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 coconut water
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt, or unsweetened
- 1 cup baby kale
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
- ½ cup broccoli florets
- ½ cup sliced cucumbers
- ½ cup chopped celery, ¾-inch dice
- ½ cup green grapes
- ½ cup diced pears, ¾-inch dice
- ½ cup diced green apple, ¾-inch dice
- 2 cups 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.
Notes
- Recipe makes 5 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free yogurt (coconut, soy, oat) instead of Greek yogurt.
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Tried this recipe?
Tag @jessica_gavin on Instagram. I'd love to see how it turns out!
Gerry says
– 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!!!
Jessica Gavin says
What a tasty smoothie combination Gerry!
S says
Is this good leftover or does it need to be consumed same day?
Jessica Gavin says
I would enjoy the smoothie the same day as the texture changes as it melts.
Jason says
Hi Jessica!
I am trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet, but am having a difficult time trying to eat 8-10 servings per day. How many servings of fruits and vegetables does this recipe consist of?
Jessica Gavin says
One serving of fruit could be a medium sized piece of fruit, 1/2 cup sliced or diced, 1/4 cup dried, or 1/4 cup fruit juice. For veggies a serving is about 1 cup leafy greens, 1/2 cup canned or frozen, or 1/2 cup veggie juice. There is about 8 servings or fruit and veggies in the entire smoothie recipe, and it makes 5 servings, so about 1 1/2 servings per glass.
Åsa says
Tried it this morning and now feel like superwoman. AND it tasted very good (added a teaspoon of grated ginger in the finished thing)! Thanks!
Jessica Gavin says
You are a super woman! I love the addition of some spicy fresh ginger to the smoothie, yum!
Paolo says
How long can I keep the smoothie in the refrigerator?
Jessica Gavin says
You can refrigerate it for up to one day, however, it will be melted. I’ve found that it will stay chilly for up to an hour in the fridge.
Hannah says
Hi there,
This smoothie sounds great! I am struggling to find ways of getting rid of the ‘froth’ on green smoothies and also separation without adding high calorie fruits such as banana which I would like to stay away from as I am on a weight-loss journey. Do you have any tips for me?
I do have a Vitamix, so a very good blender.
Hannah x
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Hannah- I think it’s hard to remove the froth as the blender creates a lot of friction in the cup. The more frozen ingredients you can use, the thicker the consistency, and it takes longer for the ingredients to defrost separate compared to just using ice. Whenever I use yogurt I’ve found that this also helps with a more even consistency of the smoothie.