I pretty much always have the ingredients to throw together this five-ingredient smoothie in a matter of minutes.
So even if I’ve ended up eating a random assortment of different recipes I might be testing out for ABM, I can still get a big serving of green vegetables in anytime.
Related: 50+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas and Date Shake
I thought I’d share my current favorite “recipe” with you all in case you are in need of some green smoothie inspiration. 🙂
Favorite 5 Ingredient Green Smoothie, serves one.
3 frozen spinach cubes
2 frozen slices of banana (about 1 to 1.5 oz.)
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
1 cup almond milk (original, unsweetened)
The real magic behind why I can pretty much always make this smoothie so fast is because I always have an ice tray of frozen spinach cubes in my freezer. Just blend a whole bunch at once with a little water and freeze in a tray.
I buy spinach for this purpose. But this also works great if you have some greens (spinach, kale, or any hearty greens) that are leftover or about to turn on you. Blend them up with some water and freeze them!
You won’t find yourself ever throwing out greens again and it makes throwing a smoothie together super quick and easy.
I also always have a big bag of frozen banana slices in my freezer too. You could also use fresh banana, but having it frozen in small slices allows me to add just a little bit at a time (for sweetness mostly) without wasting any.
Combine all the ingredients together in a good blender (I LOVE my Vitamix for this!) and blend until very smooth, almost like juice!
I will sometimes add something to the top of my smoothie, which I usually eat at the end after I’ve finishing the whole thing. Usually it’s a bit of granola or chopped nuts.
But adding anything else is totally optional, I often leave my smoothie naked too. Thanks for letting me share! xo. Emma
Get our FREE recipe guide with our most popular recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 frozen spinach cubes
- 2 slices of banana (frozen )
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
Instructions
- The real magic behind why I can pretty much always make this smoothie so fast is because I always have an ice tray of frozen spinach cubes in my freezer. Just blend a whole bunch at once with a little water and freeze in a tray.
- Combine all the ingredients together in a good blender and blend until very smooth.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
My favorite is banana, spinach, kale, maca powder, cacao powder, chocolate cashew milk, and a glob of peanut butter. It looks pretty gross but tastes FANTASTIC. It’s filling too and the maca gives you a good energy.
Where did you get those drinking glasses? !!!
Mostly I’ve read that it may not actually do anything, like the health benefits haven’t been proven yet. But I wasn’t really sure how up to date that info was. Also a few sources mentioned that some people can be allergic, I haven’t noticed any symptoms in myself when I eat this but could be something others want to be aware of. Also, I’m pretty sure bee pollen is not usually recommended for pregnant or nursing women, but agin, I’m not in that category so I don’t really have much to say about it. Just curious if others out there had more info for me.
-Emma
I’d put it at medium filling. I usually have this and maybe a piece of whole grain toast at the same time or an hour or two later. If you add granola to the top, chopped nuts, or add more almond butter this could make it even more filling than what I have listed here.
-Emma
I usually use mine up pretty fast (like a week or two) because I eat this all the time. But, probably a pretty long time (like months) since freezing things is a great way to preserve for long periods. Just make sure your ice cube tray has a lid / top, or you can cover it with aluminum foil or something. Other items in your freezer could potentially transfer over and odor or taste over time without this step.
-Emma
Really?!?! That’s pretty awesome.
-Emma
I just bought it at my grocery store, it’s just a cheap one. The greens will turn it, well, green over time so just keep that in mind.
-Emma
Don’t turn your back…. that kale is giving you the stink eye.
🙂
-Emma
I like all these suggestions! Figs are fairly sweet too, and of course you could always add a little bit of honey or maple syrup if you wanted.
-Emma
I put a whole bag or package of spinach (or other greens) into my blender (raw). Then I add a few tablespoons of water. I blend and it seems to still be chunky or parts aren’t blending enough I add another tablespoon or two of water and blend some more. Once I get a fairly smooth consistency I pour into my ice tray, cover, and freeze until I want to use them.
It’s the kind of thing I don’t really measure, I just get a consistency I like. You’ll use a little more water on heartier greens, like kale.
-Emma
I thought bee pollen is super healthy – it has many antioxidants, minerals, vitamins (B-group) and is generally beneficent for your immune system. What information did you find that your opinion on them is mixed?
Must Try it out now!!
Just made this! Delicious! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Avocado should work for consistency, it obviously won’t add any sweetness though. Maybe avocado and a date!
I’m going to try this. I’ve never tried green smoothies before, mostly because I never have that much fresh produce on hand. But with frozen spinach cubes, it seems like it would be rather easy. I’m also going to put on my big girl pants and try the coconut flakes. I don’t actually like coconut – it’s a texture thing. But in a smoothie, it sounds like texture is not an issue. Question though – how is this on the filling level? Is it really filling, or is this more for just getting the nutrients? Could anything be added to make it more filling?
Bee Pollen is supposed to be eaten from local bees… if you suffer from allergies, it can help ease them during the season of much sneezing! It’s also supposed to be great for adding a boost to your energy levels… we used to take a few grains of it a day when I was a kid… I haven’t used it in years, but I remember my Mom saying she thought it did give her more energy! 🙂
Love the idea for the frozen green cubes!
This looks delicious, need to try it out tomorrow morning 🙂
http://kawellkasell.blogspot.de
Nom nom nom!
Is the spinach cooked before becoming cubes?
That’s not a bad idea – thanks for the suggestion!
This doesn’t have something to do with this recipe directly, but i would love a post about some blender and food processors or kitchen accessories in general that you would recomend (or not) since you must have tried a lot over the years!
This smoothie looks very tasty!