McDonald's Smoothies Are Made With Real Fruit, But There's A Catch

On the McDonald's website, the company describes the Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie as being "blended with ice, real mango and pineapple purée." While this is true, that's only a part of the truth. Before mango and pineapple on the list of ingredients is sugar. The sugar comes from a variety of sources: Clarified demineralized pineapple juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, and apple juice concentrate. All added up, a medium smoothie has 57 grams of sugar, which is 57% of your daily recommended intake.

The fact that a medium fruit smoothie only has 3 grams of fiber may be a hint as to what is inside. Sugar isn't the only non-real fruit ingredient in a McDonald's smoothie. Xanthan Gum, which is perfectly fine to consume, is added to thicken and stabilize the drink. Cellulose powder, the fiber that makes up the cell walls of plants, is another likely thickener. Acetylated monoglycerides give the drinks texture. None of these ingredients is dangerous, even if you struggle to pronounce them. However, if you were to make this at home with a cup of frozen mango and a cup of frozen pineapple, it would have less sugar (40 grams) and more fiber (5 grams). McDonald's smoothie isn't the only drink at the fast food chain with way more sugar than you would think.

A TikTok from someone saying they are a McDonald's worker shows the process of making a smoothie at the mega-chain. A pitcher is placed in a machine. The worker selects the flavor and size on the screen. The mix and ice are spewed into the pitcher, which blends them together. The resulting smoothie is poured into a cup. The process looks similar to a Keurig making coffee. If you want to customize your drink, you're out of luck. These automated dispensers are often one of the reasons McDonald's usually won't mix drinks for you.

Smoothies are intended to be a convenient and tasty way to get some healthy fruits and vegetables in your diet. If you want to make your own, check out our list of 20 healthy smoothies that also taste great to get you started. All you need is a blender and your ingredients. Mix in nuts, yogurt, or peanut butter to add some protein. Then, if you want to thicken it up a little, toss in some Xanthan Gum — It's up to you.