Cucumber, apple, lemon, and ginger give this vegetable-heavy smoothie a crisp flavor. Spinach and kale supply the leafy base, and avocado adds softness. It is intended to taste fresh and tart rather than resemble a sweet berry or chocolate drink.
Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Cucumber Apple Lemon Greens Smoothie
Cucumber, apple, lemon, and ginger give this vegetable-heavy smoothie a crisp flavor.
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
- 0.5 lemon peeled
- 1 cucumber peeled
- 0.5 cup spinach
- 0.5 cup kale
- 0.5 cup water
- 1 apple, cored
- 0.25 avocado, peeled and stone removed
- 1 inch ginger root
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
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
Peel tough or bitter cucumber skin and core the apple. Chop ginger finely. Peel and seed the lemon completely, since leaving peel attached makes the citrus flavor much stronger than intended.
Wash cucumber and decide whether its peel suits the recipe. Thick or bitter skin can dominate a mild fruit combination. Cut large pieces smaller before blending, and remove oversized mature seeds if they make the flesh watery or unpleasant on its own.
Remove the full apple core, including seeds and hard stem attachments. Small pieces blend more readily than large wedges. Washed peel can stay where your machine handles it well, but a coarse texture may call for peeling in a later version.
Ingredient health benefits
- Spinach contributes iron, used in oxygen-carrying hemoglobin.
- Kale provides vitamin K, needed for normal blood clotting.
Nutrition references: NIH: Iron; 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.
