5-Minute Lettuce Smoothie (Light & Fresh!)
Light and fresh, this easy lettuce smoothie is a simple green smoothie made with romaine lettuce, spinach, green apple and lemon. Makes a quick & easy breakfast or snack on-the-go!
About This Lettuce Smoothie Recipe
Yes, you can make a delicious green smoothie with lettuce(!) and this recipe proves it.
I don’t know about you, but I love starting my day with a healthy smoothie recipe!
They make a super quick breakfast and are a great way to fit extra healthy fats, fiber, protein and greens into my day.
If you’re a fan of sipping on green juice, then I bet you’ll love this lightly sweet green smoothie too!
It gets it’s naturally vibrant green color from romaine lettuce and baby spinach, with a hint of fruity flavor from the green apple, frozen banana and tart lemon juice.
I love knowing no matter what the rest of the day brings, I can get some healthy servings of fruit & veggies in first thing.
Plus there’s just something about sipping on a green smoothie that makes me feel like I’m at a fancy spa (even if I’m just drinking it in my pajamas at home or in a to-go cup in the car).
Tip: Because the natural sugars in this smoothie are low, it’s not super sweet like an all-fruit smoothie would be. If you like a sweeter smoothie you can add 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or 1-2 pitted Medjool dates before blending!
Process & Tips
All you need to do is add all your ingredients to a blender and let it work its magic.
Before you know it you’ll be sipping on a delicious, nutrient dense smoothie!
The powerhouse combination of fiber, fat and protein in this smoothie makes it more filling and satiating than a smoothie that’s only fruit-based.
Plant-powered fiber comes in the form of romaine lettuce, spinach, fruit and chia seeds.
Healthy fat comes in the form of chia seeds.
And the protein can be found in the chia seeds as well as the protein powder.
How to Make a Green Smoothie Bowl
You can also turn this recipe into a smoothie bowl by making the smoothie thicker using only 3/4 cup water.
Also, make sure to use as many frozen ingredients (like frozen bananas and frozen spinach) to help you get that thick consistency.
Once blended, pour into a bowl and add your choice of smoothie bowl toppings.
Tip: Some fun topping ideas would be nuts, seeds, sliced fresh fruit, granola, honey, cacao nibs and a drizzle of almond butter.
Tips For Adding Romaine Lettuce to Smoothies
Don’t be afraid of adding the romaine lettuce!
If you’ve never used it before it might sound like a strange ingredient for a smoothie but, together with the spinach, it’s a great way to pack an extra serving of greens into your day.
It also adds some plant-based fiber, nutrients and naturally vibrant green color!
The light sweetness from the banana and apple, along with the tart lemon juice (and protein powder, if you’re using some), will ensure you’ll still have a delicious, fruity and sweet smoothie.
Ingredients & Modifications
Romaine lettuce: Romaine lettuce is a great green to try in smoothies. So if you enjoy drinking green juice or have made smoothies with baby spinach or baby kale, give romaine a try too in this easy recipe!
Baby Spinach: For smoothies I like to use tender, non-bitter greens. You can use any greens you like that blend easily and work well with these other ingredients. Some baby kale would work well in addition to (or in place of) spinach here too.
Green apple: I used a Granny Smith apple for this recipe since it’s a good balance of sweet and tart flavor. But you could use a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji if you prefer.
Frozen banana: You can also use fresh banana in place of frozen banana in this recipe. The banana adds some natural sweetness to the smoothie.
Lemon juice: The lemon juice adds some nice tartness to balance out the sweet flavors of this smoothie. You can also use lime juice in its place.
Chia seeds: The chia seeds really help to thicken up this smoothie and provide some healthy fat & fiber. If you don’t have them or don’t like them, you can skip them in this recipe.
Protein powder: You can use any protein powder you like the taste of. To keep this recipe vegan friendly, be sure to use a plant-based protein powder. To keep this recipe paleo friendly, be sure to use a grain-free and dairy-free protein powder.
Tip: If using fresh banana in place of frozen, be sure to add extra ice to the blender for better texture.
More Easy Green Smoothie Recipes
This Recipe Is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoVeganVegetarian
5-Minute Lettuce Smoothie (Light & Fresh!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ green apple, chopped
- 1 frozen banana, broken into chunks
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 cup water
- optional: 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, ice
Equipment
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth.
Really not a smoothie person- I just don’t feel full unless chewing- but you’ve influenced me! Thanks for the added bowl suggestions. This just may be my jam!
Brooke, yay, so glad you tried and enjoyed this one! I hear ya about the chewing part – definitely a great option to make it a bowl so it feels more like a proper meal!
Really good. I discovered a lot of my IBS problems were from my nightly organic salad 🙁 So I’m going to drink it & see if the “pre digested” method works. The blender will break up the fiber my stomach has so much trouble with. I was surprised it tasted so good. Chia seeds need to soak so I left them out, but did add 2 dates & some frozen pineapple. Next time, I might add some peanut or sunflower seed butter for a little change. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad this one worked for you, Benni! Great idea to switch things up with the “pre digest” method. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Wow I would definitely try it today
It is absolutely yummy. There are many substitution possibilities, such as adding some plain yogurt, or substituting ground flax seeds to chia (maybe using both).
I agree, so many variation options on this one. So happy to hear you enjoyed, Ingrid, and thanks for leaving a review!