Enhance The Flavor Of Smoothies With A Spoonful Of Fruit Jam

Smoothies are great in a lot of ways: They are easy to make, convenient to enjoy on the go, and can be satisfying and nutritious. Making flavorful, unique smoothies can be a challenge, though, and it is easy to fall into a rut of the same old smoothie recipes; we're looking at you, strawberries, bananas, and mixed berries. If you feel like shaking things up in the smoothie department, try elevating your daily dose with a dollop of flavorful fruit jam.

Fruits themselves can have bags of flavor if they're in season and fresh; however, they can turn bland if they are underripe, old, or even freezer-burnt. If you are using subpar fruit, your smoothie is not going to have much taste, making it less enjoyable. Meanwhile, fruit jams are packed with flavor that is concentrated — due to the fruit being cooked down — and will stay at peak tastiness as it is a preserved condiment. After all, making jams is an age-old way of preserving ingredients at their peak. While jam is not a replacement for real fruit in a smoothie, which provides the bulk and nutrients of the beverage, it is a fantastic addition to amp up the mouthwatering quality of the drink.

This trick works well to create smoothies that have both unique flavors and aesthetics. Take your standard peanut butter and banana smoothie and throw in a spoonful of strawberry or grape jelly to create a delicious result reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Alternatively, add blueberry jam to your usual mixed berry smoothie to create a beverage with added sweetness and a gorgeous indigo hue.

You can also use fruit jam to stand in for out-of-season or exotic fruit flavors, whose whole counterparts you may not be able to find in the produce or freezer aisles. For example, if you cannot get a hold of figs for our vanilla fig smoothie recipe, you could try substituting fig jam to achieve a similar flavor. Another idea is to pop a scoop of guava or passionfruit jam into your blender with some pineapple for a smoothie that tastes like a tropical getaway.