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A Green Smoothie Recipe (that actually tastes good)

A green smoothie recipe that actually tastes good? Yep. If you’re new or resistant to drinking things like this, this is the perfect green smoothie to break you in. It’s loaded with healthy greens and three kinds of vegetables, and I swear it doesn’t taste like compost.

A bright green smoothie with a blue striped straw -- top down view.

I should probably preface this post by saying if you’re one of those hard core “I use a beet to sweeten my all-greens smoothie” kinds of people, then this might not appeal to you.

Maybe forward this post to the person who always wrinkles their nose when they see your intense green smoothies.

For the rest of you, I’d like to admit that I’m not hard core with a green smoothie. Like, not even close. 

I’m a fruit smoothie girl who would rather roast her vegetables than drink them.

Most mornings I have a basic smoothie with frozen berries, spinach, unsweetened almond milk, and some protein powder. It’s a lovely purple color.

If I’m in the mood for switching things up, I like this one. I don’t have a lot of green smoothie recipes in my repertoire, so I stick to a couple that I know I like. Or my kids like.

I recognize the value in blending vegetables, though, because I doubt I’d sit and eat all of this plain. Especially for breakfast.

Top down view of blender pitcher. Frozen pineapple and apple and orange slices are added on top of the leafy greens.

Can I put protein powder in this healthy green smoothie?

YES! Of course. 

In this particular recipe, I’d use a flavorless collagen powder or a vanilla flavored bone broth powder.

Other protein powders I like are any bone broth based powders and collagen protein. Vital Proteins sells a great collagen powder that comes in chocolate and flavorless. 

Ancient Nutrition sells versions of both types of powders that I like as well.

If you’re looking for a clean, dairy-free, grain-free protein poweder, Rootz is it. It’s my favorite and one of the only types of supplemental protein I’ve tried that doesn’t hurt my stomach. And you can get 10% off by using my code — PERRYSPLATE.

View from the side of the blender showing the green smoothie ingredients -- lots of leafy greens, cucumber, celery, milk, pineapple, apple, and orange.

How to make a green smoothie taste good

  • Use at least one frozen element in a smoothie to dramatically improve the taste. I’m not a room-temperature smoothie girl either. (See note above. I’m not hard core.) Frozen fruit is usually my go-to, but I’ve heard of people using frozen spinach, zucchini, or cauliflower to add to smoothies since it their flavors are so mild.
  • Pineapple tames the bitternes from leafy greens. We’ve started using frozen pineapple to replace the frozen strawberries in our morning smoothies. (And replaced the carrot with more spinach and added almond milk) It sweetens really well, and it covers up a lot of the bitterness from greens, if you happen to be using kale, dandelion, or mustard greens.
  • Speaking of greens… if you’re grossed out by more bitter greens use baby spinach. It has the most mild flavor of all greens.
  • Adding an acidic element helps to brighten the flavors. Pineapple does a good job here, but a squirt of lime, a splash of pomegranate or orange juice would work, too!
  • Add a creamy element. Using almond milk or coconut milk is enough for me. Bananas and mangoes create a creamy consistency, too, but they’re high in sugar if you’re wanting to avoid that. Avocados are great as well.
  • Nuts & seeds add extra vitamins and minerals. Right now I’m seed cycling to help balance my hormones and  PMS mood swings so I add sesame seeds, flaxmeal, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds, depending on where I am in my cycle. Chia seeds and hemp seeds are also great in smoothies!

Do the kids like it? Mostly.

A couple of the kids would still rather have a “smoothie store” smoothie (aka Jamba Juice) than anything we make here, but will still drink it if it isn’t green.

They also used to dip pieces of ham in maple-sweetened yogurt, so I wouldn’t trust their judgment.

Two clear glasses filled with the bright green smoothie. One has a blue striped straw.

Is this the healthiest green smoothie? 

Healthy is definitely a relative term. There are a lot of benefits in this kale smoothie, but there is a lot of fruit, so the sugar content might be a little high. But, hey — it’s definitly better than a milkshake. 

Variations for More Easy Green Smoothie Recipes

  • Use mango instead of pineapple and coconut milk instead of almond milk for a tasty mango green smoothie!
  • Use strawberries and bananas instead of apples & pineapple for a great strawberry banana smoothie.
  • Once I used half of a pear instead of apple, lime instead of orange, and added an inch of fresh grated ginger. Loved it, too!

If you like this delicious green smoothie, try our favorite Morning Smoothie Recipe! 


If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

More Recipes on Perry’s Plate

A Green Smoothie (that actually tastes good)

A Green Smoothie (that actually tastes good)

Yield: Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

A green smoothie recipe that actually tastes good? Yep. If you're new or resistant to drinking things like this, this is the perfect green smoothie to break you in. It's loaded with healthy greens and three kinds of vegetables, and I swear it doesn't taste like compost.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 4 stalks celery, cut into thirds
  • 1/2 of an English cucumber, cut into thirds
  • 2 large handfuls of fresh greens (spinach, kale, or chard)
  • 1/2 of an apple (preferably tart)
  • 1/4 of an orange, peeled
  • 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

Instructions

Put everything in the blender in the order listed. Blend until smooth! If you don't have a power blender (like a Blendtec/Vita-mix), then add more almond milk if it gets stuck. Taste and add a few more pineapple chunks if you'd like it sweeter.

Serves two or one as a meal.

Adaptation: Once I used half of a pear instead of apple, lime instead of orange, and added an inch of fresh grated ginger. Loved it, too!

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Lisa

Tuesday 26th of July 2022

Did I miss the part where the instructions said to strip the strings from the celery? OMG, the flavor is great, but texture is awful. Maybe you have a more powerful blender? IDK, but stripping is too much work, never again using celery.

Natalie Perry

Monday 1st of August 2022

Ah, yes. I have a Blendtec. If you don't have a a high power blender like a Blendtec/Vitamix/Ninja, then I'd recommend stripping the celery or swapping it out for more cucumber. I'm glad you liked the flavor though!

Petra

Sunday 26th of December 2021

Veggie smoothie

Francesca

Sunday 14th of November 2021

Hi, Looks great,, but,, Why not add protein to the smoothie? I use whey because vegan protein tastes horrible.no matter what brand and hemp and chia provide not enough protein and way too many calories to overdo them in a smoothie. Without a smoothie having at least 25 to 30 grams of.protein, you will be looking to eat a little whie after having after having smoothie..

Natalie Perry

Friday 21st of January 2022

Go ahead and add some protein if you like.

Michelle S.

Tuesday 9th of February 2021

Made this smoothie! I can’t say it’s my favorite tasting smoothie, but it does taste good for having so many veggies in it! The only thing I can figure out is how to get it to be smooth. If I blend it for too short, I feel too many small bits. And if I blend for too long, it gets too warm and doesn’t feel like drinking a smoothie. Any tips on how to get a smooth blend?

Anita Redden

Monday 1st of November 2021

@Natalie Perry, im curious about the stomach part. Is it bc it makes u go to the bathroom more than normal and if so, how many times a day or week.

Natalie Perry

Wednesday 24th of February 2021

Are you using frozen pineapple? What kind of blender are you using? A high powered one will get it blended quickly and using more fruit that's frozen will keep it chilled.

Lynda

Wednesday 2nd of December 2020

I only like fruit smoothies not a fan of veggie ones

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