10 Hacks To Make Your Smoothie Taste Like A Milkshake Slideshow

The smoothie found its way into the mainstream long before the macrobiotic health food revolution gained popularity with the American youth in the '60s. The start of the smoothie wave actually began in 1930 with the invention of the blender by Stephan Poplawski, which made it a lot easier to make things like smoothies and milkshakes at home.

In 1935 Fred Osius made an improvement to the original design and revolutionized the American drink industry with the Waring Blender. Smoothies gradually gained more popularity during the '30s, '40s, and '50s until of course the '60s, when the health-obsessed hippies really set the trend into full swing.

Smoothies have come a long way over the years. They are an excellent way to improve your health and get maximum nutrition with minimal effort. We've come up with a few helpful tips to enhance your daily smoothie into a liquid dessert of sorts!

Chia seeds make a great addition to any smoothie because of their interesting texture and high levels of amino acids. You can make a chia gel by combining about two tablespoons of seeds with about four tablespoons of water and allowing them to sit for just a few minutes.

A beautifully ripe avocado adds a wonderful smoothness to your smoothie without overpowering it. It also adds a lot of healthy fats and nutrients to your shake while adding very little sugar.

Adding hazelnut, cashew nut, or even just plain old peanut butter to your smoothie can give it an extra richness that makes you feel satisfied without the guilt. Sunflower seed butter is another fantastic option for those with nut allergies.

Soaked nuts are more nutritious than regular nuts, because when they're soaked, the enzymes that ordinarily would prevent the gut from absorbing nutrients are eliminated. They're an easy way to thicken your shake and provide a hearty flavor.

Quinoa is the best ingredient to add if you really want to turn your smoothie into a meal! It's plant-based, non-dairy, and protein-filled. Plus can you just use the leftovers from the night before. What's better than that?

If you've never added coconut meat to a smoothie before, it's surely worth a shot and adds a smooth gelatinous texture to the drink. You can buy frozen coconut meat at many grocery stores.

Adding rolled oats to your smoothie is a fantastic way to add fiber to your smoothie without packing on the extra calories. Give it a try — it's like eating smooth, fruity oatmeal!

This is an unlikely choice for some, but if you add some extra meatiness to your smoothie, you can get away with considering it a meal. Tofu contains all eight amino acids, so it packs an extra punch of nutrition along with adding an excellent texture.

Yogurt is a tremendous addition to any flavor of smoothie. It contains plentiful protein and has probiotic properties — and you probably already have it sitting in your fridge.

Putting a bit of milk into your ice-cube tray is an easy way to thicken your shake in half the time. It also extends the shelf life of your milk, which is helpful. You can even get creative with your choice of milk — this hack works well with cashew nut, almond, or soy milk, or whatever you prefer. Need more smoothie ideas? Here are 25 more smoothie recipes that taste like dessert.