Green Smoothie with Banana and Avocado

Here’s a basic green smoothie recipe featuring kale, collards, or spinach, made filling and tasty with banana and avocado. It’s a great way to start the day, or a perfect mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Banana gives this beverage heft, and half of an avocado gives this smoothie a particularly nice mouth feel.

Tips for great green smoothies

• If using kale or collards, a high-speed blender is preferable to make this nice and smooth. A regular blender is just fine for handling baby spinach.
• It’s a good idea to vary the kind of greens you use in your smoothies, especially if you get into the habit of making them daily.
• Spinach, kale, and collards have the best flavors for blending into greens—spinach is so mild, in fact, that if you close your eyes and just taste, you hardly know it’s there.
• A common ratio for green smoothies is about 60% fruit and 40% greens. It isn’t always possible to measure precisely, though a somewhat larger ratio of fruit makes the smoothie more palatable. Once your palate adjusts, though, there’s nothing to keep you from using more leafy greens than fruit.

Try adding hemp seeds to this smoothie

Hemp seeds are suggested as an optional ingredient, but I highly recommend using them! They’re one of the best, most concentrated sources of Omega 3 fatty acids — even better (and tastier) than flaxseeds. They make a great addition to this creamy smoothie.

Look for hemp seeds at most any natural foods market and some well-stocked supermarkets. Whether you use them or not, this filling smoothie makes a great way to start a day. Learn lots more in our Guide to Hemp Seeds.

Recipe is adapted from Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas. Photos by Susan Voisin, FatFreeVegan.

Explore more …

• Baby spinach recipes
• Spinach and Mango Smoothie
• Vegan avocado recipes
• Kale and Pear Smoothie

Continue to Content

Yield: 2

Green Smoothie with Banana and Avocado

Print

This basic green smoothie featuring banana, avocado, and hardy greens or spinach is a great way to start the day.

Prep Time 7 minutes

Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium curly kale or collard leaves, torn, or a couple of big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1 medium banana (see note for freezing)
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado
• 2 cups plain or vanilla plant-based milk
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds, optional (but highly recommended)
• Lemon juice, to taste
• Agave or maple syrup, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the greens, banana, plant-based milk, and optional hemp seeds in a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Add lemon juice and agave to taste and blend briefly again.
2. Divide between two 12-ounce tumblers. Serve at once at room temperature or add a couple of ice cubes (unless you've used frozen banana).

Notes

If you like your smoothies nice and cold, freeze the banana ahead of time. Peel, then cut into 1/2-inch slices. Put in a covered container, then freeze for several hours or better yet, overnight — since chances are, this is the kind of smoothie you’d enjoy in the morning.

See lots more refreshing beverages