Green Smoothie!

Green smoothies have evolved to be the base of my personal food pyramid. I start every day with one, and frequently end the day with one as well. People ask me for my recipes all the time, so I decided to dedicate a page to green smoothie recipes in the hopes that my readers will share their recipes and we can create a community resource together. Please add your recipes in the comments, I’d love to hear what you guys like!

I try to get a good balance of all three macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) in my smoothies. Greens and fruit for carbs, coconut, cocoa powder, nut butter or avocado for fat, and usually a good quality organic plant based protein powder. My favorite is Garden of Life’s Raw Protein, it’s made from organic sprouted seeds (no dairy, soy or wheat/gluten). There are lots of great protein sources though, both plant and animal based, so get creative!

I look forward to trying some reader recipes! Thanks for sharing everyone!

93 thoughts on “Green Smoothie!”

  1. My favorite green smoothie consists of:

    2/3 cup frozen blueberries
    1/2 avocado
    1-2 romaine leaves
    1/2 tbs cocoa powder
    1 banana
    Unsweetened almond milk

    Very filling and very healthy with the healthy fats from the avocado :)

    Reply ↓

  2. my green smoothie recipe is:

    1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
    1 banana
    big handful of spinach
    1/2 c water or milk/almond milk
    4 ice cubes
    cinnamon

    optional:
    nut butter
    1/2 avocado
    frozen watermelon cubes (omg, makes it taste so good)

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  3. What about smoothies with out kale or spinach? My typical smoothie consists of: strawberries, oranges, banana’s, pineapple, almond milk, and frozen yogurt. I know it takes the “green” out of it, but are there any benefits in the smoothie above? I only have had baby spinach in a salad and am actually afraid to use it in a smoothie. May sound stupid but to me it doesn’t sound appealing. Is it really good, or do you just need to get used to it? I have noticed that since making my smoothies I have gained weight. Advice welcome!

    Reply ↓

    • My base for my smoothies is: banana, cinnamon, oatmeal, apple, water, ice, and Tropical Traditions Hemp Protein Powder. What was interesting is that when I started throwing in the kale, I found that I lost weight. I didn’t notice much of a difference in taste, just a beautiful green color! I will also throw in red cabbage, beets (your pee will be bright pink!), romaine or spinach. Not all of them together, but one of them with the basic banana foundation. Oh! And orange instead of the apple is great! And don’t forget about blueberries! And. . . And. . . And. . . You get the picture !! Have fun and don’t think about it too much.

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  4. I love your blog. I am such a green smoothie fan! Here’s my recipe from today:
    assorted kale (greens always slightly more volume than fruit)
    1/4 cucumber
    fresh mint
    2/3 cup blueberries
    1 pear
    chunk of fresh ginger
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/4 tsp nutmeg
    scoop TruGanics protein powder
    BlendTec….
    Boom!
    Do you ever put spices in your green smoothies?

    Reply ↓

  5. I really like the addition of chia seeds, and I use unsweetened almond/coconut blend, cut with water. I have been using Rockin Wellness protein/ super food blend, plus some fruit and a big handful of kale or spinach or collards.

    Reply ↓

  7. Pumpkin green smoothie- tastes like pumpkin pie!!! (I do it by eye and not strict measurements)
    1 banana
    lots of spinach (about a cup?)
    about 1/4 can of organic canned pumpkin
    almond butter (about a tbs)
    1 scoop vanilla protein powder
    A little bit of sweetener (honey, syrup, agave, splenda, etc)
    Pumpkin pie spice (about a tbs)

    Reply ↓

  9. I love your blog so much, thanks for bringing the message of rational nutriton and body acceptance to the masses! I am a smoothie fiend, too, and find them a great way to get a well-rounded breakfast. I actually make kale ice cubes, too, to get the greens in. Just a blender full of kale and a 3-4 cups of water really simplifies my morning smoothie making.

    Reply ↓

  10. My morning green smoothie

    1&1/2 cup of coconut water
    1/2 cucumber
    1 banana
    1/4 cup of blueberries
    1/4 cup of strawberries
    1 cup of spinach
    1/2 cup kale
    1/2 apple
    1/2 avacodo
    2 t flaxseed meal

    Makes enough for hearty breakfast and afternoon snack.

    Reply ↓

  11. Well, while I find smoothies – and green ones in particular – inedible, I do find that I am willing to combine a great many of the ingredients listed in the smoothies on my plate at a meal. Just not blended together. I’m looking over the recipes with a “meal” salad followed by fruit salad in mind. Thanks for the ideas.

    Reply ↓

  13. Loving your website. Just wanted to say…if you have kidney trouble or kidney stones, beware oxalates. I was eating a ton of spinach, flaxseed, blueberries and almonds, and I ended up with serious kidney stones as a result. All of the above are very high in oxalates and can cause kidney stones as a result, which are no joke. Worst pain I have ever had, and I had back labor for almost three days with my first baby.

    Now I’m off spinach, off flaxseed, off blueberries, and although I miss them all, I’m feeling a lot better and my urinary pain is going away. Basically anything that is a seed has a lot of oxalates (to prevent animal and insect predation), so nuts, berries, chia, coconut, beans…all on my no-fly list. Crazy, right? I can still have kale, but only lacinato/dino kale, and only in small amounts.

    Just wanted to send out a warning to any women who have had kidney issues or stones…beware the oxalates. They are not your friend. Bananas, avocado, cucumber and grapes are OK. I still make smoothies, they are just not green.

    Reply ↓

  14. My kids love this green smoothie just as much as I do!

    2 c ice
    2 giant hand-fulls of spinach
    2 bananas
    1/4 c pecans
    splash of vanilla
    stevia to taste
    enough almond or coconut milk to thin out the smoothie

    We use a vitamix to blend it to smoothie-perfection! :)

    Reply ↓

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  16. Have a question. Looking at all of these yummy recipes and wondering if a regular blender is okay to use. People are mentioning Vitamix and Ninja blenders…..what is they difference between these blenders and a juicer?

    Reply ↓

    • A juicer takes out ALL of the pulp (fiber) & leaves you with just fruit sugar water basically… A Vitamix will blast seeds to oblivion, whereas a Ninja will not – I have both! Ninja gave up after less than a year of only blending powdered milk! Vitamix has awesome warranty! Well worth the wicked price! :)

      Reply ↓

    • I’ve struggled with bad chronic fatigue and lately started eating more healthy with green smoothies and I have begun to have more energy! Yay!

      Reply ↓

  17. My usual morning green smoothie:

    1 banana
    1 C berries/other frozen fruit (usually blueberries)
    1 C chopped frozen kale or spinach
    .5C frozen brocoli
    2 stalks celery
    1C water

    Any one (or more) of the following:
    1 scoop soy protein powder
    1T almond butter
    2T flax seed

    Reply ↓

  18. A glass of pure fruit juice, bananas, yoghurt, low-calorie muesli with semi skimmed or skimmed milk, fresh fruit salad with few spoonfuls of low fat yoghurt, fresh and raw veggies mixed with flavoured yoghurt, a slice of toast or plain bread with eggs, boiled or poached are some of the options for breakfast. Kids can enjoy a Smoothie with their favourite fruits; add dash of yoghurt or honey to make it more delicious.^

    My favorite web site
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    Reply ↓

  19. I love my daily green juice/smoothie, here’s my recipe and what I consume each and every day:

    1 bunch of kale
    2 lemons
    1 cucumber
    1 green pepper
    1 apple
    Handful of celery
    Handful of carrots
    Thumb size ginger
    Thumb size fresh turmeric

    I juice all the above then blend the juice with:

    1 scoop Sun Warrior Greens
    2 tbs of chia seeds
    1 tbs Macca powder
    1 whole avocado
    Coconut oil is also a great addition

    All the above ingredients are organic and yes it’s expensive. But we can choose to spend our money on good whole foods, or give it to the doctors and big pharma. It’s our choice.

    Reply ↓

  20. I’ve recently started using shakes as meals due my class schedule. On particularly busy days I like making a really hearty shake that I can sip on throughout the morning as my breakfast and lunch.

    Here’s what it looks like:

    1 cup of fruit (frozen or fresh)
    1/2 cup cooked, fully cooled rolled oats (forgo the salt while cooking)
    1 cup of almond or coconut milk
    1/2 cup water (if using frozen fruit)
    2 generous handfuls of spinach or kale
    1 tablespoon of black strap molasses
    1 tablespoon of coconut oil, flax seed oil or almond butter
    1/2 tablespoon of hemp or chia seeds
    1 heaping scoopful of protein powder (I too have been using Garden of Life)

    Enjoy!

    Reply ↓

    • I am quite the fan of Sun Warrior, I’ve been using it religiously for a couple of years. I switched from the standard Rice protein to the Warrior Blend since it came out, I still mix it with greens and fruits. When a blender is not available, which is way too often (military), I drink it straight. I’ve done the vanilla and natural to try, and while I don’t mind the taste, they don’t have the active properties like chocolate does and they’re all the same price, so might as well get some cacao with it.

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    • I honestly can’t get past the chalky texture & taste of it! :( Even after whizzing it in the Vitamix for a minute or 2! Will be looking for something else… expensive bag to be sitting on my cupboard… :(

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  22. My boyfriend and I love to “blend s***” before bed, this is our favorite so far and it fills the blender…
    1/2 lb fresh baby spinach
    1/2 pint blueberries
    A handful of strawberries
    1/2 a grapefruit
    1/2 a pinapple
    2 carrots chopped
    1 inch piece of ginger

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  23. The best one is Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie. Although I think she’s really dogmatic when it comes to diet, I love this recipe and it’s pretty easy, not to mention INCREDIBLY delicious.
    This yields about 4 glasses of this wonderful drink (I make a batch every 4 days).
    6 cups of Spinach
    1 head of Romaine Lettuce
    1 bunch of Kale (she uses celery, but I really hate the taste of celery)
    1 apple (cored and chopped)
    1 pear (cored and chopped)
    1 banana
    Juice of 1/2 lemon

    Blend and enjoy. YUMMMMM! I hope you try it :)

    Reply ↓

  24. My favorite/easiest green smoothie so far:

    2 big handfuls of Kale
    1 big handful of Spinach
    1 Cup frozen mixed berries
    1 1/2 cups water
    3 tbsp vanilla protein

    Reply ↓

  27. I love the idea of adding avocado to your smoothies for fat content. Currently my doctor has me on a hypoallergenic smoothie (which happens to be vegan too) since I have a hard time digesting certain foods and might have food intolerances.

    Douglass Labs Ultra Protein Plus in Vanilla
    Bobs Red Mill Ground Flax Seed (about 2 tbsp)
    Combination of Almond and Coconut Milk

    Then I add in whatever I am in the mood for:
    -cocoa powder and mint
    -almond butter for a peanut butter cookie taste
    -berries (sometimes with chocolate)
    -espresso for a “latte” pick me up
    -green tea

    Reply ↓

  29. My favorite, simple recipe:

    1 cup coconut milk
    1 sliced banana, frozen
    1/2 scoop vanilla pea protein powder
    1 tsp chia seeds
    water as needed for desired consistency
    frozen baby spinach to fill the blender cup (about 4 cups?)

    optional add-ins: raw or cooked oats, raw or frozen avocado, nut butter

    Reply ↓

  30. I got this from a frozen fruit package and it’s great! Easy enough to add greens to as well:

    1.5 C frozen fruit
    1 C brewed and cooled green tea
    2 TBSP blue agave syrup
    1 Scoop vanilla protein powder
    1/4 C plain yogurt

    Makes one 20 oz serving

    Love your blog!

    Reply ↓

  31. My simple fav is”

    3 Frozen bananas
    3 cups spinach (or greens of choice)
    2 cups almond / rice / coconut milk
    2 scoops Garden of Life Raw Protein
    Honey to sweeten if desired
    (sometimes I add bee pollen or chia seeds, makes 2 servings)

    Reply ↓

  35. Here’s my usual morning shake, I’ve started adding spinach inspired by this page. ;)

    1 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
    1 scoop protein powder (I sometimes use Raw Protein, sometimes a whey powder)
    1 probiotic capsule
    1/4 avocado
    1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
    1 tbsp. chia seeds
    1 tbsp. cocoa powder
    1-2 tsp. sugar (or you can add more bananas)
    5-6 slices frozen banana
    1/4 – 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
    1 cup frozen spinach

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  36. I love the idea of a green smoothie, esp the raw kale or spinach. yum! But my digestion and my body don’t like cold things in the morning. (In Chinese medicine food like this would be called “cold & damp”. Also I live in Seattle – already cold and damp most of the year.) Do you have any suggestions for how to do a green smoothie that would be “warmer”, without actually creating a hot version?

    Reply ↓

  37. My favorite green smoothie requires a Vitamix for full effect, and it is yummy!

    Blueberry Greens Smoothie

    1 c. Frozen Blueberries
    3 c. Spinach
    2 c. Baby Kales
    1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
    2 c. Water

    Blend and enjoy!

    Reply ↓

  39. It is not a green smoothie but it could be:

    1 banana
    1 heaping tablespoon of organic rice protein (its the only kind I can take w/food allergies)
    1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
    1 tablespoon of ground oatmeal (or substitute this with something else)
    1c skim milk (I have a soy and nut allergy)
    Blend. Yum.

    Reply ↓

  40. New favorite:
    3-4 carrots
    1 cup frozen pineapple
    1-2 bananas
    scoop of raw protein
    handful of greens
    water
    stevia to taste if desired

    Reply ↓

  41. I have gotten hardcore with my green smoothie. Here it is:

    Water
    25 grams vanilla sun warrior
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp spirulina
    pinch cayenne pepper
    15 grams avocado
    70 grams kale
    stevia to sweeten it.

    Thats it. It has taken me time to work up to this kind of a smoothie. The cayenne gives it a nice kick and flavour. I have this everyday!

    Reply ↓

  42. I made my first green smoothie last night after reading the recipes here.

    1c almond milk
    1T natural pb
    1 scoop chocolate protein powder
    1c spinach
    1 banana

    I couldn’t even taste the spinach and the shake was very filling :)

    BTW, I love your site and your philosophy!

    Reply ↓

  43. I made my first green type smoothie. Came out a little thick but good!

    1 cup frozen spinach
    1 cup frozen strawberries
    2 cups light vanilla soy milk
    1 scoop of BSN Lean Dessert vanilla protien powder.

    Im going to try it again with only one cup of the soy milk and the other cup replaced with water :)

    I was scared to death to try this, but loved it!!!

    Reply ↓

  44. 1 small banana
    handful of spinach
    1 c frozen marionberries
    1 tbsp almond butter
    heaping tbsp of Hemp Protein
    level tbsp of cocoa powder
    enough unsweetened almond milk to be the right consistency to your liking

    Reply ↓

  45. My daily smoothie

    2-3 frozen bananas
    1 cup plain non/lowfat yoghurt
    3/4 orange Juice
    a splash of lime juice
    1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

    chop up the bananas before hand to avoid working your blender too hard.

    I add psillium husks, ground flax, protein powder depending upon my mood

    I’m about to start tinkering with this to add some vegetables based on the above.

    Reply ↓

  46. 1c frozen mango
    1c baby spinach
    1c mixed greens (kale and chard today)
    lime zest (to taste)
    juice of 1/2 lime (use whole lime if small)
    1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder (more or less to taste)
    2 tbs. raw almond butter
    scoop protein powder of choice (i like vanilla here)
    1c coconut milk
    water to desired consistency

    Reply ↓

  47. This is my first Green Smoothie. I never thought to use spinach or kale before!
    frozen strawberries
    hemp hearts
    1 avocado
    unsweetened almond milk (from a container)
    frozen spinach
    fresh kale
    sugar

    Reply ↓

  48. 1 frozen banana
    2 cup unsweetened vanilla hemp milk
    1 tsp almond butter or coconut oil (I use some evening primrose oil sometimes)
    2 cups of spinach
    1 scoop of hemp proteins or pea proteins

    This one is one of the favorite with my little one as well, he seems to like the green color :-)
    Hemp is def. my favorite milk for smoothies, also unsweetened almond, coconut or oat.
    Thank you for posting all the yummy smoothies, I need to get started again, I have been bad for too long :-P

    Reply ↓

  49. Pumpkin Pie Smoothie/Pudding

    Unsweetened Almond Milk to get the consistency you prefer, more for a smoothie, less for pudding. Probably 1-2 cups
    1 cup cooked pumpkin or other winter squash
    hint of vanilla extract
    Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste (or combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
    Stevia to sweeten if desired
    Half an avocado
    Scoop of protein powder (omit vanilla if you have vanilla flavored protein powder)

    Blend and enjoy!

    Reply ↓

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  51. All Organic!:

    1/2 cup of almond milk (homemade!)
    1 small avocado
    2 cups lightly packed spinach
    1 medium apple quartered and seeded
    2 cups of frozen strawberries
    1 T Chia seeds

    It sounds odd, but I swear it’s amazing! You need a good blender though, like vitamix or it would likely have weird chunks…I use a vitamix.

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  52. What brand of coconut milk do you use? Recently I’ve seen cartons of it in the grocery store but they have carrageenan an a bunch of other ingredients in it that I prefer not to have (and irritate my GI).

    Reply ↓

    • I think Native Forest is probably the best (maybe someone else can chime in). It comes in cans, not cartons. It’s real coconut milk, as opposed tothe coconut ‘beverage’ that comes in the carton. It’s organic and they use BPA free cans. HTH!

      Reply ↓

  53. 2 C. Coconut milk
    2 bananas
    2 C. Frozen mango OR frozen pineapple
    2 giant handfuls of kale OR spinach
    2 TBSP chia seeds

    This makes enough for me and the three kiddos, and my VitaMix blends it up totally smooth. I like to stir in the chia seeds AFTER I blend it, otherwise they make it too nutty tasting. I’ve been trying to find a good non-dairy protein powder…will definitely have to try that raw protein.

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  56. what blender do you use? I keep getting big chunks of ice in the middle of my smoothies. I’d love to replace my old blender with one that does a good job with smoothies!

    Reply ↓

    • Sharon, until it dies I am using my 15 year old cuisinart food processor, it does the job just fine although I need to let it run a while to get everything nicely liquified. When it dies I will invest in a blendtec or vitamix, they are the best. I have a friend who swears by his kitchenaid, though!

      Reply ↓

  57. 1 Banana
    1 Scoop Mercola’s Protein Powder
    1 Handfull Baby Spinach
    6 Baby Carrots
    1/2 cup ice
    1/2 cup water
    1/2 handful Almonds

    YUMMMMMMMMM-E!

    Reply ↓

  58. Juice of 1 Lemon
    Juice of 1 Lime
    Couple handfuls of Blueberries
    3/4 Cucumber
    1 Apple
    1 stalk of Celery
    Couple handfuls of fresh Spinach
    tsp. Grated Ginger

    Measurements should be changed according to personal taste preference

    Reply ↓

  60. I’ll start! today:

    2 wedges sharlyn melon
    1/2 cup frozen blackberries
    1/2 cup frozen leafy green mix (collard, kale, chard)
    1/2 cup frozen spinach
    1/2 cup frozen cucumber slices
    1/2 an avocado
    1 teaspoon coconut oil
    1 cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 cup water
    1 scoop Raw Protein
    pinch of stevia

    Reply ↓

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