I Tried 9 Popular Jamba Smoothies And Ranked Them

Jamba Juice (as it was known at the time) was quite popular when I was a teen. I haven't visited the establishment since before it rebranded into Jamba in 2019, so I was happy to check it out with fresh eyes. When it opened up in a strip mall near me, I was quite pleased. More than that, since I've only had a couple of Jamba smoothies in the past, I wanted to test them all out for myself.

For this taste test, I found a handful of smoothie options deemed popular customer favorites on the website, and I located some good options on TikTok and Reddit, as well. I was eager to try some of its most well-known and well-loved varieties to see what the fuss is all about, and determine whether they're actually good.

As it turns out, there was no bad flavor from the various options I tried. Everything was quite delicious, in fact (thanks to a mix of real fruit and other ingredients like fruit juice), so I mainly judged them based on intrigue and the complexity of the ingredients. Keep reading to see which flavors I tested and how they fared — perhaps your favorite is on this list, too.

We have to start somewhere, right? And while Strawberries Wild is a perfectly good smoothie — it's actually noted as a fan favorite choice on the Jamba app and website — it's just not as captivating as some of the other options I sipped on. This creation is best for those who long for a simple strawberry banana smoothie. Multiple people on Reddit shout it out as their top Jamba pick, and I think the harmonious, familiar flavors are the reason why.

While it contains an apple, pear, and strawberry juice blend as well as fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, the main things I tasted are the strawberries and bananas. The froyo offers creaminess that kind of meshes with the creaminess you'd get from banana; milk is actually a great ingredient to include in a strawberry banana smoothie for that exact reason.

On top of that, I'm sure the juice provides some kind of nuanced flavor notes to make it a little more interesting than a plain ol' strawberry banana smoothie. But for the most part, this seems like something I could whip up at home. I liked it and totally understand why customers select it, but I wouldn't necessarily want to pay for it again. That's the main reason this gets last place for me.

The Mango-a-go-go fares a similar fate to the Strawberries Wild. It, too, is marked as a fan fave on the website. Not only that, but a Jamba video on TikTok of the company joking that the smoothie was getting pulled from the menu received over 200,000 likes and thousands of comments. Loyal fans commented that they nearly had a panic attack, almost cried, or would be mad to see it go. With all that hubbub, I was curious to test it myself.

It has mango fruit, pineapple sherbet, and a pear, white grape, mango, orange, and passion fruit juice blend. Upon tasting it, mango is the primary flavor. It's strong in its tropical taste and offers the smoothie a vibrant yellow tint. The other add-ins seem to fade away to the sidelines, offering a whiff of tanginess to the sweet fruit base. It's scrumptious as can be and offers more flavor than the previous smoothie to help give it a boost in the ranking, but it's still a bit one-note to go any higher.

There's a soy and a whey version of the PB & Banana Protein, and I opted for the latter based on personal preference. The Reddit thread I found it in didn't mention which they got; they only noted that it's yummy and they've attempted making it at home, but couldn't get the flavors right. Responses mentioned whey in their recreations, so that's also helped sway me to order it with whey.

This blended concoction is made with peanut butter, banana, low-fat milk, and whey as the starring ingredients. The great thing is that peanut butter is a fantastic way to bring protein to smoothies, besides just the protein powder. That said, the smoothie is straightforward, but it tastes hearty and pleasant.

Peanut butter and banana are a tried and true blend, and both flavors make an appearance every time you take a sip. I appreciated the thick texture, too. It was the thickest out of anything I tried, so that's a definite win for anyone who prefers a thick smoothie. The protein and thickness are certainly bonus points, but since I'm basing my ranking positions on the overall ingenuity of the flavors, I can't place this any higher. As it stands, the PB and banana are more interesting than the mainly mango notes of Mango-a-go-go.

Now, if you're on the hunt for a more fascinating strawberry-based smoothie, then I suggest ordering the Strawberry Surfrider. I sought it out because multiple people on TikTok expressed that it was their favorite flavor from Jamba. I'm happy I tried it because it's multi-dimensional and beautiful to boot. It has the berry touch its name denotes. I can taste it right away when I take a hefty sip with the straw, but then it transforms. It benefits from a kick of citrus in the form of lemonade and lime sherbet, and then a burst of peach. 

It's tangier because of the lemon and lime, but I particularly like the floral touch that peach provides toward the end of the sip; plus, it transforms the color ever so slightly. This is easily the most flavorsome option out of the aforementioned varieties, so it ranks above the expected banana and peanut butter profile of the PB & Banana Protein smoothie. Strawberry Surfrider and Caribbean Passion look nearly identical by color alone, so the Jamba employee wrote down the name of each on top to distinguish them. I'd recommend asking them to do that if you plan to order both.

I saw Peanut Butter Moo'd mentioned on Reddit multiple times, so I figured it was worth a shot. It's a pleasant mix of chocolate, peanut butter (a known iconic duo that pairs wonderfully together), and banana – therefore, establishing an even more enticing trio. Peanut butter comes to the forefront of the taste buds, followed by banana; I occasionally caught a little bit of the fruit in my straw, which adds a welcome textural experience that none of the previous beverages offered.

The chocolate is subtle, not hyper sweet, and instead it imparts a more modest cocoa flavor that I can respect. The cocoa differentiates it from the PB & Banana Protein, giving it more dimension, but it also has fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt, soy milk, and reduced-fat milk to offer an ultra-luscious and creamy base. The PB and banana are strong, though, so it doesn't taste too milky. While most of these feel very much like a smoothie, this could be a milkshake-like treat. I'd pick this up over the Strawberry Surfrider because it's not as fruit-forward, and I like the PB, banana, chocolate combination, but that's purely a personal preference.

Now that we're working our way up the list, the drinks are increasingly complicated with more flavors and ingredients to set them apart. I spotted the Caribbean Passion after it was called out multiple times on Reddit as a favorite Jamba drink, so it piqued my interest by name alone. Some say this is their absolute favorite, while others share that they craved it so much during pregnancy that they sought out how to make it at home.

It has a juice blend made of pear, white grape, mango, orange, and passion (fruit, I assume), a bit of orange sherbet, and then strawberries and peaches. That's quite a combination, and I tasted the intrigue from the first mouthful. It's zingy from the citrusy orange sherbet, but then it has the wonderful uplift of peaches that distinguish themselves from strawberries. The juice blend is sweet and compelling, so everything blends to create a memorable beverage with an incredible color. It felt like I picked up a different note every time I took a new gulp, so this easily gets a higher placement than Peanut Butter Moo'd.

The Apple 'n Greens drink has a more hearty and healthy taste to it, meaning it isn't as sweet as the rest, and even has a bit of a vegetal taste. That's because there are leafy greens in the form of kale. This really creates an uncommon add-in from all the ones I tried since they only have fruits, juices, sherbets, and the like. The apple-based smoothie still has those things — in the form of mangos, bananas, and peaches, plus the apple, pear, and strawberry juice blend — but it feels more dynamic and tastes somewhat earthy.

I enjoyed the slightly toned-down sweetness (don't get me wrong, it's still sugary), and the depth that the kale provides. You see this reflected in the somewhat lower sugar content than some other flavors (43 grams of sugar in the small versus 53 grams in Caribbean Passion or 66 grams in Peanut Butter Moo'd).

Overall, this option seems fantastic when you want something that isn't entirely fruity. The smoothie is yet another sipper that's marked as a fan fave on the Jamba website, which means I'm not alone in appreciating the distinctive flavor combination. People tend to say it's quite delicious and that it's in their top three smoothie flavors. I clearly feel the same way, seeing as it's my number three pick, too.

I found the Acai Super-Antioxidant through its loyal fans. In one Reddit thread, someone asked how to replicate the smoothie because they didn't want to keep paying for it. In another thread, someone noted it's one of the only things they could eat years after contracting COVID that didn't taste rotten. Both of those seemed like huge compliments to me, and I'd wager it has something to do with the rich, earthy, sweet, and tart berry notes of acai.

This creation is made with an acai and grape juice blend, strawberries, blueberries, raspberry sherbet, and soy milk. The taste on the tongue is remarkably striking. I can garner a heavy but complex berry profile from strawberries, blueberries, raspberry sherbet, and acai, the latter of which also delivers its memorable bittersweet flavors.

While there's still a hefty sugar content, there's a bit of nuance from the acai to distinguish the smoothie from others. It tastes refreshing, and it's interesting enough that I couldn't help but sip on it. The acai sets it apart in terms of taste and color — there's a good reason why acai bowls are known for being a particularly refreshing smoothie option. In short, it was more than worthy of second place in this ranking.

The White Gummi looks unassuming with its light, somewhat beige hue. But its flavor is out of this world. It's a combination of white grape, pear, and peach juice blend, along with sweet and tangy pineapple sherbet, creamy soy milk, lime sherbet, orange sherbet, and mangos. As you can see from this ingredients list, it has a deeply complex flavor that surprisingly tastes like fruity gummies (per the name).

I couldn't quite pinpoint the flavors as I drank it, and now I can understand why. It brings a tangy quality from the lime, orange, and pineapple sherbet trio, but it's slightly decadent from soy milk with a mixed fruit taste of the juice, sherbets, and mango. All I knew as I sipped it was that it tasted good, and had a fruit, sweet, mildly tart kick. It provides the most intrigue, yet looks somewhat drab compared to the other flavors with vibrant colors. I wanted to try this after finding it in a couple of TikTok videos, and it's easily my favorite that I drank.

Some customers have shared it's the only thing they order from Jamba, getting it every time they visit. "The white gummi is so good it's like drinking candy," said one TikTok on a 2023 viral video of a Jamba employee making themself the smoothie — and I wholeheartedly agree. This mixture of ingredients establishes such a fun, whimsical, and drool-worthy combination, that this was the clear winner.

These smoothies are considered popular based on some of my research. First, I tried all of the "fan fave" marked drinks on the Jamba website. I also jotted down drinks I saw mentioned multiple times on sites like Reddit, where people discussed their favorite Jamba drinks. I also found some options through TikTok from viral videos, or Jamba videos where people commented on what their favorite smoothie is.

My ranking is based primarily on the overall taste of the smoothie, whether I could taste the ingredients, and whether it offered complexity. Smoothies with a more fascinating blend of ingredients ranked higher than something that certainly tastes good but was a bit simple.

I also went to Jamba twice to split up my order, allowing me to try the drinks without them melting. I found that the smoothies started transforming from a thicker, icy smoothie into a juice-like substance very quickly, so I'm happy I went with that method. I ordered a small size, and got the drinks exactly as they come, without any kind of modifications, or add-in, or boost.