A Green Smoothie is a great pick me up when you need a green veggie boost. An easy sweet smoothie that is packed with spinach and easy to adapt with other ingredients. Just 5 ingredients and ready in minutes, this post will show you how to make a green smoothie with lots of variations.
Despite the vibrant green colour, this smoothie is actually really sweet. The green colour comes from the spinach, which although doesn't add any flavour, adds a whole lot of nutrients. Kids will love it (ours call it a superhero smoothie) and have no idea that they are drinking a glass of spinach.
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Why should you try it?
- Nutrient dense
- A great way to get kids to eat more greens
- Easy to adapt
- Can be vegan
What you will need
- Banana - This adds some natural sweetness, as well as thickening up the smoothie. If you don't like banana, then you can use avocado for thickness, and extra honey to sweeten.
- Spinach - This is what gives the smoothie the green boost. You could swap it for kale.
- Blueberries - We think all smoothies should have berries in them. You can swap blueberries for raspberries or strawberries. Use frozen berries to make the smoothie really cold.
- Milk - You have got a few options when it comes to what milk to use, and we have written about them below.
- Honey - This is what helps to sweeten the smoothie. You could leave it out, or even swap it for maple syrup if you want this smoothie to be vegan.
- Almond butter - This helps to thicken the smoothie, and give it a protein boost.
Step by step
One: Put all the ingredients into a blender.
Two: Blend until smooth.
What fruit to use
There are so many options here when it comes to what fruit to use. We kept it simple with banana and blueberries. Use a frozen banana if you want a super cold smoothie, or you could just add some ice cubes if your banana isn't frozen.
Any kind of berries work in this, and we also like to add strawberries, cherries, raspberries and blackberries. Bear in mind that the fruit you use can effect the colour of the smoothie. Darker fruits like berries will make the smoothie more of a brown colour, but tropical fruits will keep it green.
If you want more of a tropical flavour to this smoothie, then use pineapple and mango. Try to make sure these are frozen too, and you will have yourself a super refreshing smoothie.
Using frozen fruit means that you can make this green smoothie all year round and use fruits that might not be in season.
What greens to use
You need to use a lot of greens in this recipe to get that super green colour. We have just used spinach in this recipe, but you could swap some of the spinach for kale, or use all kale. You could also use Swiss chard, pak choi, romaine lettuce or even the green carrot tops, which is a great way to reduce waste.
What milk to use
You have lots of options when it comes to the milk used in this recipe. We used standard whole milk, however you could make this a vegan smoothie by using a plant based milk like almond, cashew or oat.
To make this smoothie creamier and add some extra flavour, swap 50ml of the milk for coconut milk. This will really help to thicken the smoothie too.
You could use water instead of milk, however I wouldn't recommend doing that because it would make it really thin.
What else can you add
The great thing about a smoothie, is that they are so easy to adapt. We added a spoonful of almond butter (although you could use peanut or cashew butter) which gives it a protein boost, but you could add some chia seeds which will do the same too. You could also add some protein powder if that's your thing.
You could add a little flavour with some cinnamon, or give it a chocolate twist with some cocoa powder - this would definitely turn the smoothie brown, but delicious all the same.
What can you use instead of banana?
I think bananas are kind of essential in this smoothie. Not only to they add lots of sweetness, but they thicken it too. If bananas aren't your thing, then you could use avocado instead. This will help with the green colour too. Fruits like mango would help to thicken it also.
How to store it
You can store any leftover smoothie in the fridge for 1-2 days. The ingredients may separate, but this is normal. Just give it a quick stir before drinking. It's always best to make this smoothie fresh - luckily it is really quick to make.
FAQ
No, you can't taste the spinach in this smoothie. It just adds lots of colours and vitamins. You need to make sure you use really ripe fruit, then all you should be able to taste is the fruit. If you used kale instead of spinach, then you would probably be able to taste that as it has a stronger flavour.
Green smoothies taste best when they are made fresh, however if you would like to do some of the prep in advance, you can put the fruit and spinach in the zip lock bags and then keep them in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to make the smoothie, just empty the bag in to the blender and add the milk and anything extra.
We used honey to sweeten the smoothie, however if you want it to be a vegan smoothie then swap it for maple syrup. The riper the fruit used, the sweeter it will be naturally. You don't have to use any added sweetener at all.
Extra tips
- To get a super smooth smoothie, blend the liquid and greens first and then add the fruit and continue blending.
- If you don't have frozen fruit, then you can add ice cubes to the blender instead.
- Try to make the smoothie from fresh. However if you want to prep it in advance, then you can put everything except the liquid in a freezer bag and freeze until you need it.
- The general rule of making a green smoothie is 1 cup greens, 1 cup liquid and 2 cups of fruit.
More Smoothie recipes
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Recipe
Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 medium frozen banana
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 20 g blueberries
- 30 g spinach
- 250 ml milk
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in to your blender.
- Blend until smooth.
Notes
- To get a super smooth smoothie, blend the liquid and greens first and then add the fruit and continue blending.
- If you don't have frozen fruit, then you can add ice cubes to the blender instead.
- Try to make the smoothie from fresh. However if you want to prep it in advance, then you can put everything except the liquid in a freezer bag and freeze until you need it.
- The general rule of making a green smoothie is 1 cup greens, 1 cup liquid and 2 cups of fruit.
Fiver Feeds
Green smoothies are great! I agree with you, it's hard to try them when you only see the final product, but when you actually make them, you will want to have one every day.
Dannii
I think the final product looks great too!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
Love green smoothies but I hear ya about not making them as often once the weather gets cooler. This one sound wonderful with the strawberries, blueberries and banana with spinach :)
Dannii
I am trying to still have them, but I am craving more comforting foods now.
Maria @ runningcupcake
I like green smoothies- only with a little bit of spinach though!
Dannii
All the more spinach for me!
Stephanie
Sounds delicious! I usually use Spinach with a banana, water, and almond butter.
Dannii
It's good with coconut water too.
Nicole
This is delicious! I subbed almond milk for the water. Very yummy!
Dannii
Yay! I'm glad you liked it.
Lacey@fairytalesandfitness
This sounds delcious and very healthy!
Dannii
It is definitely both of those things.
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
This is a bit of a super-foods smoothie isn't it, Dannii? I agree that it would be great with a side of eggs, though!
Dannii
Got to get the protein in.
Madeline Craig
Great blog! Our favourite green smoothie uses Aloe Vera Gel, spinach, kale, manuka honey, dates, blueberries, banana, various seeds and coconut water! A powerful smoothie packed full of natural goodness to set you up for the day!
Dannii
Sounds really good!
charlene @ That girl cooks healthy
I love green smoothies. My favourite being; coconut milk, spinach, ginger, cinnamon and cucumber and banana.
Dannii
Anything with coconut milk in is good.
Emily
Spinach, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, plain non-fat greek yogurt, sea salt, vanilla
Dannii
Vanilla is a good addition.
Ashley
I love making green smoothies! I was a little hesitant to try them at first since I thought it would taste weird but you really can't taste the spinach, etc.! Sounds delicious!
Dannii
You can't taste it at all, can you.
Danielle
Green smoothies were kind of odd to me at first too, but I love them. It's a great way to get in some veggies without even trying. Thanks for sharing!
Dannii
It's the only way to get my husband to eat greens haha
Manali @ CookWithManali
I think I need to start drinking green smoothies! Thanks for the motivation Dannii!
Dannii
It the best way to start the day.
Louisa
I have been having a green smoothie every morning for the past month and I feel great! Would love some more green smoothie ideas.
Dannii
I have lots more planned :)
Amie
I love kale, almond milk and mango smoothies.
Dannii
That sounds like a delicious combo.
Julie
I never thought to add spinach to my smoothies. Great idea! The colour wouldn't put me off at all.
Dannii
I actually really love the colour.