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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.
This one I could drink every day!! Very yummy
I made the vitamix recipe of this smoothie years ago when I had an over abundance of romaine lettuce and was looking for a smoothie recipe to help me use it up. I remember being impressed then by how good it could taste with so many greens. I enjoyed your version too! Thanks for sharing the story behind it I never knew where the recipe came from or why. My only addition was to zest the lemon because I really enjoy the lemony flavor.
This smoothie was refreshing. I have never use lettuce in a smoothie before.
I love this smoothie, i use to make this smoothie all he time. But i use to add celery as well. It was so great to make it again.
Very refreshing but I might add a date next time for a little bit of sweetness.
I’ve never used actual lettuce in a smoothie before, only spinach and kale. It’s always fun to try something new.
Recipe was good but I wasn’t crazy about the lemon. It don’t blend up very good. The flavors were yummy.
I meant didn’t blend up!! That’s what I get for multitasking while posting 😉
Great idea using romaine lettuce in a smoothie. I used 1/2 head, and this worked out well for me. Will definitely incorporate romaine in future smoothies because it imparts additional hydration, nutrients, and fiber. Thanks so much
Today’s Smoothie was better for me.
well, through no fault of the recipe, I accidentally added arugula in with the spinach, and my boyfriend ate the pear, so I had to improvise with a little more apple and more coconut water. The result was a thick kinda globby shake that taste almost nutty.. And I’m not sure my romaine was the freshest. I will have to try again… It does look like it has promise
Great idea using romaine lettuce in a smoothie. I used 1/2 head, and this worked out well for me. Will definitely incorporate romaine in future smoothies because it imparts additional hydration, nutrients, and fiber. Thanks so much 🙂
Not a fan of romaine ,but it wasn’t bad.
This is my fav smoothie so far this week in the green smoothie challenge. I used frozen fruit as I prefer my smoothies cold. The only modification I made was to use 1/3 of a banana as I find that is all I need to sweeten the taste.
Yum! Once again, in the Green Smoothie Challenge, this recipe did not disappoint. I really like a cold smoothie so I froze the banana and pear ahead.
I enjoyed this – my spinach measurement was a bit off (free handed too much) but I still enjoyed the flavor. The fruit flavors in there made sure that the spinach wasn’t too overpowering even though I had used too much!
This smoothy has a bit of a bitter after taste. While I did not think I would like the kale smoothy, I found that one much nicer tasting than this one.
Well, this was new for me! I actually liked this Glowing Green Smoothie. I added more water after I blended everything, so it wasn’t that thick. I especially love how I know that this is packed with beneficial benefits for me.