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I’ll be honest, I’m not usually one to copy celebrity routines, but when Reese Witherspoon gushed about her glowing green smoothie on Instagram, my curiosity got the better of me. Turns out, this little morning ritual comes from Kimberly Snyder, a celebrity wellness coach and author of The Beauty Detox Solution. I’ve made this smoothie a few times, tweaking each version until it was just what I liked. It’s one of those rare trends that actually earns a permanent spot in your everyday routine.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
This glowing green smoothie is blended with simple, everyday produce you can grab on your next grocery run. Just fresh, wholesome ingredients that taste amazing together.
- Spinach and romaine lettuce: Mild in flavor yet packed with nutrients, these leafy greens give the smoothie its vibrant glow and fresh, crisp base. Choose pre-washed bags for ease.
- Pear: Juicy and naturally sweet, pears soften the blend. Bartlett and Anjou are best since they’re reliably available year-round.
- Apple: Crisp and slightly tart, apples brighten the flavor and balance the sweetness. Granny Smith, Gala, or Fuji all work beautifully.
- Banana: Adds creamy texture and natural sweetness. Use ripe bananas for best flavor or follow my guide on how to freeze bananas if you prefer a thicker, colder smoothie.
- Coconut water: Light and slightly sweet, it smooths the blend and adds a hydrating finish. Find it bottled or boxed in the beverage aisle.
How to Make Glowing Green Smoothie
If you’ve ever wondered how to get that perfectly silky, bright green glowing smoothie, follow this easy process at home:
- Prep the produce by rinsing the spinach, romaine, pear, and apple. Core the apple and pear, peel the banana, and remove the lemon peel while leaving the white pith.
- Blend the greens with the coconut water until smooth and no leafy chunks remain.
- Add the pear, apple, banana, lemon, and optional protein powder, then blend again until silky.
- Taste and adjust by adding more lemon for brightness or extra banana for creaminess. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
Always blend your leafy greens with the liquid first before adding fruit. This two-step method breaks down tough fibers for a silky texture (aka no leafy chunks).
For a thicker, colder smoothie, freeze ripe banana slices before blending. If your smoothie tastes too tart, add extra banana for natural sweetness. To save time, prep greens and fruit in freezer bags for quick grab-and-blend smoothies.
Easy Swaps and Add-Ins
This recipe for glowing green smoothie is already a powerhouse, but the beauty of smoothies is that you can make them your own:
- Leafy greens: If you’re out of spinach or romaine, toss in kale, butter lettuce, or even a handful of arugula.
- Milk: No coconut water? Use filtered water, coconut milk, or almond milk for a flavor change.
- Fruit mix-up: Don’t stress if you’re missing an apple or pear. You can use mango, pineapple, or even peaches. If you’re going with pineapple, check out my guide on how to cut a pineapple.
- Extra protein: Make it more filling with homemade protein powder.
- Healthy fats: A spoonful of nut butter, chia seeds, or flaxseeds adds creaminess and lasting satisfaction.
Serving Suggestion
This recipe makes about 32 ounces. It’s recommended to drink all of it, yet that’s a lot at one time. I like to divide it up into two servings and have half for breakfast and the rest for a mid-morning snack.
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More Glowing Green Smoothies
If you’re loving the bright, refreshing vibes of this green smoothie, here are a few more green smoothie blends to get your glow on:
- Best green smoothie recipe is my go-to vibrant blend of mango, banana, and spinach that’s creamy, energizing, and ready in 5 minutes.
- Green tea smoothie delivers a gentle boost of energy with leafy greens, creamy fruit, and green tea.
- Green pear smoothie balances juicy sweetness with earthy greens for a silky, refreshing sip.
- Green apple smoothie adds tart, crisp brightness that makes every sip feel revitalizing.
If you make this glowing green 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.
Glowing Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¾ cup spinach
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- ½ pear
- ½ apple
- ½ banana
- ½ lemon remove peel, but leave as much white pith as possible
- ¼ cup coconut water
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Add spinach, lettuce, lemon and coconut water to blender. Blend until no leafy chunks are left. Add more water if needed to blend.
- Add pear, apple, banana and protein powder. Blend again until smooth.
- Enjoy the green goodness!
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Blender tip: If you don’t have a high-speed blender, blend the greens and liquid first until smooth, then add fruit.
- Texture fix: For a creamier smoothie, add extra banana or a few chunks of avocado. If you prefer it lighter, increase the coconut water.
- Sweetness level: Pears and apples vary in sweetness. If your smoothie tastes too tart, add a little honey, maple syrup, or an extra half banana.
- Make ahead: You can wash and chop your greens + fruit ahead of time and store them in freezer-safe bags for easy grab-and-blend smoothies.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
You can start with leafy greens like spinach or romaine, add hydrating fruits (pear, apple, banana), and blend with lemon juice and coconut water. The vitamin C from citrus plus antioxidants from greens support collagen production and help your skin look fresh and radiant.
Glowing green smoothies deliver a powerful combo of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and hydration in one glass. They can boost energy, improve digestion, support clear skin, and help you pack more plants into your day, without feeling like you’re eating a salad.
The “green glow drink” is simply another name for a glowing green smoothie. You’ll layer your liquid first, blend in the greens, then add your fruits for a smooth, creamy texture. It’s quick, easy, and ready in 5 minutes.
Yes, if you balance your ingredients. Daily green smoothies are a great way to increase fruit and veggie intake, boost hydration, and add fiber. Just switch up your greens regularly (like spinach one week, kale the next) to keep your nutrient intake balanced and avoid overdoing any one veggie.
The romaine flavor comes through with a hint of lemon, but nothing else. I used water instead of coconut water because I use coconut anything. I added 2 Madjool dates for sweetness and 1 Tbsp chia seeds for protein. I used a home grown Meyer lemon, which is not as sour as standard lemons. The rest of my fruit was not the best, and I blame that for the way it turned out. The banana wasn’t ripe enough–clearly, it needs to be. The d’Angou pear wasn’t ripe despite storing it next to apples for 6 days–ethylene from the apples should have ripened it, but this is not unusual for California. Fruit is picked when it is too green, gets to the market when it is too green, is more times than not purchased when it is still too green, and sometimes it shrivels, but never ripens, and I think that is the case with my pathetic pear. The smoothie was ultra thick, so I had to add water in order to get it through the straw. I tasted it, but did not care for i. I put it in the fridge to get colder. I will try it later today.
I don’t favor this one. I couldn’t get it to blend well, and I’m not a fan of apples in my smoothies. This one was definitely worth a try – I combined some ingredients that I never thought I would and stretched my limits . I drank it, but I personally probably won’t make it again.
This glowing green smoothie is one of my favorites. It has a fresh crisp flavor and a smooth creamy texture.
I love the lemon in this smoothie, I skipped the pear because I didn’t have one. It feels great to start the morning with something so healthy. As I was preparing my smoothie the scraps were placed in Lomi (electric composter) so later on today the compost can be added to the garden to grow future smoothie ingredients
Never liked lettuce much but in this way perfect into the smoothie even my daughter loved it, also lost 1 kgs
Wonderful smoothie. What a way to get a lot of Romaine lettuce in, first thing in the morning. Great taste. Love the lemon!
Found this smoothie refreshing. Did not realize that coconut water would enhance the flavor and I added a half avocado which made the smoothie extra creamy. Will make this again.
Refreshing smoothie. I like mixing up the greens today. I tend to always use spinach, so romaine was a nice change.
It was OK, but I think the romaine lettuce was a little overpowering. It was worth drinking it for the skin benefits.
Day #4 Glowing Green Smoothie, wow another great recipe who would of thought that I would be liking Green Smoothie lol but got to say there working for me this one tasted so good Certainly refreshing glad I made a double batch one for this early morning and one for later to day
Not a favorite but I drank it anyway. I thought the romaine lettuce too over powering. I will make it again with less romaine.
Light, refreshing, slightly sweet, delicious, at first mild tasting but then sweeter. I had to add more water to my blender for it to blend .
The romaine lettuce had a very strong taste. Would have liked the smoothie a little sweeter and something to lesser the romaine lettuce taste.
Interesting taste. Definitely what I would consider a “green” smoothie. I did add extra lemon. I think next time I have it, I will have it for lunch instead of breakfast.
I like romaine lettuce but was surprised to see it in a smoothie and learn of all it’s nutritional benefits. Will include again.
I enjoyed this smoothie. It was light tasting, but initially too thick so added an extra 1/4 cup of coconut water. Also subbed avocado for the banana.
Pretty good. More lemon could be added.