Smoothies are a great way to utilize fresh or frozen produce. This blueberry ginger smoothie is slightly sweet with a subtle kick of spiciness and warmth from the ginger. Plus, with a handful or two of spinach, it’s a great way to increase your servings of fruits and vegetables.
Some of the ingredients may not be ones that you usually add to your smoothies, like ginger, lemon, and cinnamon, but trust me and give it a shot! These flavors add such a great depth of flavor to the usual blueberry smoothie.
Tip for making green smoothies
Place the heaviest items, like the frozen fruit, at the top of the blender with the leafy greens closest to the blade. This will help everything blend more uniformly.
If your blender really struggles with breaking down leafy greens, then I recommend blending the spinach and almond milk together first. Once you have just green milk, no spinach flakes, add in the remaining ingredients.
Blueberry Ginger Smoothie
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Use fresh or frozen ginger root. I don’t recommend using ginger powder in this recipe. Plus, a great thing about ginger root is that it freezes well. Simply grate the ginger root before placing it in a freezer-safe bag. I set my frozen ginger root out for 20 minutes or so to make it soft enough to slice and chop.
- This smoothie is naturally sweetened. A small frozen banana is key for making this smoothie both creamy and sweet. You could also use ½ of a large frozen banana. If you’re allergic to bananas, you could use ½ cup of frozen pineapple instead for a more tropical twist. Or use ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt. If you go the yogurt-route, you’ll likely need to add some honey and ice.
- Any leafy green will work. I like spinach as it has a mild flavor and blends well. But any leafy green will work, such as kale or swiss chard.
- Feel free to use any unsweetened milk alternative of choice. I’ve made this smoothie with oat milk and really enjoyed the slightly thicker consistency. Coconut (from the carton), cashew, soy, pea, or any other unsweetened milk alternative can be used.
- Want more protein? Try adding one of these high-protein ingredients:
- Plain or vanilla protein powder
- Hulled hemp seeds (also known as hemp hearts)
- Plain Greek yogurt (will make the smoothie vegetarian, but not vegan)
- Use soy or pea milk (like Ripple) instead of almond milk