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Apple Banana Spinach Smoothie

Spinach apple banana smoothie is naturally sweetened and great for breakfast on the go! So easy to make and ready in just 3 minutes, this healthy banana spinach smoothie tastes like candy, even your kids will love it!

Thick, creamy and refreshing, this smoothie is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and can easily be nut free!

Banana apple spinach smoothie with orange striped straw in cup.
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Why you will love this recipe

  • Easy to make – this banana apple spinach smoothie requires very little prep time, simply cut up your apple and measure the rest of the ingredients into the blender. Blend on high for about 1 minute and you are ready to go!
  • Naturally sweetened, no junk ingredients – this smoothie uses the natural sugars from the banana and apple to sweeten the smoothie and honestly it tastes like candy when you use ripe banana and sweet apples! I promise the only way you will know there are veggies in this smoothie is because of the color, they blend into the background!
  • Thick, creamy, and filling – the banana, cauliflower rice and cashews help to make this smoothie super thick and filling. The chia seeds help to thicken the smoothie even more and add fiber to help you feel full for longer!
  • A great way to get in veggies – people often tend to have trouble getting veggies in their breakfast and green smoothies are an easy way to get in more veggies. This apple banana spinach smoothie actually adds more veggies with the optional cauliflower rice. Both baby spinach and cauliflower rice are very neutral veggies and blend right into the background, you don’t even know they are there!
  • Great way to use up your apples in the fall when it still feels like summer!
Ingredients to make spinach apple banana smoothie.

Ingredients

  • Apple –fuji or pink lady apples are great in this recipe because they are naturally sweet and delicious! If you want a slightly less sweet smoothie, you could use a granny smith apple! No need to peel the apple, just remove it from the core and cut it into pieces (this makes blending it easier).
  • Spinach – baby spinach is very neutral tasting and blends well into smoothies. It doesn’t have thick stalks and is very mild and delicate (making it very easy to blend up). Baby spinach is often what is sold in the clamshells at grocery stores and in the salad bags at most grocery stores. Larger spinach leaves with thicker stems is often found in the bulk spinach or in the bulk bags of spinach sold for juicing.
  • Banana – start with using just half of a banana, as the apple and banana combination are very sweet together. The riper your banana, the sweeter the smoothie. You can store leftover banana in the fridge in the peel overnight or slice it into coins and freeze for later use! If you decide that the smoothie is not sweet enough, you can always blend in the rest of the banana after tasting it!
  • Chia seeds – chia seeds are a great way to get in more fiber and help to thicken the smoothie, as chia seeds absorb 8 times their weight in water. They can help you feel fuller longer!
  • Cashews (optional) – instead of using nut milk, I like to use cashews + water instead. This helps ensure you are getting the fiber and healthy fats from the nuts and eliminates any gums or emulsifiers that are in most commercial nut milks. You can use whatever nut or seed you love. Pecans and walnuts are also great in this smoothie or you could use sunflower seeds, hemp hearts or pumpkin seeds to keep it nut free!
  • Water + ice – adding ice to smoothies can help keep them cold and refreshing but also help keep them from getting overly frothy in the blender. I prefer using ice when most of the ingredients for the smoothie are not frozen ahead of time. If you are using frozen spinach + frozen cauliflower rice, you can omit the ice and add between ¼ and ½ cup of water in place of the ice.
  • Cauliflower rice (optional) – frozen cauliflower rice is one of my secret ingredients when it comes to making thick and creamy smoothies. It blends into the background easily (it doesn’t have a strong flavor) and really helps to thicken the smoothie. It also adds another serving of veggies and can help make the smoothie more filling thanks to the fiber! If you can tolerate frozen cauliflower rice, I highly suggest adding it. I do not recommend using fresh cauliflower rice as I find it has a stronger flavor than frozen.

How to make apple spinach banana smoothies

Check out the step by step story on how to make spinach apple banana smoothies!

Start by coring the apple and cutting the apple into smaller chunks. Add the apple to the bottom of the blender.

Apple cut into cubes for smoothie.

Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed to the blender.

Ingredients to make spinach apple banana smoothie in blender cup.

Blend on high about 1 minute until smooth. Serve immediately.

Banana spinach apple smoothie after blending.

Top tips

  • No need to peel your apple: Apple peel contains fiber and blends right into the smoothie when using a high speed blender, be sure to wash your apples before using. Because you are eating the peel, I recommend using organic apples when possible.
  • You can use frozen spinach: If you find that fresh spinach often goes bad before you use it, you can put an entire clamshell of fresh spinach in the freezer. This is perfect for making smoothies, as it’s not blanched ahead of time, so it retains all the vitamins and minerals. You do not need to change the recipe at all if you do this. If you buy frozen spinach from the grocery store, it’s blanched before freezing, and you will only need ½ cup of frozen store bought spinach.
  • Freeze leftover bananas for use in other smoothies: You can freeze bananas and use frozen bananas in this recipe. The riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie.
  • If you don’t have a high speed blender, combine the spinach, cauliflower rice and water together first to ensure there are no large chunks of veggies in your smoothie. Next add the nuts and blend again to get them as broken down as possible before adding the rest of the ingredients and blending again.
  • Add ice to make the smoothie cold! Because most of the ingredients in this smoothie are stored on the counter, I like to add ice as I like my smoothies to be very cold. Adding ice can also help reduce the amount of froth produced in the blender.
  • If you are using a bullet style blender, use the largest cup you have or blend the spinach with the water before adding the rest of the ingredients are combined to ensure you have enough room in your blender. I layer the ingredients in the largest cup so the weight of the apples helps to push the spinach leaves down into the liquid as it’s blending.
Two glasses full of spinach apple banana smoothies.

Other additions

  • Fresh or dried ginger: Use about 2 tablespoons fresh or ½ teaspoon of dried ginger to give this smoothie a kick from ginger!
  • Cinnamon: Add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to give this smoothie a distinct fall flavor!
  • Avocado: Avocado is a great source of healthy fats and can help to make your smoothies thick and creamy!
  • Protein powder: Protein powder is a great addition to smoothies and can help make the smoothies more balance in carbs/fat/protein.
  • Hemp hearts: Hemp hearts are a great source of healthy fats and protein! Hemp hearts can be found at most grocery stores and blend right into your smoothies!

Storage

  • Fridge: Store leftover apple banana spinach smoothie in the fridge for 24 hours.
  • Freezer: Freeze leftover spinach banana apple smoothie in silicone ice cubes for use in later smoothies for up to 3 months. Simply freeze solid into cubes then pop the cubes out and store the in a freezer safe bag. I like to write the name of the recipe on the bag, the date they are stored and the use-by date on the bag.

Substitutions

  • Apple: you can also use pear in place of apples in this recipe for a similar texture and fall flavor.
  • Banana: If you don’t love bananas or cannot have banana, you could use 2 pitted medjool dates for a fun twist on this smoothie.
  • Spinach: If you don’t have spinach on hand, you can use frozen spinach, frozen kale, baby kale or just use more frozen cauliflower rice.
  • Chia seeds: Chia seeds help to thicken the smoothie. You could also use ground flax in place of the chia seeds for a similar result. If you don’t have chia seeds or ground flax, you can omit them.
  • Cashews: The cashews + water make their own cashew milk. I prefer this over using store bought nut milk. You can use any nuts or seeds you have on hand for this. This recipe would be great with walnuts, pecans, almond, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts in place of the cashews. You can omit the nuts completely and use ½ -1 cup almond milk in place of the water if you prefer.
  • Water: You can also use your favorite nut milk or dairy milk (not vegan) in place of the water if you prefer.
  • Frozen cauliflower rice: If you don’t have frozen cauliflower rice, you can simply omit it as it’s optional.
Spinach apple banana smoothie on a wooden trivet.

If you love this smoothie, you should try

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Apple banana spinach smoothie in glass with straw and banana on top.

Apple Banana Spinach Smoothie

$2.24 Recipe/$2.24 Serving
Banana apple spinach smoothie is great for breakfast on the go! Ready in 3 minutes, this vegan smoothie is naturally sweetened and so delicious! Kid friendly and can be a great after school snack too!
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Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple banana spinach smoothie, banana apple spinach smoothie, spinach apple banana smoothie
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 medium apple (Fuji, Pink Lady or Granny Smith) - $0.79
  • 1/2 medium banana - $0.10
  • 1 cup baby spinach - $0.50
  • 2 tbsp. cashews (or nut or seed of choice) - $0.24
  • 1/2 cup water - $0.00
  • 1/2 cup ice - $0.00
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds - $0.11
  • 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower rice (optional) - $0.50

Instructions

  • Wash the apple, Cut the apple from the core and cut into small chunks. Add apple to the blender.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender in the order listed.
  • Blend on high at least 1 minute until smooth.

Notes

Tips
  • If you don’t have a high speed blender, combine the spinach, cauliflower rice and water together first to ensure there are no large chunks of veggies in your smoothie. Next add the nuts and blend again to get them as broken down as possible before adding the rest of the ingredients and blending again.
  • Add ice to make the smoothie cold! Because most of the ingredients in this smoothie are stored on the counter, I like to add ice as I like my smoothies to be very cold. Adding ice can also help reduce the amount of froth produced in the blender.
  • If you are using a bullet style blender, use the largest cup you have or blend the spinach with the water before adding the rest of the ingredients are combined to ensure you have enough room in your blender. I layer the ingredients in the largest cup so the weight of the apples helps to push the spinach leaves down into the liquid as it’s blending.
  • To make the smoothie less sweet, only use 1/2 of the apple. To make the smoothie sweeter, add more banana. 

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
396
Fat
 
18
g
Carbohydrates
 
58
g
Fiber
 
13
g
Sugar
 
30
g
Protein
 
11
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

Recipe Rating




Sarah (www.dietofcommonsense.com)

Thursday 7th of October 2021

Love it! It tastes amazing and is very filling! Thank you for sharing.

John Ward

Friday 17th of September 2021

Looks delicious! I'm going to have to try this out next time I pick up some items from the grocery store.