“How in the world do you make a green smoothie?
I always put green things in the blender.
But when I blend, my smoothie always ends up brown.
It’s embarrassing.”
Yes. I know.
Go on Instagram or Facebook, heck, even a google search for “green smoothie” and it seems like everyone in the world is cranking out these bright, neon green, perfect, healthy smoothies.
Everyone except you.
And me.
Well, no more brown smoothie shame.
It’s going to be frozen, green goodness from here on out, friends.
Green Smoothie Ingredients – What Doesn’t Work
It might seem obvious to some (I was late to the obvious party), but putting green things in your blender really helps with the smoothie coming out green.
I know, I know.
I used to try making green smoothies with things like carrots, beets, or berries thinking that SURELY the green will overpower these other ingredients.
It’s just one carrot, it won’t make that much of a difference.
Greens with a capital G, they’re not called ‘super foods’ for nothing, right?
Well, turns out that orange, red, yellow, or purple ingredients tend to shift the shade of your smoothie towards poo hue.
Even when you do use a lot of the green stuff.
Green Smoothie Ingredients – What Works
Green Veg
- Spinach
- Spring Mix
- Kale
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Lettuce
- Bok choy
- Cabbage
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Fennel
Green Superfoods
- Spirulina Powder (it’s an algae, I know, not as bad as it sounds, though)
- Wheat Grass (juice or powder)
Green Herbs
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Basil
Green Fruits
- Green grapes
- Star fruit
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
- Lime
- Green Apple
- Avocado
- Pear
Neutral Colored Plants, Milks, Nuts!
- Parsnip
- Ginger
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Banana
- Apples
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Shredded coconut
- Hemp seeds
- Coconut milk
- Soy milk, nut milks, seed milks
Protein Powders in Green Smoothies
Feel free to add your protien powders. Just make sure when it’s mixed in with liquid that it becomes a neutral color or green. Some protien powders are berry flavored or tropical and tend to pull the color wheel over into the brown we’re trying to avoid.
Go forth with brown caution, protien powder users!
And add as much liquid as you need to get the perfect thickness for you.
To the green smoothie recipes!
- 1 pear, cut into quarters, remove core
- 1 green apple, cut into quarters, remove core
- handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- juice from ½ lime
- 1” whack of ginger, peeled
- 1 cup frozen mango
- handful of greens (spinach, kale, spring mix)
- 1 cup water or plant-based milk
- (optional) Sweetener: a date, agave nectar, maple syrup
- Prepare all ingredients.
- Put them all in a high-speed blender.
- Give it a spin until everything is smooth.
- Taste and add any sweeteners as desired.
- handful of greens
- small handful of parsley (unless you want it strong)
- stick of fresh fennel
- 1 green apple, cut in quarters, remove core
- 1 pear, cut in quarters, remove core
- 1 bowl frozen pineapple
- 1 heaping spoonful of coconut (or other plant-based) yogurt
- 1 cup of water or plant-based milk
- (optional) Sweetener: a date, agave nectar, maple syrup
- Prepare all ingredients.
- Put them all in a high-speed blender.
- Give it a spin until everything is smooth.
- Taste and add any sweeteners as desired.
- 2 big honey dew slices
- 1 handful basil
- ½ cucumber
- 1 handful of greens (spinach, kale, spring greens)
- ⅛ jalapeño, or more if you want some heat
- 1 cup frozen mango
- (optional) Sweetener: a date, agave nectar, maple syrup
- Prepare all ingredients.
- Put them all in a high-speed blender.
- Give it a spin until everything is smooth.
- Taste and add any sweeteners as desired.
I hope you’re not still mad that I put the avocado in the “fruit” section.
Enjoy your green smoothies!! Now, go show ’em off!
Thanks for visiting my site. I share creative, delicious, and healthy recipes that everyone can enjoy and feel good about.
These look delicious! I’ll have to give them a try!
Thank you, friend! They are delicious, I hope you enjoy!
Hope you will remove “spirulina” from your list. It’s just not healthful! See https://nutritionfacts.org/video/infant-seizures-linked-to-mothers-spirulina-use/ or https://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina-2/ or https://nutritionfacts.org/video/blue-green-algae-spirulina/ or https://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-spirulina/.
Wow, thanks for all those links, Johanna. I’ll definitely have to read more about spirulina. Appreciate you!