I Tried Bella Hadid’s Kinsicle Smoothie and I Have Some Thoughts

As someone who used to work in the test kitchen of an (cough, cough, extremely overpriced) internet smoothie company, I now no longer care for bougie smoothies in the slightest. However, I still find the smoothies sold at Los Angeles-based health food store, Erewhon, to be objects of fascination. Each of the six locations have a designated “Tonic Bar,” where they offer a wide selection of health-promoting smoothies. The ones that hit virally on social media, though, are the branded smoothies, including Kourtney Kardashian’s Poof Detox Smoothie and Hailey Bieber’s Strawberry Glaze Skincare Smoothie.

To promote the functional beverage company she co-founded, supermodel Bella Hadid is the latest person to release a $17 smoothie with immunity-boosting benefits. Called the Kinsicle, it hints at an orange Creamsicle flavor. “Kin” represents the leading ingredient of the smoothie: Kin Euphorics, Hadid’s product, which is marketed as a caffeinated, non-alcoholic functional beverage infused with adaptogens and nootropics. One bottle of the stuff makes up half of the cost of the hefty $88 grocery bill needed to make the smoothie at home.

The public usually is not granted access to the exact ingredient proportions needed to make the smoothies at Erewhon, so it was a pleasant surprise when I came across an official recipe on the Kin Euphorics site. The hardest part of the recipe is, truthfully, the ingredient procurement. I had to visit three different health food stores in my New York City neighborhood before I finally got my hands on all 12 of the ingredients.

• Kin Euphorics High Rhode
• Almond milk
• Aloe vera juice
• Fresh orange juice
• Fresh pressed turmeric
• Coconut cream
• Vanilla extract
• Coconut yogurt
• One banana
• Mango
• Lion’s mane mushroom powder
• One Medjool date

You’ll combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you want to really emulate the smoothie at Erewhon, take some coconut cream and use it to coat the walls of your cup (a clear glass is preferred here, so you can see the pretty layers). Pour in the smoothie and top with a dollop of coconut cream. 

This is the orange Creamsicle’s super-glowy cousin from Beverly Hills. There’s a hint of carbonation and herbal flavor from the Kin Euphorics High Rhode drink, but it’s rather faint. What you get instead is a smoothie that imparts a citrusy flavor and velvety milkshake-like texture.

Even after three separate tries, I can’t speak to the smoothie’s effects on immunity, but I do appreciate how tasty the ingredients were. It was also super filling. While it powered me through a busy morning, it mostly left me full in a weird, non-heavy kind of way.

Now to address the all-important question: Is it worth $17? I vote no. It’s really hard for me to encourage someone to integrate a Bella Hadid smoothie into their everyday routine unless I know for certain their pantry is normally stocked with aloe vera juice and an arsenal of superfood powders.

But if you want to see what the social media hype is about and you can’t make it out to any of the Erewhon locations in California to drink the coveted nectar of the celebrities, models, and TikTok influencers, then this at-home recipe is fine.

• Use ground turmeric. Half an ounce of fresh turmeric is equal to about 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, which is likely more readily available.
• Don’t stress if you don’t use exactly the same brands of ingredients the recipe calls for. Another part of the branded smoothie is the way it calls for exact brands of ingredients. You can still get an optimal Bella Hadid experience even if you reach for your own preferred choice of almond milk, coconut yogurt, and orange juice.
• Use a high-powered blender. If you have one, use it! Or else you might have to chew on the occasional date chunk — nature’s boba?