Can You Put Whole Fruit In A Blender? (Which To Avoid)

Fruit smoothies made in your own blender are a great way to enjoy your daily ration of fruit. Everyone wants to speed up the preparation so you’ve probably wondered if you can be putting whole fruit in your blender.

You can put whole fruit in a blender if you would normally eat all parts of the fruit. Certain fruits with stones or pits can damage the blades of the blender and any fruit with a hard or bitter skin should be peeled.

Some fruits with soft skins you wouldn’t usually eat like bananas and kiwis can be blended whole.

It’s also worth noting that some blenders are more powerful than others so read the manual on the recommended fruit size. It’s generally best to cut up fruit into chunks to make it easier for the blender.

To clear things up, I’ve listed which fruits you should avoid blending whole, which fruit you need to remove the skins or pits, and put them all below for your reference. Let’s get started.

Which Fruits Should You Avoid Blending Whole?

Some fruits are just too tough to blend, even for the most powerful blender. Stone fruits also have a hard stone or pit in them which needs to be removed first.

These are some popular fruits that should always be prepped before being added to your blender:

• Avocados – remove pit and cut into smaller pieces
• Mangoes – slice up and remove the pit
• Peaches – remove the pit
• Cherries – remove stones or buy pitted cherries
• Nectarines – remove the pit
• Apricots – remove the pit
• Lychees – remove pits
• Coconut – crack open and scoop out the inner flesh (known as the endocarp)
• Dates – remove pits
• Pineapples – remove skin and cut into smaller pieces including the core which is edible
• Plums – remove the pits
• Olives – remove stones or buy pitted olives

These fruits are some of the most common ingredients in smoothies, but they can cause serious damage to your blender if you try to blend them whole. The thick skin or tough pits of these fruits can get caught in the blades of your blender, causing it to damage the motor or even break.

If you want to include them in your smoothies, make sure to prepare them properly first before adding them to your blender. This will help to avoid any damage to your appliance and ensure that you get a smooth, delicious smoothie every time.

For your next smoothie, check out my 11 Tasty Fruit And Vegetable Smoothie Combination Ideas.

Can You Blend Fruits With Seeds?

In general, you can blend most seeded fruits whole but there are a few where it would be best to remove them first including:

• Apples – Remove the core as the seeds are bitter and contain something called amygdalin which releases tiny amounts of cyanide when blended. Note this is only harmful if eaten in large quantities.
• Pears – Similar to apples, pear seeds also contain very small amounts of amygdalin so remove the core and seeds before adding them to your smoothie.
• Citrus fruits – e.g. lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines. Slice and remove seeds if possible. Like apples, they contain tiny amounts of toxins but could also give your drink a bitter flavor.

Can Fruit Skin Go In A Blender?

The soft skin of most fruits is perfectly safe to blend if washed, however, there are a few exceptions.

The skin of citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, and oranges can add a very bitter taste so it’s best to remove these before blending.

Pineapple skins are too tough for most household blenders without boiling them first so that one is best left out of your mix.

Most fruit skins are a good source of insoluble fiber and contain lots of vitamins. But this fiber can make your smoothie thicker and less smooth. If you prefer a thinner smoothie it’s best to peel them before adding them to your blender.

In general, the skin of most fruits is perfectly safe to blend and will actually add lots of extra nutrients and fiber to your smoothie. Note that all fruits should be washed thoroughly first to remove any traces of dirt and pesticides.

Check out my other post to see a full list of fruit you need to peel and which ones you don’t need to.

Which Fruits Can You Blend Whole?

There are lots of fruits where you can blend the whole fruit, skin, seeds, and all. Some of these might surprise you but they are totally edible. Just remember to wash them and cut off any tough stalks. These include:

• Bananas
• Kiwis
• Figs
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Cranberries
• Grapes
• Currants
• Gooseberries

The skin of these fruits is thin and will be broken down by the blades of your blender, so there’s no need to remove it. The skin on fruits like bananas gets thinner and softer as it ripens. The seeds of these fruits are also edible and will be pulverized by the blender, so there’s no need to remove them either.

Note that if you blend a lot of seeds this may give your fruit blend a gritty texture so be careful with heavily seeded fruits like pomegranates.

Blending these fruits whole will save you time as you won’t need to cut them up before adding them to your blender. It will also help to make your smoothie thicker as the skin and seeds of these fruits add extra body to the drink.

What Fruit Is Better To Pre-Slice?

Larger and tougher fruits are best cut into small cubes or slices before adding them to your blender as they can be difficult to blend whole. These include:

• Melons – watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews
• Avocados
• Mangos
• Pineapples
• Apples
• Pears

For most melons, you can blend everything including the rind and seeds and they taste great!

Do Fruits Lose Fiber When Blended?

According to several scientific studies, most of the fiber present in the fruit we put into our smoothies is retained once blended.

There is some debate around whether the fiber may lose some of its benefits (or even increase them) by being chopped into smaller pieces but there’s no definitive answer to that. It seems this may depend mainly on the type of fiber (i.e. soluble or insoluble – whether it dissolves or not) and also what fruit it’s come from.

It’s important to remember that it’s the skin that contains the most fiber, not the flesh of the fruit. This is why it’s important to leave the skin on when blending fruits like apples, pears, and kiwis.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve found this article useful on whether you can put whole fruits in your blender. There is a lot of fruit out there but this post should at least give you some idea of what can go in there.

Whole fruits will certainly contain the most nutrients and give you increased health benefits so I recommend including at least some of them in your favorite daily fruit beverage.

The seeds of fruits also contain a good amount of fiber so don’t be afraid to blend them too. Just remember that some seeds may give your smoothie a slightly gritty texture.

And take note of those fruits I’ve listed that contain hard pits or stones. They could seriously damage your precious blender so always make sure you remove them first.

The important thing is that smoothies are a great way to consume more fruit and they retain most of the nutrients and fiber found in the raw product, so enjoy them as much as you want!

Have any questions? Ask me in the comment section below and I’ll get back to you.