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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.
Hi there! I need to avoid caffeine. What could I sub for the tea? Thanks in advance!
Hey Suzanne – fantastic question! To avoid caffeine, you could swap in water for the tea. Also, there are caffeine free green tea bags available at most grocery stores that you could try as well. Happy blending!
I made the smoothie and it turned out really great! The taste was delicious and creamy! It kept me full for several hours! I’ll definitely make it a part of my weight loss program! Thanks again!
Isn’t it awesome when what’s good for us tastes good too! Way to rawk this Fat Burning Smoothie, Joy!
Didn’t use your recipe, plan to use it next. I had some tomatoes that were overripe so I made my first green smoothie out of them. I used 2 tomatoes, a handful of chopped spinach, a banana, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 orange, juice of 2 lemons and a scoop of whey, 1//2 tsp of ginger plus about 1/2 cup of water. I was surprised by how good it was. It didn’t taste anything like the veggies tastes by themselves. I was just using up what I had in the house. I have been using lots of fruit with water and whey for a while but decided to try the green smoothie when I found a bag of chopped frozen greens I assumed were spinach at a harvest give away that I have been getting my fruit from. Overripe fruit makes wonderful smoothies all by themselves. I freeze my bananas and make them into ice cream in my blender to have for dessert. They are so good. Taste like real ice cream. I get this overripe fruit and veggies all the time and puree them then freeze the puree for my smoothies, but now I will add some of the nuts I get an abundance of from the give away place. I even get dried cherries, and I guess they could be soaked to reconstitute them and use them also. I have a lot of them. The reason I wrote this was your list of items we could use really impressed. I wonder if I could soak and cook beans and add them to the smoothies also. I have lots and lots of dried beans of all kinds. Will that work?
Thanks so much for sharing Marlene! We typically save beans for including in recipes like our Thai Lettuce Wraps, yet if you give some beans a blend def come back and let us know what you thought!
Hello what can I replace the avocado with allergic and soy . Ty
Hi Yessi! In place of avocado, you could use a nut butter of your choice or a combo of banana + MCT oil. Banana brings the creaminess and MCT oil adds the healthy fat you’d be missing without the avocado.
What does 1/4 avocado equal in cups of frozen avocado chunks? Thanks!
Depending on the size of your avocado chunks, it would likely be 2-3 pieces.
Can you substitute the green tea with Matcha??
Totally Erica! Great idea. Matcha is the powdered version of the whole green tea leaf, so it would work well here. Plus you’d get additional health benefits by consuming the whole leaf vs. what you find in the tea.
Needed something to have a little sweetness to this smoothie – not great tasting – probably needs crushed ice to make it more palatable. Maybe adding berries and some other sweeter fruit might help. I would like to lose weight and enjoy the health benefit of the smoothie but his recipe is not very palatable.
To up the sweetness factor, try adding a bit more banana or a date or two. Keep in mind that this will increase both the calories and natural sugars.
Thank you for your clip about making smoothies. I was surprised you did not mention strawberries. They’re both, soluble & insoluble fibre as well as body fat burners and not to forget, they’re gorgeously delicious. also, blueberries were strangely absent from your menu
We’re def fans of strawberries and blueberries here at SGS! So many good ones, we couldn’t include them all. Thanks for helping those two shine Levi!
All I can say is “very well done “ GREAT And GOING TO TRY IT OUT ASAP
THANK YOU ❗️
this seems really good and i need to loose a lot more weight
I like this smoothie and the purpose of it. Could you add an apple or prunes to the smoothie or substitute the pineapples for one of these to get the benefit of the fiber or would it change the purpose of the smoothie if you did add them? Thank you in advance for responding!!!
We love pineapple in this smoothie for it’s water and fiber content, so you’re idea of prune is great! Since apple or prune wouldn’t be as high in water content, you may need additional liquid when blending. Let us know what you try and what you think!
I like this smoothie and have used it as a snack as well as added protien powder to make it a meal. I have a tendency to fall into a very low calorie intake trap on occasion and this smoothie has helped me keep my cal intake closer to where it should be without being heavy I my system.
I am however wondering what can be substituted for the pineapple. I have tried doing half cup frozen blueberries with half cup mango. Is this okay or is there something about the pineapple that makes this smoothie work better?
Great question Sherry! We like pineapple in this smoothie because of it’s higher fiber and water content. That’s what really helps us ‘get going’ with weight loss. However, some of our fav swaps for pineapple are oranges, mangoes or peaches. So you’re idea of swapping in mango is right on the money!
this look”s really good im going to try this
I am desperate to loose weight, I like the simplicity of this recipe and it makes sense. The taste is not the best, but I can do it to loose weight. I have found that the older I get the harder it is to loose weight, I am 61 now. We adopted a year old puppy for company on walks. But I have no energy, I was hoping the combination of the dog and this smoothie get me moving.
Update from 5/6/2021:
I have lost 9lbs. This is a very easy recipe and I make the one for the next day all ingredients in a mason jar for blending the next morning. It is a great way for me to lose weight, I am pleased with the results still looking for the energy boost to do some walking.
Woo hoo Brenda!!!! We’re cheering you on here at SGS! 🙂
What fruit can I substitute with grapefruit ? Thanks
Whether it’s an aversion to grapefruit or a med interaction you’re avoiding – you’re def not alone in needing to swap out the grapefruit Eden! You can use orange, tangerine or clementine instead. Happy blending!
Can i replace the avocado with something else.
We love it when everyone gives new things a try, OJ – so if the avocado isn’t an allergy, you might give it a blend! We promise you won’t even know it’s in there! However, if it is an allergy or you just can’t stomach it, you can totally swap it out. Try MCT oil + flaxseed or adding in some chia seeds to help replace the good fat and fiber we get from avocado.