The Caffeinated Ingredient You Should Start Adding To Smoothies

Smoothies are a great morning beverage, post-workout snack, or just a delicious way to hit your fruit and veggie intake for the day. Not only are these drinks full of vitamins from the fresh ingredients, but you can give them a boost by swapping water for kombucha or adding protein powder. To make your smoothie even more energizing and tasty, another great addition is brewed green tea.

Either loose-leaf tea or pre-packaged tea bags can make for a delicious smoothie with a kick. One eight-ounce cup of green tea can have between 30 to 50 milligrams of caffeine, though the levels rely on the type of green tea and how it was processed and brewed. A longer brew time and hotter water leads to more caffeine in your cup of tea. After it has steeped, let the tea cool in the fridge completely before blending it into your morning drink.

Most green teas offer earthy, grassy, or floral notes, and knowing which ingredients pair well with these flavors will ensure your smoothie tastes delicious. To keep your beverage on the savory, herbal side, try pairing the tea with mint, cucumber, leafy greens, or even ginger for a slightly spicy kick.

Some of us like our smoothies on the sweet side, and using tropical fruits like mango or pineapple will balance out the earthy notes of green tea. The stone fruits in this raspberry peach smoothie recipe can also use some complexity from the brewed beverage. Looking for more green tea taste? Mixing in Japanese matcha (which is essentially powdered green tea) will enhance the flavor and add another boost of antioxidants and caffeine. Try it in our coconut matcha smoothie recipe. While you can include any of your favorite smoothie ingredients, avoid using too much additional milk or water to keep your beautifully thick drink from becoming overly runny.

If green tea isn't your, well, cup of tea — or you simply want to experiment with other flavors — you can also try switching it with other types of tea, with each providing their own unique flavor and caffeine boost. Compared to green tea, oolong has comparable caffeine levels, while white tea has less. Strong-tasting black tea, on the other hand, has nearly double the amount of caffeine as green tea, though still only about half of the caffeine in a cup of coffee. No matter which tea you choose to include in your smoothie, it's important to match it to your other ingredients to create a harmonious and tasty beverage.