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This detox smoothie is a tasty way to infuse fruits and veggies into your day! The sweet tart green puree is full of good-for-you ingredients.
Looking to drink your daily fruits and veggies? Try this detox smoothie, full of all-natural, fresh ingredients! This green puree is 100% fruits and vegetables; no powders or supplements (and no detox diets).
It’s ideal for when you want to infuse your body with good-for-you ingredients, and bonus: it tastes amazing, too! The burst of tangy, sweet-tart flavor made me an instant fan. As a smoothie expert of over 50 smoothie recipes, this one stands out.
What is a Detox Smoothie?
This detox smoothie is not part of a detox diet, and I do not recommend them. A detox is a short-term period of fasting followed by a period of eating fruits and vegetables. But there’s no evidence that these cleanses provide tangible benefits, and they can often cause harm (per Healthline).
Instead, I define a detox smoothie as one made with 100% vegetables and fruits. This makes it easy for you to infuse good-for-you ingredients into your lifestyle (and it tastes great). There are no supplements, powders, or other substances required; just nourishing whole foods!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in this detox smoothie? This recipe quickly jumped to the top of my favorites list for its burst of tangy, sweet-tart flavor; plus, it’s made with simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to whiz together in a blender:
- Apple: Apple brings sweetness and body to the puree. I like a sweet-tart type like Pink Lady or Granny Smith, but any works here.
- Banana: Bananas are key to a smoothie’s creamy texture. If you don’t like or can’t eat bananas, add another apple.
- Spinach: Baby spinach is easy to throw in handfuls, or use washed, chopped spinach. You can also substitute chopped kale or chard!
- Frozen pineapple: Frozen pineapple adds sweetness and an icy texture. If you prefer, substitute frozen mango.
- Fresh ginger: Ginger root is optional, but it adds a fresh, spicy flavor that’s extremely satisfying.
- Chia seeds: Chia seeds add protein and fiber to this smoothie.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice brings out the fruity flavors (it accentuates a smoothie like salt does in savory food).
- Water and ice: Blend it all up with water and ice!
Tips for Working With Fresh Ginger
Fresh ginger root might not always be in your refrigerator, but it adds a big punch of flavor to this detox smoothie! While it’s optional, I highly recommend using it here. Pick up some in the produce section of your grocery store (then use the rest for these ginger recipes!).
It can be tricky to peel, so I’ve got some tips for you:
- Peel with a spoon! This works much better than a vegetable peeler! Use the edge of a spoon to peel the ginger skin.
- Grate it. Use a grater or microplane to grate the ginger into a pulp.
- Or mince it. If you don’t have a grater, use a large chef’s knife to slice the ginger thinly in one direction, then chop in the other direction until it’s minced into small pieces.
Chia Seed Nutrition
Another key ingredient in this detox smoothie is chia seeds! The smoothie doesn’t have any dairy or a natural source of protein, so I decided to add a bit of chia seeds for a protein and fiber boost. Here’s what these little seeds have to offer (per Healthline):
- Chia seeds are very high in fiber. 2 tablespoons of chia seeds have 11 grams of fiber, a whopping 44% of your daily need!
- Chia seeds are high in protein. 2 tablespoons have 4 grams of protein or about 8% of your daily need.
- Chia seeds are high in antioxidants. Researchers agree that this can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, boost the immune system, and improve mental health.
Storage Notes
Can you make this smoothie in advance? Yes! This detox smoothie is best after 1 day in the refrigerator, so you can blend it up and enjoy later. You can get by with 2 days of storage. Just make sure to shake it before serving, as it may separate naturally when refrigerated.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Green Detox Smoothie (100% Natural!)
This detox smoothie is a tasty way to infuse fruits and veggies into your day! The sweet tart green puree is full of good-for-you ingredients.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 small smoothies or 1 large 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Drink
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 small apple
- 1 banana, room temperature
- 2 cups spinach
- ¾ cup water
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 ½ cups frozen pineapple
- ½ teaspoon peeled and grated ginger (from fresh ginger root), optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons* chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop the apple, leaving the skin on. Break the banana into pieces and place them both in the blender. Add the spinach and water and blend until smooth. Add the ice, frozen pineapple, ginger, chia seeds, and lemon juice. Blend again until smooth.
- Serve immediately or store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for 2 days, shaking if the smoothie separates.
Notes
*I like this recipe with 1 tablespoon chia seeds, but you can add up to 2 tablespoons chia seeds for more protein and fiber. 2 tablespoons of chia seeds have 11 grams of fiber (44% of your daily need) and 4 grams protein (8% of your daily need).
I’m allergic to apples. Would leaving it out drastically change the texture or taste? Do you have any substitution suggestions?
Great question! I’d just increase to 2 cups total frozen pineapple and it will likely be fine!!
Do we have to use pineapple or is there a fruit I can substitute for pineapple?
More apple would work.
My hubby likes plain non fat plain yogurt in his smoothie. This looks yummy. Do you think that would be okay to add yogurt to this? Also, I can’t find the nutritional value. Wondering where to look.
Just added the nutrition info to the recipe card. Many of our smoothies have yogurt, but we omitted here so that we didn’t need sugar to balance the tart flavor. However, a little should be fine.
Sonja and Alex,
You don’t mention if this smoothie needs to be made in a high power blender. I own a standard blender. Will that work?
Hi there! Yes this smoothie should work in a standard blender or high powered! You may need slightly more liquid so keep that in mind!
Love you guys! Great recipes!