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Blending fresh herbs into smoothies is a great way to get additional nutrients and amplify the flavor in your green smoothies. This cilantro smoothie is bright, refreshing, and surprisingly familiar—like sipping a glass of homemade limeade with a clean, herbal twist. The fresh cilantro blends smoothly and never overpowers, adding a light, cooling note that pairs perfectly with tangy lime.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
If the idea of a cilantro smoothie makes you pause, stay with me. This one tastes bright, citrusy, and refreshing—more like a homemade limeade than a “green drink.” The cilantro blends smoothly with lime, banana, and ginger to create a light, clean flavor that’s surprisingly craveable.
- Spinach: Adds nutrients and fiber without changing the flavor. It keeps the smoothie green while letting the limeade vibe shine.
- Fresh cilantro: Brings a light, herbal freshness that tastes clean and cooling—not soapy or overpowering. It’s what gives this smoothie its signature flavor.
- Water: Keeps the texture light and drinkable, similar to a juice or limeade rather than a thick smoothie.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and creaminess to balance the tart lime and fresh herbs.
- Lime (peeled): The star of the show. Lime gives this smoothie its zippy, limeade-like flavor and keeps it bright and refreshing.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a subtle warmth and gentle spice that wakes everything up without stealing the spotlight.
- Chia seeds: Provide fiber and omega-3s while slightly thickening the smoothie to help it feel more satisfying.
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How to Make a Cilantro Smoothie
Making a cilantro smoothie is simple and takes just a couple of minutes. Start by adding the spinach, cilantro, and water to your blender and blend until completely smooth. This step helps break down the greens so the texture stays silky. Next, add the banana, peeled lime, ginger, and chia seeds, then blend again until creamy and bright, tasting like a refreshing limeade. If your new to smoothies, check out my full guide to learn how to make a smoothie.
Blending Tips
- Start by blending the spinach, cilantro, and water first until completely smooth. This helps break down the greens so the final smoothie stays silky, not leafy. Then add the banana, lime, ginger, and chia seeds and blend again until creamy. If you want it colder, toss in a few ice cubes or freeze bananas ahead of time.
- To save time, pre-prep the ingredients and follow my frozen meal prep smoothie packs guide.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, I highly recommend picking up one of these smoothie blenders for perfect, smooth blends every time.
Why I Love Cilantro In Smoothies
- It tastes fresh and citrusy, not savory. When blended with lime or lemon, cilantro adds a clean, bright flavor that feels more like limeade than a green smoothie.
- It pairs beautifully with fruit. Cilantro balances sweetness from banana or pineapple and adds a light, refreshing finish without overpowering the smoothie.
- It brings variety to your greens. Using cilantro is an easy way to rotate leafy green vegetables, keeping smoothies interesting while still delivering nutrients and fiber.
More Cilantro Recipes to Try
If you grabbed a big bunch of cilantro for this smoothie, here are a few easy ways to use up the rest—no wilting herbs left behind.
- Spicy Cilantro Pesto is bold and flavorful, perfect for tossing with pasta, drizzling over roasted veggies, or spreading on sandwiches.
- Green Goddess Hummus turns cilantro into a creamy, herby dip that works for snacks, wraps, or bowls.
- Vegan Avocado Crema blends cilantro with avocado into a smooth, tangy sauce that’s amazing on tacos, grain bowls, or roasted potatoes.
If you make this cilantro smoothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Cilantro Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach fresh
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro fresh
- 1 cup water
- 1 banana
- 1 lime peeled
- ½ inch ginger root fresh
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Blend spinach, cilantro and water until smooth.
- Next add the remaining fruits and blend again.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Freeze the bananas ahead of time for a cold, slushy smoothie treat.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
No. When blended with lime and banana, cilantro tastes bright and citrusy, not soapy. The fruit balances the herb, creating a clean, limeade-like flavor.
Cilantro adds a fresh, cooling flavor that feels lighter than kale or spinach alone. It keeps this smoothie crisp and refreshing instead of earthy.
Yes. Ginger adds gentle warmth, but the smoothie still tastes bright and refreshing without it. Start small or leave it out completely.
Yes. Cilantro, ginger, and chia seeds support digestion, while lime helps stimulate digestive enzymes. It’s light, hydrating, and easy on the stomach.
Not sure about this recipe. It looked delicious (I love all the ingredients), I tried it right away but I didn’t have the cilantro on hand so I made it without. It was very good! I couldn’t wait to try it with the cilantro, since I’m a huge cilantro fan. But today, the combo of the ginger and cilantro ended up tasting like onion to me. I also love onions, but not in my smoothies. So I’m on the fence about this recipe. Without the cilantro I would give it a strong 4 stars, but with the cilantro just 1 or 2.
How often should you make this smoothie?is it daily?
We love a daily smoothie habit, Latasha. It def helps us to have better energy, clearer skin, deeper sleep and humming digestion. However, we for sure recommend that you rotate your greens regularly to get the best nutrition possible. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Leafy Greens!
Refreshing detox smoothie. Not the biggest fan of cilantro, but love the lime and banana additions
This one is a great refreshing summer drink!
Sorry! Now I see it makes 2!
No worries! 🙂
Do you drink this all in one sitting? 3 bananas seem like a lot for one serving.
Julie, the recipe makes enough for two servings. So one serving would have 1 1/2 bananas but if that’s still a bit too much for you, you could use 2 bananas (or 1 per serving).
Do you add the whole lime? Skin on?
Hi Ainsley,
I usually add a small amount of the peel. It’s packed with nutrients, but the oils in the skin can sometimes irritate your stomach, so starting small is the way to go. Learn more about adding peels to your green smoothie here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
I love this smoothie! The first time I made it, I found myself thinking, “this is okay, but I don’t know if I could drink another one of these.” And then I started absolutely craving them! I don’t really love banana-based smoothies but the lime, cilantro and ginger really take over the flavor. I would recommend being a little careful on the ginger, because if you add too much it’s very bitter. Start with a bit, taste, and then add more if needed.
I could understand you, I do not like combination banana+water, that’s why I always add almond milk ! This smoothy is fantastic! Thank you!
you sent me this smooties do i take it all week i am doing the 30 day smootie s wit you,
Hi Lily,
Thanks for reaching out! Our next 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge kicks off on October 1st. Until then, we love sending our community delicious recipes to try!
Can’t wait until October? Check out our 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge E-Guide in our shop!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/challenge/
Can this recipe all be frozen into a smoothie freezer bag? Minus the liquids of course 🙂
Hi Brittany,
YES! We love using our freezer to prep green smoothies! Learn more here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-prep-smoothies/
I loathe bananas, that being said…I LOVE this smoothie.
I wanted to try it once as written before changing anything.
It’s fabulous. I am looking to get potassium and magnesium and I can’t take supplements due to the medicines that strip me of those needed elements…do you have any suggestions to boost them?
Thank you for the recipe, thank you for your time. Have a Smoothie-tastic day!
Hi Katherine!
Thanks so much for reaching out! So happy to hear you tried this smoothie and ended up loving it :). Sometimes our taste buds can surprise us!
Leafy greens are a great source of magnesium, and bananas are high in potassium. However, since we are not health care professionals, we recommend speaking with your doctor to help determine what would be the best way for you to boost those nutrients :).
Take care!
This is great! I only used 2 bananas and half the lime peel. It is so flavorful & refreshing. I have to admit I absolutely love ginger and cilantro, but never thought to combine them in a smoothie. I really enjoy the subtle spice combined with the sweet creaminess of the banana in this recipe. I also added a teaspoon of chia seeds! yum!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! And love the idea of adding chia seeds to this. I’ll have to try that next time!
Thanks so much for blendin’ with us!
Wow. This is so delicious. Made an entire blender full and I’m still not sure that it will be enough. (smile) My body is so happy with this that I may have to make another blender full. Dontcha just love guilt free?
Hi Andrea,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out + share your love for our Cilantro Limeade Green Smoothie!
Cheers to health, happiness, + leafy greens!