Spinach Berry Smoothie 2 Ways

These spinach berry smoothie recipes are naturally sweetened and can be enjoyed with or without dairy. Both are refreshing, delicious and made with a handful of ingredients. Perfect for breakfast or as a nutritious snack anytime.

Adding spinach into a smoothie is an easy way to consume more of this nutritious vegetable.  Despite its earthy taste raw spinach is surprisingly easy to successfully turn into a ‘sweet’ recipe if paired with the right ingredients.  Because spinach is also mellow, not overpowering at all, it’s quite easy to ‘hide’ it among other, stronger ingredients. 

Which is what I tried to do in these smoothies.

Can you taste the spinach in these smoothies

No, you can’t!  Because I used quite a lot of berries as well as lemon and lime juice these smoothies taste fruity and citrussy. When asked to identify the secret ingredient I used my family could detect it but no one was able to guess what it was. The spinach is really well hidden in these smoothies!

I know these are spinach smoothie recipes but you don’t really want to taste the spinach in them, right?

Is spinach smoothie healthy

Yes, it is! It contains all the goodness spinach, as well as berries, have to offer, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and, importantly, also fibre (unlike juices).  Just make sure the spinach is bright green and fresh (use it as soon after the purchase as you can).

Top tip

I recommend using baby spinach as it’s a little tastier than ordinary spinach.

Spinach berry smoothie ingredients (dairy free)

• 90 g fresh spinach, rinsed
• 220 g frozen blueberries
• 240 ml coconut water
• 10 prunes, pitted
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of fine sea salt

*Measurement conversions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

This creamy, dairy free spinach berry smoothie is naturally sweetened with blueberries, coconut water and prunes (which are also super nutritious).  The lemon juice brings all the flavours together giving this smoothie a lively, vibrant finish.  The salt further enhances the flavour and is in my opinion quite important in this recipe.

Alternatives

Try using blackberries (or blackberry sauce) or mixed berries, almond or hazelnut milk, lime juice or Himalayan salt. You could also add a few mint leaves or 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger into the smoothie.

Spinach berry smoothie ingredients (with dairy)

• 90 g fresh spinach, rinsed
• 200 g frozen raspberries
• 130 ml kefir
• 1 ripe banana
• 4 dated, pitted
• 2 tbsp lime juice

*Measurement conversions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

This smoothie needed a little more sweetness as it contains naturally tangy kefir so I decided to add a banana (which also adds substance) as well as a few dates. This affected the colour of the smoothie but you can’t really taste the banana. 

Alternatives

You could use strawberries, buttermilk or natural yogurt instead of the kefir or lemon rather than lime juice. Fresh mint or freshly grated ginger (1 tsp) would also work well.

How much smoothie will I get

You should get approx. 700 ml (almost 3 cups) which makes 2 generous portions of each smoothie.

Top tips

• Use frozen rather than fresh berries so you don’t have to chill the smoothie before serving.
• Try using other berries in both smoothies. If using strawberries sweeten the smoothie with dates. Prunes tend to work better with blackberries (but use your own judgement).
• When using (naturally tangy) kefir add less lemon/lime juice than for a dairy free smoothie.
• There is no need to add salt into a smoothie made with kefir.
• Tweak the ingredients to suit your preference. The recommended amounts produce moderately sweet thick smoothies.
• Use dates in moderation as too many will make your spinach berry smoothie high in calories.
• Best served immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 1 day (in a bottle or jar).

Other smoothies you might also like

• Broccoli Smoothie 2 Ways (Berry and Melon)
• Sweet Potato Mango Smoothie
• Beet Smoothie with Cherries and Kefir
• Raspberry Avocado Lime Smoothie

Check out also this collection of 18 healthy, easy vegetable breakfast recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make these spinach smoothies I'd love to know how they turned out for you.  Which variant did you make? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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