Green Smoothie

This Green Smoothie is creamy, tangy, and light! Yes, it’s good for you, but more importantly, it’s so yummy you’ll start to crave it. I started making it to sneak more greens into my kiddo’s diet during the blisteringly hot LA summer months, but we loved it so much that it became a year-round favorite. PS I’ve made this green smoothie recipe for hundreds of kids at the cooking classes I host at schools all over the country. I’ve never had anyone not drink the whole thing. So this one’s a winner!

What Is A Green Smoothie?

A green smoothie is a velvety blend of leafy greens like spinach and kale, frozen fruit to add natural sweetness, and a liquid or creamy ingredient to help bring everything together and create a smooth texture. It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.

What You’ll Need

This green smoothie recipe is simple because I’m not particularly eager to complicate my morning routine. I love that I can put the green smoothie ingredients in freezer packs if I’m facing a busy week. Sometimes I’ll blend the smoothie the night before, shake it up in the morning, and it’s still absolute perfection.

Baby spinach – this is the “green” in your smoothie. It blends easily, and the fruit in the smoothie overpowers its mild flavor. You can sub with baby kale or your favorite super greens blend.
Plain Yogurt – adds creaminess and a smooth texture. I use yogurt with probiotics to up the nutrition factor. You can substitute the yogurt with milk, cottage cheese, or plant-based alternatives.
Orange Juice – helps to loosen the smoothie texture and adds a sweet tang that helps cover the bitterness of the raw spinach. You can sub with apple juice, pineapple juice, or with water.
Green Apple – adds fiber and acidic notes that mask the spinach flavors. You don’t have to peel your apple, but make sure you scrub the peel with baking soda to remove the wax used to preserve it. You can substitute the apple with any other apple, grapes, peaches, mango, or pear.
Frozen Bananas – you need to blend frozen fruit to create a creamy smoothie texture. Ice will only water down your results and ruin the blades of your blender. Bananas should be ripe, as their natural sugars will help sweeten the blend. Substitute bananas with frozen avocado, or frozen mango.
Frozen Pineapple – the bright, tart notes of pineapple help mask the spinach flavor. You can freeze pineapple canned in its own juices to help lower costs. Reserve the juices and use them instead of orange juice.

What Else Can I ADD TO A Green Smoothie?

This green smoothie recipe is ridiculously versatile and a great way to use up any fruit, berries, greens, or juices you have withering away in the fridge or freezer. The color will change to a muddied gray if you use darker fruit or juices, but it’s still going to be delicious! Other ingredients you can mix in include:

peaches, pears, avocados, cherries
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, super greens
apple juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, grape juice

How To Make A Smoothie Pack

I use a large mason jar to store my smoothie packs because I pour the smoothie back into the jar as soon as I blend it. You can keep the ingredients in your freezer-safe container of choice.

Slice the bananas and add them to your freezer-safe container.
Follow with the pineapple and the apple.
Top with spinach and seal.

When you’re ready to enjoy your smoothie, add the juice and yogurt to a blender jar, add the spinach from the pack, and process until creamy. Follow with the remaining ingredients in the pack and blend until smooth.

5 from 2 votes This Green Smoothie is creamy, tangy, and light! Yes, it’s good for you, but more importantly, it’s so yummy you’ll start to crave it. Author: Monti – Budget Bytes

Servings 8 cups Total 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice ($0.50)
1/2 cup yogurt, plain ($0.34)
4 cups fresh baby spinach, packed (5 oz container) ($3.00)
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks ($1.25)
1 green apple, chopped ($0.62)
2 bananas, frozen ($0.50)

Instructions

Add orange juice and yogurt to a blender jar. Top with fresh baby spinach and blend until smooth.
Add the pineapple, apple, and bananas and blend until smooth. Add more juice (or water) to thin out the smoothie to your preference.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a day to ensure maximum freshness, nutrition, and flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1

cupCalories: 75

kcalCarbohydrates: 17

gProtein: 2

gFat: 1

gSodium: 20

mgFiber: 2

g Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

How to Make A Green Smoothie – Step by Step Photos

Add 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup yogurt to a blender jar. Top with 4 cups fresh baby spinach and blend until smooth.

Add 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks, one green apple peeled and chopped, and two frozen bananas. Blend until smooth. Add more juice (or water) to thin out the smoothie to your preference.