What are your favorite green smoothie ingredients? Make this easy spinach smoothie recipe using spinach, avocado and berries. This smoothie is ready in just 10 minutes.
If you are part of my generation, your love of spinach comes from ONE character!
Yes, that character is Popeye!!
Popeye has left an ineradicable mark on my taste buds!
This spinach smoothie is going to make your taste buds go wild with pleasure. It’s also packed with nutrition!
Originally published on January 9th, 2015 at 4:14pm. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.
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Green smoothie ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the bottom of this post.
Spinach – It’s rich in Magnesium and chlorophyll. Magnesium is essential for muscles to function correctly. Chlorophyll helps in the fight against cancer. It’s high in iron but it’s not in a readily bioavailable form. Source: Humana.com and UAMShealth.com.
Berries – Use either raspberries or blackberries. Spinach has oxalates in it and also the Iron in it is hard to absorb. The vitamin C in berries helps fight the oxalates and also help in Iron absorption. Source: American Academy of CPR and First Aid.
Spirulina – Full disclosure, I didn’t have spirulina on hand, so I didn’t add it to this recipe. However, you can add it if you have it in your pantry. (Affiliate Link) This is the one I use. It’s a powerhouse of nutrition because it contains chlorophyll, great for bone density and it’s a complete source of protein. Source: NASA and WellandGood.com.
Avocado – I have been screaming from rooftops that avocado is a super food that we all MUST be eating. It’s packed with good fats that keep us satiated and also help lower blood sugar levels. It has a ton of good fiber and potassium. Source: NutritionalValue.org.
Chia seeds and Hemp seeds – They have a tone of protein and calcium, both of which are absolutely essential to the human body.
🌿 Spinach tip: Use frozen spinach because they are frozen at their peak freshness. Thaw it overnight by placing it in the refrigerator section.
How to make spinach smoothie
- Place the thawed spinach in a colander and then run it under cold water for about 30 seconds. Squeeze out all the water from the spinach.
- In a blender, add the chia seeds and blend it until it’s roughly ground.
- Now, add all the remaining ingredients to the blender.
- Blend until it has a smoothie texture. It’s now ready to be served.
❄️ Frozen Tip: In this recipe, it’s fine to use frozen bananas, berries and avocado. They will make this a very silky smooth smoothie.
Answering common questions
Yes, you can add kale, swiss chard, or veggie tops to this recipe.
Since there is spirulina (which is a complete protein), there is no need to add more protein powder. If you prefer protein powder, then omit the spirulina. This avocado spinach smoothie also has Greek yogurt which is another great source of protein.
Kids can get so much nutrition and energy from this smoothie. It’s a must give to kids. The question is, will they actually drink it?
– Kale, Swiss chard, veggie tops
– Either spirulina or protein powder
– Vitamin C (like blackberries, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries)
– Calcium sources (chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds)
– Liquids (like Greek yogurt and/or milk of choice)
– Sweet source like monk fruit or molasses.
The good news is that green smoothies can be eaten for:
– Breakfast
– Brunch
– Lunch
– Light snack
– Afternoon pick me up
🍵 Protein tip: Spirulina is a huge protein and iron source. This means adding additional protein powders is unnecessary.
Save time and prep in advance
The good news is that it’s easy to freeze the ingredients in a zip lock bag. Then drop them into a blender when you are ready to eat.
Here is a mind-blowing yogurt tip: Freeze Greek yogurt in ice cube trays!! I pour in about 2-3Tbsps of Greek yogurt and 1tsp of spirulina per ice cube hole. When I need it, I just remove a few cubes and dump them in the blender.
I remove the packaging of one 10oz frozen spinach and put it in a ziplock bag. To that bag, I add berries, banana, hemp seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds (ground or regular).
When I am ready to make the smoothie, I will dump the ingredients of the zip lock bag into a smoothie blender. Then, add 3 cubes of frozen yogurt and monk fruit. I blend it up and my smoothie is ready in minutes!
Now, I never say that I don’t have time to make a healthy smoothie. You can’t use that excuse either!
Affiliate Links -> My Blender and my favorite ice cube trays.
🧊 Handy Tip: Pour 2-3 Tbsp of Greek yogurt in ice cube trays and freeze them. Drop those frozen ice cube yogurt into smoothies.
Try these spinach recipes
- Spinach is the star in this easy Spinach and bagel chips salad. It’s easy to make in minutes and it tastes so good.
- Want to get kids to eat it? Make this easy spinach artichoke pinwheels and they will devour it.
- Butternut squash risotto will taste that much better because there spinach is in it.
- Spinach is called palak in Hindi which is a common ingredient in Indian foods. Palak makhani is one of my all time favorite recipes to order.
Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this spinach smoothie recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.
The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe with Spinach and Avocado
Equipment
- 1 Smoothie Blender
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 10 oz frozen spinach thawed overnight in the refrigerator section
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup frozen berries I used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries
- ½ banana freeze a ripe banana overnight
- ½ avocado
- 1 Tbsp spirulina use organic spirulina
- 3 tsp monk fruit See notes for the brand I use
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup water or use milk of choice.
Instructions
- Place the thawed spinach in a colander and then run it under cold water for about 30 seconds.
- Squeeze out all the water from the spinach.
- In a blender, add the chia seeds and blend it until it’s roughly ground.
- Now, add all the remaining ingredients to the blender.
- Blend until it has a smoothie texture. It’s now ready to be served.
Notes
Version 1
Seriously, how could have EVER taken such horrendous pics! Yes, the photo needed updating which was one of the reasons for re-doing the post.
There is a greater reason for re-doing this post. I wanted to make it more protein focused and I also wanted to remove the bad sugars from it. So, I added Greek yogurt and spirulina to the spinach.
Additionally, to help absorb as much of the iron as possible, I added berries to it. Berries are packed with Vitamin C and they make it easier to absorb the iron from spinach.
Click here if you want to see my original smoothie recipe.
Originally published on January 9th, 2015 at 4:14pm.
Ksenia says
Loved the vibrant green color. I couldn’t get enough of this yummy drink – and the best part is, my kids thought it was delicious!
Rini says
Thank you, Ksenia
Gen says
Loved this vibrant green smoothie! I always have a hard time with the ratios, so this was super helpful. And anything with pistachios is a yes from me!
Rini says
Thank you, Gen
Sharon says
I channeled my inner Popeye and made this spinach smoothie. It would have been funny to drink it out of a tin can! lol I skipped the monkfruit as the banana was sweet enough and downed it like a champ. Thanks!
Rini says
Thank you, Sharon
Jenn says
How good is this! It is sooo healthy and when I’m looking for a great detox smoothie that makes me feel great, this is it!
Rini says
Thank you, Jenn
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
This recipe is flavorful, love the pistachios – one of my favorite nuts.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Debra.
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says
I would never have thought to add pistachios or dates to a smoothie– such a great idea!
I can’t wait to try this Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Bake- it looks amazing! https://www.progresso.com/recipes/chicken-mushroom-and-wild-rice-bake/e3fbf375-38e4-4dcd-b868-c890a86f7328
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Jamie. That recipe looks really good.
Ashley Barnes says
Cowboycorn bread on the progress website!! 🙂 I so would love to win!!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Ashley.
Anthony says
Your creative spinach smoothie is a great way to start out any day. They say it’s hard to be green but it’s not that hard with this amazing recipe. I can not wait to whip up a few of these to start my day.
I am truly inspired by the Weight-Watchers endorsed products. One of my New Years resolutions is to eat more salad. I would use the salad shears to quickly cut up my lettuce. I would then create a fresh healthy dressing using olive oil, balsamic and fresh herbs. It would be easy to keep the dressing properly mixed with the dressing emulsifier. I would then proudly serve that salad with the tongs. It’s amazing how a few new kitchen gadgets can inspire some healthy cooking.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Anthony! I am inspired by your commitment for the new year. I am sure you will do great this year.
Sarah Hall says
I would make the Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole with the Progresso products.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Sarah.
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
Rini, green smoothies are on my to do list. Now, I have a good recipe to grab.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you so much, Peter. I am delighted to hear that.
Kecia says
This looks absolutely wonderful! The dates and pistachios make it for me!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Kecia
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Looks so good & filling! Love the dates & pistachios in this!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Patricia.
[email protected] says
I love this kind of smoothie and your recipe looks wonderful!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Nancy
Sandi says
This smoothie looks delicious Rini. I can see this becoming my guilt free way to start my morning.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Sandi
Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says
What a powerhouse of great nutrition in a single glass! I absolutely cannot wait to try your smoothie and have a feeling it will quickly become one of my favorites.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Linda
Deborah says
I want to try the cosmo spring salad from the yoplait recipe page, the Smoked Turkey and Lentil Vegetable Soup from the green giant recipe page and the baked chicken salad from the progresso page.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Deborah! That sounds delicious
Ashley says
I would make the confetti dip from Yoplait, and from Green Giant the egg white veggie fritatta, and progresso the baked chicken salad
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Ashley! I have to agree that your choice sounds really good.
David says
I would make the cosmo spring salad from the yoplait recipe page, the Smoked Turkey and Lentil Vegetable Soup from the green giant recipe page and the baked chicken salad from the progresso page.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, David. That sounds good too.
[email protected] says
I love the addition of the dates, I’m going to start putting them in my smoothies. Great recipe.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Janette. I am starting to warm up to Dates myself.