What’s one of the best ways to make sure you’re eating all of your veggies? Start the morning by drinking your greens. Green smoothies are not only tasty, they’re loaded with vitamins and often packed with fiber, which supports your digestive health.
Pro-tip: Opt for spinach or kale in green smoothies because they don’t overpower the other ingredients in your drink, says Kelly Wagner, M.S., R.D., L.D.N. and co-founder of Nutriving. She also recommends always including a protein.
“Smoothies—particularly with a good balance of fruit, greens, and a protein source—can be a delicious, quick, and easy meal or snack option,” Wagner says. (See her Best Island Green Smoothie recipe below.)
We asked nutritionists to provide us with their go-to green smoothies. Here are five of their favorites to add to your breakfast rotation.
Green Superfood Pineapple Collagen Smoothie
Serving size: 1
This superfood smoothie is an easy way to weave fruits and vegetables into your diet, says The Vitamin Shoppe nutritionist Brittany Michels, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.N. Plus, you’ll get more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin A and vitamin C needs.
“These antioxidants are vital for countless body functions, including the immune system,” Michels says.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 handful of fresh spinach
- 1 tsp Macro Greens Superfood Powder
- 1 scoop The Vitamin Shoppe Multi-Source Collagen Powder
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 drops of Plnt Liquid Stevia
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth.
Gut-Loving Kiwi Smoothie
Serving size: 1
“I love this smoothie because it is great for gut health,” says Elise Harlow, M.S., R.D.N., the founder of The Flourished Table. Kiwis, she points out, are a good source of fiber and vitamin C.
In addition, the kefir that’s called for in this recipe contains probiotics, which feed your good gut bacteria. (Did you know that 70 percent of your immune system is located in your gut?)
Read More: 6 Soup Recipes For Immune Health That Nutritionists Love
To keep things on the super-healthy side, Harlow suggests skipping sugar-laden orange and apple juices. Instead, use liquids like coconut water or almond milk. And don’t skimp on the fiber! “This will help you to have a more balanced smoothie that will keep you full for longer and is less likely to spike your blood sugar,” she says. (In this recipe, for example, the tablespoon of chia seeds packs about 5 grams of fiber, and the fruits and spinach add at least another 10 grams of fiber. At 15 grams of fiber, this is a good start to meeting your daily fiber value, which is 21-25 grams for women and 30-38 grams for men).
Ingredients
- 2 kiwis
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- 1 scoop of unflavored collagen powder
- 1/2 apple
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup kefir
- 1/2 cup coconut water
Instructions
- Add the kefir and coconut water to your blender, followed by the remaining ingredients.
- Blend until smooth and creamy. You may need more liquid depending on the type of blender you use. Add more coconut water until you reach the desired consistency.
Spinach-Mango Green Smoothie
Serving size: 1
Olivia Sokolowska, R.D., M.B.A., of Salted Butter Kitchen recommends keeping frozen smoothie cubes in the freezer, and then popping a couple in whenever she’s making green smoothies.
“They’re packed full of necessary nutrients, especially vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, folate, and non-heme [or plant-based] iron,” she says. “It also helps me to keep from wasting fresh spinach.”
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach or 8 frozen spinach cubes
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ¾ cup frozen mango chunks
- ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
- ¼ cup water (as needed)
Instructions
In a blender cup or pitcher, add in either the fresh spinach or frozen spinach cubes, lemon juice, and pineapple juice (you can substitute with green tea if you’re looking for a caffeine boost). Blend until the spinach has been completely liquified.
- Add in mango chunks and pineapple chunks. If you’re using frozen mango and pineapple, add in ¼ cup of water.
- Blend until smooth. Add any extra water or pineapple juice, depending on your preferred thickness and sweetness.
Best Island Green Smoothie
Serving size: 1
You can use pineapple or mango in this smoothie. For an extra tropical flavor, Wagner suggests using coconut milk as your liquid.
Ingredients
- 1 banana, frozen
- ¾ cup diced mango or pineapple frozen
- 2 cups spinach packed
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup liquid (milk, coconut milk, or water) more to taste
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth.
Kale-Banana Smoothie
Serving size: 4
This sip is packed with nutrients from avocado and kale, which gives our immune system a boost, says Jennifer Schlette, R.D., an integrative nutrition health coach from Kitchen Substitute.
Read More: How To Get More Greens In Your Diet If You Don’t Love Greens
“Kale has a lot of vitamins such as A, C, and K,” Schlette says. “Also, it contains more calcium than milk and more iron than spinach.”
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 4 tsp honey
- 2 large ripe banana (use a frozen banana if you want a thicker smoothie)
- ½ ripe avocado
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 cups packed baby kale or coarsely chopped mature kale
- 2 cups ice cubes
Instructions
- Add chia seeds, banana, avocado, almond milk, and kale to the blender.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add ice cubes and blend until smooth.
- Blend in honey.
(photo courtesy Nutriving)