How to Make Green Smoothies (for Beginners!)

Want to try green smoothies but don’t know where to start? This simple guide takes you from zero to deliciously green in just 5 minutes! I make a green smoothie almost every morning as a way to get the tulip-man and I filled up and ready for the day (and to pack in a few servings of veggies without bother before 9am).

So I’ve got to admit, even though I studied nutrition and cook healthy food for a living, sometimes I struggle to get in as many veggies as I know I should. I blame my sweet tooth, which urges me to think about dessert far before I think about what I’ll make as a vegetable side dish. But I found a way to get a healthy dose of veggies into my diet easily and without fuss…green smoothies!

Eatmail subscribers know that I’m all about smoothies, but I’m realizing that not everyone is as accustomed or comfortable with throwing a salads-worth of spinach into a smoothie. So today we’re breaking it down to the basics.

Green Smoothie Ingredients

The nice thing about green smoothies is you can adjust them to whatever you’re craving (or whatever you have stocked in your kitchen!) The basic ingredients in all great green smoothies are:

• Leafy Greens: Spinach is my favorite because it breaks down easily in a blender, though kale is a runner up!
• Creamy Ingredient: Something to make the texture smooth and creamy, like banana, yogurt, coconut milk, or even silken tofu.
• Fruit: Fruit adds natural flavor and sweetness. You can use fresh or frozen, and virtually any fruit works well here (apples, mango, berries, stone fruit, kiwi, pineapple…you get the gist).
• Optional Enhancers: Feel free to add seeds (like chia or flax) nutritional supplements (like protein powder) or flavors (like spices or honey).

How to make green smoothies taste good

The secret to ultra-smooth green smoothies is in blending the liquids and greens together first, then adding in the rest of your ingredients. This step prevents having chunky bits of spinach or kale floating around your smoothie!

Then we’ll need a creamy base. I usually use chopped and frozen bananas. Pro tip: Cut your bananas into 7 pieces then freeze, that way when you need to pull the bananas out of the freezer for the smoothie, you’ll know exactly how many pieces equals one banana! If you’re not a fan of bananas, plain yogurt works well too!

Next we have fruity flavors. You can use virtually any fruit you’d like here, but today we’re going with kiwi and pear.

Finally, we have the optionals. You can throw in optional superfoods, like chia or flax seeds. You can also add optional flavor enhancers, like cinnamon, vanilla extract, or cocoa powder!

How to Make Green Smoothies (for Beginners!)

Want to try green smoothies but don’t know where to start? This simple guide takes you from zero to deliciously green in just 5 minutes!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beverages (Non-Alcoholic), Breakfasts, Smoothies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: green smoothie

Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian

Occasion: St. Patrick’s Day

Time: 15 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, 45 minutes or less

Prep: 5 mins

Total: 5 mins

Servings: 2 smoothies

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Sarah Bond

4.75 from 4 votes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup liquid milk or juice
• 1 cup leafy greens spinach or kale
• ½ cup creamy base 1 banana or ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup fruit today that’s 1 kiwi and 1 pear
• 1 Tbsp optional superfood topping chia, flax, or hemp seeds
• 1 tsp optional flavor enhancer cinnamon, vanilla, honey

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine liquid and greens in a blender until smooth.
• Add the rest of your ingredients and continue blending until smooth.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1smoothie | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.7g | Protein: 6.2g | Fat: 3.3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 73mg | Fiber: 6.3g

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I first published this recipe on Amanda’s Cookin’, where I’m a contributor. Thanks for supporting Live Eat Learn and for making recipes like these Green Smoothies possible!