When you hear someone talk about green smoothie recipes, you may find yourself making the face of a toddler trying something sour for the first time.

Granted, not all green smoothie recipes that you come across are for beginners.

The ingredients that give you the most nutritional bang for your buck are an acquired taste, but if you ease yourself into the habit of replacing your Grande Cappuccino with one of these healthy green smoothie recipes, you will find that they not only have numerous health benefits, but they will give you more energy while tasting delicious.

Green Smoothie Recipes for Beginners

If you have tried to make homemade smoothies before and found that you either did not like the taste, or found that the consistency was not palatable, the following recipes will help to reintroduce the healing ingredients to your taste buds.

It is always best to use organic produce if possible. If buying non-organic fruits and vegetables, always wash your produce well, and remove the peelings if the recipe calls for it. 

1. The Velvet Jade

• 1 medium ripe avocado (pitted and peeled)
• 1 large orange (peeled and seeded)
• 1 medium frozen banana (peeled)
• 1-1 ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ½-1 cup of spinach
• If you want a sweeter smoothie, add 1 tbsp. of agave nectar, Grade B maple syrup, or 1 pitted medjool date.
• Optional: 5-6 ice cubes

2. Ginger and Spinach Green Smoothie

• 1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• ½ cucumber cut into ½ inch pieces (peeled)
• 1-2 tbsp. fresh minced ginger (less, if you are new to ginger)
• Heaping handful of baby spinach
• Optional: ice cubes as needed

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. If you are adding ice cubes, add a few at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

3. Sweet Honeydew and Mint Smoothie

• 4 cups of Honeydew Melon, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1-2 fresh mint leaves
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• ½ cup of unsweetened coconut or almond milk
• 1 cup of ice, if desired
• 1 tsp. of agave or coconut nectar, depending on the sweetness of your melon

It is best to freeze the melon before making your smoothie. You will have leftovers with this recipe, so pour the remaining smoothie into ice cube trays and freeze for later. This is a great low calorie snack that can help a late night sweet tooth.

4. Kale, Pineapple, and Banana Green Smoothie

• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups kale (destemmed and chopped)
• 1 medium frozen banana (ripe and peeled)
• 1 ½ cups of frozen pineapple

5. Five Ingredient Wake-Up Green Smoothie

• 1 Large frozen banana
• 3-4 medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1 ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ½ cup plain greek yogurt

Combine all ingredients and blend on high until desired consistency is reached.

Tips and Substitutions

If you are not comfortable using leafy greens yet, you can slowly start adding new ingredients to your favorite fruit smoothie to make it green. Try these healthy and nutritious greens in your favorite smoothie recipe: 

• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Spirulina
• Mint Leaves
• Cucumber Slices
• Basil
• Broccoli Spouts

As you get more comfortable with making green smoothie recipes, you can begin adding up to two cups of leafy greens like kale, spinach, or Swiss chard. 

These are just the basics of green smoothie recipes. Try different flavor combinations and experiment with different greens. Everyone's tastebuds are different, so do not get discouraged if it takes time to find the right green smoothie recipe for you!

What's your favorite green smoothie recipe? Let us know in the comments below!