A mixed berry bag makes this green smoothie easy to vary without buying several fruits separately. Banana rounds out the tartness, and spinach adds leaves. Water keeps the base simple so the chosen berry mixture remains the main flavor.
Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Mixed Berry Spinach Banana Smoothie
A mixed berry bag makes this green smoothie easy to vary without buying several fruits separately.
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 spinach
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries
- 0.5 banana, peeled
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
Check for a plain, unsweetened fruit mix. A blackberry-heavy bag differs from one dominated by strawberries. Keep the fruit quantity unchanged when comparing brands so flavor is the main variable.
Use a plain berry mix without syrup or dessert toppings. Different blends have different proportions of strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry. Keeping the measured total constant makes it easier to notice which combination gives the flavor and seed texture you prefer.
A banana with a few brown speckles gives a different sweetness from a firm, barely ripe one. Slice it before freezing, keeping pieces separate. This makes measuring easier and avoids a large frozen mass that the blender cannot move.
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
- Spinach contributes iron, used in oxygen-carrying hemoglobin.
- Banana contributes potassium, needed for normal muscle and nerve function.
Nutrition references: NIH: Iron; MedlinePlus: Potassium. 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.
