America's 12 Best Smoothie Chains, Ranked
We're a society on the go, so sometimes it can be a bit difficult to get those fruit and vegetable servings that we need. High-powered juicers and blenders have solved that riddle, and many people go out of their way to add juices and smoothies to their nutritional intake.
Fresh smoothies are a great way to load up on the vitamins and minerals that energize, optimize, and build our immune systems. Many companies recognize this, which is why there are some standout choices when you're looking for a go-to smoothie restaurant.
Some people want strictly plant-based superfoods, while others prefer convenience over everything. If health, convenience, and options are your main criteria, there are 12 smoothie chains in the United States you should have on your shortlist. You can't go wrong with this delicious dozen of smoothie chains that give you the best value for what you need.
12. Surf City Squeeze
When you want a sweet variety of frozen tropical flavor goodness, Surf City Squeeze offers plenty. This smoothie chain opened in 1981 and has grown to more than 90 different locations. It's a company that features a menu separated by classic smoothies, pumped up options, sweet varieties, and iced chillers.
Some of the classic smoothie options include triple berry, strawberry banana, green pineapple banana, and pineapple coconut orange. The pumped up smoothies include boosters like whey protein, ginseng, bee pollen, and creatine. You can't go wrong with the sweet side of the menu, which features tasty flavors like peanut butter banana and chocolate-covered strawberry. Iced chillers are perfect for the summer months and include refreshing choices, such as strawberry pineapple, strawberry mango, peach mango, and other beach-approved options.
When it comes to the health aspect of these smoothies, there are healthier options out there, since all of these menu items are made from a smoothie mix concentrate. This won't get it done for those wanting fresh fruit and vegetables, organic options, and minimal sugar and sweeteners. The locations are also sparse, so you won't find them in as many places as other chains.
11. Maui Wowi
Maui Wowi specializes in Hawaiian-style smoothies and coffees. There are more than 450 locations in the U.S., and you will find them in the form of both storefronts and outdoor stands.
True to the brand, you'll get a taste of island flavor with each and every smoothie. The company offers selections like strawberry, pina colada, mango orange, kiwi lemon-lime, tropical fruit, and peach. If you'd like to mix it up with some specialty blends, check out Sunny Paradise, Hawaiian Dreamsicle, Ocean Sunrise, and Surf's Up, which feature a variety of ingredients, such as pineapples, strawberries, bananas, mango, lemon, and kiwi.
It's an excellent chain to check out if you'd like something sweet, tropical, cool, and refreshing. However, it lacks the variety that you'll get from other smoothie chains. While the company uses natural ingredients and doesn't use artificial sweeteners, the menu lacks the vegetables and boosts that customers have come to expect from other brands.
10. Planet Smoothie
Planet Smoothie features fruit and vegetable smoothies and has a presence throughout much of the United States. The company was founded in 1995 and has grown to more than 125 locations since then. It's a smoothie chain that offers hefty servings in each cup with recipe blends that are deliciously sweet.
If you're looking for an energy boost, Planet Smoothie has a wide variety of options for you. The Road Runner features blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and orange juice, while the Grape Ape has grape juice, strawberries, and an energy boost. Planet Smoothie's superfood smoothie menu features selections with ingredients like kale, dragon fruit, acai, and chia seeds. You can also pick up a smoothie bowl made from ingredients like mango and dragon fruit that come in generous portions. These bowls allow you to get plenty of healthy calories so that you can stay satiated throughout your day.
Planet Smoothie doesn't have an extensive menu of cooked food items like other locations, but what the company does, it does well. Other chains score more health points since many of Planet Smoothie's menu items are made from concentrates.
9. Robeks
Robeks is another Southern California-based company that focuses on healthy smoothies, boosts, and food items. It was founded in 1996 and now has more than 80 locations in 15 states and Washington DC.
The menu selection is quite diverse, and you'll likely find something that suits your tastebuds. If you're after superfood smoothies, Robeks offers selections like the Hero's Garden, which is a blend of spinach, mango, pineapple, banana, and green tea. The Queen of All Greens includes spinach, kale, banana, pineapple, and apple juice.
Many customers gravitate toward classic smoothie blends like the Big Wednesday and Polar Pineapple. The Big Wednesday includes strawberries, bananas, peaches, and papaya juice, while the Polar Pineapple is packed with pineapple, strawberries, and papaya. You can also choose between a variety of acai smoothies, protein smoothies for post-workouts, and low-calorie smoothies. Robeks's menu also features various types of avocado toast, peanut butter and banana toast, and standalone shots of wheatgrass, lemon, ginger, and turmeric.
8. Smoothie Factory
With the mission statement of "Building a Better You," Smoothie Factory sets out to do just that with its array of smoothies and juices. This company was founded in 1996 by an Olympic athlete and has grown to more than 25 locations. The offerings on the menu often specialize in helping with performance and recovery. While some smoothie chains automatically sweeten your drink with a built-in formula, Smoothie Factory offers the option of leaving out the sweetener or choosing honey, stevia, or turbinado. This chain also provides several smoothie boost options, including probiotics, ginger, liquid B12, spirulina, and a special fiber blend.
Some of the tasty menu options include the Power Beets smoothie, which features beets, apple, strawberries, cranberry, ginger, and bananas, and the Tropical Squeeze, which has a combination of pineapple, mango, strawberry, mango, banana, and papaya juice. You'll enjoy sipping on thirst-quenching sweet offerings like the Island Delight, and detoxifying with selections like Citrus Greens.
You can also grab a healthy meal with one of Smoothie Factory's Power Bowls. The Pink Dragon Bowl features a base blend of dragon fruit, apple, and banana, topped off with berries and granola, while the Tropical Acai Bowl features a base of cream of coconut and acai, along with granola, banana, and pineapple.
The servings are hefty and the food is delicious at Smoothie Factory. It's an ideal place when you're on your wellness journey. However, with so few locations, it's difficult to rank it above more recognizable brands.
7. Juice it Up!
Juice It Up! specializes in smoothies, cold-pressed juices, and wellness shots. The selections are handcrafted and the company pushes holistic fueling to help people on their health and wellness journeys. Launched in 2001, the chain now has more than 100 locations in the United States.
The smoothie menu has a mixture of berry, tropical, tart, and vegetable-based options. Some of the refreshing selections include chili lime mango, Melon Madness, Strawberry Wave, California Cooler, and Ever Green. You can also order a variety of raw juices, such as the Energizer, Detoxifier, and Mighty-C Immunity Juice. If you're in the mood for a quick boost, you might fancy a shot of beet juice, ginger, gut health herbs, or a variety of micro greens. Juice It Up! will also satisfy your sweet tooth in the healthiest of ways with its variety of bowls, including the acai berry bowl, dragon fruit passion bowl, protein Acai bowl, and Vital Proteins blue bowl.
This chain has an impressive customer loyalty program and a responsive app that you can use to place orders and collect points. After earning enough points, you can cash them in for coupons.
6. Pressed Juicery
Pressed Juicery provides some of the freshest fruit and vegetable options that you'll find. It was founded in 2010 and is a retail-style juice and smoothie chain specializing in cold-pressed options that energize and revitalize.
Barry's Recovery Smoothie offers an excellent post-workout, with a pick-me-up that includes pineapple, cherry, and protein supplements. The Tropical Protein Smoothie includes a delicious blend of pineapple, mango, banana, and dragon fruit. You can also purchase a variety of smoothie bowl selections, such as the dragon fruit power smoothie bowl and acai superfood smoothie bowl.
Pressed Juicery also offers protein bars, chocolate protein balls, and various types of healthy dark chocolate. You'll can also enjoy recovery shots that specialize in recovery, beauty, immunity, and energy, as well as hydration shots infused with chlorophyll. If green juices are more your thing, try Greens 1, which features cucumber and celery juice, or Greens 2, which includes apple, lemon, and kale.
5. Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is another massive smoothie franchise with more than 1,235 locations in operation. It's a one-stop-shop that offers customers smoothies, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads, quesadillas, wraps, and more.
This chain is an excellent option when you're looking for fruit and vegetable smoothies that will energize you and get you through your day. On the veggie side of the menu, you'll find the Avocolada, which features avocados, spinach, pineapple, and kale, or opt for the Island Green, which consists of kale, mango, spinach, banana, and pineapple. The fruit smoothie menu includes options like the Sunshine Smoothie, featuring pineapple, orange, mango, and banana; the Blueberry Bliss, which consists of blueberry, banana, and strawberries; and the Paradise Point, which has strawberries, banana, and pineapple.
There are also several food items on the menu, such as chipotle chicken or strawberry balsamic flatbreads, and buffalo, Baja, and Caribbean jerk chicken wraps. Looking for something even lighter? Try one of the salads with supergreens.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe has an excellent rewards program and online ordering that is speedy and efficient. The chain's app makes it easy to peruse the menu and decide on your favorite smoothie.
4. Nekter Juice Bar
Nekter is one of the fastest-growing smoothie chains that focuses on clean ingredients and nutrient-rich items. The company prioritizes healthiness without sacrificing taste. It was founded in 2010, and has since grown to more than 180 locations, with 150 in development in 22 states.
Nekter's smoothie selection is plentiful and features options like berry banana burst, featuring blueberries, strawberries, and bananas, and Tropical Cooler, which has kale, spinach, pineapple, and banana. Don't see the exact combination you like? Choose from a wide variety of ingredients and create your own! If you're looking for juices loaded with nutrition, try the Buzz, which has lemon, orange, ginger, and carrots, or the Recovery, which has beets, gingers, orange, kale, and celery.
Nekter focuses on holistic health, offering wellness shots of ginger, turmeric, and seasonal items. Pound for pound, it's one of the healthiest juice and smoothie places you'll find. It can easily move up a spot or two with more locations and brand recognition.
3. Jamba
Jamba, originally called Jamba Juice, is known for its smoothies, but you can also order a variety of bowls, wraps, salads, and sandwiches. The company was founded in 1990 and now boasts more than 850 locations.
The most impressive thing about Jamba is how the company strikes a balance between convenience and nutritional value. Customers get nutrition-dense smoothies, made to order, with large portions. The smoothie menu is broken down into options featuring yogurt, 100% plant-based, and superfood-infused varieties. Jamba has a good mix of fruit-centric smoothies and those with more leafy green vegetables. Some favorites include Caribbean Passion, with ingredients like strawberries, peaches, and mango; Apple n' Greens, featuring kale, mango, bananas, and peaches; and Electric Berry Lemonade, which has lemonade, strawberries, raspberry, and yogurt. You'll also enjoy food menu items like dragon fruit and acai bowls; sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits; turkey sausage wraps; and freshly baked Belgian waffles.
Jamba has an impressive customer loyalty program. Customers can use the app to get a point for each dollar spent. The combination of fruit and vegetable options and convenience make Jamba one of the best and most recognizable smoothie chain brands around.
2. Clean Juice
The name says it all. If you want a juice or smoothie that is clean and healthy, Clean Juice provides plenty. It's one of the few juice or smoothie chains that offers menu items that are all USDA-certified organic.
Clean Juice was founded in 2014 and offers customers nothing but healthiness with its wide selection of handmade juices, acai bowls, nutritional smoothies, wraps, and salads. The chain's smoothies are packed with vitamins and minerals and include ingredients like kale, spinach, pineapple, ginger, almond milk, and maca root. Tasty concoctions include The Healthy Heart One, which features almond butter, almond milk, avocado, cinnamon, and maple syrup, as well as The Longevity One, with its sweet and spicy mix of apples, coconut water, ginger, spinach, and pineapple.
There are also cold-pressed juices to both refresh you and offer vital nutrients. The Red includes organic apples, pineapple, beets, carrots, and lemons, while the Sweet Green has apples, cucumbers, spinach, mint, and lemon.
Clean Juice is by far the healthiest juice and smoothie location you'll find of its magnitude. Though more than 125 locations is impressive for this business model, the only reason it can't compete with the Smoothie Kings of the world is that you can't find Clean Juice all over the map.
1. Smoothie King
Smoothie King gets high marks for being a chain that offers a little bit of everything. Its menu includes made-to-order smoothies, smoothie bowls, wellness blends, and food items. This is essentially the smoothie business that started it all. It was founded in 1973 and has since expanded to more than 1,000 locations on three continents.
The things that set Smoothie King apart are the sheer number of options, variety, and different types of nutrients that it includes to help people fuel their day. The company now has a promise of using nothing but organic vegetables and whole fruits; this also means ditching syrups and other additives, such as artificial dyes and colors, high-fructose corn syrup, soy products, maltodextrin, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), genetically modified organism (GMO) vegetables, and sodium nitrates and nitrites.
The menu is diverse enough to bring in casual smoothie drinkers who want something sweet, while also catering to the die-hard fitness buffs who want to minimize sugar and maximize nutrients. Smoothie King offers Get Fit blends with extra protein to help with recovery, blends targeted for weight loss, and several energizers and wellness power-ups. Smoothie King offers something for everyone and is easily accessible for most people, making it rank at the top of our list of smoothie chains.