"Spicy” and "smoothie” are two words that might not sound like they go well together. But spices like turmeric, ginger, cayenne, and cinnamon are loaded with healing compounds that support the liver, skin, and immune system. Plus, they taste great, so why wouldn’t you want to add them to smoothies? A little heat can help boost our slow winter metabolism (always a bonus). So we put together four ways to spice up your smoothie rotation.
We’re always searching to improve our vegan green smoothies, and we found out that three things can up the game: adaptogens, protein or collagen powder, and spices. Lots of greens to support the liver’s activity and small amounts of healing spices can turn your green smoothies into real healing elixirs.
What Are the Best Healing Spices?
Here are our favorite spices we like to play with and their amazing benefits:
Ginger
We can never say enough about ginger. Its key benefits are linked to its active compound, gingerol, with antioxidant, metabolism-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and digestion-healing effects [source]. Favor raw over powdered whenever possible to get the maximum benefits from its healing powers.
Cinnamon
It’s more than just a delicious and fragrant spice. Cinnamon is loaded with detoxifying manganese and has antimicrobial and anti-clotting actions [source]. But what interests us most is its digestion-boosting and glucose-balancing properties [source]. And cinnamon has been shown to boost the brain’s ability to use glucose for fuel [source].
Cayenne
Besides adding heat to your meals, cayenne and its spicy pepper relatives carry special health benefits too. Promoting weight loss, fighting inflammation, naturally relieving pain, offering protection from oxidation by free radicals, boosting immunity, and clearing congestion are only just a few of its healing properties [source]. Moreover, capsaicin, its active compound, helps to stop the proliferation of and kill prostate cancer cells [source].
Turmeric
The anti-inflammatory king of spices, turmeric speaks for itself. Its popularity is backed by scientific studies that have proven its many beneficial effects, including reducing cancer risk, balancing blood sugar, improving brain power, fighting cancer and other chronic diseases, and protecting brain function [source].
Spicy Green Smoothie Variations
1. Spicy Mixed Greens Smoothie
This smoothie is similar to our Daily Cleanse Water, which boosts energy, regulates pH levels, and helps your body get rid of toxins—thanks to lemon and cayenne. For more benefits and to make it a little sweeter, add in a little raw honey—preferably manuka honey (look for a UMF rating of 10+), which has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and digestive-support properties [source].
📖 Recipe
Spicy Mixed Greens Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 cup mixed greens
- ½ cup berries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ avocado
- 1 teaspoon peeled ginger root
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground flax seeds
- Dash cayenne pepper
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
- Serve it right away or pack it to go.
Nutrition
2. The Cleanser Smoothie
Cilantro can help lower bad cholesterol, improve your mood [source], and remove heavy metals from the body [source]. Combined with greens, turmeric, and berries, you have a fiber-rich smoothie that’s chock-full of antioxidants.
📖 Recipe
The Cleanser
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 cup mixed greens
- ½ mango
- ½ cup cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. You can also leave the cinnamon out and sprinkle it on as a garnish.
Nutrition
3. Immune Boost Smoothie
Fight off the winter crud with this easy smoothie that harnesses the immune-boosting power of red pepper, which contains carotenoids like beta carotene [source], kale, parsley, and ginger. Add in some raw honey for even more cold-fighting benefits—it’s especially helpful if you’ve got a cough or sore throat.
📖 Recipe
Immune Boost Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 cup kale
- ½ cup parsley
- ½ green apple
- ½ red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ginger root, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
Nutrition
4. Liver Cleanse Smoothie
Dandelion leaves and parsley are the stars of this creamy detox smoothie. They’re thought to help to purge the liver, while cayenne and radish spice things up a bit. Dandelion is also known for its anti-diabetic properties [source].
📖 Recipe
Liver Cleanse
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup parsley
- 3 dandelion leaves
- 1 radish
- ½ grapefruit, peeled
- Dash cayenne
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. You can also leave out the cayenne and sprinkle it on as a garnish.
Nutrition
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. 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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