A perfect blend: Top 8 delicious fruit smoothies to satisfy

Our final Top 8 are delicious

Biting into a piece of fruit grown in your garden is the gold star of fruit consumption. If we eat Irish fruit, we get a silver star; from another part of Europe, we get bronze. But when we see smoothies from continents thousands of kilometres away we have to first consider if more local is available.

When food is processed, it also loses some of its nutritional value, so should we bother drinking smoothies at all? Smoothies are a welcome option compared to fizzy drinks loaded with sugar or its substitute and numerous other chemicals. 

Water is best for avoiding dental caries compared to the natural sugars in fruit and vegetable drinks. To protect your dental health, it is best to drink smoothies with a meal. Use a straw to minimise the amount of sugar coming into contact with the teeth. 

Most bottles we bought are plastic to be returned for recycling (and about 25c refund). Hopefully, this will encourage us to think before we buy, choosing large bottles instead of small ones to minimise the volume of plastic.

We bought a large variety, and our final Top 8 are delicious. They make good, additive-free iced lollies. Smoothies are quite satisfying, especially with yogurt added to stave off hunger for an hour or so.

Mockingbird Raw Boost 500ml €4.69

Mockingbird Raw Press. Picture: Chani Anderson

A satisfyingly thick texture for this raw press mix of strawberry, blackcurrant, acai berry, beetroot, spinach, kale and added vitamins is an attractive drink which blends 1kg of fruit and vegetables well. Sugars 8.3%. A favourite with tasters.

Score: 9

M&S very berry 750ml €3

M&S Very Berry. Picture: Chani Anderson

The favourite from a good range, tasters like the strong taste of raspberry and blackcurrant. There is also a grape, apple and banana variety, yielding 12% sugars from these sweet fruits.

Score: 9

Aldi The Juice Company 1 litre €1.99

Aldi’s The Juice Company Strawberry and Banana. Picture: Chani Anderson

Produced in Ireland, the carton notes it is made from four pressed apples, 40 crushed strawberries, two and a half mashed bananas and 14 crushed blackcurrants. Strawberry is the most recognisable, but some other flavours come through, too. A good Irish product at a fair price. Sguars 10.5%.

Score: 9

Dunnes Stores pressed Irish apples & mango juice 1 litre €2.15

Dunnes Stores Pressed Irish Apple & Mango Juice. Picture: Chani Anderson

It is good to see Irish apple juice used here with mango purée for a natural-tasting drink that is fresh and pure. While not called a smoothie, it is a blend of two fruits with 10% sugars, and plenty of flavour. Tops with tasters.

Score: 9

Innocent Citrus Shield 750ml €3

Innocent Citrus Shield. Picture: Chani Anderson

A blend of orange, carrot, mandarin, lemon, ginger, and added vitamins makes this an interesting infusion. Each ingredient is discernible, with a light kick of ginger that lasts in the mouth. Sugars 9%. The mangoes, passion fruits, and apples version (750ml €3.50) in wine-tasting terms would be described as having a good length and the taste of rich mango lasting for a few minutes. Sugars 11%.

Score: 8.75

Naked Green Machine kiwi, pineapple, apple, spirulina 750ml €4.99

Naked Green Machine. Picture: Chani Anderson

Flavours blending well are dominated by pineapple and mango, with no taste of spirulina. Sugars 8.4% with added vitamins. A pleasant drink.

Score: 8

Lidl Naturist orange mango passionfruit 750ml €3.49

Lidl orange, mango and passion fruit. Picture: Chani Anderson

A good blend of fruit. A citrus kick is balanced by the rich mango. Sugars 11.4%

Score: 8

Tesco Pomegranate Crush 750ml €2.49

Tesco Pomegranate Crush. Picture: Chani Anderson

Red grape juice tops the list, pomegranate juice 13%, with banana purée adding weight, along with apple, blueberry and acai purées. Though there are 14% sugars, it’s not oversweet. The flavours were not so familiar to junior tasters but were enjoyed by all, who also liked the Green Escape (apple, kiwi and cucumber).

Score: 8.5