Make this delicious Keto Smoothie for an easy way to get your greens! A thick and creamy nutritious drink that tastes like a milkshake but is low carb + full of fiber & protein. 5 simple ingredients! No bananas (Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Keto, Vegan and Paleo)
The Easy Way to Eat Healthier
If you’re wanting to get healthier this year, either by eliminating sugar, ditching dairy or adding more veggies into your diet, this vibrant green smoothie is the perfect thing to make. Here's the thing: Drastically changing your diet with more greens and less processed foods doesn't happen overnight. In order for it to be sustainable.. for it to really last, it has to be a lifestyle change. Fads don't work. Resolutions fail. But you CAN change your diet (I'm living proof! I used to live on buckets of pasta and gallons of soda lol) Change is hard, but I'm here to make eating healthier EASIER for you.
This healthy shake is EASY to enjoy because it tastes DELICIOUS. My favorite way to get my greens— a thick & creamy smoothie that tastes like a milkshake! I'm NOT a believer in choking down "healthy" foods just because they're good for you. Healthy should and DOES taste good when you do it right 🙂 That's why I'm so excited to share this green smoothie that I've been making for years now. Even after trying out many variations, this one is still my favorite!
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Get your Greens
Personally, I’m not big on cooked spinach, even though I know it’s so good for you. I like it in the summer in salads with strawberries and red bell peppers and a good balsamic vinaigrette. But other than that, I’m not a big fan of dark leafy greens. But spinach is perfect for anyone who wants to be healthier but isn’t a fan of greens.
There’s NO bitter aftertaste. There’s literally NO taste to it at all when it’s blended up into a smoothie! So you get all the benefits of eating your veggies-- without having to force them down. This is one simple thing that's EASY to add to your daily routine. One step towards getting healthier-- adding in a green smoothie!
Fun fact: I've been sneaking green veggies into my desserts for years LOL. Like this vanilla cream pie, these peppermint bliss balls, chocolate silk pie, and more!
The easiest way to eat your greens (especially for kids!) is hiding them in dessert! 😉
Low-Carb and Sugar-Free Smoothies
Typically, in most smoothie recipes, you’ll find TONS of fruit and fruit juice. But if you’re low-carb, or want to reduce your sugar intake, that just won’t work. Back in the day, I used fruit to make my smoothies, like bananas or dates.
But now that I discovered I feel better without so much sugar, I had to find a way to replicate the ice-cream-esque creamy smooth texture, without the magic of frozen bananas.
My solution? Sugar free sweetener and almond butter (or any nut butter you like) plus ice to make it extra cold and thick. The spinach also adds fiber and bulk to help the texture also! There are several different low-carb sweetener options you can use:
- Monkfruit drops (my pick)
- Powdered monkfruit (second choice)
- Monkfruit syrup (my new coffee obsession!)
- Stevia drops
- Stevia extract
- Monkfruit extract
For non low-carb:
- 1 soft medjool (large) date (or 2 small deglet noor dates) soaked in warm water for 5 minutes
- ½ a frozen chopped banana
*Remember, always sweeten to taste!
The 5 Components Every Smoothie Needs
To be balanced and as nutritious as possible, all smoothies should have the following:
- Healthy fats (I use almond butter, but avocado is great, too)
- Greens (any kind you like!)
- Protein (did you know spinach has protein?! woohoo! Nut butters do, too)
- Low-Sugar (1 serving of berries is great, but skip the juice!)
- Fiber (veggies and nut butter are great sources of fiber. Feel free to add flaxseed for even more!)
With too much sugar (from fruit and fruit juice), and not enough protein and fiber, you're basically drinking a candy bar! Check the amount of sugar in your fruit. Bananas can have upwards of 40 grams! But with the right balance, you can have a healthy smoothie that tastes like a sweet treat, without going overboard and spiking your blood sugar.
For Delicious Almond Flavor
I adore almond flavor. I add it to my sugar cookies for that classic bakery-style flavor. I love it in desserts. And I love it in smoothies/milkshakes! To get maximum almond flavor, use:
- Almond butter (natural, no oil or sugar added) I use homemade, but this is a good brand.
- Almond milk (unsweetened)
- And almond extract
Smoothie Variations
If you’re not into almond, change it up however you like! It’s a simple swap or addition to customizing it.
- Swap in Vanilla extract or Coconut extract
- Swap in Peanut butter, cashew butter or sunflower butter
- Add cacao or cocoa powder for chocolate
- Instant espresso powder for a healthy frappé
- Add in ground flaxseed, chia seeds, berries, collagen powder for extra fiber, protein, and nutrition
Thick and Creamy = the BEST
To make your shakes/smoothies nice and thick, use less liquid, and add some healthy fats and fiber. Without them, your smoothie may be ICY, and icy is no bueno. But if you prefer a thinner consistency, simply add more almond milk. Easy!
Blender Recommendations for Smoothies
I love my Ninja pro for smoothies. It blends ice really well! I've used it for years. I recently upgraded to a Vitamix (a certified reconditioned Venturist V1200) that has a smoothie cup (Thank you, Santa!)
While I do love it, it doesn’t seem to handle smoothies like my ninja, lol! Maybe there’s a learning curve? If you're a Vitamix pro, tell me your secrets! 🙂 Who's ready to add a little more greens in their diet this year by drinking more MILKSHAKES 😉 Sounds like a plan to me!
Low-Carb Green Smoothie/Almond Milkshake
Ingredients
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 big handful fresh spinach - about 1 cup
- 1 Tbs natural almond butter
- 8-10 drops monkfruit drops - see notes for alternatives
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk - or cashew milk
- splash of almond extract - or vanilla
- tiny pinch of pink salt - optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender in the order listed (I recommend a personal-size blender cup for easier blending) Blend smooth. Enjoy immediately 🙂
Notes
- 2 teaspoon Lakanto powdered monkfruit or 4 teaspoon homemade powdered monkfruit
- 15 drops SweetLeaf vanilla stevia
- A pinch of pure monkfruit extract or pure stevia
- 1-2 Tbs Lakanto vanilla or classic monkfruit syrup
- 1 soft medjool (large) date (or 2 small deglet noor dates) soaked in warm water for 5 minutes
½ a frozen chopped banana
More low-carb smoothies & shakes
Healthy Frappuccinos (6 flavors)
Strawberry Shake from my cookbook
Reese's Shake from my cookbook
Robin
Thank you! I was just thinking about smoothies and how mine aren’t very tasty. I’m pretty sure it’s the protein powder that I put in. I love this. Low carb and healthy!
Emily
You are so welcome! Let me know if you try it. I love how simple it is 🙂
Darcy Rapoza
Thank you! My kids loved it. They both are into Minecraft so I called them "Creeper Smoothies" to make the green color cool!
Emily
Haha creeper smoothies! love that! Great idea. So glad they loved it 🙂
Sheena
Hi there. I’ve got a question. So I have the granular monk fruit erythritol blend as well as the granular golden monk fruit erythritol blend. How many tablespoons do I put in this smoothie, and which one do you think I should use?? I have a major sweet tooth lol also, are you positive I will not taste the spinach? I do not like vegetables so. Thank you so much!
Emily
Hi! I promise you can’t taste the spinach lol. (As long as you’re using fresh (raw) not cooked or frozen spinach)
For the sweetener, feel free to use any kind you like. Something that measures 1:1 like sugar. I use a monkfruit/erythritol blend.
Hope you enjoy!