Our green smoothie recipe is easy, healthy, beginner-friendly, and a fantastic way to sneak that daily dose of greens into your diet.
Vegetables are so nutritious and delicious, but we understand how they might not be everyone’s favorite food group. We, especially the chefs, wanted to put together something quick, easy, and tasty to make consuming greens a pleasant experience for everybody, so we came up with this smoothie.
It’s basically a smoothie with a sweet and ultra-rich fruit base, mixed with the faint grassy taste of spinach. It’d be a lie to say it doesn’t taste like vegetables at all, but with all the flavors from the blueberries, mangoes, and bananas, it’s an absolute treat. You can drink it at any time of the day, with or without meals.
Even better, this smoothie is not only delicious but also nutritionally balanced. Our nutritionist insists we don’t make claims without evidence so we like to be as precise and specific as possible when it comes to the numbers on the nutritional label.
How Healthy Is Our Green Smoothie?
Fruits and greens, as we know, are of the food groups experts recommend us to have more since they’re loaded with essential nutrients that benefit the body in different ways.
Here’s to name a few that come in significant amounts in this smoothie:
- Vitamins A and C: These are antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals and, according to research, reduce risks of many severe health conditions (eg. cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.)
- Folate (Vitamin B9): An essential nutrient, especially for women during pregnancy.
- Vitamin K1: A fat-soluble vitamin known to regulate insulin levels, aid in bone formation, and have anti-calcification properties.
For sweet treats, our nutritionist also cares about the calorie content as well as levels of added sugar and saturated fats. In this recipe the latter two come mainly from granulated sugar and Greek yogurt, so we tried not to use too much.
As a result, each serving gives 138 calories, with only around 1 g saturated fats and 20.9 g sugar.
And finally, with lots of fiber, the drink can help you feel more satisfied after meals and therefore, reduce snacking. In the long run, this habit can facilitate weight loss.
Main Ingredients
- Vegetable: Spinach is always a classic choice for green smoothies. It’s nutrient-dense and comes with a neutral taste that blends well with various flavors.
- Fruits: We went with bananas, blueberries, and mangoes to create a vibrant sweetness that’s laced with a slightly tart taste. The bananas and mangoes also give the drink a more luscious consistency.
- Sugar: This was added to enhance the drink’s sweetness, but if you prefer a green smoothie with fewer calories, feel free to omit it.
- Greek yogurt: This is a low-fat and low-calorie alternative to milk and heavy cream for thickening the texture and adding a lightly tangy, milky undertone. In this recipe, the amount we used is equivalent to 4 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Ice: This gives the drink its signature frosty texture and cooling taste.
Tips for Making
- Use frozen fruits and veggies for a smoother and richer consistency. With frozen ingredients, you can even skip the ice to avoid diluting the flavors.
- When you add the ingredients to the blender, start with the “softer” ingredients at the bottom. With this recipe, put the sugar in first, then followed by the spinach, the yogurt, the frozen fruits, and finally, the ice. This will ensure that everything gets blended evenly and smoothly.
- If you don’t have time and want to make this green smoothie on the go, measure and place your ingredients in the freezer the night before. Then, all you have to do in the morning is load them into the blender, and blitz for 5 minutes.
- If you need to increase your protein intake, you can add a plant-based protein powder. We recommend getting those without added sugar or flavorings since this smoothie is already quite sweet on its own.
- Green smoothies are pretty versatile, so don’t hesitate to switch up the veggies and fruits. Kale is a great substitution for spinach. As for fruits, go for whatever you like. We recommend avocados, peaches, pineapples, apples, strawberries, etc.
Other Low-calorie Smoothie Recipes
Here are a few other green smoothie recipes to try out:
- Avocado Green Smoothie Recipe: This smoothie is a vibrantly sweet blend of pineapples, bananas, spinach, and kale with a mildly spicy hint of ginger.
- Spinach Green Smoothie Recipe: For you non-sweet tooths, this tangy green smoothie featuring spinach and pineapples might just be what you’ve been looking for.
- Blueberry Spinach Smoothie Recipe: This drink features tart blueberries, creamy protein-rich Greek yogurt, sweet bananas, and some fresh spinach. It makes a grassy and sweet combination that’s strangely irresistible.
- Healthy Kale Smoothie Recipe: This kale smoothie combines apple, pineapple, and kale to make a delectable beverage filled with lightly sweet, aromatic, and tangy flavors.
Is It OK to Drink This Smoothies Every Day?
Green smoothie is a healthy drink, but only so in moderation. You can have it for breakfast, before workouts, or after meals as a quick and easy way to load up on energy and essential nutrients.
However, we do not recommend a diet that includes nothing but green smoothies. Such a diet usually lacks healthy fats, proteins, and other micronutrients.
How Long Does It Last?
For 1-2 days in the fridge and, if you’re making a large batch, up to 3 months in the freezer. However, its flavors and texture will likely diminish over time, so it’s best enjoyed as soon as you’ve made it.
Healthy Green Smoothie Recipe
This healthy green smoothie recipe is easy to do, and is a great way to sneak veggies into your diet without you noticing it. It's perfect for both kids and adults who dislike vegetables! And those who want a nutrition boost but have limited time.
- by Luna Regina, 2020-07-17
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 5 mins
- COURSE Beverage
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 138 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz spinach
- 8 oz bananas
- 4 oz blueberries
- 4 oz mangoes
- 2 cups ice
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
Add 8 oz bananas, 4 oz blueberries, 4 oz mangoes, 6 oz spinach, 2 cups ice, sugar (no more than 2 tbsp), and 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt to a blender and press the start button. If your blender isn’t strong enough, hit pulse and stop every second or two until everything looks combined.
Blending for 30 - 60 seconds until the texture becomes smooth.
Serve and enjoy!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- Raivyn KDidn't expect to love this recipe but I do. I gave this recipe 5 stars.
- fatfreeturkeyRefreshing and nutritious green goodness.