15+ Weight Gain Smoothies (Healthy)

Smoothies are blended drinks made using a variety of ingredients. Most smoothie recipes call for a liquid base, frozen fruit, and then extra add-ins for flavor and nutrition.

See my full index of healthy smoothies for recipes.

Weight gain smoothies put an emphasis on calorie-rich ingredients that can increase the calorie content of one smoothie to 1,000 calories or more.

This round-up of healthy weight gain smoothies should give you lots of inspiration to put on extra pounds.

See my full article on the health benefits of green smoothies and why you want to avoid pre-made nutritional drinks like Ensure.

Whether you’re recovering from an acute illness, chronic disease, eating disorder, or something else that caused unintended weight loss, there are many reasons why someone would want to gain weight and build muscle mass.

Just as when you need to lose weight, it’s best to gain weight slowly and carefully. You don’t want to overload your digestive system with too much fiber or calories. Eating too much in one sitting can make you feel unwell.

Please consult with your doctor or healthcare provider if you have specific questions about the right way to gain weight.

Smoothies are a great way to get more calories since they are blended. It would be difficult to actually chew the amount of fruits and veggies that are blended into a smoothie.

But, thanks to the powerful blades of most blenders, the ingredients get pulverized into a creamy mixture that is easy to drink and digest.

For your high-calorie smoothie recipes, you want to be sure to use healthy ingredients that will result in a healthy smoothie. Weight gain smoothie recipes should not be filled with excess sugar or processed ingredients.

Some ingredients that are part of weight gain smoothies to provide enough calories include:

Coconut milk: use full-fat canned coconut milk for the most calories and fat.

A benefit of coconut milk is that it is naturally a little sweet without any sugar. Coconut milk is an excellent base for a weight gain smoothie and a great option if you are on a dairy-free diet.

Whole milk: if you aren’t dairy-intolerant, you can use whole milk as the base of your healthy weight gain smoothie.

Whole milk contains lots of nutrition including vitamins and minerals. You can also use whole milk yogurts or Greek yogurt in your smoothies or smoothie bowls to add extra grams of protein and extra calories.

Protein powder: you can balance the nutrition of any smoothie by including a scoop or two of protein powder. This helps add more nutrition and balance to your high calorie smoothies. Protein shakes are also very satiating and can help you reach your weight gain goals.

Protein is also great for muscle building and is an easy way to help keep your blood sugar stable. Protein smoothies can often act as a meal replacement especially if you use other high calorie ingredients.

But, buyer beware as not all protein powders are created equal. For a list of quality products, check out my round-up of the best paleo protein powders or the best protein powders for pregnancy.

Avocado: one of the very best ingredients to add to a smoothie is sliced avocado.

If you are trying to gain weight, you can use up to a whole avocado in your smoothie. Avocado adds richness, creaminess, and tons of nutrition.

You can even use frozen avocado if you don’t want to keep fresh ones on hand. Learn how to freeze ripe avocado. See my Avocado Chocolate Smoothie recipe using cocoa powder to make a delicious smoothie.

Chia seeds and hemp seeds can be added to help thicken up a smoothie and to add calories and healthy fats.

These plant-based ingredients also contain lots of nutrition and are great to include in any weight gain smoothie.

Nut butters and seed butters are more amazing ingredients that include lots of fat and calories for your weight gain shakes.

Just be sure to read the labels on your jar to make sure they don’t contain hydrogenated oils or added sugars. Look for natural peanut butter, almond butter, and pumpkin seed butters.

Cream cheese or vegan cream cheese can make any smoothie taste like a cheesecake.

The tartness of the cream cheese helps balance fruit flavors and adds a ton of richness (and helps increase your calorie intake without a lot of added sugar). See my recipe for my Vegan Cheesecake Smoothie.

Dates are a great calorie-rich ingredient to add natural sweetness to any smoothie.

I use dates in my Kale Chocolate Smoothie to help mask the taste of the kale.

Coconut oil can help add fat and calories to your smoothie.

Top your smoothie with homemade granola to add texture and more calories.

You can also check out my round-up of the Best Cancer Fighting Smoothies for more ingredient inspiration.

To keep your best health in mind, avoid most packaged smoothies or smoothie mixes. They usually contain preservatives and lots of additives (read more about why Ensure is unhealthy).

Other ingredients to avoid in weight gain smoothies include too many added sugars and oils like vegetable oils.