8 Superfood Smoothie Recipes To Start Your Healthy Day 2024 (2024)

Most of us need an easy way to get more nutrients into our diet. Our food is over-processed,^[1] lower in nutrients, and higher in calories than it used to be, making it tough to get everything we need to stay healthy. One of the best ways to boost your nutrient intake is by eating superfood smoothies – especially those made with superfood powders.

Superfood^[2] isn’t an official term, but it’s what we call foods with lots of nutrients and health benefits. Think of whole colorful foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds. But which are the tastiest, healthiest superfood smoothie recipes? Read on to discover our best picks.

Superfood Smoothie: Best Recipes You Should Try

One color is more synonymous with health than any other: green. Most people expect green smoothies to taste “healthy,” but we want to show you that healthy can also mean tasty. Here are our favorite nutritious but tasty green superfood smoothie mixes.

Easy Green Super Smoothie

One of our favorite green smoothie ingredients is, of course, spinach.

Spinach^[3] is a good source of calcium, folate, iron, and anti-inflammatory carotenoids.^[4] If you do a lot of sports, spinach is the perfect pre-workout energy booster and post-workout recovery friend.

The perfect balance between healthy fats, protein, and carbs, this super smoothie can be thrown together in under 1 minute.

Ingredients

• 2 bananas (frozen)
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 cup spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 1½ cups soy milk (unsweetened)

Variations

• Add a handful of frozen berries if you want a bit of a kick (but you’ll sacrifice the cool bright green color).
• Add a scoop of protein powder if you want to use this superfood smoothie after a workout.

Prep Tips

• If you use fresh spinach, make sure to wash it thoroughly before adding it, as even prewashed spinach has been shown to harbor bacteria.^[5]
• Use frozen cooked spinach for ease and improved nutrient absorption.^[6] Raw spinach contains antinutrients^[7] that reduce calcium absorption and can increase your risk of kidney stones. Cooking reduces the antinutrient actions.

Pineapple Punch

If you’re looking for a good green smoothie cleanse, this is the perfect superfood smoothie mix of avocado, kale, and hemp seeds.

Avocados^[8] are a good source of monounsaturated fats^[9] (MUFAs), which are linked to lower inflammation and better heart health.^[10] Hemp seeds are a good source of omega-3 and omega-6, which are important for brain health.^[11]

Kale^[12] is low in antinutrients and higher in bioavailable calcium^[13] than spinach, making it a great alternative if you’re on a green smoothie diet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• ½ cup frozen mango
• 1/2 avocado
• 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 cup kale (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds

Variations

• Swap almond milk for soy milk or try coconut milk for a different flavor.
• If you can find it, go for dark kale for an even nicer color and flavor.

Prep Tips

• Stock your freezer with packs of pre-frozen pineapple and mango chunks.
• Use hemp seed hearts, not whole hemp seeds. Whole hemp seeds are very hard and can give smoothies a gritty texture.

Sneaky Broccoli Smoothie

If you’re looking for delicious smoothie recipes for weight loss, this green smoothie is low in calories and fat while high in vitamins and fiber.

Get your weekly dose of broccoli without even noticing in this superfood smoothie mix. Broccoli is especially high in the antioxidant sulforaphane^[14], which is linked to better blood sugar balance^[15], lower cholesterol levels, and even has cancer prevention^[16] properties.

Broccoli, strawberries, spinach, and pineapple are all good sources of vitamin C^[17], making this a great smoothie to support your immune system, too.

Ingredients

• ½ cup broccoli (raw or steamed)
• 1 banana (frozen)
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• ¾ cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• ¾ cup water

Variations

• If you don’t mind the extra calories, add almond butter or coconut cream to add some healthy fat.

Prep Tips

• Whenever you have bananas going overripe, chop them up and freeze them to preserve them for smoothies. It makes your smoothies cold and saves them from the bin.

Simple Banana And Spinach

If you have diabetes, eating flaxseeds can help. Just one tablespoon of ground flax every day can lower blood sugar^[18], HbA1c, and cholesterol levels. Berries and almonds^[19] can also help balance blood sugar, making this the perfect green smoothie for people with diabetes. Plus, almonds can even improve depression.

Ingredients

• 1 banana (frozen)
• ½ cup mixed frozen berries
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• ½ – ¾ cup unsweetened plant milk
• 2 cups fresh spinach

Prep Tips

• If you have a high-speed blender, you can use whole flaxseed instead of pre-ground flaxseed. Using whole is best because it reduces oxidation and preserves healthy omega-3 fats.

Matcha Cheesecake Smoothie

This rich smoothie makes a great decadent breakfast.

Matcha green tea^[20] is high in antioxidants^[21], especially catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which might increase fat burning^[22] and aid weight loss.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plant-based milk of choice
• ½ ripe avocado
• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 30 g cashews
• 1-2 tsp matcha powder
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup or agave
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 5-6 ice cubes

Variations

• Leave out the ice cubes and most of the milk to make healthy ice cream.

Prep Tips

• The ice cubes make it frothy but aren’t necessary.

Hemp Supergreens Smoothie

One way to get more superfoods for smoothies in your diet is with a green superfood powder mix. This smoothie combines superfood powders (greens, maca, lucuma, whole vanilla bean) alongside fresh fruit, dates, hemp seeds, and almond butter.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups plant milk
• 1 cup mango (frozen)
• 1 tsp whole vanilla bean powder
• 1 scoop green superfood powder
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp maca powder
• 1 tbsp lucuma powder
• 2 Medjool dates (pitted)

Prep Tips

• Green powders such as spirulina can sometimes be contaminated with toxins^[23] such as heavy metals. Go for a good-quality superfood powder blend from a trusted brand to reduce the risk of contamination.

Super Spirulina Smoothie

Spirulina^[24] is a type of blue-green algae. It’s high in protein, vitamins, and antioxidants such as phycocyanin^[25].

Ingredients

• 1 banana (frozen)
• 1 apple (skin on)
• ½ cup mango (frozen)
• ¾ – 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup spinach or kale
• 1 tsp spirulina powder
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

Prep Tips

• Choose a tart apple variety if possible. Tart flavors go best with spirulina.
• For a thicker, richer version, use coconut cream.

Pistachio-Kale Smoothie

Pistachios are lower in fat and calories^[26] than most other nuts and can help support healthy weight management^[27], making this another great smoothie for weight loss.

It’s also packed with nutrients, with fresh 100% orange juice being high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and folate.

Ingredients

• 1 cup kale
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 banana (frozen)
• ¼ cup pistachios
• ¼ avocado

Variations

• Turn this into a pistachio ice cream smoothie by replacing orange juice with almond milk and adding vanilla powder.
• Turn it into a superfood juice by adding an extra cup of juice or water.

Prep Tips

• Use unsalted pistachios – and remember to shell them first!

Benefits Of Superfood Smoothies

An Easy Way To Eat More Healthy Foods

Let’s face it – you don’t always have time to spend hours cooking a healthy meal. A superfood smoothie is the easiest way to pack lots of healthy foods into one 2-minute snack.

Make A Tasty Breakfast

You can turn your superfood smoothie into a hearty breakfast by having a smoothie bowl. The trick is to use less liquid to make it thicker and add your toppings of choice (yogurt, healthy granola, berries, nuts, and seeds are all good options).

High In Nutrients

Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods that can improve your health. They’re usually colorful fruits and vegetables packed with essential and non-essential nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Good For Snacking On The Go

The best thing about super smoothies is you can prepare them at home and take them with you to the gym, work, or an outing. All you need is a good flask or thermos to transport it.

Best For Workout Performance And Recovery

For optimal recovery, you should eat within 30 minutes^[28] of finishing a workout – which isn’t always easy to achieve. Preparing a superfood smoothie in advance is the best way to do that.

The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients can help promote recovery^[29] and performance^[30], plus it’s easy to add a scoop of protein to healthy smoothie recipes.

Supports Gut Health

Dr. Tim Spector^[31], the gut health guru, says we need to get a minimum of 30 different plant foods a week for optimal gut health^[32]. Having a superfood smoothie every day makes that task easy peasy.

Gets You To Drink More Water

We all know we should drink more water. Superfood smoothies are an easy way to drink more water without even trying.

Green Smoothie Calories Are Lower

Smoothies can be high in calories, especially if you’re adding lots of nut butter, seeds, avocados, and coconut. Using green superfood ingredients adds more bulk and nutrition, meaning you’re getting more for fewer calories.

Better For You Than Juice

While juice also provides some nutrients, all the gut-healthy fiber has been removed. Smoothies are everything juice offers, plus fiber.

The Bottom Line

To achieve optimal health, you need to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds every day. Superfood smoothies are an easy way to eat a greater variety of superfoods without the extra effort.

Superfood smoothies can help with weight loss, support gut health, and make a great pre or post-workout snack for athletes. Eating more superfoods as part of a balanced diet can even reduce your risk of certain chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer^[33].