Will A Smoothie Stay Good in The Fridge

Sometimes you might want to make a smoothie ahead of time and store it in the fridge. But is that a good idea?

Will your smoothie last in the fridge or is it going to end up spoiled?

That’s an important question to ask if you’re going to make a smoothie ahead of time.

Is It Safe To Keep Your Smoothie In The Fridge?

The first question to answer is if it’s safe to keep your smoothie in the fridge.

Yes. It is safe to keep a smoothie in the fridge, but that also depends on how you store it.

If you store it improperly, then  no, it’s not safe.

What constitutes improper storage?

A Fridge That Is Too Warm= Not A Good Place To Store A Smoothie

Drinking some of the smoothie before putting it away= contamination.

Storing it in the wrong container= plastic and bpa leaching.

If you make a smoothie and place it into the fridge as soon as you are finished, and make sure that you use a non-reactive container, then you are making the right choice.

Storing a smoothie in the fridge is much better than simply letting it sit around at room temperature.

How Fast Does Oxidation Occur in Smoothies?

There is a significant amount of research concerning oxidation of fruit. I’ll link to several studies below if you are interested in reading them, however, I’ll  quickly give you the overview.

Basically, oxidation begins to happen within 80 minutes. In a study concerning apples, scientists found that there was significant breakdown after only 80 minutes.

Does that mean that there is no benefit to making a smoothie and drinking it after it has been stored in the fridge? No, of course not.

Just because a smoothie will begin to oxidize safer around two hours, it doesn’t mean that there is no benefit.

The oxidation doesn’t mean that the entire fruit smoothie will be not good. However, it does go to the point that you should not keep a smoothie for more than a day or so.

If you add an acidic such as lemon, then you can slow the oxidation breakdown somewhat. However, adding a lemon or other citric to the smoothie will mean that you cannot store it in a plastic container.

How Long Will A Smoothie Stay Good In The Fridge?

If you store a smoothie correctly, then you can store it in my opinion for 24 hours.

I would not extend that timeframe.

The longer you store a smoothie, the more you risk the smoothie losing it’s nutritional value as well as it spoiling.

Bacteria in smoothies can be a problem, as they can with any food that doesn’t have preservatives. That’s the reason why you will never see smoothies sold in stores in bottles without preservatives.

Most of the smoothie style drinks that you see sold in supermarkets are going to either be preserved with sodium benzoate, or they are going to be pasteurized.

I do have a great aversion to sodium benzoate (take a look at some of the studies) and I also steer clear of pasteurized fruits, so I like to drink smoothies soon after blending them.

Generally speaking, when I make a smoothie I like to drink it right away. However, I have sometimes had to make a smoothie ahead of time and i am comfortable keeping it in the fridge.

Here’s my rule of thumb. Drink a smoothie as soon as you make it. If you must make it ahead of time, take it directly from the blending jar and place it into a glass jar and store in the fridge for not more than 12 hours.

Will A Smoothie Loose It’s Nutrient Value If Kept In The Fridge?

In a simple word, yes.

The longer you keep a smoothie in the fridge, the more vitamins and nutrients it looses. This is backed up by scientific studies like the one referenced above.

At around the 80 minute mark, fruits begin to lose their value. So it’s a time issue.

Because of this, I don’t recommend that you make smoothies in advance unless you absolutely do not have any other option.

For instance, if you want to drink a smoothie in the morning, but don’t have the time to make one in the morning before you go to work, then I can understand making a smoothie the night before.

It’s not ideal, but it is an option for people who are on a budget and don’t want to spend the money every morning buying a smoothie.

Tips To Prolong The Life of A Smoothie

As I mentioned, I am not someone who advocates that you store smoothies in the Fridge.

However, if you must, then what I suggest you do is sore is properly.

This means that you need to pick the best container for storing smoothies in.

Avoid plastic of any kind. If you are taking a smoothie to work, or to the gym, then you can use something like a blender jar.

But if you plan on storing a smoothie in the fridge overnight then I suggest that you only use glass.

In another blog post I wrote entitled Will Smoothies Keep in the Fridge, i covered some of the different glass jar options that I like.

• Avoid Plastic
• Choose Glass when Available
• Drink within 24 Hours