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    Home » Recipes » Smoothies

    Published: Aug 4, 2017 · Modified: Mar 26, 2021 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 13 Comments

    Kale Apple Smoothie

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN
    4.89 from 27 votes
    This Kale Apple Smoothie is quick & easy to make, full of good for you ingredients & will help get your day off to a great start. And for you banana haters out there, it's banana free!

    This Kale Apple Smoothie is quick & easy to make, full of good-for-you ingredients & will help get your day off to a great start. And for you banana haters out there, it's banana-free!

    This Kale Apple Smoothie is quick & easy to make, full of good for you ingredients & will help get your day off to a great start. And for you banana haters out there, it's banana free!

    This Kale Apple Smoothie is what I have been drinking in between all of the Sticky Lemon Sweet Rolls, Strawberry Sweet Roll Mug Cake and Ice-Cream Bars that I have been making of late. It kind of makes me feel slightly less guilty about the copious amounts of sugar I must have consumed, all in the name of recipe testing.

    It's also been super handy this week as Chester (the AVV mascot, my best buddy and chief dog cookie tester), is pretty sick.

    Chester the dog in snow

    He had to be rushed to the vet yesterday.

    What started off as a limp on Monday, turned out to be nothing to do with his paw or leg. I won't go into detail, as I don't want to put you off your smoothie, but he has quite a bad infection and hasn't moved or eaten for days. It's been so sad. He's on antibiotics now we finally know what the problem is, so I'm sure he'll get better soon. I'll keep you updated on my Instagram stories.

    So anyway, I have spent the past few days not doing much work at all. I have spent all my time cuddling Chester and worrying. I haven't even really cooked much as it's been baking hot here too, so smoothies like this Kale Apple Smoothie, nice-cream and salads have been our go-tos.

    BANANA FREE SMOOTHIE

    I get requests all the time for banana free smoothies. It seems there are a lot of banana haters out there. I cannot even imagine, but even as someone who loves bananas, there are some flavour combos that they just don't really work in. Kale and apple is one of them. I really did not like this smoothie with banana in it. Without banana, the flavour of the apple really comes through and it works so well with the kale, making it taste, well....less kale-y. With the banana it just tasted weird. So, this smoothie ends up being naturally banana free.

    "Yay" say the banana haters!

    Kale Apple Smoothie in glass from above

    GET YOUR HEALTHY ON WITH THIS KALE APPLE SMOOTHIE

    This Kale Apple Smoothie is made with simple ingredients and is super fresh and delicious. It's also pretty low calorie although there is the option to add a dollop of almond butter if you want to get an extra helping of healthy fat and protein. It's already super packed with goodness though and contains 250% of your daily required Vitamin A, 273% of your daily required Vitamin C, 62% of your calcium and 24% of your iron!

    Yes, it tastes of kale, but it isn't too kale-y. The sweetness of the apple really works well and tones it down a lot. Plus the fresh burst of lemon juice helps too.

    To make it all you have to do is toss everything into a blender and blend. Then your power-packed green smoothie will be ready for you to enjoy!

    If you try it let me know what you think in the comments below and be sure to check out my vegan green smoothie too!

    This Kale Apple Smoothie is quick & easy to make, full of good for you ingredients & will help get your day off to a great start. And for you banana haters out there, it's banana free!

    Kale Apple Smoothie

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.89 from 27 votes
    This Kale Apple Smoothie is quick & easy to make, full of good for you ingredients & will help get your day off to a great start. And for you banana haters out there, it's banana free!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 5 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 5 minutes
    Servings: 1 serving

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 large kale leaves , washed with stems removed. Use a couple handfuls of baby kale instead for a milder kale flavour
    • 1 large apple , cored (no need to peel unless you want to).
    • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
    • 2 teaspoons ground flax seed , or whole flax seeds
    • 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    • ½ medium lemon , juice only
    • 180mls / ¾ cup plant-based milk , add up to a ¼ cup more to thin if you prefer it that way
    • 5 ice cubes , OPTIONAL but will make it colder and a bit thicker
    • 1 tablespoon almond butter , OPTIONAL - It's great with or without
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    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. I use the smoothie setting on my Blendtec. 
    • Check the sweetness and add a drop more maple syrup if necessary. 
    • Serve immediately. 

    NOTES

    Nutritional information is calculated without almond butter and with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1smoothieCalories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 9.3gFat: 7gSodium: 173mgFiber: 15gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 12500IUVitamin C: 225.2mgCalcium: 620mgIron: 4.3mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan


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      Recipe Rating




    1. NANCY DAHL says

      September 22, 2020 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      My daughter wanted a smoothie but all I had was apples- grabbed some kale from the garden and whipped this up-super fresh and tasty. We both felt strong and energized after! I used some home brewed dragonfruit rooibos iced tea instead of the "milk" which worked nicely. Thanks for a smoothie that fit the bill!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 22, 2020 at 8:05 pm

        So pleased you both enjoyed it Nancy!

        Reply
    2. Cream says

      August 01, 2020 at 7:46 am

      5 stars
      Although I love bananas, I can't eat them because I'm allergic.
      It's hard finding smoothie recipes without them as an ingredient. Thanks for this quick healthy recipe.

      Reply
    3. Suzanne McCarthy says

      November 13, 2019 at 8:03 am

      Melanie, this was a delicious smoothie! I used everything you suggested including the ice. However, I had no kale, so I used frozen broccoli instead! It still worked! :D

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        November 13, 2019 at 9:05 am

        Wow, I've never used frozen broccoli in a smoothie. Great idea though. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Yuko says

      April 28, 2019 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      First time making a smoothie at home and loved this recipe!!

      I've been a vegan for a long time but I've always bought my smoothies and cold-pressed juices at the store. For my first home-made smoothie, I knew I had to find the best recipe out there and when I came across yours and saw the 5-star rating, I knew I found "the one."

      omg it was sooo good. I used cashew butter instead of almond butter and no flax seeds. The smoothie does have a kale-y smell but tastes fresh and delicious.

      Now that I am confident that I can make a good smoothie at home, I will be trying more often. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        April 28, 2019 at 6:25 pm

        I'm so pleased you enjoyed it! I can highly recommend my Lemon Cheesecake smoothie if you want a healthy one that tastes like dessert!

        Reply
    5. Janet says

      October 10, 2018 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      Since kale grows like a weed at our place I'm a long time kale smoothie slurper. Lemon is the key to a good kale smoothie, and the apples are all I use for sweetener, so my version has a lot less sugar. I love your additions of almond butter, chia and flax, too, and it's great to have a banana break now and then.

      Reply
    6. Doreen says

      June 19, 2018 at 6:11 pm

      5 stars
      Made it w/o chia, almond butter and maple syrup. Used unsweetened almond milk and golden flax. Found it to be the perfect balance. Refreshing. Will make tomorrow as well. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    7. A Virtual Vegan says

      August 07, 2017 at 6:22 pm

      Thank you. He is a little brighter today. His antibiotics are starting to kick in I think.

      Reply
    8. Trinity Bourne says

      August 05, 2017 at 7:52 am

      5 stars
      This is exactly the sort of smoothie that is close to my heart. Love the way you have used the ingredients in this recipe. It looks so refreshing and jam packed full of nutrition.

      Reply
    9. Marcia says

      August 04, 2017 at 9:10 pm

      Sure hope Chester is getting stronger each day. Give him a big hug for me (or should I say from my cat!). As far as the recipe goes, It does sound yummy, but it has 38 g of sugar and since I've got Diabetes, I can't go there. Thanks for giving us a smoothie recipe WITHOUT bananas - I feel the same way about them as I do beer: I dislike the way they taste and smell!

      Keeping my fingers crossed for Chester,

      Marcia

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 05, 2017 at 5:38 pm

        Aaaww thank you. Chester loves cats! Sorry to hear the smoothie is no good for you. You could cut the sugar in it by omitting the maple syrup and only using half an apple (or a very small apple) and a little more kale perhaps?

        Reply

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