Best Green Smoothies (+ DIY Formula)

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Common questions about green smoothies

Simple Green Smoothies

Okay, before we get to the smoothie recipes, we wanted to point out our hands-down favorite go-to site for all things green smoothie.

It’s a website appropriately named Simple Green Smoothies, created by Jen Hansard, who became passionate about green smoothies for the health of her kids.

She will teach you how to embrace your inner Rawkstar (haha, get it) with delicious recipes and tips on how to keep these things easy and healthy.

Some of our favorite resources from her include:

Green smoothie challenge

This 7-day challenge comes complete with recipes, shopping list, and other tips to ease your way into the world of green smoothies.

Formula to create your own green smoothies

Follow this simple infographic, which gives 4 easy rules:

• Stick to a 60-40 ratio for fruits to veggies.
• Blend up greens with liquid base first to break down the leafy chunks.
• Use frozen fruits instead of ice to make your smoothie cold and thick.
• Incorporate naturally sweet ingredients to avoid adding artificial sugars to your smoothies.

Green smoothie freezer packs

Learn an efficient, simple way to meal prep your green smoothie ingredients for the week.

What greens are best in smoothies? (with example recipes)

Here are a bunch that you can incorporate into your green smoothies, and some green smoothie recipes to try.

Arugula

• A great substitution for spinach that has calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, C, and K.
• Health benefits: fights cancer, boosts immune system, helps brain function, protects bone health.
• Taste: more bitter than spinach; goes well with other strong tasting ingredients, like citrus and dates.
• Recipe: A ginger green smoothie with orange juice, walnuts, pears, and yogurt. (via New York Times)

Beet greens

• Use the leaves in addition to the root vegetable; rich in vitamins A, C, K, calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, and manganese.
• Health benefits: supports healthy glowing skin, blood, bones, promotes eye and heart health.
• Taste: similar to spinach and Swiss chard, thought a bit more mild than the latter; ideal for pairing with all kinds of fruits, from apples to berries.
• Recipe: A blueberry green smoothie with peach and plum, sweetened with your choice of dates or honey. (via Vega-licious)

Bok choy (Chinese cabbage)

• Has protein, fiber, vitamins C and K, folate, and calcium.
• Health benefits: strengthens immunity, bones, and heart.
• Taste: more bitter than spinach, but less so than kale; leaves are tender, which are easy on the blender; pair with fruits like papaya, pears, or strawberries.
• Recipe: A banana green smoothie with kiwi, spinach, lemon, flaxseed and honey. (via Smoothie Fairy Tales)

Celery

• Unsung hero of vegetables that contains phytonutrients.
• Health benefits: regulates the body’s alkaline balance, is an anti-inflammatory, helps digestion, and calms nervous system.
• Taste: bitter, earthy taste; use strong fruit flavors to counter the potency of this vegetable, such as mango and pineapples.
• Recipe: A green apple smoothie with almonds and spinach. (via 80 Twenty Nutrition)

Collard greens

• A cleansing vegetable with vitamins A, C, K, and fiber.
• Health benefits: Detoxifying anti-inflammatory, helps heart and digestive health, linked to cancer prevention.
• Taste: Another vegetable with a bitterness level in between spinach and kale; leaves are pretty sturdy, so would do better in a high-power blender; use fruits like peaches, banana, and cherries.
• Recipe: A green protein smoothie that’s dairy-free and vegan, with hemp seeds, peaches, mango, banana, dates, flax, and protein powder. (via Clean Eating Kitchen)

Cilantro

• Contains iron, vitamins A, C, and K, and antioxidants.
• Health benefits: Helps lower blood sugar and cholesterol.
• Taste: Some people are sensitive to the taste, but it goes nicely with lime or tropical fruits.
• Recipe: A green detox smoothie with spinach, mango, green apple, lime, ginger, and chia. (via As Easy as Apple Pie)

Kale

• A superfood that’s one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables in the world, containing potassium, iron, protein, vitamins A and C, and even calcium.
• Health benefits: cleansing, good for the heart and lungs, boosts immunity.
• Taste: Quite bitter, especially in the stems; chop the stems finely, omit altogether, or go for leafier baby kale instead; blend with sweet fruits like mangos or bananas.
• Recipe: A creamy, low-sugar, keto, low-carb green smoothie with mint, avocado, fennel, cucumber, almond butter, lemon, and almond milk. (via Sugar Free Londoner)

Spinach

• The classic vegetable for green smoothies that has calcium, fiber, and vitamins A, B6, and C.
• Health benefits: gives skin a healthy glow, lowers blood pressure, fights cancer, improves vision and heart health, boosts immunity and energy, is an anti-inflammatory.
• Taste: mild, making it easy to add to any smoothie without affecting flavor; use with any kind of fruit.
• Recipe: A green smoothie for weight loss with banana, pineapple, dates, almonds, cinnamon, and nut milk. (via Blender Babes)

Swiss chard

• Has vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, iron, manganese and more.
• Health benefits: Promotes bone, lung, and heart health; stabilizes sugar levels.
• Taste: A bit saltier than spinach; softer leaves that do well in blender; great with fruits like citrus and pineapple.
• Recipe: This green breakfast smoothie with banana, orange juice and flax seed. (via Gimme Some Oven)

More green smoothies that taste good

Post workout

Start your day off right or follow up an epic workout with this mango green smoothie that includes pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and protein powder. (via I Love Vegan)

Green Goddess

This glowing smoothie includes romaine lettuce, pears, flax seeds and coconut water. (via Elizabeth Rider)

Chocolate

With peanut butter too! (via The Peachee Pear)

Tropical

Flavors like mango, pineapple, and coconut milk will whisk you away to a tropical island. (via Destination Delish)

Mexican

An energizing avocado smoothie recipe with pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, lime, and jalapeno. (via Feasting at Home)

Grapefruit

This one's got ginger and yogurt too. (via Dietitian Debbie)

Smoothie bowl

A meal replacement pineapple green smoothie bowl that’s only five ingredients. (via Sally's Baking Addiction)

For energy

The secret to this smoothie’s energy boosting powers? Matcha green tea powder! (via Loving It Vegan)

No fruit

If you’re feeling brave, try this all-green smoothie. Don’t worry, spinach and cucumber are the veggies of choice, which are pretty mild. The nut butter and cinnamon helps too. (via Conscious Cleanse)