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These tasty smoothies for weight loss include low-calorie green smoothies and filling protein powder blends to burn fat and supercharge your metabolism. I’ve used scientifically-proven ingredients in each smoothie recipe to decrease body fat and reveal a healthier and leaner body.
Sign up for my Smoothie Challenge to get a comprehensive smoothie plan, weekly grocery lists and tasty recipes that are low in calories and get you results, naturally. If you wanna go even farther, try our Plant-Based Cleanse with daily smoothies and plant-based snacks and meals.
Table of Contents
Why Smoothies Help You Lose Weight
I started drinking smoothies for weight loss when I was in my 30s. I had two toddlers and was having a hard time losing the last 10 pounds after my second kid. Didn’t help that I was stress eating after a cross-country move and always felt too tired to work out. Something had to change.
I swapped my go-to breakfast (plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese) for a weight loss smoothie loaded with vitamins, hydration and fiber. My goal was to replace a bad habit with good one— and it worked. The energy boost from the natural sugars and minerals was almost immediate and the weight loss started that weekend. No joke.
- Fiber keeps you full: Blend a variety of fruits (banana, strawberries, oranges) and leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard) together to create a high fiber drink that’ll keep you full and satisfied.
- Simple portion control: Measure out the ingredients you add to the blender to make portion control easy.
- Proper hydration curbs false hunger cues: Use 1 cup of liquid (almond milk, water, coconut water) to hydrate your cells, curb hunger and help your body function properly.
- Ideal meal replacement: Using a combination of plant-based protein (chia seeds, protein powder, etc) and healthy fats (superfoods, nut butter, coconut milk) to create an ideal meal replacement.
- Burns fat: Use ingredients that are packed with nutrients and scientifically proven to burn fat.
I started having one of these healthy smoothies for breakfast every day. I was never hungry thanks to all the fiber. It took five minutes a day. And I loved how it tasted. I became obsessed with smoothies (that’s what led to me becoming a food blogger). Now I get to teach you how to blend a smoothie to achieve your weight loss goals.
10 Fat-Burning Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss
These fat-burning smoothies are low-calorie recipes that’ll nourish your body while boosting the metabolism. I can’t wait for you to see just how tasty and simple weight loss can be. These fat-burning smoothies are a great place to start if you want to eat more plants and nourish your body from within. Which one will you blend first?!
Meal Replacement Smoothie
343 calories | 10 g protein
This high-protein, high-fiber smoothie has an unexpected combination of oats, almond butter, banana and low-sugar blueberries to keep you full for a very long time. This is truly a filling and satisfying weight loss meal replacement on the go!
Creamy Banana Smoothie
364 calories | 18 g protein
Is it a dessert or a smoothie? This creamy, banana smoothie is healthy, tasty and packed with protein thanks to the raw cashews and homemade cashew milk.
Best Green Smoothie
203 calories | 6 g fiber
This is the best green smoothie on the internet (and for good reason). Our tropical treat is infused with spinach, yet no one can taste it— including our kids. Add a scoop of plant-based protein powder and you’ve got the tastiest weight loss smoothie.
Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
155 calories | 9 g fiber
Beets are one of the best ingredients to blend when dealing with inflammation, which keeps our bodies from reaching their full potential. Fight inflammation head-on with this citrus-packed smoothie recipe.
Peanut Butter Smoothie
497 calories | 14 g protein
Plant-based nutrition is all about combining nutrients with flavors that make you wanna keep consuming it. This yummy chocolate-filled smoothie that uses frozen bananas has natural energy and helps burn fat, too.
Vanilla Yogurt Smoothie
371 calories | 26 g protein
If flavor is your jam, this tart vanilla smoothie is what is missing in your life. Pair it with frozen peaches, which are low in sugar and you’ve got yourself a high-protein, probiotic smoothie for breakfast.
Apple Celery Smoothie
275 calories | 19 g fiber
The green smoothie is a what you’d find celebs sipping at a 5-star wellness resort in Costa Rica. Fresh squeezed lemon juice, low-sugar green apples and fresh ginger root are all included for weight-loss benefits.
PINEAPPLE GINGER SMOOTHIE
263 calories | 9 g protein
If Venus Williams can drink this, we can too. If stronger and leaner is on your health goals, then sip this fresh ginger smoothie blended with naturally sweet pineapple.
Vanilla Matcha Smoothie
370 calories | 17 g protein
This high-protein (thanks to the addition of raw cashews), fat-burning, energy-boosting smoothie will satisfy your sweet tooth and can all be made in under 5 minutes.
What to Put in Smoothies for Weight Loss
Focus on blending ingredients that are scientifically proven to burn fat and boost metabolism, which leads to weight loss. It’s important that the calories we consume are quality calories, especially if we’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or just improve our overall health.
ingredients proven to burn belly fat
- Soluble fiber: Soluble fiber, found in fruits, vegetables, oats and legumes, absorbs water and forms a gel that helps slow down food as it passes through your digestive system. This helps keep you full, so you naturally eat less. Plus.
- High-protein: Observational studies show that people who eat more protein tend to have less abdominal fat than those who eat a lower protein diet. Adding a plant-based protein powder or unsweetened greek yogurt to your smoothies can be a great way to do this. If you’re doing HIIT workouts, using smoothies as a post-workout protein shake is highly effective in burning belly fat and promoting muscle recovery.
- Low-sugar foods: Using fruit as your natural sweeter is a great way to cut down on sugar (and avoid the highly processed refined sugars which contribute to belly fat). Using a combination of natural sugars and high fiber foods helps stabilize your blood sugar levels, which helps with weigh control.
- Green tea: Using chilled green tea as your smoothie base can help boost your metabolism and energy levels, thanks to the natural caffeine and antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate. According to one 10-year study, people who drink green tea regularly have nearly 20 percent less body fat than those who don’t. And EGCG, the unique ingredient in green tea, can deactivate the genetic triggers for diabetes and obesity.
ingredients to avoid when trying to lose weight
- Fruit juice: Avoid using any kinds of fruit juice in your smoothie because it adds extra sugars without the nutrients found in whole fruits. It’s much better to blend an apple, than to add apple juice to your smoothie wen trying to lose weight.
- Dairy: Milk, yogurt, protein powders that contain dairy can cause inflammation in the body… making it harder to lose weight and burn fat. We avoid these in all of our recipe below.
- Added sweeteners: Avoid honey, maple syrup, sugar, monk fruit, and stevia in your smoothies because they are high in calories and low in nutrients. Plus they can spike your blood sugar levels and train your taste buds to crave high sugar foods throughout the day.
Ingredient Combinations to Promote Weight Loss
According to studies, there’s certain food combinations that can help burn belly fat and lead to overall weight loss. We use these combinations in our healthy smoothie recipes to get the best weight loss results.
- Green apple and nut butter: Apples are chock-full of fiber, a nutrient that can help reduce visceral fat, paired with a healthy dose of nut butter can keep you feel full and aid in vitamin absorption.
- Avocados and spinach: This leafy green that can help you slim down by filling you up and giving you a healthy dose of vitamins K and A.
- Green tea and grapefruit: Blend grapefruit into your smoothie along with a chilled green tea, which contains pectin and polyphenols. Both of which have been proven to help people feel fuller and lose weight, according to a study published in Journal of Medical Food.
- Cacao and almonds: Packed with flavanols, cacao can prevent people from gaining weight, according to a study published in BMJ, and may increase energy expenditure.
- Oats and blueberries: Oats are high in fiber, helping you stay full. Toss in some berries and it’s a power combo! A study out of the University of Michigan found that rats who had blueberry powder mixed into their meals had less abdominal fat than rats on a berry-free diet after 90 days.
Weight Loss Smoothie Recipes FAQs
Swapping a meal for a smoothie can be a great way to lose weight. You’ll want to make sure your smoothie is packed with fiber, low in sugar and under 500 calories to help with portion control. Don’t add any sugars or sweeteners and choose a liquid base that is unsweetened. To keep you full, make sure your smoothie has healthy fats and protein to make it a complete meal replacement.
Look for a smoothie recipe that contains grapefruit and green tea to help burn fat. My fat-burning smoothie has these specific ingredients that boost the metabolism, plus healthy fats that are necessary for your body to break down carbs and protein.
A good smoothie with protein, healthy fat and whole-food carbs is a great combo for a healthy snack or meal that can promote weight loss. These weight loss smoothies contain a variety of spinach, mint, celery, green tea, grapefruit, pineapple and avocado.
Look for grapefruit, pineapple, mint, celery, leafy greens and herbs to help burn fat, especially around the belly. Try blending then together into a delicious smoothie to consume them easily and effectively.
The best way to get weight loss results is being consistent— and a daily meal replacement smoothie is perfect for that. Swap you typical breakfast for a fat burning smoothie to kick start your weight loss goals. This high fiber low sugar recipe is truly a healthy smoothie in 5 minutes or less.
Juicing and blending can both help with weight loss, yet only one is sustainable for the long run: smoothies. We believe committing to drinking 1-2 fat burning smoothies as a meal replacements is the most effective way to hit your weigh loss goals and maintain them for life.
Fat Burning Smoothie for Weight Loss
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 4 leaves fresh mint
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- ½ cup green tea cooled
- ½ grapefruit peeled and seeded
- 1 cup pineapple frozen
- ¼ avocado
- dash cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place spinach, mint, celery and green tea into blender.
- Puree until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Blend again. Best when served chilled.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- 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.
- Drink 1-2 smoothies a day as meal replacements to get the weight loss benefits you’re looking for.
- Adding homemade protein powder is a great way to add high-quality protein that won’t affect the delicious taste of the smoothie.
Is there a replacement that can be used for the mint leaves?
Mint can be tricky to replace, yet the closest we’ve found is it’s cousin basil. If it’s just that peppermint isn’t your jam, you could try one of many other varieties of mint, like spearmint, apple mint or pineapple mint (which would be totally fab in this recipe!). Let us know what you blend and how you liked it!
I can’t remember if I’ve already commented on this recipe…but I had to again, just to be sure! I LOVE this smoothie. What’s funny, though, is I can’t stand grapefruit, and I usually only like celery in soups! But my body was craving not-so-sweet smoothies, so I did a search through the SGS smoothies and came up with this one (admittedly, the “fat burning” part caught my eye too :). I decided to take the plunge and check it out, and it has actually become one of my favorites, which is still a shock to me. It’s light but filling, and I love that you can adjust the sweet-tart ratio by adjusting the grapefruit and pineapple. This one is going in regular rotation.
That is such an awesome discovery Holly! We love, love, love how green smoothies can help us get those foods in that we otherwise wouldn’t eat.
Hi is there any replacement I could use for the avocado?
I just made this shake 5 minutes ago and it is delicious left some of the pith and peel out all I can say is delicious not bitter give this smoothie a try you are going to be surprised thank you !!!!!
i cant eat grapefruit because of a medicine i take. can you recommend a substitute that would be just as good?
We love oranges, tangerines or clementines when grapefruit isn’t an option. 🙂
It’s a bit bitter but it’s still easy to consume. I’m enjoying the challenge since I’m trying to shed 20lbs .
Hi Destiny! You can try adding a touch more pineapple to this to adjust the taste if the grapefruit is too strong. So glad you’re rawkin some more plants using smoothies. You’ve got this!!!
I really do need to lose weight because I had a right hip replacement so I can’t put that much weight on my hip and also trying to lose belly fat
Oh wow! Hope you heal well and that this smoothie is helpful to you!
Will this help me burn my fat and loose the weight whilst I am doing exercises in the week . I run pretty much every day or when I can.
This smoothie, combined with the awesome running you’re doing, should def help with weight loss. Remember, losing weight is different for every body though. Usually we see the best results over time.
Hi, could you confirm how much of mint needed please.It says 2 Tbsp cup…but i guess you can’t measure mint leaves with spoon I am definitely trying this smoothie.Thank you
Oooh – thanks for catching that Ju! We’ve corrected it to read ‘2 Tbsp’, which is equal to about 10-12 mint leaves. Happy blending! 🙂
I started my smooties today.. ill be waiting for thr result very soon..thank you for giving this very simple but very effective smoothies to lose weight.. salute to the Simple green smoothies
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the smoothies. They’re a quick and simple meal on the go!
Hi
Thanks for this guide, I wanna ask the alternatives to spinach, celery and mint leave, these are not really common in my country.
Secondly can I use cashew nuts in place of plant based protein?
Hi there! Kale, collard greens, cabbage and Swiss chard are great swaps for spinach if you have those. Fennel, leeks or even carrots can be used in place of celery. And instead of mint, give basil a try. They are similar, yet basil will have a more peppery taste. Cashews are super delish and great sources of plant-based protein! 1 oz. of cashews will provide about 5 g of protein. 🙂
I have devoted myself to trying this for one week. So far, so good. Weight loss is at 1 pound for the first week. I like it slow, that’s okay. My question is about the celery. I have read all the other comments about substitution, but nothing about how important the celery is….it is quite overpowering for me, I have cut down to 1/2 a stalk and it’s still hard to drink. Do I need to go back to a whole stalk for best results or is there a substitute? I have also cut down on the mint leaves because of strong taste. I love all the other ingredients!
thanks so much, i read the comments farther and saw how helpful and effective this smoothie was for other to lose weight so i will not be adding apple cider vinegar. i am making this smoothie today to freeze and save for the week, i have 2 questions, 1. how many does this smoothie serve? 2. what aspect in this smoothie help with weight loss?
thanks so much and i will still be posting a comment on how this smoothie went.
Yay Abigail! This recipe for our Fat Burning Smoothie serves 1. And the ingredients are specifically geared toward helping increase metabolism and to help you feel full longer.
Hi I am very excited to try this I was wondering can I replace the tea with water???
Hi there Nicole! You can def use water instead of tea. We like green tea here because the caffeine in tea contains antioxidants that may help burn fat a bit quicker by aiding the liver in converting fat to energy. Totally up to you! 🙂
I like it
Yay!
Can I substitute pomelo for grapefruit?
Pomelo would totally work here, yet they don’t contain as much juice as grapefruit. You may need to add a touch more water to compensate for that, yet give it a blend and let us know what you think!
this looks amazing!! i have been looking for a on the go green smoothie to help with weight loss! i was wondering, would it mess up the weight loss rachio if i added apple cider vinegar to this smoothie, i’ve heard it help curb your appetite and helps with weight loss.
thanks so much, and i will be adding another comment soon to see how it went!!
Cool question! While it wouldn’t necessarily change what the other ingredients are doing to help with weight loss, the ACV would def change the taste. Looking forward to your next comment to see how it blended up! 🙂
Can i use banana instead of avocado in this pineapple?
Hey Suzee! The answer here is yes and no. In terms of consistency, banana and avocado would be trade subs for each other – so yes, when it comes to that. However, they are very different nutritionally. The avocado is a source of healthy fat, whereas the banana isn’t yet ups the sweetness of your smoothie. Keep us posted on what you choose!