Green Lemonade Smoothie – Eating Bird Food

This green lemonade smoothie combines kale, pear, cucumber and lemon for a refreshing drink that’s not only detoxifying but alkalizing and energizing as well!

This green lemonade smoothie is an oldie that recently got a big photo upgrade! This recipe came to be after waking up one morning craving green juice, but not wanting to take out my juicer. That said, I decided to try making a green juice smoothie in my Vitamix instead.

I usually use frozen bananas and almond milk as a base for most of my smoothies but I wanted this one to be more juice-like so I stuck with a pear, cucumber and water. The Vitamix did a great job of pulverizing everything, so I’d say it was a success!

Why You’ll Love This Smoothie

• It’s the perfect balance of green juice and smoothie.
• It’s refreshing and packed with tons of nutrients and health benefits.
• You only need a few fresh ingredients to blend this smoothie up.

Ingredients Needed

• kale – a powerhouse green, kale is packed with vitamins A, K, B6, and C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. It’s the star ingredient in this green smoothie. I used green curly kale, but any variety of kale should work just fine.
• pear – pears are not only delicious, but they also offer dietary fiber (one pear has 6 grams of fiber) and essential nutrients, including Vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. They are anti-inflammatory, have been shown to improve heart health and may help with weight loss. Just make sure you include the peel as most of the nutrients are found there. (Source)
• cucumber – high in nutrients but low in calories, cucumbers are super hydrating due to their high water content. Because they’re 95% water they naturally detoxify your body. They’re also high in Vitamins A, B and C and contain phytonutrients that provide anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer effects.
• lemon – adds brightness and tang and helps to boost your immunity and flush toxins. Lemon juice also adds a nice dose of vitamin C. Just make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice!
• water – hydration is arguably the most important factor for achieving a beautiful, healthy glow so I used filtered water for the base of this smoothie.
• ice – since we’re not using any frozen fruits in this smoothie the ice helps to thicken this smoothie and make it extra cold!

How to Make

This green lemonade smoothie resembles green juice, but is way easier to make and with less mess!

Just place all your ingredients in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. Blend until smooth, adding additional water or ice until the smoothie is the texture and consistency you enjoy.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Notes & Substitutions

• pear – if you don’t have pears on hand feel free to use an apple instead. Both pears and apples are sweet so it’s a great substitution. I would recommend using a granny smith apple or a tart red apple like honeycrisp or pink lady.
• kale – if you don’t have kale on hand, you can use any leafy green of choice. Fresh baby spinach would be my next choice, but any variety of green will work.
• cucumber – this adds great nutrition, but if you don’t have a cucumber on hand celery or romaine hearts would make for a great substitute as they are both hydrating.
• lemon – fresh lime juice will work as a substitute to the lemon juice.
• water – feel free to use coconut water, orange juice or your favorite dairy-free milk like unsweetened almond milk or light coconut milk in place of the water.

Smoothie Variations

• Add protein: If you want to add protein to this smoothie feel free to add 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. You could also add a scoop of your favorite protein powder or try this green protein smoothie recipe instead, as protein powder will change the overall flavor of the smoothie depending on what type you use.
• Add ginger: If you like a bit of zip to your smoothie try adding a knob of fresh ginger.
• Want a thicker smoothie? If you want a thicker smoothie feel free to add in some frozen fruit. I would recommend a frozen banana, pineapple or mango. For a creamier smoothie without the frozen fruit you could also add 1/2 a ripe avocado.

What Type of Blender is Best to Use?

If you’re a smoothie lover, I highly recommend investing in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. I’ve had the same blender for 10+ years, so it’s definitely worth the investment, IMO! The high-powered blender helps to really break down the ingredients used in smoothies (especially tougher ingredients like frozen fruit, kale and ginger) to achieve that smooth and creamy smoothie consistency.

That said, if you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix you can still make this smoothie, the texture just might not be as smooth.

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes

Be sure to check out all of the smoothie recipes as well as the full collection of drink recipes on EBF!