enough. You can even add cooked white beans to get a creamy soup feels without the added fat. Season your soup after it is blended.

You can also try a healthy Tortilla Soup recipe (60 calories per serving).

Dips and Sauces

If you are entertaining at home or when you just want a healthy snack, you can also use your blender to prepare healthy dip recipes. Make a low-calorie dip and serve it with crisp vegetables for a lean treat while you watch television or bring it to your next party so that you have a diet-friendly snack to enjoy.

One of my favorite, quick and easy dip recipes is lean hummus. The popular dip is usually made with tahini—a sesame paste that is high in fat and calories. I make my hummus recipe without tahini and it still tastes great. Simply add a can of chickpeas, a few tablespoons of chicken stock, lemon juice and olive oil to the jar of your blender and blend until creamy.

Ice Cream and Other Desserts

Believe it or not, you can even create low-calorie desserts in your blender.  In fact, you can make ice cream recipes that are low in calories and high in nutrition. This is one of the best ways to use your blender because it allows you to skip the sugary, processed sweet treats that you often find at the grocery store.

So how do you make ice cream in a blender? One of my favorite recipes is Spinach Ice Cream.  That doesn't sound good, does it?  It's delicious, trust me. The ingredients blend together to create a fresh, sweet and creamy treat. And it takes just minutes to prepare.

You can also try Lemon Frozen Yogurt for a tart but delicious treat.

Ingredients for Nutritious Blender Recipes

Cottage cheese

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Once you use your blender more often, you'll find that you can experiment with it to create healthy foods, eat lean and lose weight. As you get the hang of it, try new recipes, new ingredients, and new techniques.

Holly Michaels, RD, is the in-house dietitian at Blendtec. She recommends that you "focus on using whole foods without adding much juice or other sweeteners." She says that fruits and vegetables are great foods to eat, but they still have calories which can add up quickly to smoothies. "Consider using half of the fruit, more of the veggies and good sources of protein to make the product healthy and satisfying which will help curb cravings for snacks."

When I asked her for creative ideas to lose weight with a blender she had some great recommendations for ingredients to try.

  • Cottage cheese blends well, and it creates a creamy consistency when you add in a smoothie, dip, or even a soup. And it's a great source of protein.
  • Beans are high in protein and fiber and are great for helping people keep their nutrition goals. Beans are so versatile they can be added to soups as texture, or blended in place of cream for a soup, be the base for a dip (hummus),  or even be added to fudge or brownies for a healthier treat.
  • Healthy fats can be added to increase satiety and enable fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E, K) to be absorbed and utilized by the body, helping to keep skin and eyes healthy. Try using avocado, nuts, chia or flax seeds, but remember that a little goes a long way. Only 1-2 tablespoons are needed to provide all the benefit.

However you use your blender, remember that portion control is key when you are trying to slim down. If you make a healthy blender recipe, have a few single serving containers ready to go and divide the batch into portions that you can grab and go when needed. Getting creative with your blender and other kitchen tools will help you stay on track and reach your weight loss goals.

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