How to I keep my smoothie from separating?

My ingredients are: 2 slices of pineapple, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon of each: chia seeds, coconut oil, coconut, herb and spice blend, and apple cider vinegar and 3 cups of water. I blend it in my blender that's very effective, it only takes about 20 seconds to blend it. When it's done, it immediately separates. It's very unappetizing : (

Donna
  • Posted by: Donna
  • April 24, 2015
  • 32774 views
  • 12 Comments

12 Comments

Alex April 11, 2017
I've recently started using coconut milk powder for my smoothies. It gives you the emulsifying factor and creaminess without all the excess liquid as watermelon is very, well, watery. And for folks who don't use yogurt, coconut milk powder is an amazing option. Added bonus, I put it in my coffee too!
 
Donna April 25, 2015
I haven't but why not? I've tried everything else : )
 
Judy April 25, 2015
Have you tried activating your seeds overnight in the liquid? It is good to activate them and perhaps this will also help with separation.
 
Donna April 25, 2015
Droplet: Thank you for the link, yes, that's exactly what mine looks like. I guess I'm just going to have to live with it because I love the taste so much. oh well. I want to thank everyone for trying to help me solve this mystery. This is a wonderful site, I'm so glad I found it, I've told lots of people about it : )
 
Droplet April 25, 2015
https://food52.com/recipes/32970-cure-for-what-ails-you-smoothie
Here is a wonderful recipe for pineapple smoothie from Emily, in case you want to give it a try. If you look closely, you can see that it separates as well, even though she uses considerably less liquid.
 
boulangere April 24, 2015
You're using a lot of water, without much to bind it beyond the chia seeds. I'd suggest decreasing the water by half and doubling the chia seeds.
 
boulangere April 24, 2015
In fact, triple the chia seeds.
 
Donna April 24, 2015
I understand the coconut milk you're referring to. I made the almond milk that I used. What I meant by pineapple juice and vinegar both being acidic is, taking the vinegar out didn't help because the pineapple juice caused the almond milk to sour. The recipe is delicious, I love pineapple and coconut together. My blender is incredible and there are no pieces of anything, but for some reason, no matter how little water I add, it's always separated.
 
Donna April 24, 2015
Susan: This recipe is one I've developed over years of research of different foods and what my body needs because of various health problems. Even the herb/spice blend is different amounts of certain ones. Pineapple juice and vinegar are both acidic, I tried almond milk once and it basically soured the smoothie.
Droplet: My blender is a nutribullet, it will grind flax seeds in about 5 seconds. It's blending everything really well, it's smooth, just separated. However, I took your advice and blended everything with as little liquid as possible and then the rest and blended again and it didn't help.
 
Susan W. April 24, 2015
I just think it needs a creamy factor. When I say coconut milk, I'm referring to the good stuff in the can, not the almond milk or coconut milk in the carton that has all sorts of additives. I just have never made a smoothie with vinegar and water as the liquids and can't wrap my head around it being appetizing, but that's me. I think I'd rather just chug the vinegar separately and enjoy a creamy smoothie while still putting all the things you want in it. Again, that's just me.
 

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Droplet April 24, 2015
Both pineapple and coconut are fibrous and somewhat tough, so probably what is happening is that they are not really being broken down well enough by your blender within those 20 seconds, and the pieces naturally float up as soon as the whirl stops. It is best to first add only a little bit of water and process, then add the rest at the end. That way more friction is created, as opposed to the ingredients simply chasing each other in a watery environment. Hope this helps.
 
Susan W. April 24, 2015
I think coconut milk to replace the oil and maybe half a banana would do it. With just water and vinegar as liquids, it needs a creamy factor. I wouldn't put vinegar in a smoothie, but you must have a reason.
 
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