Banana Spinach Smoothie
This banana spinach smoothie is a great way to start your day. It also makes a refreshing and healthy snack. The banana adds natural sweetness and creaminess, while the spinach adds nutrients and a boost of green. Customize this recipe by adding other ingredients such as protein powder, or seeds. Happy blending!
I’ve been a fan of the green smoothie going way back to the day when I first read about it in Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman talks a lot about the concepts of nutrient density. It makes sense — get the most nutrients you can from the fewest amount of calories, and you’ll be on the right track.
I never really enjoyed spinach until the green smoothie arrived in my life. Now I eat it all the time.
That said, if you’re looking for a fruit smoothie, this blueberry purple smoothie bowl is a favorite!
Banana Spinach Smoothie Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Lemon — We’ll use both the zest and the juice of the lemon.
- Oats — I used rolled oats for this recipe, but you can substitute instant oats.
- Chia — We’ll add some ground chia seeds to create a thicker texture. You can use whole chia seeds; I just prefer ground because it creates a smoother finished texture.
- Syrup — I used maple syrup, but you can substitute agave nectar.
- Milk — We’ll use almond milk for the best overnight oats! Substitute your favorite plant-based milk.
- Yogurt — I love adding some plant-based yogurt (plain, unsweetened) for an even more tangy flavor.
- Protein Powder — I add some vanilla protein powder for increased flavor and nutrients. If your protein powder is not sweetened, you may want to add an extra teaspoon or two of sweetener.
- Cornstarch — We’ll use cornstarch to thicken the lemon curd topping.
- Turmeric — A pinch of turmeric makes that lemon curd sunny yellow.
- Milk — I prefer to add a few raw almonds into the blender. Combined with the other ingredients, it creates an almond milk flavor. You can substitute 1/2 cup of your favorite plant-based milk.
- Green Tea — You’ll need 1 green tea bag.
- Bananas — I add 2 bananas, but one banana will work too.
- Spinach — Use fresh spinach for the best results. Frozen spinach has been parboiled and is not recommended for this recipe.
- Matcha powder — We’ll add a bit of matcha powder to add some zing and energy to your day!
- Ice — Adding ice makes this smoothie creamy and smooth!
Best Green Tea Spinach Smoothie
We’re all after the same thing — whether vegan, paleo, vegetarian, pescetarian, frutarian, or whatever arian you are — we’re all trying to do the things to feel our best. We want energy and vibrancy. Clear headedness. Good digestion.
If you fit into this category too, then you’ll love this matcha banana spinach smoothie. It’s loaded with so many good-for-you nutrients and phytochemicals, for example:
- potassium
- fiber
- iron
- calcium
- protein
- flavonoids.
That’s only the highlight reel. If you’d like to learn more about smoothie benefits, check out my Why Green Smoothies Matter podcast episode. I was so persuasive, I even got Shawn on board!
My new saying? The Couple that drinks green smoothies together, stays together. 🙂
Can I make this into a matcha smoothie?
Matcha is green tea leaves ground into a powder. So, by using green tea in this recipe, you technically have a green tea powder smoothie (aka a matcha smoothie). The burst of green and green tea flavor will create a delicious matcha tea smoothie!
Do matcha smoothies taste good?
Of course, healthy is only one part of the equation of a smoothie. It doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t taste great. But the good news is, matcha banana smoothies are so smooth and delicious, you’ll be scraping the blender with the spatula to get every last drop of this tea shake!
This Green Tea Breakfast Smoothie is a perfect way to start out the day because green tea is so nutritious.
Marly’s Tips
- My favorite smoothie tip involves clean-up. When you’ve scraped the goodness from the blender, add some soapy hot water, put on the lid, and blend that for a second or two. Then scrub any necessary parts and give it a rinse, and you’re done!
- This recipe uses spinach only, but you can easily add other greens, like kale and chard too.
- For a spiced green tea smoothie, add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, ground cinnamon, or ground turmeric
More Vegan Smoothies
If you love this banana and spinach smoothie, you will love this vanilla smoothie bowl. Here are more tasty smoothies to try as well:
Subscribe and get a free Easy Vegan Recipes eBook
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
Matcha Banana Spinach Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon raw almonds (substitute ½ cup plant-based milk)
- 1 green tea bag
- 2 bananas
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 -2 teaspoons matcha powder
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- Place the nuts (or plant-based milk) in a cup along with ½ cup of water and the green tea bag (many tea bags work in cold water). Allow the tea to steep for about 5 minutes)
- In the meantime, place the peeled bananas and the spinach in a blender, along with the matcha powder.
- When the tea is ready (you'll know when it gets nice and green), pour the tea and the nuts into a blender. Pulse on low for a few seconds. Remove the lid and push down the ingredients from the side of the blender. Blend again. You may need to repeat this step several times. Once everything is roughly blended, switch the blender to high until a smooth consistency is reached.
- Add the ice and pulse again until the ice is pulverized.
- Pour into a glass (or glasses) and serve immediately.
Recommended Equipment
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Enjoy!
I made this for breakfast and it was delicious. One change I made is that I keep green tea ice cubes in my freezer at all times. I use them in my smoothies so I don’t need to add ice. I also used a small amount of oat milk.
Thanks, Tammy! So glad you like this recipe and I’m completely in awe of your idea for green tea ice cubes. Love it!
Use a good quality matcha powder. The matcha should have a rich green colour. This will make a big difference in both the taste and the benefits the matcha will have. Depending on the size of your fruit and your preferred smoothie texture, you may need more or less almond milk in the recipe. Start with less and add more as you blend if needed.
First off i love starting my day with a green smoothie, awesome way to jump start my day. I love green tea too so this is the perfect combination of ingredients, going to have to try this. Looks good.
You and me, Nicole! We are the green tea people! Once you get on the green tea kick, you can’t go back. It’s the best stuff! In fact…I’m drinking a glass right now! 🙂
I love using tea as the liquid for my smoothies. It creates so many more options! Green tea is a great one to use, too, both for taste and nutrition!
I know, Marissa! It really does open up lots of options to adding even more healthiness for the smoothie…as if they needed that! 🙂
Mmmm. This looks delicious! My hubby and I drink green smoothies most days. I think we would really like this. Never thought of using green tea in a smoothie before. Thanks for sharing.
So delicious! I love that you added the green tea!
Thanks, Melisa! It definitely adds some punch to the green. 🙂
Ahhh, this looks incredibly refreshing and so good for you! I have that Eat To Live book but I haven’t looked at it in a while. I love everything about this smoothie!
Thanks Miss Aggie! It’s a great book with a lot of things that make ya go hmmmm in it. And the smoothie? It has a lot of things that make you go Mmmmm in it! Well, that worked out quite nicely! 🙂