Smoothies are my best food friend ๐ You can have one for breakfast, you can have one for a snack, you can even have one for lunch or dinner if the mood strikes! Smoothies are a great way to pack a ton of nutrition into one quick and easy meal.
I love that you can tailor smoothies to suit your exact needs at the moment. Want something light? Stick to fruits and vegetables and choose a light base like chilled green tea or juice diluted with water.
Need something a little more substantial to tide you over for a few hours? No problem! Choose a heartier base like soy or hemp milk with your choice of fruits and vegetables and be sure to include nutrient dense ingredients like nut butters, seeds, protein powders or oils. You can even play around with the yield! Make a little smoothie, or a BIG smoothie. I always seems to make REALLY BIG smoothies so I usually have to share ๐
This smoothie is right in the middle of light and hearty. Almond milk is low in calories and protein, so I consider it a light base. Almond milk + frozen bananas creates a lovely velvety, creamy texture. Peanut butter and hemp seeds provide a big boost of protein and healthy fats, not to mention extra staying power and a delicious nutty flavour. A handful or two of fresh spinach adds that green goodness (don't worry, it's super mild!) Add a couple of soft pitted dates for a touch of extra sweetness.
This particular green smoothie is an old stand-by now. I made my first rendition of this smoothie waaay back in 2012 when I first went vegan and started eating healthier and more intuitively. I have loved it ever since! There's no doubt, this is my favourite way to eat greens.
If you haven't tried a green smoothie before, the first one is kind of terrifying, โDoes it taste โgreenโ? Isn't it gross?โ
The thing is, you CAN make a gross smoothie. I've done it myself plenty of times! My first time blending kale into a smoothie did NOT go well. (Tip: Blending kale into a smoothie requires a high-speed blender, not aย shoddy $10 immersion blender.) Trust me, having to chew the kale in your smoothie is the worst. In fact, it was so bad that I haven't put kale in a smoothie since (and that was at least 2 years ago!)
So as you can see, one bad experience could have you swearing off green smoothies forever!
I promise you, this recipe will not scare you off of green smoothies. Even if you don't think you like green smoothies, I 100% believe you will LOVE this one.
This is the green smoothie you need to make if:
- you've never tried a green smoothie
- you're want to encourage someone you love to eat healthier
- you've tried green smoothies and decided they're just awful
- you aren't a breakfast person or you simply donโt have time for breakfast in the morning
- you're trying to give up caffeine (this smoothie is weirdly energizingโฆ like SO energizing that I've accidentally quit drinking coffee multiple times (for months at a time!) because I was drinking this smoothie instead.)
- you tend to feel nauseated/ill first thing in the morning (I get really sick and nauseated in the morning if I haven't had a proper night of sleep. This smoothie is like some magical cure-all for an upset stomach, I can't even tell you how many times this smoothie has made me feel 100% better after drinking it.)
- you have a โthingโ about textures - this smoothie is super easy to drink, itโs smooth, thin, and just slightly creamy
- you just want to add another delicious green smoothie to your repertoire
Now blend away!
PS: Back to the whole "being scarred for life by a chunky kale smoothie thing", if you have a great kale smoothie recipe you'd like to share, I'd love some recommendations!
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The Best Green Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 -2 servings 1x
- Category: Smoothie
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
A light and creamy green smoothie with a peanut butter and banana base. This green smoothie is super mild making it perfect for beginners!
Ingredients
The Best Green Smoothie
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 1-2 handfuls of spinach
- 2 frozen bananas
- 2-4 soft pitted dates
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 2 ice cubes
Superfood Smoothie Topping (optional)
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp raw buckwheat groats
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds (or pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
The Best Green Smoothie
- Combine all ingredients, blend on high until perfectly smooth and frothy.
Superfood Smoothie Topping (optional)
- Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle 1 tbsp on top of your smoothie.
Notes
The superfood topping is great for all sorts of things! Add some to smoothie bowls, oatmeal, cereals, vegan yogurts, salads, etc.
Aside from the great recipes, I really enjoyed this write up on smoothies. Especially the part about the kale--that made my day!
Aw, well thanks Cheryl! I really appreciate that ๐
This looks awesome! Yummy, delicious and healthy! Must try this ๐
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Thanks Olivia! You will love it for sure! ๐
I love smoothies! Green one looks awesome... ๐ I'll try it for sure!
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Thanks Dominika, I hope you enjoy it! ๐
This smoothie looks AMAZING! I'd actually describe it as luscious cause of what its texture looks like -- and now I'm thirsty! Thanks for sharing this amazing healthy combi. !! ! ! ! !! FIVE STARS of awesome.
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Oh wow, thanks Levan! I really appreciate your comments, they are seriously THE BEST! ๐
Smoothie newbie here. Where do I buy hemp hearts and pitted dates? I don't have a blender, just Magic Bullet. Is that ok?
What other resourcesare good for healthy smoothie recipes? Thanks.
Hi there! Both hemp hearts and dates should be available at most grocery stores, try checking the produce section and their "natural" section. You can also check out any of your local health food stores. A magic bullet should work just fine!
I've got tons of smoothie recipes on my tumblr, you can check out some of those here. I find it's best to experiment and find out what you like best in a smoothie!
wow! so creamy and tempting drink.. Filling too perfect for breakfast smoothie
Thanks Veena!
Hello, this smoothie looks amazing ! Can't wait to try !
Can I replace the peanut butter with mashed almonds?
Sure! As long as you think your blender will be able to pulverize almonds you should be good to go! You can also try soaking them first is you need to.
I love making my kale juice~ Green grapes, Pink Lady apple/s (or alternative red apple) + kale :9 yum!
OOoh, I've have to try that! Thanks for the suggestion!
I absolutely adore this recipe!! It is so yummy, creamy & healthy at the same time!! I love green smoothies <3 Thank you very much for sharing this awesome and simple recipe!!
divisionclaudia.wordpress.com
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Thanks for commenting Claudia!
I make a very similar smoothie, just without the dates, and I absolutely love it!
Last summer I lived off of Kale smoothies, My favorite is made with frozen mango chunks, fresh pineapple (1/2 as much as mango), chopped kale and juice + water (apple or orange are both fine. If you like it less sweet, it's also delicious with water alone). I think it's delicious, hope you like it!
Ooh, thanks for commenting Stephanie! I'll have to try that smoothie asap!
Hi this smoothie looks great! Could you possibly replace the hemp hearts with something else? Thanks x
Sure! You could just leave them out if you like, if you want to keep the protein high, sub in a scoop of vegan protein powder.
I have a latex allergy, & I can't eat bananas (or avocados or kiwi). Is there something else I could use instead?
Frozen mango is always good! But I'm not sure how well it would work in this recipe because of the peanut butter. I do have another green smoothie recipe that might be a better fit for you: Green Protein Power Breakfast Smoothie You could switch out the banana for more mango or peaches.
Thank you! I will definitely try the other recipe!
This is very similar to a green smoothie I already make. But I'll try yours and compare the two!
AH I used to have this exact smoothie minus the hemp seeds and the greens evvvvery morning because it was soooo delicious and I've been trying to eat more greens lately and I'd never thought of making it a green smoothie!! THANK YOU so much, finally a green smoothie I love!
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Perfect! I hope you love it!
Delicious!!!! Have finally got my kids to wat spinach too. ?? Do you know how many calories are in this smoothie?
Sorry Nicola, I don't! You can plug the ingredients into a nutrition calculator like myfitnesspal.com to find out!
This was phenomenal! So creamy, I loved it and so did my boyfriend ๐ 5 healthy stars!
http://www.authorhollyryan.com
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Thanks Holly! So glad you guys enjoyed it!
I love the look of your "beginner smoothie" recipe. I might just have to take it for a spin ๐
And I know what you mean about bad smoothie experiences. I once blended kale with pineapple and kiwifruit and it tasted like burnt rubber. Eeewwww!
But strangely enough, my favourite green smoothie of all time is actually a combination of kale, banana, mango and avocado. I hang out for summer each year for when mangoes come back into season so I can make this one.
2 leaves (1/2 cup or 30g) black kale (also called cavolo nero, dinosaur kale or tuscan kale)
ยผ avocado (optional)
ยฝ med mango
3 med ripe bananas
2 cups (500ml) water
1 cup (200g) ice
Sure it's not a lot of kale, but the flavours REALLY work together, and you can always up the amount of kale once you get used to it.
P.S. This is a recipe I posted on my blog a while back as "Creamy Kale Smoothie" if you want the whole nine yards.
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Oh Nikki! And kale, pineapple, and kiwi sounds like a great smoothie! Who would have thought it would taste so awful?? Thanks for the heads up, I won't be making that smoothie anytime soon!
Your kale smoothie sounds delicious. If I can't get hold of black/dinosaur kale, would baby or curly kale be a good substitute? Thanks!
Any suggestions for a durable high-speed blender? I love making smoothies for my kids and we've gone thru several already. I can't wait to try your smoothie recipes!
Hi Lori! I have a Vitamix and I love it. It's pricey but if you've already gone through a few blenders it's probably a good option (7 year warranty). You can buy refurbished blenders from Vitamix for considerably cheaper too.
My first time drinking a green smoothie ever and it was amazing! I can't stop saying "mmmm!" My mom liked it too, which was shocking!
Ah! Wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you both liked it Chantel!
This IS the best green smoothie! My husband and I needed to get more raw veggies into our diet and I am a whiny carnivore that has to be tricked into eating vegetables, so smoothies were a good way to do it. Got a good blender and have tried many recipes, and this one is the nicest! I've been using stevia instead of dates just because I couldn't get to the store for dates yet, but I can't wait to it with those. I am using kale, and I can't even taste it in this. <3
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Ah! So wonderful to hear! This smoothie is so mild it's perfect for sneaking more veggies into your diet. I STILL haven't had the courage to put kale in this smoothie but I think you've convinced me, haha. Thanks for commenting!
I bet you made your own peanut butter with your Vitamix. I never combined that peanut butter with my smoothie, but I'll give a try on this weekend. Really inspiring!
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A while ago I blended kale with pomegranate.
Ooh, was it tasty?? I STILL haven't been brave enough for kale smoothies, haha!
BEST GREEN SMOOTHIE EVER! I have made this four mornings in a row, drinking this as I write, and it is just so creamy and delicious! The flavors are light and I wake up craving this!!! How healthy is this to drink everyday??
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Yay!! Yes, this is still my favourite green smoothie ๐ And it's totally healthy to drink it every day ๐ Thanks for commenting Adrienne!
Tried it this morning. Delicious!! This kind of recipes definitely helps transitioning.
Yay! Congrats on transitioning, I'm so glad you enjoyed this smoothie!! ๐
I think this is a great recipe for someone who is a beginner in green smoothies. For me, I thought it was too sweet. But it's a really good starting recipe.
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Ah yes, that's understandable Luisa! Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Looks very beautiful! Also I 'd like to show my favorite non dairy one. "Healthy Kiwi Margarita " This is also very amazing one!
Thanks I'll check that out!
I am starting my Vegan journey and have literally been studying your site all morning! I tried this and the brocolli/tofu recipe with a few tweaks this evening. Everything worked out and did not taste bad at all. I will teak a few things but this will be my meals all week!
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OMG! That was amazing, thank you!! Its going to be a staple in our house now YUM
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Just made it for on the go drink for my daughter and I! Super easy and amazing taste! I added cinnamon to mine too! Thank you for the recipe!!!
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Hi, is it okay to only have this for breakfast?
Yep! Just be sure to eat a snack if you get hungry before lunch!
Hi there! How many calories are in this smoothie? I love it by the waaayyyy!!
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Hi Emily! I've added nutrition info to the recipe, this smoothie contains 595 calories and tons of vitamins and minerals!
Great Recipe! My kids don't like veggies. So they have to be tricked into eating vegetables and this kind of smoothie is the best way to do I think. I have tried other recipes as well. But its the best! Thanks a lot, Brittany!
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Tried it this morning. Delicious!! This kind of recipes definitely helps transitioning.
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Thank you, we're glad you liked it! Congratulations on making the transition to veganism too - every little bit helps.
OMG! That was amazing, thank you!! I have tried it last night! and the taste was as great as it looks!
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Awesome! You're most welcome, and thank you for trying it out!
This looks so yummie! Thanks for sharing the recipe ๐ Happy day!
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You're most welcome, Jenny! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day yourself!
We just purchased a Vitamix wanting to improve our health through diet. This was an excellent smoothie to begin our green journey! We are both seniors and my husband is in his 60s and he loved this smoothie! Thank you for sharing this recipe... my attempts at creating my own green smoothies were not overly successful and my husband has encouraged me to stick to the recipes! ๐
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Yay! The Vitamix is so good, I use mine everyday. I'm happy to hear you both enjoyed this smoothie, it's one of my favourites ๐ And yeah, green smoothies can definitely end up tasting pretty "healthy"... haha!