13+ Healthy Greens for Smoothies

Mild-tasting spinach is the classic green leafy vegetable used in smoothies. 

Baby spinach tends to be the most popular choice because it is sweeter in flavor and yields a smoother texture. On the other hand, it is more expensive than regular spinach and there is no difference in terms of nutrition, so it’s worth giving regular spinach a try too!

A good source of calcium, fiber, folic acid, iron, and vitamins (including beta carotene, vitamin B6, and vitamin C), spinach is also particularly rich in vitamin K. In fact, just one cup of raw spinach provides an impressive 181% of the DV (daily value)! Vitamin K is important in the building of bones and helps create the proteins that the body needs for blood clotting. 

Recommended recipe using spinach: Green Apple Smoothie with Spinach, Apple Banana Spinach Smoothie, or my Food Processor Smoothie with mango and spinach

You might also like this article on how to freeze spinach for smoothies.

Kale sometimes gets a bit of a bad rap when it comes to smoothies because it has quite a strong, peppery flavor and isn’t to everyone’s taste. 

But it’s so nutritious that it is well worth considering! 

One of the most nutrient-dense greens on the planet, kale is a rich source of vitamins (including A, C, B6, and K), magnesium, potassium, copper, and calcium. One cup also provides a whopping 26% of the DV of manganese and is chock-full of antioxidants. 

Kale and other leafy greens are also a key part of the MTHFR diet.

And although there is no science to back up the theory, many people find that kale helps them lose weight. This is because it provides the bulk to help them feel full without providing the calories.

To make your kale smoothies more enjoyable, try buying baby kale instead of the standard stalks as the flavor is milder and the texture is easier to blend. Black Tuscan kale and curly kale are also gentler in flavor, as is frozen kale. 

You could try blending the kale with fruits or sweet veggies to tone down the bitterness. But if you prefer to avoid sweet foods, try adding citrus juice to your kale smoothie instead. The acidity seems to neutralize the bitterness and makes your smoothie more refreshing.

You can also try steaming the kale before you put it into your smoothie. Steaming your greens can also help reduce the oxalate level of vegetables.

Recommended recipe using kale: Kale Weight Loss Smoothie

One of the best greens for smoothies, Swiss chard has a nice, soft texture that’s easy to blend. It has an earthy, slightly salty flavor that some people enjoy with fruit for that yummy sweet/salty contrast.

The dark green leaves of Swiss Chard are rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A, C, E, and K, plus a flavonoid (healthy plant compound) called vitexin. Studies have shown that vitexin plays an important part in the prevention of heart disease.

People tend to discard the stalks of Swiss Chard, which can be yellow, green, white, or red. But they are very nutritious, so – if your blender is powerful enough – chop them up and add them to your smoothie.

Recommended recipe using Swiss chard: Swiss Chard Smoothie

Related to kale, collard greens have a similar texture and slightly bitter flavor. In addition to containing plenty of calcium and folate, they are one of the best leafy sources of vitamin K. One cup of cooked collard greens provides a massive 1,045% of the DV (daily value).

If you find the flavor a little too strong for your liking, try adding sweeter-tasting fruits or veggies, or an acidic ingredient like lemon juice. Another good option is to throw in some spices like ginger – this is an easy way to significantly alter the flavor without adding sugar or calories.

Recommended recipe using collard greens: Collard Greens Smoothie

Also known as pak choi or Chinese cabbage, bok choy is better known as a stir fry ingredient than as a healthy addition to green smoothies! 

But it is an excellent choice, packed with vitamins and fiber.  It also contains selenium, which has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and support thyroid function. 

Bok choy has quite a mild taste in small amounts but can taste quite bitter in larger quantities. Try blending it with other greens or fruit for the best-tasting results.

Herbs can make a fantastic addition to your green smoothies, subtly altering the flavor and adding health benefits of their own! Since they can be quite strong in taste, it’s best to experiment and only add a little at first.  

Good herbs to try include mint – which can be great for digestion – and basil, which provides warmth to your smoothies and can offer protection against cancer. 

Parsley is another great choice and really brightens the flavor of your smoothie while offering detoxifying benefits. Or try cilantro, which adds refreshing citrus notes.

Recommended smoothie using fresh mint: Anti-Cancer Smoothie

The entire dandelion plant is edible – and if you’ve never given the greens a try, you’ve been missing out on a treat! Delicious braised as a side dish with dinner, they are also fabulous in smoothies, to which they add a whole host of nutrients. 

Loaded with vitamins A, C, E, and K, dandelion greens contain a wide variety of minerals including iron and calcium. 

They also have anti-inflammatory properties and can be useful in regulating diabetes. 

You can find dandelion greens in the produce aisle near other leafy greens, or even harvest your own! The youngest leaves have the best flavor and you can simply snip them off with a pair of clean scissors.

Recommended recipe: Liver Detox Smoothie

This is one of the easiest leafy greens to include in your smoothies as it is so mild in taste. 

It is one of the most nutritious types of lettuce you can buy, containing folate, vitamins C and K, and the beta-carotene that our bodies turn into vitamin A. 

Its high water content makes it great for hydration and it is incredibly easy to blend. This makes it ideal if you have a less powerful blender and you won’t find yourself stuck with bits that won’t break down, as you might with a tougher veggie like kale. 

This aquatic plant comes from the Brassicaceae family and is related to arugula and mustard greens. 

It has a bitter and slightly spicy flavor which some people love. That being said, it doesn’t appeal to everyone. For that reason you might want to blend it with sweet or acidic flavors, because it’s definitely worth trying to include in your daily smoothie.

Nutrient dense, watercress holds first place on the US Centers for Disease Control’s list of Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables.

It is rich in antioxidants and consuming watercress raw makes the very most of its benefits. It pairs well with many other fruits and veggies and tastes wonderful with avocado and lime.

See my related article with watercress alternatives.

You may not have considered using broccoli in a smoothie because the florets can be challenging to pulverize. But frozen broccoli is much easier to use and blends well while creating a cool and refreshing result.

Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse, providing 84% of the reference daily intake (RDI) of vitamin C in just half a cup. That’s more than you get from half an orange.

Along with other cruciferous vegetables, it offers protection against cancer and can even help keep blood sugars under control. 

Recommended smoothies using frozen broccoli: Anti-Cancer Smoothie or Broccoli Smoothie with Pineapple

If you tend to use frozen bananas in a lot of your smoothies, you might want to try swapping them for frozen zucchini instead! It still delivers a nice, creamy texture, but without the extra calories. Frozen zucchini is higher in fiber too.

It has quite a neutral flavor so it’s ideal for blending with stronger-tasting leafy greens to reduce their bitterness. And it comes with a little nutritional punch of its own, providing a range of vitamins and minerals along with some useful antioxidant compounds. 

Recommended recipe using zucchini: Zucchini and Strawberry Smoothie

Everyone knows that beets are good for you – but the greens tend to get overlooked. Yet beet greens are a great source of vitamins, with just one cup of cooked greens providing 220% of the DV for vitamin A, 17% of the DV for fiber, and 37% of the DV for potassium. 

A sustainable choice that makes use of an ingredient that may otherwise be wasted, beet greens are relatively mild in flavor, with none of the bitterness of kale or dandelion. This means that they can be enjoyed alone, or pair easily with other ingredients without affecting their flavor.

You can also add beet juice or beet juice powder to your smoothies if you can’t find fresh beets or beet greens (learn more about the health benefits of beet juice).

These immature greens produced from the seeds of vegetables or herbs were once consigned to use only as decoration for other dishes. But it has since been discovered that microgreens deliver all sorts of incredible benefits and are totally wasted when used merely as a garnish.

Containing up to forty times more nutrients than their more mature counterparts, they make a great way to significantly boost the nutritional profile of your smoothie.

There are lots of different varieties available so you might want to experiment to find the flavors you prefer. Compared to mature greens, microgreens can actually be quite mild in taste. You may, therefore, find the microgreen version of veggies like broccoli and Swiss Chard more palatable in your smoothies than the fully grown leaves.

See my list of the best microgreens to eat and grow.

Recommended recipe using microgreens: Broccoli Sprout Smoothie