The easy & delicious way to get your greens! A thick and creamy nutritious smoothie that tastes like a milkshake but is low carb + full of fiber & protein. 5 simple ingredients! (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!Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).

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, cookie dough pie, 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 wanting 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
• 1/2 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:

1. Healthy fats (I use almond butter, but avocado is great, too)
2. Greens (any kind you like!)
3. Protein (did you know spinach has protein?! woohoo! Nut butters do, too)
4. Low-Sugar (1 serving of berries is great, but skip the juice!)
5. 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

Simple, 5-Ingredient green smoothie that takes 2 minutes to make and tastes like a milkshake. No crazy ingredients. You may already have everything in your pantry!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

2 minutes

Servings: 1 serving

Author: Emily

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 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
• 1/2 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

Alternative Sweeteners:

*Always sweeten to taste*

• 2 tsp Lakanto powdered monkfruit or 4 tsp 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

For non low-carb:

• 1 soft medjool (large) date (or 2 small deglet noor dates) soaked in warm water for 5 minutes
  1/2 a frozen chopped banana

Nutrition Facts

Low-Carb Green Smoothie/Almond Milkshake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 115.97 Calories from Fat 93

% Daily Value*

Fat 10.38g16%

Saturated Fat 0.66g4%

Sodium 167.21mg7%

Potassium 119.68mg3%

Carbohydrates 3.55g1%

Fiber 2.03g8%

Sugar 0.84g1%

Protein 4.01g8%

Vitamin A 93.77IU2%

Calcium 205.52mg21%

Iron 0.56mg3%

Net Carbs 1.5g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!

Want more smoothies, shakes and drinks?

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Pina Colada Smoothie

Strawberry Shake from my cookbook

Reese’s Shake from my cookbook