Blueberry Spinach Banana Smoothie
Blueberry spinach banana smoothie is thick, creamy and so satisfying. This blueberry green smoothie is such an easy way to get more veggies in your day and it’s the perfect easy breakfast or healthy snack. Cold and refreshing, this smoothie is the perfect no cook meal when you need something refreshing in the heat of the summer.
Blueberries are one of my personal favorite berries to add to smoothies. Blueberries go with pretty much anything, are packed with antioxidants, and taste great! If you love blueberries, be sure to check out Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie and the Blueberry Blackberry Smoothie.
If you don’t like banana, get this blueberry spinach smoothie without banana.
Why you will love this recipe
- 6 simple ingredients – you likely have all the ingredients you need to make a banana blueberry spinach smoothie in your fridge and pantry right now. If not, they are all easy to find at the grocery store to make smoothies all week.
- Delicious, healthy breakfast or snack – since this smoothie comes together in just 5 minutes, it’s a great filling, naturally sweet breakfast that will keep you feeling energized all morning.
- Easy to turn into a smoothie bowl – if you would rather eat your smoothie with a spoon, this thick and creamy blueberry spinach smoothie can easily be made into a smoothie bowl. Be sure to add your favorite toppings to make it really delicious and fun to eat.
Ingredients
- Frozen blueberries – Blueberries are sweet, flavorful and make the smoothie a beautiful color when blended up. I recommend using frozen blueberries, they are easy to keep on hand and help to make the smoothie thick and creamy when blended. If you don’ that have frozen blueberries, you can use fresh, just be sure to add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of ice to help create the same consistency.
- Baby spinach or frozen spinach – I love adding spinach to smoothies because it adds a veggie without competing with the flavor of the fruit. I almost always have a bag of frozen spinach on hand to add to smoothies. You only need about 1/2 cup of frozen spinach since the spinach is blanched before freezing, you actually get a lot of spinach in a small serving. If you only have fresh baby spinach on hand, add two big handfuls (about 1 cup) to your smoothies without tasting it.
- Frozen banana – banana sweetens the smoothie, so the riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie will be. Using frozen banana really helps to create a thick, creamy smoothie. Freezing bananas is very easy, peel the banana, break it into pieces and place it in the freezer in a freezer safe bag or container.
- Almond butter – almond butter adds some healthy fat and a slight almond flavor. It also helps to make the smoothie more filling. You could also use peanut butter, sunbutter, tahini, coconut butter or cashew butter in place of the almond butter.
- Milk – use dairy free milk (like almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, etc.) or regular milk (skim, 2%) for this recipe. If you don’t have milk, you can use water or coconut water.
- Yogurt (regular or dairy free) – yogurt makes the smoothie creamy and gives it a slight tangy flavor. Use Greek yogurt add more protein (helping to make it more filling).
How to make blueberry spinach banana smoothie
Step 1: Measure out the ingredients into a high speed blender.
Step 2: Blend on high until smooth (45 seconds – 1 minute).
Top tips
- Use frozen fruit for a thick, creamy smoothie that has the most flavor. If you don’t have frozen fruit, add some ice (about 1/2 -1 cup) to help make the smoothie cold, refreshing and thick. The ice can water down the flavor, so use less milk if you are adding ice.
- Freeze fruit in advance – if you think of it the night before, you can freeze fresh fruit for smoothies the next day. Check out all my tips and tricks on how to freeze fruit for smoothies. Freezing fruit that is going bad or won’t be enjoyed before it spoils is a great way to ensure it doesn’t go to waste.
- Meal prep! Make a few batches of this blueberry spinach banana smoothie to enjoy all week by making smoothie freezer packs. Essentially measure out all the ingredients (except for the milk) into freezer safe bags or container. When you are ready to make your smoothie, pour the contents of the freezer bag into the blender and add milk. Blend and enjoy! Get all my tips on how to meal prep smoothies to make your mornings a breeze!
- Add more protein – make your smoothies even more filling by adding protein (with protein powder, hemp hearts, collagen, etc.) or using Greek yogurt in this recipe.
- Make it dairy free and vegan – use dairy free milk and a dairy free based yogurt (like coconut yogurt, almond milk yogurt or cashew yogurt).
- Add some sweetness if needed – this spinach blueberry banana smoothie is naturally sweetened from the bananas. If your banana isn’t super ripe, you may need to add just a little honey, maple syrup, or a date or two (pitted) to get your desired taste.
Other additions
- Chia seeds or flax seeds – make your smoothie even thicker and more filling by adding a tablespoon of chia seeds or flax seeds (or ground flax).
- Spices – add warming spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice to change up the flavor of this smoothie slightly.
- Oats – thicken the smoothie and make it more filling by adding some oats to the recipe. Adding about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of oats will thicken the consistency without overpowering the flavors.
- Sweetness – add some maple syrup, honey, medjool dates (pitted) for some added sweetness. If the bananas you are using were not super ripe, a tablespoon of sweetener might be needed.
- Protein – use Greek yogurt, add vanilla or peanut butter protein powder, collagen peptides, hemp hearts, white beans to make it more filling. Not sure what protein powder would be best, check out my favorite protein powders for smoothies.
Common questions
Can you make this smoothie without banana
Yes, you can make this smoothie without adding banana (there are a few alternatives).
Banana adds sweetness and a creamy texture to the smoothie, especially if you are using frozen banana. If you need to make this smoothie without banana, some great options are to use frozen mango, avocado, oatmeal or Greek yogurt in place of the banana.
Be sure to also add some sweetness if you are not using the mango to replace the banana. A good start would be 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey or using pitted dates for sweetness.
Can you make this into a smoothie bowl?
This banana spinach blueberry smoothie is thick and creamy and would be perfect as a smoothie bowl. To make the perfect smoothie bowl texture, use slightly less liquid (about 1/3 cup) to ensure the texture is thick and creamy but still easy to blend in the blender.
Don’t forget to add toppings to your smoothie bowl like fresh berries, nut butter, chopped nuts, granola or coconut flakes for crunchy, fun to eat meal.
Can you make a smoothie in a food processor?
Typically smoothies are made in the blender but you can certainly use your food processor to make smoothies if that is all you have on hand.
The trick is to add just enough liquid (start with 1/4 cup for this recipe) to get things blending, then add more liquid as you go. This helps ensure the fruit gets broken down completely.
Can you taste spinach in smoothies?
Spinach is very neutral in flavor and disappears in the background of the smoothie, especially if you have added a strong fruit like banana. Be sure to use baby spinach or frozen spinach for the best flavor.
I find that large spinach leaves tend to have more flavor and can start to compete with the fruit in smoothies. Use less frozen spinach than fresh.
Is this blueberry green smoothie healthy?
Naturally sweetened and made with simple whole foods ingredients, this smoothie is a great way to get in fruits, veggies and healthy fats.
Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, fiber, Vitamins C and K, manganese, potassium, iron, zinc and are low in calories but packed with flavor.
Bananas are full of vitamin B6, fiber, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin C, manganese.
Spinach is a great source of fiber and is full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium (WebMD).
What to do with leftover smoothie
Smoothies really are best right away as the frozen fruit blends together to make the smoothie thick and creamy. As the smoothie sits out (or even in the fridge) it ends to get watered down and isn’t quite as refreshing because it’s not ice cold. If you have some leftovers, there are two options:
- Store it in the fridge and blend with some ice right before enjoying the leftovers.
- Pour the smoothie into an ice cube tray or popsicle mold. Use the frozen cubes in other smoothies to add flavor or blend with milk to create a new smoothie later.
Substitutions
- Frozen blueberries – use fresh blueberries with ice (about 1/4 cup), frozen strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or cherries in place of the blueberries.
- Frozen spinach – use fresh baby spinach or replace the frozen spinach with frozen kale. You can also use frozen zucchini or frozen cauliflower rice in place of the frozen spinach.
- Frozen banana – use regular banana and ice (about 1/2 cup) or replace the banana with frozen mango or avocado, oats, or Greek yogurt and a sweetener of choice to replace the sweetness from the banana.
- Almond butter – use peanut butter, sunbutter, tahini, cashew butter or 2 tablespoons of your favorite nut or seed.
- Milk – use any milk you have on hand. If you don’t have milk, you can use coconut water or water.
- Yogurt – if you don’t have yogurt, replace it with milk and about 1.4 cup of oats or half an avocado.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Raspberry Spinach Smoothie
- Banana Strawberry Spinach Smoothie
- Banana Pineapple Spinach Smoothie
- Kiwi Mango Banana Smoothie
Blueberry Spinach Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 banana - medium
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
Instructions
- Measure out the ingredients into a high speed blenders.
- lend on high until smooth (45 seconds – 1 minute).
Equipment
Notes
- Use frozen fruit for a thick, creamy smoothie that has the most flavor. If you don’t have frozen fruit, add some ice (about 1/2 -1 cup) to help make the smoothie cold, refreshing and thick. The ice can water down the flavor, so use less milk if you are adding ice.
- Freeze fruit in advance – if you think of it the night before, you can freeze fresh fruit for smoothies the next day. Check out all my tips and tricks on how to freeze fruit for smoothies. Freezing fruit that is going bad or won’t be enjoyed before it spoils is a great way to ensure it doesn’t go to waste.
- Meal prep! Make a few batches of this blueberry spinach banana smoothie to enjoy all week by making smoothie freezer packs. Essentially measure out all the ingredients (except for the milk) into freezer safe bags or container. When you are ready to make your smoothie, pour the contents of the freezer bag into the blender and add milk. Blend and enjoy! Get all my tips on how to meal prep smoothies to make your mornings a breeze!
- Add more protein – make your smoothies even more filling by adding protein (with protein powder, hemp hearts, collagen, etc.) or using Greek yogurt in this recipe.
- Make it dairy free and vegan – use dairy free milk and a dairy free based yogurt (like coconut yogurt, almond milk yogurt or cashew yogurt).
- Add some sweetness if needed – this spinach blueberry banana smoothie is naturally sweetened from the bananas. If your banana isn’t super ripe, you may need to add just a little honey, maple syrup, or a date or two (pitted) to get your desired taste.
