Maybe you've wanted to try green smoothies, but you haven't known where to start. Or perhaps you've been too busy to look for recipes or tackle the daily prep involved. That's where make-ahead frozen green smoothies come into play. You'll wonder what you ever did without them. Don't waste money buying prepared smoothie packs; we'll show you how you can do it for less money at home!
Over the past few years, I've started having green smoothies for breakfast each day. It started out as an easy breakfast I could sip as a busy work-from-home mom, and then I became utterly and completely addicted. I love my daily smoothie!
Making healthy green smoothies at home can be easy—follow this frozen smoothie system and you'll be a smoothie pro in no time. With a few essential ingredients you mix and match flavors to your liking. So simple! (P.S. You'll hardly taste the greens.)
Jump to:
- Green Smoothie Ingredients
- How To Make a Frozen Green Smoothie System
- 1. Get the right bags
- 2. Add 1 ½ - 2 cups greens
- 3. Add ½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit
- 4. Remove air as you close the bags
- 5. Store bags flat in freezer
- 6. When ready to blend, add frozen smoothie + liquid to blender
- 7. Add nutrition-boosting extras
- 8. Sweeten if desired
- Quick Frozen Smoothie Recipes
Green Smoothie Ingredients
Let's start with the basic makeup of a green smoothie. A good green smoothie is built on several things—leafy greens, fruit (sometimes veggies too), liquid, and other nutritional add-ins.
Typically, a green smoothie is 40% greens and 60% fruit, liquid, and other add-ins. You can play with that ratio until it feels right for your taste buds.
- Leafy greens: chard, spinach, kale, collards, bok choy, romaine, and other sweet lettuces, mint, parsley, cilantro
- Fruit: berries, pineapple, mango, citrus, avocado, pears, apples, bananas, melon, dates (can be fresh or frozen)
- Veggies: cucumber, celery, fennel, tomatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkin or butternut puree
- Liquids: water, coconut water, milk, non-dairy milks (coconut, hemp, soy, oat, nuts), juice, tea, fermented and cultured beverages (kefir, kombucha, buttermilk, whey, yogurt )
- Sweet naturals: dates, agave, honey, date syrup, maple syrup, flavored stevia drops
- Nutritional add-ins: chia seeds, flax seeds, acai powder, green or other superfood powders (beetroot, cacao, maca, spirulina, wheatgrass), protein powder, spices, hemp seeds, whole nuts, oats
How To Make a Frozen Green Smoothie System
If you've been overwhelmed by the daily prep involved in making morning smoothies, these make-ahead smoothie packs are a godsend. Gather your supplies and make it a once-a-month or every-other-week task.
Frozen green smoothie packs will last for several months so if you're feeling particularly ambitious and want to make a ton, go for it. You can knock out a month of green smoothies in no time flat!
1. Get the right bags
Reusable quart-size resealable freezer bags are great because you can rinse and reuse them over and over. Mark each one with the date you made the pack, and cross it out once you've made the smoothie.
2. Add 1 ½ - 2 cups greens
Leafy greens freeze really well. You can puree them and make ice cubes ahead of time, or just toss the leaves into the bag.
Best frozen greens for smoothies: I add about 2 packed cups of baby spinach but feel free to use any combination of these:
- Spinach
- Kale
- Parsley
- Chard
- Collards
- Bok choy
- Romaine and other sweet lettuces
- Mint, parsley, cilantro
Make it work for your blender: If you don't have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, Blendtec, Ninja, and the like, then you might want to try making leafy green ice cubes for better blending. Another option is to only make freezer packs with the fruit and then use fresh leafy greens.
3. Add ½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit
Next add the frozen and/or fresh fruit. Some ideas:
- For a vitamin K and potassium boost: stone fruits like peaches, plums, cherries apricots or nectarines (pitted, of course)
- For extra fiber: raspberries, avocado, pears, apples, bananas
- For an immunity and antioxidant boost: peeled fresh orange or grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries
- For extra omega-3s (and to keep it low-carb): raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, avocado, guava
Buy in bulk: I almost always buy fresh and frozen food in bulk at discount grocery stores.
Cut and/or peel fruit: Remember that cutting fruit into smaller pieces makes it easier on your blender. Bananas, if they are really ripe, usually do okay halved, but you can slice them up before you put them into the bags.
You may need more liquid when blending: Frozen fruit (especially banana) will add a great creamy texture and make your smoothie more "shake-like"—just note that you may end up needing more liquid if you go that route.
Aim for variety: For these packs, I used baby spinach, fresh pineapple (got a killer deal on them!), bananas, blueberries, and blackberries. With those four fruits, you can make several frozen green smoothie mix & match recipes (see below for ideas) to create a slightly different smoothie for each day.
You can skip bananas: I know bananas are a staple in smoothie making, but some folks prefer their smoothies without them for a lighter consistency and less sugar. Try these no banana smoothie recipes.
4. Remove air as you close the bags
Squeeze out as much air as you can, and seal the bag. Removing the air helps prevent frost from forming.
5. Store bags flat in freezer
For easier stacking in the freezer, you can flatten them out a bit more just before sealing. The bags will freeze more quickly if placed in a single layer in the freezer.
You could also freeze the fruit on cookie sheets and then transfer them to the bags. Totally up to you on that.
6. When ready to blend, add frozen smoothie + liquid to blender
When you're ready to blend, add 1 cup of liquid then the smoothie pack contents. The greens will break up a little easier after having been frozen, but you will probably need a little more liquid than normal for your blender to puree them properly.
Choose from:
- Coconut, almond or another non-dairy milk (learn how to make your own nut milk) or kefir
- Cooled herbal tea
- Water or coconut water
- Fresh-squeezed juice (stick to veggies if possible—think carrot, or a celery-apple combo)
7. Add nutrition-boosting extras
I find that chia or flax seeds stick to the freezer bags so I add them after the liquid and frozen bag contents. (Plus, sometimes I like to soak my chia seeds before blending.)
Here are a few other ideas for smoothie boosters. These aren't necessary, but can be a nice touch:
- For added protein: 1 tablespoon bee pollen, nut butter, raw almonds (preferably soaked), or pumpkin seeds
- For detoxing and a metabolism boost: 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, cinnamon or grated fresh ginger, or fresh herbs like mint or basil
- For extra fiber: 2 tablespoons chia seeds or chopped dates
- For omega-3s: 2 tablespoons raw walnuts or flax oil/seeds
8. Sweeten if desired
This is optional but you can also add a sweetener, if you'd like:
- Liquid stevia (SweetLeaf is our favorite because it comes in so many flavors)
- 1 teaspoon raw honey (try infused)
- Extra banana (the riper the better) or dates to taste
- ½ teaspoon agave nectar
Quick Frozen Smoothie Recipes
To get you started, here are a few of our go-to frozen green smoothie recipes. It's really fun to mix it up with other varieties of fruit and greens. Above (left to right):
- Banana-blueberry: 1 large banana, 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups spinach
- Pineapple-blueberry: ½ banana, 1-½ cups pineapple, ½–¾ cup blueberries, 2 cups spinach
- Kiwi-watermelon: 1 sliced kiwi, 1 cup diced watermelon, 1 cup grapes, 2 cups spinach
- Banana-berry: 2–3 cups mixed berries, ½ large banana, 2 cups spinach
- Melon-berry: 1 cup melon, 1-½ cups mixed berries, 2 cups spinach
- Pineapple-banana: 1 large sliced banana, 2 heaping cups pineapple, 2 cups spinach
More Green Smoothie Recipes:
Try these 10 3-ingredient smoothie pack combinations or one of these recipe ideas:
- Spinach Mango Smoothie: Freeze 1 cup frozen mango and 2 cups fresh spinach. Blend with 1 cup almond milk and 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Coconut Orange Smoothie: Freeze 1 cup spinach, ½ cup parsley, 1 orange (peel removed), and ½ banana. Blend with 1 ½ cups coconut water or coconut water kefir, 5 mint leaves and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Pineapple Kale Smoothie: Freeze 1 cup frozen pineapple and 2 cups fresh kale. Blend with 1 cup oat milk and 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- Green Banana Smoothie: Combine 1 frozen banana and 1 cup frozen spinach cubes and blend with 1 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon flax seeds, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
This detox smoothie recipe is another favorite. Or try this wrinkle-reducing berry and kale smoothie.
P.S. Ready to start juicing? Try our 3 Juicing 101 recipes!
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician with more than 20 years of practice experience. Learn more about Hello Glow's medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice, and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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