Apple Spice Green Smoothie (low-calorie, vegan)

Let’s face it, green smoothie season never has to end, especially when you’re nurturing your health or in weight-loss mode.  This easy Apple Spice Green Smoothie recipe has all the festive flavors you crave this time of year using energizing and filling whole-food ingredients.  Easy to prep ahead and coming together in a few minutes in your high-speed blender, this green smoothie is perfect for those hectic holiday schedules.  And the best part?  You get a maximal portion for minimal calories!

So, whether you’re nutritarian or just looking for an incredibly simple and health-promoting green smoothie I think you’re going to love this new twist on one of my favorite green breakfast smoothies.

What makes this smoothie recipe great for weight loss?

• low-calorie – At just 240 calories per 2-1/2-cup serving, this means you get a ton of smoothie for the calories (or you can split it up into two servings).
• nutrient-rich – This recipe packs in two cups of leafy greens per portion, read more about the health benefits of leafy greens here.
• filling & energizing – Because the portion is so large and the nutrients are so high, this smoothie works as a meal replacement that truly satisfies!
• fruit-sweetened – There’s no maple syrup or sugar here, only fruit-sweetened goodness! The fiber in the fruit minimizes your glucose spike and keeps the calorie-to-nutrient ratio optimal.

What ingredients do you need for this Easy Green Smoothie recipe? 

1. frozen spinach
2. half banana
3. medium apple
4. dried cranberries
5. ground flaxseed
6. cinnamon
7. nutmeg
8. unsweetened plant milk (or sub with water)

Banana: Use fresh or frozen banana.  Frozen banana will give your smoothie a thicker texture.  If you’re allergic to banana use my green smoothie banana replacement recipe here.  

Apple: You can choose a sweet variety like fuji, Honeycrisp or gala.  If you want a lower-sugar option use a green apple. I like using fuji apples best in this recipe. If you have a larger apple use 1/2 to 3/4 to get to about 65 grams in weight.

Dried Cranberries: You can use whatever dried cranberries you happen to have on hand. But If you’re nutritarian, you’ll want to use an unsweetened brand without oil.  Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find unsweetened and oil-free dried cranberries at grocery stores. While I’ve sometimes found fruit-juice-sweetened dried cranberries at the store, they usually have added oil.  Now, I’m using this brand that you can buy online.

Plant Milk: I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe.  The brand I use has 30 calories per cup.  I’ve also made this using water—it’s a bit less creamy but otherwise works (and it will save you calories).  

How to make this smoothie:

Generally, you want the ingredients that are the hardest to blend closest to the blades.  If you’re using frozen banana or apple you can put those in first, otherwise I typically start with the frozen spinach.

Add in all the rest of the ingredients.  I like to wait until I’m ready to blend before I add in my liquid–this helps to keep a thicker smoothie texture.

If your blender has a special smoothie mode feel free to use that setting.  Otherwise, blend on high for 30 to 40 seconds (up to 60 depending on the strength of your blender) or until you have a smooth and creamy texture.

How to prep this Apple Spice Smoothie into freezer packs:

Use freezer-safe plastic baggies or reusable silicone bags like these.  Place the frozen spinach, banana, apple slices, cranberries and flaxseeds into your baggies.  Store in the freezer until you’re ready to blend.

When you’re ready to blend, empty the contents of your pack into your blender pitcher and add the spices and plant milk.  Because all the ingredients are frozen, you can let the ingredients sit in the blender pitcher for a few minutes to help defrost (especially if you don’t have a high-speed blender).

What is the best blender to use for a silky-smooth texture?

A high-speed blender is best.

This is the Vitamix I use.  Blendtec is another great brand.

If you only have a “regular-strength” blender I recommend using only fresh banana and apple instead of frozen.

What’s the texture of this Apple Spice Green Smoothie?

As written, using fresh banana and fresh apple this recipe will yield a just-thicker-than-juice consistency.

TO ADD MORE THICKNESS: Use frozen banana and/or apple in place of fresh.

How does it taste?

I’m all about packing in as much greens as possible into my green smoothies.  The fruit used is just enough to balance out the greens.  Spinach is a much milder-tasting green than kale or Swiss chard so you don’t have to worry about any bitterness with this Apple Spice Green Smoothie.

The flavor is satisfyingly-sweet and predominately apple-y with a nice kick of festive spices to make things interesting!  

If you’re brand new to green smoothies I highly recommend that you use a sweeter apple variety like Fuji or Honeycrisp.

Storage recommendations:

Refrigerator: Keep in a covered jar for up to 2 days, shake well before drinking.  After 3 to 4 hours the texture is going to change and become more liquid.  If you want to revive the smoothie re-blend with 1/2-cup ice.

Freezer: Freeze smoothie in an ice-cube mold then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  You can thaw the smoothie cubes in the refrigerator and then shake well to reconstitute or re-blend the smoothie cubes with more liquid till you reach your desired consistency.

How much of this Apple Spice Green Smoothie can I enjoy on the nutritarian lifestyle?

As written, this recipe makes just under 2-1/2 cups.

If you’re following the Aggressive Weight Loss Plan:  You can enjoy this entire smoothie in one serving as a meal replacement (breakfast or lunch recommended).  Alternatively, you can also split it into two servings that you can enjoy in the same day or later  in the week.  If you’re having this as a meal replacement, you’ll want to emphasize getting in your two large salads and be mindful of fruit for the rest of the day as this recipe has about 1 1/2 cups of fruit.

The entire smoothie has 2 grams of seeds.  You get a total of 1 ounce (28 grams) nuts/seeds daily.  So, this smoothie will take up 7% of your daily nut/seed allotment.

If you’re on the maintenance plan (BMI is under 23):  Enjoy as is or add another 1/2 Tbsp. of ground flaxseeds and a date for extra sweetness.

5 from 2 votes

Print

Apple Spice Green Smoothie

This easy Apple Spice Green Smoothie recipe has all the crave-able festive flavors you love using energizing whole-food ingredients.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy, holidays, no cook, nutritarian, refined sugar free, vegan, WFPB, whole food plant based

Prep Time 3 minutes

Total Time 3 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 240 kcal

Author Kristen Hong

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen spinach ~140 grams
• 1/2 banana ~65 grams 
• 1 medium apple* ~145 grams
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened dried cranberries ~3 to 6 grams (depending on type)
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed ~2 grams
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup unsweetened plant milk** ~240 mL

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to your high-speed blender pitcher.

2. Generally you want the ingredients that are the hardest to blend closest to the blades. If you're using frozen banana or apple you can put those in first, otherwise I typically start with the frozen spinach and follow with the rest of the ingredients.

3. I like to wait until I'm just about to blend before I add in my liquid--this helps to keep a thicker smoothie texture. 

4. If your blender has a special smoothie mode feel free to use that setting.  Otherwise, blend on high for 30 to 40 seconds (up to 60 depending on the strength of your blender) or until you have a smooth and creamy texture.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Yield: 2-1/2 cups

*Apple: You can choose a sweet variety like fuji, Honeycrisp or gala.  If you want a lower-sugar option use a green apple. I like using fuji apples best in this recipe. If you have a larger apple use 1/2 to 3/4 to get to about 145 grams.

**Plant Milk: I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk for this recipe. The brand I use has 30 calories per cup and that's reflected in the nutrition info, adjust your calories according to what liquid you use. I’ve also made this using water—it’s a bit less creamy but otherwise works and it will save you some calories. 

For a thicker smoothie texture: Use frozen banana and/or apple in place of fresh. As written, using fresh banana and fresh apple, this recipe will yield a just-thicker-than-juice consistency.  

How to prep this recipe as smoothie packs: Use freezer-safe plastic or silicone.  Place the frozen spinach, banana, apple slices, cranberries and flaxseeds into your baggies. Store in the freezer until you're ready to blend. When you're ready to blend, empty the contents of your pack into your blender pitcher and add the spices and plant milk. Because all of the ingredients are frozen, you can let the ingredients sit in the blender pitcher for a few minutes to help defrost (especially if you don't have a high-speed blender). 

Storage recommendations:

Refrigerator: Keep in a covered jar for up to 2 days, shake well before drinking.  After 3 to 4 hours the texture is going to change and become more liquid.  If you want to revive the smoothie re-blend with 1/2-cup ice.

Freezer: Freeze smoothie in an ice-cube mold then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.  You can thaw the smoothie cubes in the refrigerator and then shake well to reconstitute or re-blend the smoothie cubes with more liquid till you reach your desired consistency.

Nutrition Facts

Apple Spice Green Smoothie

Serving Size

 

2.5 cups

Amount per Serving

Calories

240

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

4.6

g

7

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.2

g

1

%

Sodium

 

146

mg

6

%

Potassium

 

931.74

mg

27

%

Carbohydrates

 

46.8

g

16

%

Fiber

 

9.3

g

39

%

Sugar

 

28.7

g

32

%

Protein

 

7.5

g

15

%

Vitamin A

 

937.36

IU

19

%

Vitamin C

 

15.92

mg

19

%

Calcium

 

593.87

mg

59

%

Iron

 

3.4

mg

19

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I’d love to know what you think if you give this recipe a try.

Your comments and recipe ratings motivate me so much to keep creating memorable and delicious recipes while helping the website get critical rankings in search engines.