The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe Ever

BY: JEN HANSARD | LAST UPDATED: 1.1.2020 | COMMENTS: 2032

LEAFY GREENS TO USE IN A SMOOTHIE

The essence of a green smoothie is fruit and leafy greens. Leafy greens can range from spinach, kale, chard, bok choy, etc. The health benefits of adding leafy greens to your smoothie is that it adds extra phytonutrients and fiber, slowing down the absorption of sugars into your body.

My favorite greens are baby spinach because it’s mild in taste and still allows all the fruit to shine. It’s also easy to find all year round and affordable.

HOW TO MAKE A GREEN SMOOTHIE

All you need to make a tasty green smoothie is a blender, fruit and leafy greens. The right ratio of leafy greens to fruit makes it sweet as you reap all the health benefits of a green smoothie. The key is to use recipes that actually taste good and follow my simple tips below.

1. Blend 1 cup of spinach, or another leafy greens of your choice, in a blender.
2. Add 1 cup of liquid and blend well (until all leafy chunks are gone).
3. Toss in fruit, such as frozen mango, pineapple and bananas in the blender.
4. Next, blend again until smooth and creamy.
5. Serve smoothie immediately for maximum nourishment.

CAN YOU TASTE SPINACH IN THE SMOOTHIE?

You wouldn’t be the first to look at this recipe and say “no way!” Green! Spinach! Yuck! Yet don’t walk away! This bright green gem will actually delight your taste buds.  You’ll even have an extra pep in your step when you realize how great you feel!

Even kids LOVE this green smoothie recipe! I started blending this smoothie in my daughter Clare’s kindergarten class four years ago. Now every year, I visit her school and the kids look forward to me making this again. That’s how delicious this recipe is!

To reiterate, I really encourage you to dive into the world of green smoothies and see just how delicious healthy tastes.

Not sure if your blender can handle the greens? I’ve created The Ultimate Blender Guide and reviewed countless blenders to find the best ones for green smoothies. The key is to get rid of leafy chunks, blend quickly and provide tons of value for the price. Hint: not all of them cost $400+. 🙂 In fact, check out this special deal that Vitamix and I have where you can get my favorite blender for less than $300 (including FREE shipping). Just add this blender to your cart and head to checkout to see the secret pricing!

Then pick a liquid to use like almond milk, regular milk, water or even coconut water. Milk will give it more of a milkshake/smoothie consistency, while water will give it more of a juice consistency.

Finally pick a fruit to balance out the flavor of the leafy green. For a green smoothie, I recommend using pineapple, banana, mango, pear, kiwi, avocado, green apples, or any combination of these, or other yellow and green fruits. I love using frozen fruit when possible to get a smooth and creamy texture.

Those are the three essential ingredients for making a green smoothie. Then you can add more flavor, more sweetness, more texture, or more nutritional value with all kinds of added ingredients. This includes seeds, protein powders, natural sweeteners, nuts or nut butters, oils or spices.

Step 2: Put it all in a blender and blend until it’s smooth with no junks of leafy greens or fruits.

Step 3: Taste it! Here, you can decide if your green smoothie needs a sweetener, if it’s too thick or not cold enough or if it needs any extra ingredients. Some common adjustments I make are adding honey if the fruit wasn’t ripe enough, adding lemon to cut the bitterness of some greens, or adding cinnamon to give it a warm flavor.

Then make sure to drink this glowing green smoothie right after you blend it for the best consistency! It’s the worst when a smoothie settles in the fridge and separates into parts. But if that happens just shake it up or mix it before drinking. If you have any left over, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours only.

Glowing Green Smoothie Health Benefits

While all green smoothies are nutritional powerhouses and full of amazing benefits, this one is especially great for your skin, thanks to these three ingredients. These foods help to nourish your skin and give that healthy glow. So I love including these “skin foods” in my daily smoothie!

Spinach:  It has high levels of folate, which helps to maintain and repair DNA – great for renewing skin!

Avocado: It’s full of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are the good fats that help keep your skin moist and hydrated.

Almond Milk: Almonds are most often associated with skin care, and that’s because they’re loaded with vitamin E. If you use good almond milk that’s made mostly from almonds and water, you’re reaping the benefits of vitamin E. It’s great for repairing skin and defending against sun damage.

Tips to make green smoothies

• Blend the leafy greens with the liquid first. The purpose of this is to avoid having chunks of unblended vegetables or fruit while sipping the smoothie. And then add the fruits, chia seeds or any other boosters. If you have a high-speed strong blender like the Vitamix or Ninja, you can throw everything in the blender at once though.
• Freeze the fruits. This gives the smoothie an extra smooth and creamy consistency. Any time you have extra ripe fruit, it’s a great idea to freeze them in freezer-safe bags. That way they’re ready to go when you want a smoothie. It also gives an extra cold and creamy texture to the smoothie that you won’t get from adding ice cubes necessarily.
• Use ripe fruit. That’s the best way to avoid adding sugar. It’s nature’s natural raw sugar essentially, so make sure the fruit is ripe and you shouldn’t need to add any sweeteners to the smoothie. This way you’ll save on calories and carbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are green smoothies really that good for you?

Yes! My Glowing Green Smoothie recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients with no added sugar. There’s a good amount of fiber and protein in it to help you feeling satisfied and full. It’s packed full of vitamins and minerals and it’s a great way to up your fruit and vegetable intake in a quick, easy and tasty way.

Can you drink a green smoothie everyday?

I like to mix the ingredients in my smoothies up most days so that I don’t get bored, but you absolutely can have a green smoothie every day. I love having them for breakfast, knowing that I’ve fuelled my body for the day and already got a tonne of nutrients into it.

What is in a green smoothie?

You can mix and match the basic ingredients in your green smoothie (see above for how to build one for your tastes), for me, you can’t go wrong with avocado, spinach, pineapple, almond milk and chia seeds, This combination makes a really tasty shake that is well balanced.