According to the 2015 USDA dietary guidelines, 90% of Americans aren’t getting the recommended daily amount of vegetables, and 80% aren’t taking in the recommended daily amount of fruit. Smoothies are a perfect way to take in both fruits and vegetables.
Not a huge fan of vegetables? There’s a painless way to do it: Hide frozen spinach in a smoothie using nut butters, fruits, all-natural sweeteners like honey, and almond milk. Believe it or not, you’ll barely taste the spinach.
Adding spinach to your smoothie helps add volume without much sugar, and also helps you meet your daily dose of vegetables. Here are 11 delicious smoothies featuring spinach as an ingredient.
1. Mango green smoothie
Spinach, a cruciferous vegetable from the cabbage family, has a slightly bitter flavor. The sweet flavor of mango helps balance the bitterness, leaving you with a delicious smoothie packed with good-for-you nutrients.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 1
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup milk of choice (like almond, soy, or nonfat milk)
3 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 avocado
¾ cup fresh or frozen mango, cubed
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
Optional: ice or water
Instructions:
1. Add all ingredients to a blender or smoothie maker2. Blend on high speed until well blended (typically about 1 minute)
3. If consistency is thicker than desired may need to add additional water or ice
Nutrition information (per serving)
Calories: 256; Total Fat: 10 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 10 grams: Carbohydrates: 35 grams; Sugar: 25 grams; Fiber: 9 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 289 milligrams
2. Wild blueberry kefir smoothie
Kefir is a cultured milk product that has a mild tangy flavor but a more liquid texture than yogurt. Combined with blueberries, peanut butter, and spinach, this smoothie has you covered in four food groups!
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 2
Start to finish: 3 minutes
Prep: 3 minutes
Ingredients:
1½ cups frozen wild blueberries
¾ cup plain kefir
¾ cup whole milk yogurt (vanilla or a mix of plain and vanilla – Greek or regular)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
4 frozen spinach cubes (or 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach)
Optional: chia or hemp seeds
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Add a little bit of water if needed to reach desired consistency.
Nutrition information (per serving, without optional ingredients)
Calories: 286; Total Fat: 14 grams; Saturated Fat: 5 grams; Protein: 13 grams: Carbohydrates: 31 grams; Sugar: 20 grams; Fiber: 5 grams; Cholesterol: 23 milligrams; Sodium: 202 milligrams
3. Strawberry banana smoothie with spirulina
Fruity and full of vitamins and minerals, this strawberry banana smoothie with spirulina and fresh spinach is an ideal healthy drink. It has no added sugar, the spirulina and chia seeds pack a nutritious punch of fiber and protein.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 1
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 teaspoon spirulina powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 tablespoon honey or syrup (optional and to taste)
Instructions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Add more water to make the smoothie thicker.
Nutrition information (per serving, without optional ingredients)
Calories: 180; Total Fat: 3 grams; Saturated Fat: 0 grams; Protein: 5 grams: Carbohydrates: 38 grams; Sugar: 19 grams; Fiber: 8 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 78 milligrams
4. Green date nut smoothie
Dates are a natural way to sweeten smoothies and add fiber and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and copper. Dates do increase the sugar count, though, so start with two or three and add more as needed.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 2
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
4 pitted dates (depending on size)*
3 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup ice
Instructions:
1. Add 4 dates and the remaining ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth. Taste, and add more dates if you’d like the smoothie to be a bit sweeter.
3. Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer, and discard the remains.
4. Serve cold.
*Chef’s note: Start by adding 3 or 4 dates to the mixture. You can add a few more if you’d like it on the sweeter side.
Nutrition information (per serving)
Calories: 259; Total Fat: 10 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 7 grams: Carbohydrates: 42 grams; Sugar: 33 grams; Fiber: 7 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 126 milligrams
5. Matcha green tea smoothie
The banana’s natural sweetness helps balance out the spinach. Choose your favorite protein powder to get a muscle-building boost.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 1
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1½ teaspoons matcha powder
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana
1 handful spinach
1 serving protein powder
1 cup ice
1 tablespoon chia seeds or 1/8 teaspoon xanthum gum, optional (provides volume)
Instructions:
1. Blend all ingredients until smooth and enjoy!
Nutrition information (per serving, without optional ingredients)
Calories: 264; Total Fat: 4 grams; Saturated Fat: 0 grams; Protein: 28 grams: Carbohydrates: 32 grams; Sugar: 15 grams; Fiber: 7 grams; Cholesterol: 5 milligrams; Sodium: 255 milligrams
6. Go Green smoothie
Spinach, avocado, and banana are a power trio, adding iron, potassium, fiber, and healthy fat to your muscle-building diet.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 2
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup ice
1 medium banana, preferably frozen
2 scoops protein powder of choice
2-3 handfuls of spinach or greens of choice
½ avocado
1 ½-2 cups unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients into a blender in the order they are listed if using an upright blender.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy and no chunks remain.
3. Serve and enjoy (or store in a mason jar with lid for up to 24 hours in the fridge).
Nutrition information (per serving)
Calories: 215; Total Fat: 8 grams; Protein: 13 grams: Carbohydrates: 22 grams; Sugar: 7 grams; Fiber: 7 grams; Sodium: 180 milligrams
7. Almond apple green smoothie
With a whopping 11 grams of fiber and 18 grams of mostly healthy unsaturated fat, this baby will keep you satisfied for a long while.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 1
Start to finish: 7 minutes
Prep: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 cup almonds raw, unsalted
2 stalks celery chopped into 2 inch cubes
1 handful spinach (about 1 cup)
1 medium apple, sliced
Instructions:
1. Add water and almonds to your blender. Blend on high until the almonds start to break down.
2. Add the celery, spinach and apple slices and blend until smooth.
Nutrition information (per serving)
Calories: 321; Total Fat: 18 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 9 grams: Carbohydrates: 36 grams; Sugar: 22 grams; Fiber: 11 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 97 milligrams
8. Peach, blueberry and spinach smoothie
Check out the portions of the fruit used in this delicious smoothie—both ½ cup of peaches and blueberries add sweetness without overloading the smoothie with sugar.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 1
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup peaches
½ cup blueberries
2 cups spinach
2 scoops whey protein powder (I like Vanilla Gnarly Whey)
1 cup almond or coconut milk
1 cup ice
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!
Nutrition Information (per serving, with almond milk)
Calories: 228; Total Fat: 4 grams; Saturated Fat: 0 grams; Protein: 29 grams: Carbohydrates: 23 grams; Sugar: 14 grams; Fiber: 6 grams; Cholesterol: 5 milligrams; Sodium: 278 milligrams
9. Mango and greens pick-me-up smoothie
A smoothie-making secret: Use frozen fruit instead of ice when making smoothies. Ice can dilute the flavor and reduce your ability to taste the natural sweetness of the fruit.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 2
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 cup (packed) baby spinach
1 fresh mango, diced (about 1 cup)
1½ cups grass fed low fat milk or organic soy milk
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and serve.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories: 205; Total Fat: 2.3 grams; Protein: 7.8 grams: Carbohydrates: 40 grams; Fiber: 3.7 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 95 milligrams
10. Nut butter banana smoothie
You’ll barely taste the spinach in this diet-friendly, protein-packed smoothie.
Skill level: Beginner
Serves:Â 1
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package frozen spinach (kale and Swiss chard also work well)
1 banana
2 tbsp peanut or almond butter
1/2 cup water or almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder
Instructions:Â
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and serve.
