10 Vegetable Smoothie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables are good in smoothies? ›

The best green vegetables to add to smoothies in terms of flavor profile and nutritional value include spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, and avocado (which is technically a fruit but is more commonly used as a vegetable).

Some of the best fruits and veggies to juice together include citrus fruits, leafy greens, carrots, beets, berries, melons, pineapple, grapes, and apples. These all blend beautifully into sweet-tart combinations. Avoid overdoing starchy fruits like bananas and avocados or strong-flavored veggies like garlic and onions.

Many people have found that adding smoothies to their daily routine helps to curb their cravings for unhealthy foods. Smoothies that contain green vegetables like kale and celery provide many health benefits. Here is some information about why drinking a green smoothie a day is good for your mind and body.

Spinach is one of the best options, since it has a mild taste. Kale, chard, and collard greens can also be used in smoothies, but they should be paired with sweet fruits and other flavor boosters that disguise their bitter taste. Both raw and frozen leafy greens can be added to smoothies.

Try frozen vegetables or fresh vegetables. Trust us, you'll hardly notice them in the glass when your smoothie is blended up with fruit too. Here's a guide to making healthy vegetable smoothies including the best and worst vegetables to use.

1. Fruits and Starchy Vegetables: Mixing acidic fruits like citrus fruits and tomatoes with starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas can slow down digestion and cause bloating, gas, and discomfort.

This can be milk, or a dairy-free alternative such as soya or almond milk, natural or flavoured yogurt, fruit juice, or for a tropical flavoured smoothie, low-fat coconut milk or coconut water. It's important to add the liquid to your blender before adding the fruit, as this will prevent the blade from getting damaged.

If you're adding nuts or cashews to your smoothie, they can cause problems as they're hard for the digestive system to break down. Another common culprit could be your protein. Many cheap proteins are filled with unnecessary fillers and artificial sugars that can cause digestive upset.

Overall, drinking smoothies will increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. This increase in consumption provides a diverse array of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. so it's a big Yes, homemade frozen smoothies are healthy – go on, get blending!

It's a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that protect the eyes from damaging UV light and promote overall eye health. Try it: Blend spinach with other delicious fruits and vegetables to make a green smoothie that's full of fiber, healthy fats, vitamin A, and iron at only 230 calories.

Can I drink smoothies instead of eating vegetables? ›

Drinking smoothies doesn't mean you have a healthy, balanced diet. We all need to eat more fruit and veg, and a 150ml portion of smoothie is one way to help you towards that, but it's not the only thing to think about when it comes to eating well.

Because smoothies are loaded with fruits and vegetables, they also tend to be loaded with fiber. This can help bridge the gap between your normal fiber intake and the USDA's suggested fiber intake, lowering your risks of chronic illnesses and improving your overall health.

The most popular vegetable to add to veggie smoothies is raw baby spinach since it has little to no flavor and adds a wonderful green color to smoothies. For the more adventurous, other leafy green vegetables to try in your vegetable smoothies include: romaine lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens.

Unlike juicing, blending can incorporate all of the edible parts of fruits and vegetables — including the skin, seeds and pulp — so a smoothie can be nutritionally very similar to eating the produce whole, said Mary Ann Lila, a professor of food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences at North Carolina State University.