Heinz X Smoothie King Ketchup Smoothie Review

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

Yes, a tomato is a fruit, but it's quite possibly the most savory fruit of all time — until now. In a cutting-edge collaboration for the ages, Heinz and Smoothie King are rolling out a summer smoothie like none other, and ketchup is the main ingredient. A Tomato Ketchup Smoothie ... we'll just let that sink in for a moment. On paper, this Heinz x Smoothie King concoction seems too weird to work. When I got the invite to try the new smoothie on the eve of the official release, a childlike curiosity propelled me to Midtown Manhattan for a private tasting.

Heinz ketchup is an emblematic American condiment with an unmistakable flavor, but definitely not something you'd think to put in a smoothie. It's one thing to slip a green veggie like spinach or kale into a smoothie (as Smoothie King already does) for a little extra zing of healthiness, but tangy, vinegary ketchup? How did Heinz and Smoothie King manage to work it into the creamy, fresh fruit smoothies the chain is known for?

The Tomato Ketchup Smoothie drops on August 6, 2025. It's sure to turn some heads, but can it change people's minds? Here's everything you need to know about Smoothie King's latest offering — including how it tastes.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

Heinz is a heritage brand that not only put ketchup on the map back in 1876, but also set the gold standard for condiments and other prepackaged goods. Fast forward to 2025, in a world where most consumers take on quick-serve food with a "been there done that" attitude, Heinz has dared to flip the script. The condiment king approached the Smoothie King with an idea to make ketchup in a smoothie happen. Truth be told, it's a big ask.

Still, Smoothie King answered the call. The company's Research and Development coordinator Lori Primavera explained that more than 50 iterations of the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie saw the light of day before the company found the winning recipe. "Making it taste delicious is number one", Primavera told me, before alluding that getting the color right was a likely second. To get the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie right, a balance of flavors was non-negotiable.

Smoothie King makes no secret of the fact that açai sorbet, strawberry, raspberry, and an apple juice blend were needed to make the Tomato Ketchup smoothie sing. Since ketchup is ultimately a condiment, it was incorporated as a topper of sorts. The ratio of ketchup to fruit is about 20 to 80.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

For around $5.70, the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie can be yours. In a world where fresh-blended smoothies don't come cheap, this is a price that most consumers can get behind. Smoothie King offers many drinks that contain a bulk dose of protein or smoothies that are supercharged with specialized ingredients, which can tip the price per beverage to well over $10. Heinz's premier outing with Smoothie King isn't about inflating prices or promoting add-ons in the name of improved health.

That said, the Ketchup Tomato Smoothie isn't launching in all Smoothie King locations (there are over 1,400 stores internationally). Instead, Smoothie King is releasing its unique baby in select U.S. markets, and prices may fluctuate depending on where the smoothie is sold. Smoothie Kings in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, and New York will sell the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie exclusively. This five-region market makes up roughly 220 Smoothie King locations.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

Smoothie King has been in the fast-serve game for over 50 years, so it knows when to let menu flavors come and go. On deciding to collaborate with Heinz on a limited-edition beverage, Smoothie King had the good mind to launch a tomato-centric smoothie at the height of tomato season — for those who don't know, tomato season is at its peak at the beginning of August (aka right now).

A lot of chains tend to release new items with a mildly veiled optimism that they might perform well enough with consumers to become part of the permanent menu, but Smoothie King isn't perpetuating anything of the sort. Heinz x Smoothie King was meant to be a "get it while you can" promo from the start, and if you want to try one, August 2025 is the time to do so. The fact that Smoothie King has made no plans to sell the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie in all of its stores leaves scant hope that this quirky little slushie was meant for an audience beyond the chain's purposely selected five-city market.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

When we talk about store-bought ketchup, Heinz has a worthy part in the discourse. When we talk about smoothies, though, ketchup is basically the furthest substance from our minds. Heinz's audacity to cuddle up with the fruit smoothie sector is — I don't know — completely absurd? But I don't make the rules. However, the conversation transpired, something prompted Smoothie King to say, "Okay Heinz, go on with your bad self" ... or something like that.

Needless to say, simply squirting a bunch of Heinz ketchup into a smoothie does not a happy customer make. To finesse the deal, Heinz and Smoothie King had to come together as one. Where this is most evident is the finished product. The smoothie isn't blood red, nor is it improperly blended. What this demonstrates is that Heinz is the student and Smoothie King is the teacher.

Heinz approached Smoothie King with a vision that ketchup and smoothies could go together if the idea was presented just right. It was a theoretical clash that lesser companies wouldn't have taken on, and for that, Smoothie King deserves a wink and a nod. The finished product doesn't scream ketchup, but if it did, Smoothie King probably wouldn't be able to sell it.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

Let's not mince words. Anyone who's on a diet should probably make their own shake at home. Smoothie King keeps a strict "no-no" list, meaning that it does not add any extra sugar, preservatives, artificial color, gluten, or soy, to its shakes. Here at the Takeout, we give a big amen to that, but unfortunately, the ingredients of the Heinz Ketchup Tomato Smoothie have enough additives to make a dieting individual's blood run cold.

Smoothie King promises not to add any sugar to its smoothies, but by including Simply Heinz Ketchup, apple juice, and açai sorbet, a single smoothie packs 52 grams of sugar. For those who are calorie watching, downing this smoothie will set you back 260 calories which, from a purely caloric standpoint, isn't horrible. Redeeming factors come in by way of it containing zero cholesterol, with a total fat tally of one gram. But let's face it, Smoothie King's promotion of the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie is doing nothing to shift the cultural needle of fast-food-equals-junk-food.

Mary K. Cahill / Static Media

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I enjoyed the Tomato Ketchup Smoothie. I drank it amidst a curated scene that evoked an urban farmer's market on a temperate day. The smoothie tasted of strawberry tomato jam and stayed frozen long after it should have. Its hue emitted the rosy pinkness of ethically harvested baby tomatoes with a hint of blood-flowing health. Almost nothing about me drinking ketchup in a smoothie seemed incorrect, just as almost nothing about the smoothie's taste evoked ketchup.

Let me be clear. The smoothie's frozen slush-ness was of near-perfect texture, and the berries' seeds punctuated each sip with the flourish of an operatic aria. Where was the ketchup? It was within the thin afternotes of vinegar that I might never have noticed if ketchup wasn't in the equation. I was told that Smoothie King approached the use of ketchup in a similar way one might seek it out at a barbecue — as a topping. But this overt yet subtle tactic begs the question: Why use Heinz ketchup at all?

I know why. Heinz wants to do something new. The truth is, Heinz stars in this smoothie in name only. If Heinz is looking to get into the smoothie market, where ketchup by nature is an outcast, why not take the opportunity to promote its tomato juice instead? The truth is, though, Heinz knows where its power lies — it lies in ketchup. And thanks to Smoothie King, Heinz ketchup is now drinkable.