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Step aside salad. You’re no longer the only way to get leafy green vegetables into our diet. The following nutritional powerhouses deserve a starring role in any kitchen— not just for a trained chef. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, leafy greens offer a wealth of health benefits and surprising versatility in the kitchen.
I started my love affair of leafy greens with blending baby spinach into my smoothies. Over time, I started to crave more leafy green vegetables. From vibrant stir-fries to hearty plant-based soups and even delicious green smoothies, it’s time to look beyond the bowl and discover the exciting world of cooking and blending with leafy greens.
Health Benefits of Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy greens are super important for a healthy diet. They’re nutrient-dense, green veggies that provide tons of vitamins and minerals. According to a report in the journal Neurology, a daily serving of leafy greens can lead to slower age-related cognitive decline. The term “leafy greens” encompasses a wide array of edible leaves, each with its unique flavor profile and texture. Getting familiar with the leafy green varieties is the first step to unlocking their culinary potential.
Spinach
Mild & slightly sweet
Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vital vitamins (K, A, C), folate, and iron, crucial for bone health, vision, immunity, cell growth, and red blood cell production. Its high antioxidant content and plant compounds may also lower the risk of chronic diseases, making it a valuable addition to a healthy diet.
Kale
Hearty & slightly bitter
Kale has different varieties like curly kale, Lacinato (dinosaur) kale, and baby kale offer varying textures. With 684% of the recommended daily value of vitamin K, 206% of the RDV of vitamin A and 134% of the RDV of vitamin C, this dark leafy green packs a health punch.
Lettuce (Romaine, Butter, Iceberg)
Mild & slightly sweet
Primarily used raw for salads and wraps, some firmer varieties like romaine can be lightly grilled or braised. Romaine lettuce is high in fiber and low in calories. The vitamin C and beta-carotene content help to lower cholesterol and prevent build-up on artery walls, which reduces the risk of a heart attack.
Arugula (Rocket)
Peppery & slightly bitter
Arugula adds a zesty kick to salads and cooked dishes. More than just a garnish, one cup of this leafy green contains 27.7% of the RDV of vitamin K. Tastes best on top of pizza, in a salad or sandwich. I don’t recommend making smoothies with it.
Cabbage
Hearty & pungent
This leafy green can actually be purple, red, white or green, but is definitely still considered a leafy green. I love using cabbage as a plant-based taco shell, blended in a cabbage smoothie or roasted cabbage with light seasoning. Loaded with fiber, folate, vitamin B6 and antioxidants which help fight inflammation.
Bok Choy
Mild & slightly sweet
Bok choy is excellent stir-fried, steamed, or added to soups. Full of vitamins A and C, bok choy ranks high for nutrient density as well. All parts of the plant can be used: shredded in a salad, my vegetarian ramen, cooked in soup or blended in a smoothie.
Carrot Greens
Herbaceous & slightly bitter
Carrot tops offer surprising nutrition, providing vitamin K for blood clotting and bones, vitamin C for immunity, and potassium for blood pressure regulation. Their phytonutrients also offer potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, making them a worthwhile to smoothies or even pesto!
Beet Greens
Slightly earthy
Beet tops are a nutritious leafy green, rich in vitamins K and A, vital for blood clotting, bone health, vision, and immunity. High in phytonutrients, including betalains, beet greens have anti-inflammatory benefits. When blending smoothies with beets, wash and blend in the beet greens.
Collard Greens
Tough & slightly bitter
Collard greens benefit from long cooking times. Like their other cruciferous family members, collard greens are great cancer fighters. They are also pretty good at helping your body digest foods properly with all the fiber inside. They are most popular steamed, but adding them raw to your smoothies will provide greater health benefits.
Swiss Chard
Mild & slightly earthy
Mild and slightly earthy with colorful stems that are also edible, Swiss chard is a beautiful and nutritious addition to many dishes. Chard is a colorful, dark leaf known for its ability to regulate the body’s blood sugar. Translation? If diabetes or maintaining blood sugar levels is a concern, add this veggie to your regular rotation.
Leafy Greens Recipes
5 Ways to Use Leafy Greens
Ready to move beyond the traditional salad? Here are some inspiring ways to incorporate more leafy greens into your daily meals:
- Sautéed and stir-fried: Spinach, baby kale, and Swiss chard wilt beautifully in a hot pan with a little olive oil, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. A squeeze of lemon adds brightness. Heartier greens like kale, mustard greens, and bok choy hold up well in stir-fries. Add them towards the end of cooking to maintain some texture and vibrant color. Pair them with your favorite proteins, vegetables, and sauces.
- Soups for warmth and nutrition: Stir in chopped spinach, kale, or Swiss chard during the last few minutes of cooking vegetable soup recipes. They will wilt down and add a boost of nutrients and a touch of freshness. Blend cooked greens like spinach or kale with broth, sautéed onions, and a touch of cream or coconut milk for a smooth and nutritious soup.
- Baked delights with a green twist: Incorporate chopped leafy greens into egg-based dishes like quiches and frittatas. They add color, flavor, and valuable nutrients. Layer sautéed greens into pasta bakes and lasagnas for an extra dose of vegetables. They blend seamlessly with the other ingredients. Add finely chopped cooked greens to roasted root vegetables, or use them as a filling for savory pastries and dumplings.
- Blended goodness in smoothies: Don’t be afraid to toss a handful of spinach or kale into your breakfast smoothie. The flavor is surprisingly mild when combined with fruits, yogurt, and other ingredients.
- Creative raw preparations: While not technically a recipe, juicing leafy greens is a great way to consume a concentrated amount of nutrients. Blend arugula, spinach, or kale with nuts, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice for a vibrant and flavorful pesto. You can also layer large lettuce leaves like romaine or butter lettuce to create healthy and delicious lettuce wraps and sandwiches.
Benefits of Rotating Leafy Greens
I often talk about rotating your greens when making green smoothies. This is because leafy greens come from all different plant families, each offering different health benefits. Yet if spinach is your jam, no worries! Keep doing that. You can always have a salad with kale or make a soup with Swiss chard.
Tips for Cooking with Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy greens are more than just a salad component. Their versatility and nutritional benefits make them a valuable addition to any healthy diet. By exploring different cooking methods and incorporating them into a variety of dishes, you can unlock a world of flavor and boost your well-being. So, step away from the salad bowl and embrace the green revolution in your kitchen!
- Experiment! Don’t be afraid to try different combinations and cooking methods to discover your favorite ways to enjoy leafy greens.
- Wash thoroughly: Always wash leafy greens thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt or grit. A salad spinner can be helpful for drying them.
- Remove tough stems: For heartier greens like kale and collards, remove the tough central stems before cooking.
- Don’t overcook: Most leafy greens cook quickly. Overcooking can make them mushy and reduce their nutritional value.
- Balance flavors: The bitterness of some greens can be balanced with acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar, or by pairing them with sweeter or richer flavors.
What are your favorite leafy greens? Drop a comment below and let me know if this list has inspired you to try a new ingredient, or if you’ve got a new green for me to try!
Freezing Your Leafy Greens
Ever wonder how to use up all the beautiful leafy greens you just bought, before they start to wilt? Even though I make green smoothies daily, I sometimes need to freeze my spinach or kale to stay fresh longer.
To lengthen the shelf life of leafy greens and make rotating your greens as easy as opening your freezer, try freezing your spinach. I buy spinach and power greens at Costco— freezing half of it maximizes the freshness.
Common Questions
You’ve probably heard of spinach, kale and lettuce, but leafy greens also include carrot tops, beet greens, swiss chard, arugula and more! They can grow all on their own, or be found on the tops of other plants (like broccoli, beets and carrots).
All leafy greens are incredibly nutritious and great to mix into your diet. Kale and spinach are probably the most nutrient-dense, yet you need a variety of greens (and other fruits and vegetables) for the best health. Don’t be afraid to give a new one a try next time you’re at the store. You might be surprised by mustard greens, bok choy and more!
Greens don’t just take place in salads or garnishes for burgers. You can use them in green smoothies, all kinds of pesto, filling for stuffed mushrooms or potatoes. Pretty much anything you want! Next time you are grocery shopping, grab a new-to-you leafy green and get adventurous with how you prepare it.
This is awesome! Can’t wait to look for some new leafy green options next time I grocery shop. I love that you can swap any green out in smoothie.
I love that, too! And I love experimenting with greens I wouldn’t normally think about using in my smoothies.
Hi!
I have a question about your article about freezing greens in ice cube trays. You mention 2 cups spinach in the blender and 1/2 water. Do you mean 2 cups spinach and 1 cup water?
I love the green protein powder that I bought from you!!!!
Meg
Hi Meg! It should say 1/2 cup of water (sorry about that and we’ll get it updated). We use just a small amount of water because the main goal is to preserve the greens and we need just enough water to help blend them into a liquid you can pour into your ice cube trays. Start with 1/2 cup of water and if you feel like you do need more, add just a little at a time until your spinach (or other leafy green) is completely blended.
Also, so glad you love the homemade protein powder!!! 😀
I like spinach or kale. I need to try the Dandelion greens!
Sonya, def give the dandelion greens a try! And don’t forget a banana to balance out the slightly bitter taste of the greens. 😉 Let us know what you think after you try them!
Can I use Bok Choy as the green in a smoothie?
Hey Dawn! You can definitely use bok choy in your smoothies. It has a mild taste, similar to cabbage so keep that in mind when deciding which fruits to mix in (I might use fruits that are on the sweeter-tasting side).
I am thinking of growing cardoon. What do you think?
Jason, we are always fans of kitchen gardens and growing your own produce. 🙂
I always like to use spinach + kale or spinach + power greens in my smoothie. I buy it in bags. In a pinch, i.e. I’m out of bagged greens, I forage from the “weed patch”, a.k.a. my yard and get wild dandelion, plantain, herbs, violet leaves, whatever.
Lori, I love that you forage in your backyard! There’s so much good stuff out there that most of us call “weeds” and it’s great that you take advantage of what’s right outside your door. 🙂
How do I find smoothies that use each of these greens? Do you just substitute for whatever greens you are eating that week? Also, do you have recipes for smoothies that “flip the ratio” as you mentioned to have more greens than fruit?
Thanks!
Hey Michelle,
Most of our recipes you can swap the greens for whatever you have on hand or to keep up your rotation. Also we do not have specific recipes for the “flip ratio” because you can use that with any recipe we have. We like to keep our recipes easy and versatile. All you have to do is find a recipe you like and simply switch the fruits and veggies amount and your smoothie will be “less sweet”.
Hope that helps!
Hi wow very helpful tips. Love juicing. Just learnt from a friend that she adds amaranth leaves to her smoothies! I didn’t know that.
Do you have recipes?
Hi Flo,
While we don’t have any recipes with amaranth leaves (yet!), don’t let that stop you! Our recipes are here to inspire you, so don’t hesitate to change it up + try adding amaranth leaves to any of our recipes!
One of the best investments that I have made was in a Vitamix blender! I’m loving mine every morning to make my green smoothie. There are other great blenders on the market as well. To our health!
Hi Al,
We love Vitamix too! Nothing beats a powerful multi-purpose blender!
I also just bought a Vitamix. It’s powerful and slightly freaks me out. I now can safely get rid of my other 2 juicers that also won the intimidation game.
Hey Deborah,
That is so exciting!!! I bet you are loving it already. It can be really intimidating though so I definitely get that. Pretty soon it will feel like second nature and that you’ve had it forever 🙂
I am doing a 10 day green smoothie cleanse. I use a power blend of greens (chard, spinach and kale) everyday. Is this a bad idea?
Hi Keeny,
Worried about oxalate build-up while using your power blend? Try not to sweat rotating your leafy greens so much. Your body is wise enough to let you know when it’s time to change things up.
Just a reminder, alkaloid build-up is rare. And if you do experience any symptoms, they’re very mild and they don’t last long. Nothing that will send you to the doctor’s office. You might just take a few days break from green smoothies and jump right back in!
Hi, I am overweight and had high blood pressure. My friend and I decided to lose weight together. She lives in NY and I live in Florida. She turned me on to smoothies, but mostly fruits. I was using an orange, an apple, a banana, strawberries and blueberries and coconut water. I was losing weight, but then I gained 3 lbs! I spoke to my dr and asked how that was possible? Whammo, he said I was consuming way too much sugar from all that fruit. So, I began to stop the fruit smoothies and moved to kale, spinach, celery, carrot and threw in some frozen strawberries and a handful of frozen blueberries. For liquid I use coconut water with no added sugars or fruit. Now, the last 2 dr visits were particular, when I asked about my pressure IT WAS SO MUCH LOWER, the first time I figured it was just a fluke, but when it happened again at a different dr I WAS STYMIED. Why was my pressure changing (I never took pressure meds) then it hit me…THE GREENS! I couldn’t believe I actually was doing something that made such a healthy difference. However, I’ve been using the same ingredients for a month now and I just bought another giant bag of both kale and spinach. How am I doing? How can I incorporate other greens, and is broccoli thrown in raw…just florets? What about the leafy green part of celery, I have been tossing it in the garbage. PS I throw in some Bobs Redmill unmodified potato starch or a green unripened banana for resistance starch. What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong? Thanks for your knowledge, it is appreciated, Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
It sounds like you’re rawkin’ it + and I’m so excited to hear you’re reaching your health + wellness goals with green smoothies! We love blending with a variety of greens. Some of my favorites are kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, and beet greens!
And you can definitely add the celery greens, other great veggies to add are beet + carrot greens. And no waste!!
And yes, just toss the broccoli in raw! Here’s one of my favorite recipes to add broccoli to…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/coconut-oil-smoothie
Also, if you’re using your green smoothie as a meal replacement, have you tried adding protein + healthy fats? We suggest adding them to ensure you’re fueling your body with a complete meal. Check out our favorite meal replacement booster combos here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Hope this helps! And reach out with any questions!
I started doing green smoothies in the summer of 2015 I had them everyday twice a day. In February I was at the doctor with kidney stones due to high oxalate build up. I was advised to lay off the green smoothies for awhile (which was very hard for me as I loved the energy it gave me) and am just getting back into them. I want to rotate my greens, but am not really sure what to mix with each type of green for optimal flavour…..any suggestions?
Hi Mel,
Variety is the fruit of life! I love switching up my leafy greens. So while one of our recipes may call for spinach, change it up + try it with chard or kale! Don’t hesitate to experiment.
What can I mix with greens in a smoothie that will overpower the green coloring? My husband will not drink “anything green”
Hi Rachel,
Husband not a fan of that green color? We’ve got you covered! Add in beets or dark berries for a red or purple color! Here’s one of our favorite “purple” green smoothies we think he’ll love…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/strawberry-banana-smoothie
Thank you for this website! I started drinking a green smoothie for breakfast about a month ago and so far its the best dietary change I’ve made (27 y/o male with limited cooking skills but great ordering out skills).
I have 2 questions for you,
1. I have been using a green powder (Amazing Grass Green Superfood) but now I’m worried of Oxalate build up from the mix of the same greens daily. Do these powders contain oxalate?
2. I workout in the morning and like to add a scoop of protein to my smoothie, do you have any recommendations for protein packed smoothies? I use plant-based protein blends but now I’m worried about rotating them (typically quinoa, hemp, pea, chia blend).
Hi Sean,
YAY!! We’re so excited to have you blending with us + love hearing that you feel green smoothies is the best dietary change you’ve made!! We’re blushing!
Worried about oxalate build-up in green powder? Because they’re processed, I would assume that some of the oxalates have been broken down. But it’s always best to reach out to the company behind your favorite powdered greens, as it may vary based on how they’re processed.
Looking for some protein packed green smoothies? Here are a few of our favorites…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/almond-milk-smoothie
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/savory-smoothie
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/post-workout-smoothie
We also love this plant-based protein from The Nautral Citizen. Check them out here…
Also, worried about rotating your plant-based proteins? We always support variety. It protects your body from build-up, but also ensures you’re fueling your body with a wide-range of nutrients.
Could you choose 2 veggies (1 each from a different family i.e. one week kale and chard then the next week spinach and cabbage) to put in or would you only recommend 1 each time? I ask as my favourite smoothie has spinach, kale, broccoli, celery, mango and pineapple and I’ve had this everyday for about 2 weeks now but I’m worried about the poisoning thing
Hi Lyndsey,
You definitely could! We love mixing up our leafy greens. We simply suggest taking a week off from a specific family of greens. For example…blend crucifers and apiaceae this week, then next week blend up amaranth and asteraceae. Also, everyone’s body is different and has different sensitivities to oxalate build-up. So it’s always important to listen to your body when determining how often to rotate your greens.
I’ve been using spinach as my staple ingredient for green smoothies twice a day (for 2 years now)
I tend to rotate the other ingredients such as Broccoli, Kale, Celery twice a day (morning I might toss in Broccoli and at night I’ll toss in Kale and Celery)
It has been working for me since, no doctor visits or anything!
Hi Ed,
YAY! We love changing up our veggies + leafy greens. We’ve also found that oxalate sensitivity is different for everyone.