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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.
I ended up, doubling the rest of the ingredients because of the head of Romain lettuce. That may or may not have changed the flavor. However, it taste pretty good. The tartness of the lemon does not overwhelm this smoothie.
This wasn’t my favorite, but it was still good. I liked the lemon in it. I think about all the good nutrition I am getting and it makes it worth it.
This was an interesting one. Combo of lemon and romaine were unexpected in a smoothie, but it works.
Honestly I was not thrilled about the Romain lettuce. I definitly would use Kale over Romain. Otherwise it was good
I can not believe how great the taste of this smoothie is. It makes it a joy to drink green. I highly recommend it!
Delicious – a nice balance! I should have blended just a wee bit little longer but it turned out great!
This one was just okay.
Nice flavor!
after making this recipe as written, i didn’t have time to add anything in, so i thoroughly enjoyed it as is. i could drink this smoothie daily. my pear was ripe (i don’t remember the variety, i used a fuji apple, and my banana was frozen. my lemon may have been a meyer.this smoothie caused me to think that i need to start keeping track of smoothie recipes i really like!
I was surprised that my whole family enjoyed this one. In fact, it was a couple of my kids favorite of the week. It oddly tasted limey when there isn’t any lime. I will say I had froze the greens along with the pear and banana and I did have to add more coconut water to help it blend. So very tasty. I’ll be blending this one on the regular
Sorry my response is late. I had an emergency happen and I had to tend to it. I am catching up now. I believe if I hadn’t have had that smoothie today, I. wouldn’t have handle it as calm as I was. IT was an excellent drink, the pear and the banana made the drink. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the apple and the range of the lemon. I really didn’t taste the lets or spinach, and the coconut water I think I could have put a little more in to the drink. Yes, it was a great smoothie.
Really good, not too sweet. It was really thick, which I don’t mind, but I should have blended it longer. Not as simple as some of the others so I probably won’t make it very often. Still, I’m not sorry I tried it!
This is quite a bright green smoothie. I never used lettuce in a smoothie before and it seemed to impart a grass-like aroma. I like that this smoothie was not so sweet just to have some variety. It was difficult to get this smoothie smooth so maybe it needed blending for longer than my normal time to blend.
I love the flavor from the lemon in here!
AMAZING smoothie!! My daughter used up all of my spinach before I was able to make this smoothie, so I substituted kale. It was a little thicker so I just added more coconut water to get the consistency right. It was SO delicious. This is a definite keeper and will be a favorite for a very long time!
Very surprised! This was my first time using romaine lettuce in any kind of drink and it wasn’t bad at all. The other ingredients helped with the flavor.