Packed with healthy ingredients and tons of flavor, this simple Spinach Avocado Smoothie is the perfect way to start your day! My tasty green smoothie recipe is sweet, creamy and filling, which is everything I want out of breakfast. Go ahead and give it a try!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Whether you are making this yummy Spinach Avocado Smoothie for breakfast, a light lunch or a post-workout snack, you're sure to love it. It is deliciously creamy, super easy, takes just 5 minutes to make and it tastes like a milkshake!
Both vegan and gluten free, this avocado fruit smoothie is ideal for just about any diet. Filled with healthy fat, potassium, vitamins and other nutrients, my breakfast smoothie is the perfect fuel for a productive day.
I also love how adaptable this blended breakfast drink is. Feel free to up the nutritional ante by adding things like protein powder, hemp hearts, nut butter or cacao. Swap in your favorite dairy or sweetener depending on what you have on hand.
Trust me: once you see how simple it is to make yourself a tasty, creamy smoothie packed with fruits and vegetables, it's sure to become your new go-to snack!
Ingredients
This avocado green smoothie recipe is super straightforward and requires just a few easy to find ingredients. Here's everything you'll need:
A few notes about the ingredients:
Almond Milk - Almond is my preferred milk, but you can feel free to swap in any dairy or non-dairy milk that you prefer! Just note that the nutritional information will vary from what is listed below.
Maple Syrup - Maple is my sweetener of choice, but agave, honey or date syrup will all do the trick. You can also opt for a natural sugar replacement like stevia or monkfruit if you are watching your added sugar intake.
Chia Seeds - These small but mighty little seeds add a hefty dose of nutrition to the mix while also contributing to the lovely consistency of this breakfast smoothie. You can omit them if you don't have any on hand.
Frozen Bananas - Using frozen bananas is important to achieving the proper consistency. The best way to freeze banana is slicing them into quarter to half inch thickness. Lay them flat (avoid overlapping) on parchment lined baking sheet pan and freeze. Once frozen, scrape from the sheet and transfer to a ziplock or freezer safe box and freeze.
Baby Spinach - Baby spinach is a tender green that doesn't require any prep before being added to your smoothie. You can opt to use other greens like romaine, chard, kale or dandelion greens instead, though you may want to remove any tough stems first.
Vanilla Extract - While this is an optional addition, vanilla extract does a lot to make this green smoothie taste like a dessert milkshake rather than the nutrient powerhouse that it is.
How to Make My Spinach Avocado Smoothie
This recipe is so simple, I almost feel silly writing out the instructions! Simply add all your ingredients to the base of a blender and flip the switch.
TIP: New to avocados? Check out this video showing how to properly remove an avocado pit.
Blend until creamy and incorporated, then pour into a glass and enjoy!
TIP: Proper smoothie consistency is achieved when the running blender has a visible "cyclone" of movement. If your blender is running in fits and starts, slowly add more liquid until the mixture is just loose enough to continuously blend.
FAQs
Absolutely! While it might seem strange to use avocado in a sweet application, its neutral flavor and creamy consistency make it perfect for blending into smoothies, puddings, and even cake frosting!
Honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find a fruit that doesn't play nicely with avocado in a smoothie. Strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, mango, cucumber, apple, blueberry, blackberry or cherry would all do quite well.
Yes! While I don't recommend using frozen avocado for items like avocado toast, guacamole or fresh salads, it is excellent for blending into smoothies. As an added bonus, frozen avocado is often cheaper than fresh and you don't run the risk of having funky brown flesh on accident.
Unfortunately, bananas are a bit high in the carb department, with a single banana clocking in a full 20 grams of carbs. Maple syrup also has 13 carbs per tablespoon.
If you are on the keto diet, I suggest swapping the banana for a ½ cup of frozen blackberries or raspberries (each ½ cup serving has just 5 grams of carbs), and swapping maple syrup for a sugar-free alternative like monkfruit or stevia.
Add-Ins & Substitutions
One of the beauties of this avocado smoothie is how adaptable it is. Feel free to up the flavor and nutritional content by adding in:
- Protein - Chocolate or vanilla flavored protein powder would do nicely. You could also add in powdered egg whites for an unflavored protein boost.
- Spirulina - Add up to a teaspoon for some more green goodness in your smoothie!
- Maca, Ashwaganda, or Adaptogenic Mushrooms - There are all kinds of powders and supplements on the market nowadays. Add them to your smoothie for an easy way to get your fix!
- Greens - I love spinach, but you can feel free to add in (or swap) romaine, chard, kale, dandelion greens or even arugula.
- Herbs & Spices - Add more freshness to your mix by blending in mint or basil. If you like things a little spicy, try adding ginger, turmeric or even chile pepper to the mix.
- Dairy Free - While I opted for almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or vegan plant based yogurt can all be used instead. You can also opt for coconut water or aloe juice if you prefer.
- Dairy - If you like a bit of probiotic tang, feel free to add (or swap in) greek yogurt or kefir. You can also use regular milk instead of dairy free options.
- Nuts and Seeds - Nuts and seeds have heart healthy fats and fiber that can help you feel fuller for longer. Try pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts.
- Nut Butter - If you want the benefit of nuts without the texture, try adding peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, tahini or coconut manna.
If you'd rather eat your breakfast with a spoon, turn this avocado spinach smoothie into a smoothie bowl instead! Pour into a bowl and top with muesli, granola, cacao nibs, fresh fruit chunks, toasted coconut or anything else your heart desires.
Serving and Storage
I personally think most smoothies are best enjoyed immediately after blending, as the consistency and flavor are at their peak. That said, any leftovers can keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, though the Spinach avocado smoothie *may* become separated and a bit watery.
If you're someone who likes to get a jump on things for meal prep, feel free to make smoothie packs ahead of time! Simply measure out all of your ingredients except the milk into a freezer friendly bag or container. Come morning, just dump it into the blender, add liquid and go!
More on-the-go breakfast inspiration for you
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Spinach Avocado Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Ripe Avocado
- 2 cups Baby Spinach (loosely packed)
- 1 Frozen Banana
- 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds (add more if preferred)
- 1 cup Almond Milk (or any milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup (or stevia or honey)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- To start with peel the avocado and remove the pit.
- Scoop out the flesh and into the blender along with rest of the ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth.
- Do the taste test and adjust the sweetness or thickness as per you liking. You can add more maple syrup (or sweetener of choice) and milk if needed and blend again.
- Pour in glasses and serve.
Notes
- Protein - Chocolate or vanilla flavored protein powder would do nicely. You could also add in powdered egg whites for an unflavored protein boost.
- Spirulina - Add up to a teaspoon for some more green goodness in your smoothie!
- Maca, Ashwaganda, or Adaptogenic Mushrooms - There are all kinds of powders and supplements on the market nowadays. Add them to your smoothie for an easy way to get your fix!
- Greens - I love spinach, but you can feel free to add in (or swap) romaine, chard, kale, dandelion greens or even arugula.
- Herbs & Spices - Add more freshness to your mix by blending in mint or basil. If you like things a little spicy, try adding ginger, turmeric or even chile pepper to the mix.
- Dairy Free - While I opted for almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or vegan plant based yogurt can all be used instead. You can also opt for coconut water or aloe juice if you prefer.
- Dairy - If you like a bit of probiotic tang, feel free to add (or swap in) Greek yogurt or kefir.
- Nuts and Seeds - Nuts and seeds have heart healthy fats and fiber that can help you feel fuller for longer. Try pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds or hemp hearts.
- Nut Butter - If you want the benefit of nuts without the texture, try adding peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, tahini or coconut manna.
- If you'd rather eat your breakfast with a spoon, turn this avocado spinach smoothie into a smoothie bowl instead! Pour into a bowl and top with muesli, granola, cacao nibs, fresh fruit chunks, toasted coconut or anything else your heart desires.
Kathryn says
I've been trying to get more into green smoothies and love that this one includes avocado. Sounds like it would be a great post-workout snack.