This easy green smoothie recipe provides a healthy nutritional boost to your day! Each flavorful sip is full of leafy greens, hearty vegetables, fruit, and Greek yogurt for protein.
When you see a bright green smoothie, the brain knows that it’s going to be healthy, but will it taste good? Working in nutrition product development, my job as a research scientist was to make vitamins and minerals taste better. I was beyond excited to take on this flavor challenge!
Smoothies are essential for busy days. They can efficiently deliver most of the nutrients that your body craves and needs. But it’s all about balancing the quantity and unique flavors of each ingredient. Leveraging the natural sweetness of coconut water and a variety of fruits mellow out the bitterness of the hearty vegetables.
The key green vegetables
This smoothie recipe uses a wide variety of fresh green vegetables and fruits. Dark leafy greens like baby kale, spinach, and romaine lettuce are tender and loaded with nutrients.
More fibrous broccoli, cucumber, and celery are used in smaller quantities and blend in seamlessly. The celery has the most dominant flavor and it gives the green smoothie just a slightly earthy taste.
Natural sweeteners
The natural sweetness and pleasant acidity of green grapes, apples, and pears balance the bitterness of the vegetables. Frozen pineapple pieces and ice cubes create a thick and cool texture.
Greek yogurt adds creaminess while masking some of the astringency of the greens. Coconut water also helps to sweeten and process the smoothie, however, your favorite milk product or juice would also work.
How to make the ultimate green smoothie
The tough and fibrous ingredients need to be added into the blender in a certain order to thoroughly puree the greens. Add the liquids first, followed by the leafy greens, hearty vegetables/fruit, then the frozen ingredients.
Use the tamper tool to help push down those robust ingredients into the blade on the bottom of the cup. I always start the blender on medium speed, then ramp-up to give it a super-smooth texture.
Way to customize this recipe
- Liquids: Coconut water, coconut milk, almond milk, any dairy-free milk, or juices (pineapple, orange juice).
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt (plain and unsweetened greek), regular yogurt, or any dairy-free.
- Leafy Greens: Types of lettuce like Bibb or romaine, baby kale or spinach, parsley, beet greens, or watercress.
- Hearty Greens: Cucumber, broccoli, celery, zucchini, fennel, green bell pepper.
- Fresh Fruit: Grapes, apples, pears, mango, banana.
- Frozen Fruit: Pineapple, mango, or banana.
- Nutritional Boost: Matcha powder, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, collagen, protein powders.
- Sweeteners: Honey, agave, dates, date syrup, maple syrup or stevia.
These ingredients will keep the green color of the smoothie. Feel free to add other colored produce or juice, but it may change to appearance. Check serving sizes and minimize the amount of added sugar, as smoothies can become high in calories if drinking too much at one time.
More smoothie recipes
Are green smoothies healthy?
Yes! Compared to juicing, where all of the insoluble fibers are removed, blending whole fruits and vegetables better retain the nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Breaking down the ingredients into small suspended particles in the liquid making it easier to digest and absorb the nutrients efficiently.
The Ultimate Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) coconut water
- ½ cup (120 ml) plain greek yogurt, or unsweetened
- 1 cup (15 g) baby kale
- 1 cup (30 g) baby spinach
- 1 cup (30 g) romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
- ½ cup (30 g) broccoli florets
- ½ cup (80 g) sliced cucumbers
- ½ cup (60 g) chopped celery, ¾-inch dice
- ½ cup (3 ounces) green grapes
- ½ cup (2.5 ounces) diced pears, ¾-inch dice
- ½ cup (2 ounces) diced green apple, ¾-inch dice
- 2 cups (286 g) frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Add coconut water, yogurt, kale, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, celery, grapes, pears, apple pineapple and ice cubes to the blender.
- Cover and process on medium speed for about 30 seconds, using the tamper as needed. Increase to high speed for 15 to 30 seconds until smooth.
Special Equipment
Notes
- Recipe makes 5 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free yogurt (coconut, soy, oat) instead of Greek yogurt.
– raw almonds
– unsweetened shredded coconut
– one frozen banana
– one carrot
– frozen strawberries
– frozen pineapple chunks
– frozen peeled orange quarters
– frozen mango chunks
– frozen blueberries or cranberries (optional)
– spring water
– blend!!!
What a tasty smoothie combination Gerry!