Jamba Juice vs Smoothie King: Which is Better? (2024)

Last Updated on June 16, 2024 by Shari Mason

Americans gulped down **176.06 million yogurts and smoothies** in 2020, Statista reports. Experts anticipate this number to **climb to 180.39 million** by 2024.

If you are one of the 176 million Americans, you’ve probably already tasted the blended fruit smoothies of 2 of the biggest smoothie shops today – Jamba Juice and Smoothie King.

If you want to know the differences between Jamba Juice vs Smoothie King, read on and discover which is superior when considering various factors.

Smoothies Battle: Smoothie King vs Jamba Juice

Whether you drink smoothies as a pre-workout boost, a meal replacement, or to satisfy your smoothie craving, we know you always want the best value for your money [1].

Smoothie King and Jamba Juice use fresh fruits to sell fruit blended smoothies, but there are quite a few differences between their blends and ingredients.

Right off the bat, Jamba Juice offers better-tasting, nutritious, and delicious smoothies, while Smoothie King offers more freedom for personal preference in their healthy ingredients.

Jamba Juice

Quick History

Jamba Juice was established in the 90s by Kirk Perron. As a person who embarks on healthy living, he made a mark on the beverage industry by commercializing real fruit as drinks.

The business became successful since consumers today are becoming more health-conscious and want to drink beverages that use real fruit as ingredients.

Today, over 750 Jamba Juice stores offer smoothies with high-quality ingredients and wide product innovation that caters to every nutrition buff’s needs.

Flavor Offerings

Jamba Juice ranks among the best smoothie shops, and because of the large variety of smoothies, Jamba Juice’s flavors are limitless.

You can start with their best-selling smoothies like Strawberry Surf Rider, Apple ‘N Greens, and Vanilla Blue Sky. However, their menus may vary according to their location.

Jamba Juice promises no artificial flavors and artificial colors in their recipe, so you can always enjoy the taste of real fruit (like mango and pineapple) and healthy veggies (like ginger).

Price Point

Prices may vary between Jamba stores in different countries, but Jamba Juice prices generally range from $2.99 to $6.89.

Jamba Juice offers juices (other than smoothies) and health-conscious food like parfaits, breakfast courses, and other custom-made smoothies.

Special add-ons, orders, and other ingredients can also be custom-made (at varying rates).

Smoothie King

Quick History

Like the Jamba brand, Smoothie King also sells smoothies made from 100% fresh fruits mixed with healthy vegetables packed with nutritious ingredients and vitamins.

It was founded by Steve Kuhnau in 1973 and aimed only to sell vitamins and homemade smoothie blends as he wanted to educate people about healthy food and beverages.

It differs from Jamba Juice in replacing mix-ins with ‘enhancers.’ These enhancers level up or enhance your smoothie to achieve your personal nutrient goal.

Smoothie King offers smoothies that are a great drink for a pre-workout boost, especially since it contains protein, sugar, or caffeine.

Flavor Offerings

Like Jamba Juice, Smoothie King also offers many different flavors, and it would definitely take a long time to try all of them (challenge accepted).

Their menus are divided into 3 categories: featured smoothie, get fit, and feel energized; each has its own goal and benefit to your body.

Their smoothies are also made with whole fruits, and they infuse them with enhancers depending on the customer’s request.

They also stressed that they do not use sherbet in their traditional drinks and take pride in having drinks rich in nutrients like protein and fiber to help aid digestion.

Some of their drinks also have raspberries which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, and a healthy amount of caffeine for those who need a boost [2].

Price Point

The prices also vary depending on the smoothie’s type and ingredients. Prices range from $6.09 to $11.49, excluding snack prices and other custom orders.

Main Differences

Smoothie Menu Offerings

Both brands have websites where you can customize your orders according to your needs.

However, Smoothie King’s menu will cater better to those who want more ingredient options for a specific workout-type of smoothie.

On the other hand, Jamba Juice has a preset of smoothies, with the fruit mix listed and the total calories per serving.

In this factor, both companies offer nutritious and hearty meal replacement smoothies [3].

Store Ambience

There are almost no differences in the store ambiance of both shops.

For this category, both stores only differ in the design, such as the colorway – usually green for Jamba Juice and red for Smoothie King.

Ingredients

Both brands promise an “all real fruit” experience, so they only use whole fruit/fresh fruits and almost no added sugars in their smoothies.

Jamba Juice is known for its consistent texture and enjoyable drink, while Smoothie King is known for its juice’s health benefits and as an alternative for workout drinks.

“Juicing is like pre-digesting and lets the body directly absorb the phytonutrients like enzymes.”

– Tina Barrat, Raw Food Chef

Some of the fruits that both companies use for their smoothies include bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and mangoes. Their blends also use vegetables and ingredients like honey.

Jamba Juice uses high-fat dairy and sherbet (depending on request), while the latter uses caffeine and protein powder (depending on request).

Both of them make sure to use natural ingredients as much as possible.

Flavor & Taste

Unlike ice cream shops where the flavors are determined by the availability of the ice cream tubs, smoothies flavors are almost infinite and can be customized by the customer.

Both Jamba Juice and Smoothie King use fruits, vegetables, and other add-ons to create their flavors.

They try to make every beverage delicious and healthy as much as possible. Added sugars are a no-no as it defeats the purpose of a health-conscious juice [4].

The taste, according to consumers, varies, with Jamba Juice having a thick and more consistent texture, while Smoothie King feels tastes more like a pre-workout boost drink.

Healthy Smoothie Options

All smoothie options and juices from the two stores are guaranteed to be nutritious. The only difference between the two stores is their customization capabilities.

Though Jamba Juice ranks as the top smoothie shop, Smoothie King offers more options and better smoothies for meal replacement.

Most people replace solid food for their workout or diet and consume Smoothie King since most of their smoothies could provide essential nutrients and have no added sugar.

(NOTE: While these smoothies are healthy, ensure you will still eat a proper and balanced meal).

Specialty

Smoothie King specializes in smoothies with almost no sugar and few calories, while Jamba Juice uses dairy and sherbet in some of its beverages.

The two shops also blend smoothies using all real fruits and ingredients.

While fruit-blended smoothies, juices, and other drinks are their specialties, you can also order from the menu and eat snacks like cupcakes and muffins.

Enhancers

Enhancers are the ingredients used to attain a goal, mainly to achieve the desired amount of nutrients in the smoothie.

Some find it difficult to eat solid food, so people use enhancers and mix them into their smoothie, which is much easier to consume.

Jamba Juice does not exactly advertise their beverages containing enhancers, but they offer a few options for a workout smoothie.

Smoothie King, on the other hand, adds some enhancers to their smoothies for an energy boost and muscle building.

Customization

Both Jamba Juice and Smoothie King offer customization of their smoothies. The combination of fruits is limitless.

First-time customers will often choose from the combined fruits and juices section because the customization of smoothies could initially be a bit complicated.

Choosing the whole fruit you want may also vary depending on the stores’ location since some ingredients are not always available.

Location

With the continued international expansion of both companies, it is not surprising to see them almost anywhere in America and other neighboring countries.

Jamba Juice has over 750 stores in 19 different countries, while Smoothie King has over 1,400 stores worldwide.

Do note that not all Jamba Juice and Smoothie King stores offer the same smoothies. Other Jamba Juice and Smoothie King shops may use sugar or other exotic fruit.

FAQs

All Things Considered

Considering all the comparisons above, we think the two smoothie shops have their respective strengths and weaknesses. With that, we close the battle in a tie.

Jamba Juice will work for you if you’re after taste and texture to satisfy your smoothie craving.

On the other hand, Smoothie King is the one for you if you’re looking for juices as an alternative to food or as a supplement to your workout and diet regime.

Overall, deciding which of the two is better depends on a person’s specific needs and preferences.

References:

1. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-is-a-fruit-smoothie-a-good-meal-replacement-option/#
2. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-raspberries#
3. https://time.com/5447846/are-smoothies-healthy/
4. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/