Cooked butternut squash gives this spinach smoothie a mellow body. Pear supplies fruit sweetness, while cinnamon and nutmeg create a seasonal flavor. Cashew milk helps blend the mixture without needing banana or a strongly flavored juice to provide liquid.
Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Butternut Pear Cinnamon Spinach Smoothie
Cooked butternut squash gives this spinach smoothie a mellow body.
Prep: 5 minutesServings: 1
Base recipe: 1 serving; the full base batch
Vegan
Category image
Measured ingredient amounts adjust with servings. “To taste” amounts and directions stay as written.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk
- 0.5 cup spinach
- 1 cup plain cooked butternut squash, cooled
- 0.5 pear peeled and cored
- 0.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
- Put the measured liquid in the blender with the prepared leafy greens. Secure the lid and process until the leaves are finely dispersed, stopping the machine before scraping down the sides if needed.
- Add the remaining edible ingredients, including the measured fruit, nuts, seeds, or spices listed for this recipe. Blend until evenly combined. Use the machine instructions to choose a suitable speed, and stop before checking texture or scraping the jug.
- Taste a small spoonful after blending. If the mixture is too thick to pour, add cold water one tablespoon at a time and blend briefly again. Divide the base batch into 1 serving and enjoy promptly.
Notes
Contains tree nuts. Prepared ingredients are required; additional cooking, cooling, freezing, brewing, or soaking time is excluded from the active prep estimate. Serving volume and nutrition totals are not measured.
Adapted from Jen Hansard at Simple Green Smoothies.
Tips and ingredient notes
Cook squash until tender and cool it completely. Use plain squash rather than leftovers seasoned with garlic or savory spices. Peel and core pear if your blender tends to leave coarse pieces.
Core the pear and use flesh that tastes pleasant before blending. Ripeness affects both sweetness and texture, with firm pears often producing a grainier drink. If keeping washed peel, cut the fruit small enough that the peel does not remain in large pieces.
Wash loose spinach well and drain it before measuring. Blend leaves with the listed liquid before adding dense frozen ingredients. This helps prevent intact leaves from collecting above the blades, particularly in a smaller or less powerful blender.
Ingredient health benefits
- Butternut squash contributes carotenoids that the body can convert into vitamin A.
- Spinach provides vitamin K, needed for normal blood clotting.
Nutrition references: NIH: Vitamin A; NIH: Vitamin K. These are ingredient contributions; nutrition per serving has not been calculated.
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Recipe adapted from Jen Hansard at Simple Green Smoothies. Article text and directions written for Healthy Smoothie Recipes. Supplement omissions and preparation changes mean source nutrition totals do not apply.
