On a hot summer’s day, there is nothing better than an ice-cold drink. And there is no ice-cold drink more refreshing than a fruit smoothie. There was a time when McDonald’s would not have been the first place to pop into your head when looking for a fruity drink but, since expanding their McCafe range, there are now plenty of drinks options available.
Does McDonalds have smoothies?
The short answer to this is, yes, McDonald’s does now have smoothies and they come in three delicious flavors: the McCafe Mango Pineapple Smoothie, the McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie, and the McCafe Mango Pineapple Smoothie.
What is in McDonald’s smoothies?
All the McDonald’s smoothies start off with a fruit base which consists of a fruit puree and a fruit juice concentrate. The exact ingredients of each fruit base will depend on which smoothie you choose.
As an example, the McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie contains ingredients such as strawberry and banana puree, grape and pineapple juice, a small amount of natural and artificial flavors, pear and peach juice, cellulose powder, xantham gum, citric acid, pectin, and ascorbic acid. Some of these ingredients help to create the unique flavor of the smoothie and others are related to getting the texture just right and preserving the fruit base.
The rest of the ingredients in McDonald’s smoothies are the same for each one and are ice and a low-fat yogurt base. The yogurt base consists of:
- cultured grade A reduced-fat milk
- sugar
- whey protein concentrate
- fructose
- corn starch
- modified food starch
- gelatin
McDonald’s smoothies come in three sizes: 12 ounces, 16 ounces, and 22 ounces.
Are McDonald’s smoothies vegan?
Plant-based and vegan options are now becoming more in demand, and you might be forgiven for thinking that a fruit smoothie would be the ideal plant-based choice. But this isn’t the case with McDonald’s smoothies. Because of its yogurt base, a McDonald’s smoothie will contain cow’s milk products, and it will also contain gelatin which is derived from collagen that is produced from animal parts.
Are McDonald’s smoothies healthy?
This is more of a tricky question. In some ways, McDonald’s fruit smoothies can have some health benefits. But on the other hand, they contain a lot of sugar, which can be a less healthy option.
Let’s take a look at the healthy aspects of McDonald’s smoothies first. Their fruit base will give you some essential micronutrients which can help to support a variety of body systems and to maintain your health. These include high levels of vitamin C, iron, and calcium.
Vitamin C is important for maintaining your bones, cartilage, skin, and blood vessels. Vitamin C deficiency is also known to cause scurvy. Iron is important for making hemoglobin, which carries oxygen around your body, and myoglobin, which takes oxygen to your muscles. Calcium is important for maintaining and building healthy bones.
These health benefits, however, can be counteracted by the high levels of sugar that are found in McDonald’s smoothies. The fruit puree and fruit concentrate will naturally include a lot of sugar because fruits are high in sugar. But there is also a lot of added sugar, which can be found in the yogurt base.
The second ingredient in the yogurt base is sugar, and farther down the list, you will also find fructose, which is another form of sugar. Taken together, a 12-ounce smoothie will contain approximately 44 grams of sugar, a 16-ounce smoothie will contain around 55 grams of sugar, and a 22-ounce smoothie will contain around 74 grams of sugar.
Too much sugar in your diet can lead to weight gain because your body will store any unused energy as fat, and it can also leave you at higher risk of type-2 diabetes.
With that being said, a single McDonald’s smoothie won’t push your daily sugar intake above its recommended level, provided that you are drinking them as part of a balanced healthy diet. For example, even a large McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie will contain 28% of your daily carbohydrate allowance (including sugars).
As long as you are mindful of your daily sugar intake, there is nothing wrong at all with having a McDonald’s smoothie every now and again.
How many calories are in a McDonald’s smoothie?
Of course, sugar is just one part of the picture. If you are maintaining a healthy weight through calorie-counting, you will be interested in knowing how many calories there are in a McDonald’s smoothie. This can vary depending on the size of the smoothie and which flavor you choose.
McCafe Strawberry Banana Smoothie
| 12 ounce | 220 calories |
| 16 ounce | 250 calories |
| 22 ounce | 330 calories |
McCafe Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie
| 12 ounce | 220 calories |
| 16 ounce | 260 calories |
| 22 ounce | 340 calories |
McCafe Mango Pineapple Smoothie
| 12 ounce | 220 calories |
| 16 ounce | 270 calories |
| 22 ounce | 340 calories |
While there are differences in the number of calories between each flavor, they are very small and won’t have too much of an impact on your daily calorie allowance. The biggest difference is between the different sizes.
For reference, the average recommended daily calorie allowance for women is 2,000 calories and it is 2,500 calories for men. This can vary depending on a variety of factors including your height and size, and there are plenty of calorie calculators online and in apps that can help you to work out your personal daily calorie allowance.
In comparison to your daily calorie allowance, a McDonald’s smoothie won’t have too much of an impact, as long as you are eating an otherwise healthy diet. It is a sizeable snack but nowhere near the calorie count of a full meal.
The bottom line
If you’re asking yourself “Wait, does McDonalds have smoothies?” you can rest assured that they do. And in some popular and delicious flavors as well. They are available in small, medium, and large sizes, and they contain a large amount of real fruit, which can have some health benefits. With that being said, they do also have a high amount of sugar, so it is important to be sure that you are enjoying them as part of a healthy balanced diet.