This three ingredient green smoothie recipe is made with simple ingredients. It is a delicious and nutritious meal or snack!
I love having smoothies for breakfast. They are a great way to have a quick grab and go breakfast that will still leave you satisfied throughout the day. This green smoothie is a great option because of the added nutrients of spinach. It is simple to make, delicious, and will leave you feeling great.
Green Smoothie Benefits
Not only is this banana spinach smoothie recipe simple to make and delicious, it is loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients. Containing vitamins and protein, this is a filling and hydrating smoothie that makes a great breakfast or snack and a great way to increase your daily fruits and vegetables.
Green Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie is made with three simple ingredients and ice and comes together quickly in the blender.
- Vanilla Yogurt: For a thicker, creamier smoothie, add more yogurt or Greek yogurt. If you want to make this a vegan spinach smoothie, use soy yogurt. There are great brands on the market right now, and it is equally delicious with non-dairy yogurt.
- Bananas: A ripe banana will make the smoothie sweeter and its softness will blend well. Using frozen bananas will make it thicker and creamier. Keeping frozen bananas in your freezer is a great idea if you are making smoothies regularly, see my tip for this below.
- Spinach: This recipe calls for two cups of spinach. You can use fresh or frozen spinach. If you choose frozen spinach, I recommend buying the a brand that comes loose in a bag. Use it straight from the freezer, but reduce the amount to just less than one cup. It stays frozen for a couple of months and is easy to toss into smoothies to add some nutrients.
Pro Tip!
Peel and slice your bananas in half and freeze on a cookie sheet until they’re solid. Then transfer to a freezer safe bag for storage. Then you can just grab the amount you want for your smoothie.
How to Make a Green Smoothie
Making a green smoothie is as simple as adding your ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth. Here are a few tips to make the best green smoothie:
- Use a good blender. This is important for getting a creamy consistency, no one likes chunks in their smoothie. I’ll share my favorite below.
- Blend the greens first. Blend the spinach and greens with the yogurt first. Then add the fruit and blend again until everything is smooth and well combined.
- Add some liquid. If your smoothie isn’t mixing well or is too thick, add a little milk or even water. Enjoy right away.
Leafy Greens For Smoothies
Spinach is perfect for green smoothies because its flavor is mild yet packs in tons of vitamins. It also freezes easily so can be kept on hand if you don’t eat it fresh. Add some of these other greens in addition to or instead of spinach, just make sure they equal two cups.
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Romaine lettuce
- Swiss Chard
More Fruit to Add to a Green Smoothie
The beauty of simple green smoothies is that they start with three ingredients, but can be customized by adding all kinds of yummy ingredients to add different flavors. Adding naturally sweet fruits will increase the sweetness of the smoothie without any artificial or processed sugars.
Fresh or frozen fruit will work in this smoothie recipe, depending on what you have on hand and what is in season. If I use frozen fruit, I use less ice.
If you add darker fruits like blueberries, raspberries, cherries, or blackberries, the green smoothie will taste delicious but know the color of the smoothie will be a brownish color. The fruits listed below won’t affect the bright green color of the smoothie:
- Apples
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Kiwi
- Peaches
- Grapefruit
- Avocado
Other Additions
This spinach banana smoothie is a great way to add extra ingredients that add nutrients without affecting the flavor. Here are a few other ingredients you can add to elevate your green smoothie:
- Protein powder: Add a scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder to make the smoothie more filling. This is my go to variation for this smoothie
- Nut butter: Peanut butter, almond butter, or your favorite nut butter adds some extra protein and flavor.
- Chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds: This is another great way to add additional nutrients. Start with one tablespoon.
The best blender!
How to Serve
Drink your spinach smoothie with banana right away while it is cold and fresh. It can be enjoyed in a glass or right out of the single-serve blender cup. Store your smoothie or any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
Other Smoothie Recipes
If you try this green smoothie recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Three Ingredient Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (125 grams)
- 1 ripe frozen banana cut into pieces
- 2 cups baby spinach lightly packed (62 grams)
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together and enjoy!1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 ripe frozen banana, 2 cups baby spinach
- See ideas in the post for additions and substitutions.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
My mornings usually begin with a smoothie for breakfast.. and I regularly change it up with different flavour combinations, so this recipe is perfect for me! Definitely going to be making your green smoothie, I love that it’s only 3 ingredients especially!
heather @french press says
I really need to start adding yogurt to my smoothies, this looks delicious, and if Quinn approves, I’m sure it is
Tara says
Okay… I’m going to trust you here. I don’t normally love (or even like) spinach, but I really need to get back on the smoothie train.
This might be happening in our house this week! :)
Nikki says
ok, so I’ve been online while my 18 month old is sleeping for a couple of hours now, browsing things that will disguise other things for him because he’s recently decided to be a picky eater – so yes! SO GLAD I found this! EXACTLY what i’m looking for! I’m going to try it first things tomorrow… and yes… I am writing this at 2am because my 5 month old has decided that it’s not bedtime… *sigh* lol Thanks again for finding time to type this out!!!
Lisa Longley says
You have your hands full Nikki!! Hang in there. I hope your big guy likes the smoothie!
Mary says
Am a diabetic and am looking for smoothies that don’t have a ton of ingredients will be tying this. What is the sugar content. I don’t care for sweet smothies
Lisa Longley says
It all depends on what type of yogurt you use, but the nutritional information can be found at the bottom of the recipe.
Mary says
Just came across your 3 ingredient smoothie. I hope you have some that don’t include bananas. Every smoothie on line has a banana added
Lisa Longley says
Here’s one: Cherry Vanilla Smoothie. Also, if you use an under ripe banana in a smoothie you get less of a banana taste.
Julie says
I have been looking for a healthy green smoothie. Will be making this today
Lisa Longley says
I hope you enjoy it, Julie!
Rebecca says
Lisa I love your recipes. They always give me great ideas for especially dinner options or healthy choices. Thank you 😊
Lisa Longley says
You’re welcome!
Joan Herring says
Thank you very much. Diabetic son myself.. Joan Herring. North Carolina.
Lisa Longley says
You are very welcome!