This post contains affiliate links.
I’ll say this upfront: no smoothie burns fat while you sit there drinking it. What this smoothie actually does is keep you full, cut down on mindless snacking, and make it easier to stick with your goals — which, over weeks and months, is what actually transforms the bod.
I crafted this fat-burning smoothie around a few ingredient combos that show real research support for fullness and blood sugar, then made sure it actually tastes good enough that I’d drink it often. That’s the whole strategy. If your goal this season is to slim down, start here — this recipe is one of our top-rated weight loss smoothies.
Ingredients in Fat-Burning Smoothie
- Kale: the fiber and bulk in this smoothie — barely tastes like anything once it’s blended with the fruit.
- Cucumber + celery: mostly water, so they stretch the smoothie into a bigger, more filling glass without adding many calories.
- Chia seeds: they swell up and thicken the smoothie, plus add a bit of staying power between the fiber and plant-based fat.
- Grapefruit: brings natural sweetness and the fullness benefit noted above. Removing the inner membrane before blending cuts most of the bitterness.
- Green tea: swapped in for plain water as the liquid base, so you get a little natural caffeine along with the antioxidants.
- Pineapple: balances out the grapefruit’s tartness and makes the whole thing taste more like a treat than a health food.
- Protein powder: added at the end so it blends without turning gritty — this is what turns the smoothie into something that holds you until lunch instead of an hour.
More Ingredient Combos
- Cacao + almonds: cacao’s flavanols are an active research area (including work published in BMJ) — and more importantly, chocolate that’s actually good for you makes a routine you’ll keep.
- Oats + blueberries: oats are the fiber workhorse of this whole list. The blueberry belly-fat study you may have seen was done in rats — promising, not proof — but berries + oats is a fullness combo I’d bet on regardless.
Save this for Later!
Enter your info below and I’ll send this one straight to your inbox to have for later.
How to Make Fat-Burning Smoothie
Of all the recipes I’ve created, this is the one I come back to: greens, fiber, and superfoods that curb my cravings and keep me energized until lunch. Five minutes, one blender — here’s how:
- Fill your blender with kale, cucumber, celery, chia seeds, grapefruit and chilled green tea.
- Puree until smooth.
- Add frozen pineapple. Remove the grapefruit’s inner membrane to cut bitterness — or swap in orange + lemon.
- Blend on high speed until combined (about 30 seconds).
- Add one serving protein powder and blend on low speed just to mix.
- Pour into a glass and serve chilled.
Common Questions
It’s best fresh, but you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a few hours. Give it a good shake before drinking since the chia seeds will settle.
Yes, though it won’t hold you as long. If you skip it, consider adding a spoonful of nut butter or extra chia seeds for staying power instead.
Orange and lemon together give you a similar tart-sweet balance without the bitterness, if grapefruit isn’t your thing.
Fat-Burning Smoothie
Jen HansardVideo
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cucumber chopped
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ grapefruit peeled and seeded
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- ½ cup green tea chilled
- 1 cup pineapple frozen
- 1 serving whey protein isolate
Instructions
- Place kale, cucumber, chia seeds, grapefruit, celery and green tea into blender.
- Puree on high-speed until smooth.
- Add frozen pineapple to blender. Blend again on high-speed until everything is pureed.
- Add one serving protein powder and blend on low.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- On medication? Grapefruit interacts with some prescriptions — swap in orange or clementine
- Pith power: The pith and peel of the grapefruit are extremely bitter but are beneficial in small amounts. To lessen the bitterness of the grapefruit, remove the fruit from the inner membranes as well as peel before using.
- Vegan? Swap whey protein with homemade protein powder or preferred powder.
- Prep ahead: chop the kale, cucumber, and celery and freeze in a bag so this comes together even faster on busy mornings.
- Adjust the tartness: if grapefruit is too bitter for you even after removing the membrane, start with half a grapefruit and add more to taste.
- Serve it cold: this one’s best straight after blending, over ice if you like it extra chilled — the texture gets watery if it sits too long.
Nutrition
Equipment
Dietary Adjustments & Substitutions
Need to swap an ingredient or accommodate a food allergy? Click the button below for tailored suggestions just for you:
Pleasantly surprised. Delicious! I had to do a couple of modifications because I didn’t have all of the ingredients. I replace spinach with kale and collard greens, a tangerine but of grapefruit oh, and I didn’t have any mint. But it came out great! Diet plan to eat a meal with it this morning because I felt the need to chew however, I was quite full with one serving and some water. Instead I’m making a big lunch with this afternoon and plan to have another smoothie this evening. Thank you so much for sharing this! And thank you everyone else for your input and suggestions because that truly made a difference in me trying out this drink. Oh and I’ve never had avocado in a smoothie before, but I love Avocado. It gave it a nice creamy consistency without interrupting the other flavors.
Thank you so much for sharing how you made this smoothie work for you!! We love hearing your enthusiasm about our recipes.
Happy blending!!
OMG!!! I’m so happy you have all the nutrition information listed – I feel like such a dork for wishing for it in a recent survey I filled out for Jen. Obviously, I had not checked for it in a while! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
He heard your requests and have been working hard to add in all the nutritional value! Hopefully we will have it added to all of our recipes soon:-)
Great Smoothie.
Do you have any suggestions on a substitute for the frozen pineapple pieces?
Hey Nate,
Yes, you can substitute the frozen pineapple for frozen mangoes, oranges, or peaches. If you want to know another ingredient you can swap out, check out our Rawkstar Substitution Guide here:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/substitution-guide
Hi can I drink this while breastfeed?
Hey Ruth,
Yes you can totally drink this while breastfeeding. I would just make sure your LO is fine when you consume any of these fruits and veggies. Don’t want them to be gassy! Also, make sure to pay attention to the green tea. I know some women do not like to consume caffeine while breastfeeding.
Hope that helps!
Definitely I’m in love with this. Thanks. Feel amazing in/out
Thanks Rawkstar!!
We are so happy that you love this recipe and are already seeing the benefits of it!!
Cheers!
Instead of the green tea, i’m using chaga, great smoothie! Thanx for the recipe!
Hey Rene,
Thank you for sharing! That sounds super delicious =P
Cheers!