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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.
This sounds amazing. I haven’t actually tried it yet. I have a thyroid condition for which I take thyroid supplements. I’m not supposed to have any grapefruit, so what do you recommend as a substitution?
Kathy, you could sub clementines, an orange, or a tangerine.
Thanks ☺️
You’re welcome! 🙂
if i dont use the avocado in the smoothie will it still have same results or is there something i can use instead of the avocado?
Reagan, you can use banana instead of avocado but bananas contain more natural sugars and avocados have healthy fats so you will change the effects of the smoothie a bit.
Any alternative to avocado?
Hey Kat, you can use bananas as a sub for avocado. Just know that you’ll get many of the same benefits from doing that but not the exact same. Avocados are some of the best fruits for healthy fats and bananas have a lot of natural sugars.
How many times are you supposed to drink this smoothie like is it 1 per day and do you drink as lunch and meal replacement?
Hey Yadhira, there’s no prescribed amount of times you should drink this per day or per week. You could drink it once a day if you wanted to and I’d recommend drinking it for breakfast to get your metabolism fired up early in the day. It does have a healthy fat (avocado) but no plant-based protein so it may not sustain you as a meal replacement. Try it for breakfast and if you’re still hungry, you could grab a handful of almonds or cashews. 🙂
Hi there!
I have made this smoothie recently and it’s actually good. How long does it take to notice the difference in weight loss?
Hi Balrose! So glad you like it! 🙂 Since everyone’s body is different, I can’t really say how long it will take for you to notice a difference. But don’t be discouraged if you don’t notice differences right away, these things take time!
Follow instructions and remove grapefruit from inner membrane and pith, much better.
QUESTION: Does it have a “burning” feeling as it makes it’s way down to the stomach? Normal?
Hi Jane, you shouldn’t experience a burning sensation when you drink this smoothie. Did you add ground cayenne pepper? I find that if I’m a little heavy handed when adding cayenne to my smoothie, it will burn just a little.
Why does the pineapples have to be frozen is there a reason and do they have to be frozen ??
Hey Daniel! We suggest using at least one frozen fruit to make your smoothie nice and cold. We love doing this instead of using ice cubes because frozen fruit won’t dull the blades of your blender the way ice cubes will.
the taste isn’t bad, actually it sort of grows on you as you drink it, I guess I can’t expect things to taste like chocolate cake when I’m losing weight. The mixture is very thick, nearly too thick to drink but another shot of green tea sorted that out.
One to persevere with I think!
This is actually very good. I wasn’t expecting that! haha.. I taste grapefruit more than anything. Then mint.. I only have to drink it once a day, and only an 8 ouce glass full of it? because I think I’ll get a few glasses out of it. Does it have to be in the morning? I would rather at night. someone do tell! Thank you!
Linda, each serving is about 16 fluid ounces and this recipe will make two servings. Many of our Rawkstars love to drink their green smoothies in the morning but you don’t have to. There’s really no wrong time to drink a green smoothie. So if you’d rather drink yours at night, go for it!
I made this smoothie. It is not half bad. I can taste the mint. I like for it to be a little thicker so I put it in the freezer for a few minutes. I purchased enough ingredients to drink this particular smoothie for a week. Once the fat burning kicks in is it okay to switch to the traditional green smoothie?
Hi Roberta! You do not have to drink this smoothie every day, you can certainly mix it up. We have lots and lots of great recipes. Just click here–> Awesome Green Smoothie Recipes
Happy blending! 🙂
Made this smoothie this morning. I prepped everything the night before and had the tea in the fridge as well. Blended it this morning in my Nutribullet blender. It was a delicious green smoothie. I would suggest using the cayenne pepper to add that extra metabolism boost. I could barely taste it. Very yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Concerned about the grape fruit
Hey Tasha, what is your concern?
I will be making this not happy with my weight: 171 lbs! Mostly in my stomach thanks for the recipe
Can you please tell me how much a ‘Cup’ is ? thanks
Hey Kath, if you’re referring to the green tea, one cup of liquid = 8 fluid ounces or 250 milliliters. One cup of leafy greens = 30 grams or 1 ounce. One cup of fruit = 250 milliliters and the weight in grams will vary depending on the type of fruit. For more info, check out our conversion guide: Rawkstar Conversion Guide. Happy blending! 🙂
I would love to try this smoothie , I love grapefruit, however because of some medicine I’m on, they say I’m not supposed to eat grapefruit. Any ideas.?
Christine, you can replace the grapefruit with any other citrus fruit of your choice. I like to use clementines, oranges, or tangerines. 🙂
What can I substitute for grapefruit – people on certain medications can’t have grapefruit!
Pam, you can sub any other citrus fruit of your choice. I like to use clementines, oranges, or tangerines.