Cuopom: This 1-Ingredient Upgrade Makes Smoothies Tastes Better (It’s Already in Your Pantry)

Try it once and you'll never look back.

<p>Simply Recipes / Jessica Gavin</p> — Simply Recipes / Jessica Gavin

You may already know that salt makes desserts taste better. It provides contrast and balance, enhances the flavor of chocolate, and magically makes sweets taste less sweet and more delicious. Even Modern Family taught the world that chocolate milk is better with salt.

I love sprinkling flaky salt on my ice cream. No apple pie, blueberry cobbler, or chocolate chip cookies are complete without at least a pinch or likely even a teaspoon or more of salt.

And in the summer months, when I’m blending up a smoothie at least once a week—an attempt at curbing my daily ice cream cravings—I add salt to it and you should too.

<p>Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer</p> — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

The content of smoothies is no different than most desserts: fruit, yogurt, milk, juice, chocolate, almond butter, and peanut butter. All these ingredients beg for salt in any other recipe, but smoothie recipes most often don’t call for salt—but they should.

Adding a pinch of salt to any smoothie you make will boost its natural flavors, whether that be fruity, nutty, or even vegetal if that’s your thing. Salt in a smoothie provides dimension and balance in a way you probably hadn’t thought possible.

If you’re new to the practice of salting your smoothie, tread carefully because a little goes a long way. Here are my tips for salting your smoothie just right:

Use kosher salt: Table salt has a higher salinity than kosher salt, and the coarser flakes of kosher salt make it easier to add a little at a time, giving you more control. (And guess what? Trader Joe's now carries editor-approved and recommended brand of kosher salt!)

How much salt to use: When salting your smoothie, it helps to keep in mind that you’re not trying to make it taste salty—the intention is to bring out the natural flavors of what you’re blending. For one to three servings, start with a pinch, which is less than 1/8 teaspoon. For four or more servings, use 1/8th teaspoon. Taste and add more if you'd like—but since you can never take it back, start with a teeny bit.

When NOT to salt your smoothie: Sweet smoothies benefit from balance, and savory smoothies are pumped up with vegetables that need salt to shine. However, there are a few instances where even a bit of salt wouldn’t make your smoothie taste better. Common smoothie ingredients, like plant-based milk, often have salt added to them to enhance their flavor, and nut butter like almond or peanut often contains salt as well. If they do, you're off the hook for adding salt.

Salt at the end: Likely, a bit of extra salt won't push your smoothie into too-salty territory, but to be sure, I recommend that you blend your smoothie entirely, taste for seasoning, and salt at the very end.