Do you love the idea of packing the green stuff into your smoothie but always dislike the taste? Then you need to try this Vegan Green Smoothie! It's stuffed full of healthy ingredients including spinach but is creamy, sweet & delicious!
If you are a) a lover of smoothies, or b) a lover of healthy smoothies that don't taste too healthy or too green, then this vegan green smoothie is for you!
Yep, it's actually a green smoothie that tastes good. It's perfectly sweet, thick and creamy and is a great healthy smoothie to start your day with.
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Ingredients & equipment notes
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
Here's what you will be needing to make this vegan green smoothie:
- Banana - For the best tasting green smoothie your bananas should be frozen. Bananas thicken the smoothie and make it really creamy. They also add sweetness, nutrition, fill us up and hide much of the spinach flavour very well. Ice just dilutes the flavour and makes smoothies taste watery and insipid. Don't do it. TIP: I buy extra bananas every week, let some go spotty, then break them up into 2 or 3 pieces, freeze on a lined baking tray, then once they are hard I throw them in container or freezer bag. They are fine in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Spinach - The green part of our smoothie. It's soft leaves blend easily, add loads of nutrition, and they make your smoothie a really pretty green colour!
- Nut/seed butter - For healthy fats and protein. My preference is natural peanut butter because the flavour is strongest and it helps hide the spinach flavour better. Use your favourite or whatever type you have in your pantry. Stick to seed butters like sunflower seed butter or pumpkin butter if you need your smoothie to be nut-free.
- Plant milk- Any variety is fine, although it's best to use unsweetened unless you like your smoothies on the sweeter side. I like to use homemade cashew milk or oat milk.
- Salt - So important for enhanicng favour, even in smoothies! Just a small pinch is required.
- Chia seeds & flaxseed - These are optional but recommended for lots of plant-powered nutrition including our all important omega 3's.
- Maple syrup - Or a medjool date. Only necessary if you want to bump up the natural sweetness of the banana.
As for equipment, a high powdered blender is all that's required!
How to make a vegan green smoothie
You are just a step away from the best-tasting green smoothie! Simply add everything to the blender jar and blend until creamy and smooth. If you aren't sure whether to add the maple syrup/Medjool date, just make it without first, taste, then add if required, making sure to give it a quick blend to incorporate it.
Success tips
For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:
- Use a very ripe and spotty banana for maximum sweetness and creaminess.
- Don't use ice instead of a frozen banana. Ice dilutes the flavour of smoothies and makes them thin. We want a thick, creamy, velvety delicious smoothie!
- Using a high powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix makes a HUGE difference to how smoothies turn out. I highly recommend investing in one if you are able to.
- Serve immediately. Smoothies always taste best when freshly made.
Variations
Make this vegan spinach smoothie your own by trying out these variations:
- make it more filling by adding a handful of rolled, old fashioned or quick oats.
- make it chocolaty with a tablespoon of cocoa powder
- make it even more creamy by adding a dollop of vegan yogurt when blending.
- add a hint of citrus with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice
- up the healthy fats and protein with some fresh ripe avocado, raw nuts like walnuts, cashews or pecans or some hemp hearts.
- make it fruity with some fresh or frozen mango, pineapple or berries
- up the protein with a scoop of your favourite vegan protein powder
- add a pinch of ground cinnamon or ginger
- maybe a tiny drop of vanilla extract too?
Important - Bear in mind though that most of these additions will thicken the smoothie so an extra drop of plant milk will probably be necessary.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your smoothie the usual way, in a glass, or make a smoothie bowl. Simply use a little less milk when blending so the smoothie is super-thick. Then spoon into a bowl and top with all the delicious toppings you can think of. Vegan granola, chopped fruit, nuts, seeds, date caramel, chocolate shavings/chips, nut/seed butter, shredded coconut etc are all great additions.
Prepping ahead
Green smoothies are best enjoyed right away and are super quick and easy to make from scratch anyway, but you can prep the ingredients ahead to make your smoothie-making experience even quicker and easier in the morning.
To prepare ahead - Add all of the ingredients (except the milk) to a freezer bag or container, making sure that the peanut butter can't stick to the sides as it freezes, which will make it difficult to remove. Try surrounding it with spinach leaves for protection. Freeze for up to 1 month. Remove from the freezer when you want to make your smoothie, tip the ingredients into your blender and add milk. You might need a tiny bit more milk as everything will be so cold. Blend and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, that's fine. Use your favourites or whatever you have in the fridge. Just bear in mind that the smoothie will probably end up tasting more "green". Spinach when raw has a pretty mild flavour and isn't as noticeable as other greens like kale for instance. Also when using tougher leaves like kale the need for a high-powered blender is even more important.
Yes, that should be fine as long as you have a high-powered blender. Using nut butter though will create a richer, smoother, creamier smoothie than raw nuts.
Hungry for more?
Love smoothies? Be sure to try out these great recipes next:
- Healthy Chocolate Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Kale Apple Smoothie
- Sweet Potato Smoothie
- Vegan Banana Smoothie
- Ginger Peach Smoothie
Recipe
Vegan Green Smoothie
Author:Ingredients
- 1 medium or large frozen banana
- 2 tablespoons nut or seed butter , (I like peanut butter best in this because it hides the spinach flavour better ;O)
- 1 packed cup (1 large handful) fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup (240 mls) non-dairy milk
- 1 small pinch sea salt , not table salt
Optional
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup , or 1 medjool dates
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all of the smoothie ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy. Add a little more milk if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- If you aren't sure whether you will need the extra sweetness from the maple syrup/medjool date, just make it without first, taste, then add if required, making sure to give the blender a quick blend to incorporate it.
NOTES
- Use a very ripe and spotty banana for maximum sweetness and creaminess.
- Don't use ice instead of a frozen banana. Ice dilutes the flavour of smoothies and makes them thin. We want a thick, creamy, velvety delicious smoothie!
- Using a high powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix makes a HUGE difference to how smoothies turn out. I highly recommend investing in one if you are able to.
- Serve immediately. Smoothies always taste best when freshly made.
Nutritional information is calculated without the optional ingredients.
NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on February 26th, 2016. I've since added new photos, rewritten the post and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Bibi says
Hi Mel,
Thank you for the recipe. My kids dislike bananas in any recipe. I was wondering if there were any suitable substitute for the bananas.
Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
So funny, I'm literally just writing a post about smoothies and what to use instead of banana. Frozen mango, zucchini, cauliflower or avocado would be my top choices for this one. Or a combination. They all give a really creamy texture. If you don't use the mango, you will need to add extra sweetener though to make up for the sweetness missing from the banana.
I do have some banana-free smoothie recipes. This lemon cheesecake one tastes like dessert: https://avirtualvegan.com/luscious-lemon-cheesecake-smoothie/
And there's this one although it does taste quite green: https://avirtualvegan.com/kale-apple-smoothie/
And this one: https://avirtualvegan.com/cranberry-walnut-apple-smoothie/
Hope that helps!
Natalie says
Mel this green smoothie is fabulous! Such a good and simple blend. I'd never tried adding PB to my smoothies until now. Great idea!