Certain combinations in high-powered blenders can end up frothy, foamy, or with a mousse-like texture. Sometimes it’s appealing, but other times you really don’t want all the extra air bubbles whipped into your smoothie or soup. You can minimize bubble formation by blending for less time, but sometimes you want to get a really smooth consistency by blending for longer.
Here’s a somewhat surprising trick to remove bubbles and eliminate froth: turn the blender to its lowest setting and then slowly ramp it up until the top of the liquid just starts to circulate. In some cases the lowest speed is still too fast, in which case you can put it to the lowest speed and repeatedly briefly pulse it on. As you run it at this low speed, you will see bubbles coming out in the center. It’s a bit hard to describe, so here’s a video of bubbles coming out of a pumpkin pie smoothie:
You’ll notice at the end of the video the liquid starts to circulate faster because it’s not as thick due to the loss of of bubbles/foaminess. If you want to keep removing bubbles you can turn down the speed so that it’s just barely circulating again, and continue until you don’t see any more bubbles coming out. It works surprisingly well. I’ve compared the volume before and after, and I’ve seen a half cup of air come out of a four-cup mixture!
This really works! Note that if you let big bubbles get sucked down toward the blade, it might dramatically speed up rather suddenly and spit a bit up at you.
Good tip. I just tried this tonight on my raw broccoli soup and it worked! Thanks!
Yes! Thanks! I just got my blender yesterday & my second smoothy was very mousse-like. Now I know. 🙂
Thanks for the tip! I just got my blender a couple of days ago and have tried several things, but didn’t like the bubbles, so I’ll give this a try.
Have just seen a Vitamix CIA Professional #1806 model (brushed stainless( on Kijiji for $525; the fellow purchased it at Bed, Bath & Beyond because it was on sale for $569. He & his wife have 2 small children, and have never used it, for some reason. Can you tell me what model #1806 is comparable to in the Vitamix line? Is this an old model that BB & B wanted to clear out? I can’t seem to find any info on it.
The CIA Professional is the same as the standard 5200 but comes with a different cookbook. (See my Vitamix comparison page for more details.) The 1806 number specifies the model and color—in this case CIA Pro in stainless.
I have the Vitamix 6000 and it doesn’t have speeds. Instead it has set times to blend and a pulse button. What do I do? If I blend anything longer than a minute it seems to airy and my husband won’t eat it!
This is one of the reasons that I favor the machines with the variable speed control. That said, there are a couple things you can do. One is to use the pulse button. On the Vitamix 6000 the pulse button blends at a medium-low speed, so you can try that. You can also add a little bit of oil or chia seeds, which can help minimize the froth that gets formed during blending.
Wow! You should consider getting Vitamix about this trick. I’m sure they’d be really pleased and you might get some free stuff!
My Waring Commercial MX1200XTX just arrived yesterday. What a solid, well-made blender! Made in USA and with way more power than Vitamix or Blendtec (3.5 up), and designed to produce 75 drinks per day. Less cost too. $330 on Amazon. Why would anyone pay more for a blender that’s less well constructed?? This thing will NOT move around on your counter and has metal components which, on the competition are plastic. Regardless, my first smoothies were foamy. I’ll try this tip today!
That is a perfectly good machine, and it will probably serve you well. However, the peak horsepower is a bit misleading and not particularly meaningful. The main advantages of Vitamix and Blendtec over Waring are their customer service and warranty.
I tried the tip this morning and it helped a lot – lot less foamy. You right, the warranty is less on the Waring Commercial (2 years posts and labor and 3 years on the motor).
I have a vitamix and it is hit or miss on the foam. I didn’t know what was causing it so I will try the bubbles trick.
I love this trick! I have had my Vitamix for over 2 years now and just read this today. Thanks for the tip and for the delicious Creamy Broccoli/Kale soup!
Oh and the warranty is truly worth the price! When my Vitamix was used incorrectly and it messed up the motor I called them to ask what needed to be done. They sent me a mailing label, I put the unit in a box and sent it off. A few weeks later I have a perfectly good Vitamix and I’m blending soups, smoothies and whatever else I want. In the past I would have been buying another unit. It’s been worth the money and certainly worth the food I’ve been able to prepare!
Thank you, thank you; finally an answer to how to get rid of frothy, airy smoothies. I’ve been on Google for hours trying to find a solution that works, and yours did.
Thank you!
Thanks for the tip, better described than similar ones, and it works.
Hello: I want to make sure I understand this… Are you running the blender on slow until you see a smooth funnel without anymore bubbles?
If so…does this trick work on the Professional 750 with it’s wide container – which from what I understand also has a faster lowest setting than other machines?
Thanks!!
Yes, that’s right. The idea is to have it circulating, but not pulling more air down into the blades.
The optimum de-bubbling speeds depends on the volume and consistency of your blend. You are right that the minimum speed of the 750 is faster than the Classic machines. If you find that speed 1 is too fast, you can repeatedly briefly pulse on speed 1, which will give you a lower speed.
Love it! What is your recommended ratio of frozen fruit to liquid for a smooth vitamin smoothie? 1 cp liquid to 2 cups frozen fruit is a frozen dessert. 1 to 1 is a frothy drink. I am using the Ascent 3500.
I generally do about 1 part frozen to 3 parts unfrozen for smoothies. It will depend on your ingredients though, so sometimes you have to adjust. Adjusting is easy; just add more frozen or unfrozen ingredients as required (you can also just add ice or water, but too much can dilute the flavor). If a blend is too frozen, you can also just keep blending it (you may need to use the tamper), and it will start melting due to friction.