12 Refreshing Vegetable Smoothie Recipes That Don’t Taste Like Salad
In theory, you know you should eat more veggies. In practice? Choking down your daily allotment isn’t always easy, especially if you’re not a huge fan of their taste. That’s where smoothies can come in clutch.
Shakes can actually make for an effective vegetable delivery system, particularly for people who aren’t really into cooking or don’t like the texture of the produce, Deborah Murphy, MS, RDN, tells SELF. “You can definitely pack in more veggies in one glass than you might be able to eat in a sitting on your plate,” she says. By liquefying them along with other ingredients like milk, yogurt, frozen fruit, and nut butter, you can create a sweeter taste and still reap all the health benefits veggies bring: They’re great sources of antioxidants and fiber, a type of carbohydrate that not only keeps your digestive system running smoothly, but also can help prevent conditions like constipation, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and maybe even some forms of cancer.
Basically, there are plenty of reasons to eat more of the colorful stuff, and a green smoothie (or otherwise a produce-packed one) can help you get it done. Overall, “it’s a great low-effort, no-extra-time-in-the-kitchen way to add some veggies to your diet,” Murphy says. Need some inspo? Here are 12 vegetable smoothie recipes that’ll deliver tons of necessary vitamins and minerals—along with some solid hydration and flavor.
Shanika Graham-White via Orchids and Sweet Tea1Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie from Orchids + Sweet Tea
This vegan and gluten-free smoothie tastes like a liquid version of sweet potato pie. Puree baked sweet potatoes and combine in a blender with a medium-size frozen banana. Then add cinnamon, nutmeg, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, dairy-free yogurt, almond butter, and almond milk (or another plant-based kind like oat milk). If you’re feeling fancy, you can serve with a topping, like chia seeds, hemp seeds, or fresh fruit. You can even adapt this recipe into a smoothie bowl by freezing the sweet potatoes and bananas and reducing the amount of milk. (Not plant-based? Go ahead and swap in regular yogurt and milk if you’d like, or vice versa; same goes for all the recipes on this list.)
Get the recipe here.
Shanika Graham-White via Orchids and Sweet Tea2Easy Spinach Blueberry Smoothie from Orchids + Sweet Tea
With its stunning purple hue, this vegan smoothie is almost as pretty as it is tasty. You’ll need one cup spinach, plus blueberries (either frozen or fresh will do), dairy-free milk, flaxseed meal, ground cinnamon, and dairy-free yogurt if you have it on hand. Add the blueberries into the blender, followed by the rest of the ingredients. For some extra sweetness, stir in two tablespoons of agave. (Maple syrup also works.) Blend until smooth, add ice or adjust the amount of milk to achieve your desired consistency, and enjoy.
Get the recipe here.
Erin Clarke via Well Plated3Kale Smoothie from Well Plated
Kale smoothies are a classic, so we couldn’t resist including one of those green smoothie recipes in this roundup. Chop up two cups of kale leaves (you’ll want to remove the stems first), then blend with frozen banana slices, plain Greek yogurt, frozen pineapple chunks, peanut butter, honey, and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. That sweet pineapple is really key here; it’ll subdue the bitter taste of the kale.
Get the recipe here.
Emma Christensen via Simply Recipes4Green Mojito Smoothie from Simply Recipes
Lime and mint give this smoothie the taste of a mojito without any alcohol, making it way more refreshing for summer. Blend with coconut water (or regular H2O), torn-up kale leaves, frozen pineapple chunks, and a sweetener—this recipe uses alcohol-free liquid stevia. To make the smoothie extra creamy (and incorporate some healthy fat and extra fiber), you can also add half of a peeled and pitted medium-size avocado.
Get the recipe here.
Sylvia Fountaine via Feasting at Home5Mexican Green Smoothie from Feasting at Home
If you like your food a little hot, this vegan smoothie will spice up your day in the best way possible. Jalapeños add a kick to a blend of orange, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, pineapple, banana, Turkish cucumber (or regular cukes, if that’s all you’ve got), and ice cubes. If you want some bonus veggies, you can also add one cup of baby kale. Once smooth, divide between two glasses, sprinkle chia seeds on top, and drink up.
Get the recipe here.
Marisa Moore via Marisa Moore6Tropical Carrot Cake Smoothie from Marisa Moore
This carrot-rich vegan smoothie will satisfy your sweet tooth while boosting your vitamin A levels. Besides two cups of shredded carrots, you’ll need chopped toasted walnuts, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Meanwhile, pineapple chunks, unsweetened coconut milk (refrigerated, not the canned stuff) and unsweetened coconut flakes will add a tropical twist to the traditional carrot cake taste. Pro tip: Make sure the pineapple chunks are frozen to achieve that perfect, creamy consistency; if you only have fresh pineapple on hand, add ice. Blend until smooth and top with leftover coconut flakes.
Get the recipe here.
Alex Overhiser via A Couple Cooks7Chocolate Zucchini Smoothie from A Couple Cooks
This zucchini-based smoothie requires a little more work than most of the other shakes on this list, but the delicious payoff makes it all worth it. Slice up a medium-size zucchini, place the slices on a baking sheet, and freeze for at least two hours. When they’re ready, blend with ripe room-temperature bananas, a milk of your choice, maple syrup (honey or agave will also do), peanut butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. And don’t forget the secret ingredient that lends this smoothie its chocolatey taste: cocoa powder. You can also add a handful of spinach—that’ll provide even more fiber (along with, fair warning, a slight green tinge.) To boost the sweetness, drizzle in some more maple syrup.
Get the recipe here.
Alex Overhiser via A Couple Cooks8Best Spinach Smoothie from A Couple Cooks
This vegan and gluten-free vegetable smoothie recipe purports to achieve the (nearly) impossible: A spinach smoothie absent of any of that telltale bitterness. With only a few basic ingredients, it doesn’t require much effort to whip up, either, making it perfect for those days when you’re in too much of a rush to put any substantial effort into meals. Slice up a large green apple, then blend with water, raw cashews, ice cubes, maple syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and four cups of spinach (either baby spinach or the regular kind). For a nut-free variation, sub in a banana and frozen mango or pineapple chunks and skip the maple syrup. Thanks to the apple slices, the final result will have a sweet, tart flavor that’ll make it hard to believe it contains any leafy greens at all.
Get the recipe here.
Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen9Chai-Spiced Butternut Squash Smoothie from Ambitious Kitchen
Chai (or its makeshift equivalent) makes any beverage better, and this recipe proves it. Peel a butternut squash, cut into cubes, roast in the oven, and freeze. (You can also buy frozen butternut squash cubes, or sub in pumpkin or sweet potato). Once the cubes are fully frozen, blend a cup’s worth with a frozen ripe banana; plain or vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt; almond, cashew, or pecan butter, and unsweetened almond or coconut milk. Don’t forget to add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, ground ginger, and allspice—that combo is the source of its distinctive chai taste. If you need more sweetness, you can always add some honey, pure maple syrup, or a pitted Medjool date.
Get the recipe here.
Sarah Nevins via A Saucy Kitchen10Orange Sunshine Creamsicle Smoothie from A Saucy Kitchen
With a name like that, this vegan smoothie couldn’t not make this list. Peel and slice up two large oranges (rich in vitamin C!) and a medium-size carrot. Then, blend with a banana (ideally frozen), frozen precooked cauliflower florets, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond milk. If you can’t find the cauliflower in the store, you can easily make your own by steaming raw florets at home. To tone down the banana, add extra lemon juice.
Get the recipe here.
Erin Clarke via Well Plated11Beet Smoothie from Well Plated
One small beet—about eight ounces—is the source of this smoothie’s stunning fuchsia hue and a decent chunk of its fiber content. Peel and dice it before blending with plain Greek yogurt, frozen pineapple chunks, frozen blueberries or mixed berries, and unsweetened almond milk. If you don’t have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, you might want to microwave, roast, or steam the veggie beforehand to soften it. Final product tasting a little too, um, beety? Try adding a teaspoon or two of honey. Roughly two tablespoons of oatmeal will also blunt the taste a little, too.
Get the recipe here.
Kate Taylor via Cookie+Kate12Piña-vocado Smoothie from Cookie + Kate
Okay, okay, avocado is technically a fruit, not a vegetable, but this recipe sounded too enticing to skip. Besides, they’re rich in unsaturated fats, the kind that help lower bad cholesterol. Blend half of an avocado with orange juice, frozen pineapple chunks, half of a frozen banana, half of a juiced lime, and a pinch of sea salt. Feel free to add coconut milk as well if you have some. For a cute photo op, garnish with a lime wedge and shredded unsweetened coconut.
Get the recipe here.
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