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Easy to make and ready in 5 minutes, this four-ingredient apple kale smoothie is a great way to pack in your greens and fiber. You just need simple ingredients like an apple, some kale, a banana, and orange juice to make it!
save this recipe!Nothing beats a refreshing and icy smoothie, especially when it sneaks in a serving of greens. It’s like a win-win: you get to enjoy a tasty drink, and your body gets to soak up all of those nice nutrients!
This smoothie uses only four ingredients to achieve a fruity flavor. It’s perfect for starting your day with some healthy vitamins, but it’s also a great mid-afternoon snack or post-outdoors cool-down treat!
You’re gonna want to add it to your go-to smoothie recipe list like, right now.
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Here’s what you’ll need
We’re keeping the ingredients easy-peasy in this smoothie. Keep reading for some variations you may enjoy! And jump to the recipe card for the quantities.
- Kale: Chopping it up first helps prevent any larger pieces from sneaking into the smoothie!
- Apple: Remove the core! You can use any variety.
- Banana: Frozen banana adds a thick iciness that makes this smoothie cool and refreshing.
- Orange Juice: This helps the ingredients blend up well while also contributing a delicious, tangy taste! You could always swap for water if you don’t want the extra sugar.
How to make an apple kale smoothie
This smoothie keeps things simple. Here’s a quick overview. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Blend all of the ingredients until smooth!
- Enjoy immediately while cold for that refreshing flavor.
no frozen banana?
If you don’t have a pre-frozen banana, that’s a-okay! Simply add a handful of ice cubes in order to get that nice frosty consistency.
Switch it up a bit
I know the story: You find the perfect recipe to make, only to check your fridge and realize you’re missing just one key ingredient! The pain.
I like to include easy recipe variations just in case you find yourself in that situation! This smoothie has a few options:
- Kale: Not a leaf of kale in sight? You can use spinach or even collard greens in a smoothie! (Kale and spinach have similar nutrient profiles, but spinach has less flavor if you’re trying to “sneak” some greens into a smoothie!)
- Apple: If you don’t have an apple, turn it into a tropical kale smoothie with some mango or pineapple.
- Banana: Mangos can also work to sub the banana as they have a similarly thick consistency.
- Orange Juice: Finally, OJ can be substituted with essentially any fruit juice, like apple or pineapple!
get your greens!
Collard Greens Smoothie
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4-Ingredient Pineapple Kale Smoothie
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Tropical Watercress Smoothie
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Quick 4-Ingredient Apple Kale Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped kale, about a handful
- 1 apple, any variety
- 1 banana, previously sliced and frozen
- 1 cup orange juice, 236 mL
Instructions
- Blitz all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Too. Much. Sugar. Substitute water for OJ. Use 1/2 apple. A whole or half banana. Add ice to taste. The amount of sugar in your recipe is inflammatory and unhealthy. Defeats the purpose of the smoothie.
I switch the kale and apple to spinach and pineapple.
I only used frozen ingredients except the juice of course.
As you mentioned it made it taste a little tropical.
It’s very good, easy to prepare… but a bit sweet. I used Ambrosia apples, and combined with the orange juice, I think that overdid the sugar content. Gonna try a sharper apple next time. Also added a heaping tbsp of good fiber and that bulked it up nicely