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I believe that any time is a great time for a smoothie, especially when you’re trying to turn it into a meal replacement smoothie. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack, post workout fuel, late night munchies, etc— you name it!

Our bodies have some vicious cravings (and also need) vitamins and minerals all day long. Leafy greens and fresh fruit in a blended smoothie always makes for a great option.

I use the meal replacement smoothie recipe below to power my day with whole foods and plant protein, and now you can, too!

Table of Contents
  1. Health Benefits of a Meal Replacement Smoothies
  2. How to Turn a Smoothie into a Meal
  3. Pick a Plant-Based Protein
  4. Pick a Healthy Fat
  5. Examples of Meal Replacement Add-Ins
  6. Meal Replacement Smoothie FAQs
  7. 15 More Meal Replacement Smoothie Recipes
  8. Meal Replacement Smoothie Recipe

Yet at certain times of day, our body needs different things to thrive. Let’s take actual meals, like breakfast, lunch and dinner. These meals are super important— and can be easily swapped for a green smoothie. You just have to know the right way to do it, which we talk about below.

Health Benefits of a Meal Replacement Smoothies

A smoothie can be a meal replacement if using the correct ingredients. I drink meal replacement smoothies for breakfast or lunch most days. Sometimes it’s because I’m in a hurry and just want to down something asap. Other times it’s because I’m trying to slim down (usually after vacation). Swapping a meal with a smoothie can benefit you in these ways:

  • You’ll be more energized thanks to all the fresh, raw ingredients
  • They’re super quick to make and drink
  • You’re hydrating your body
  • Less bloating than usual when eating a meal
  • It’ll help with weight loss

How to Turn a Smoothie into a Meal

meal replacement smoothie recipes to fuel your day

The key to replacing meals with smoothies is including healthy fats AND proteins. Healthy fats and proteins are the way to go if you want to power up with a green smoothie meal replacement. This combo will keep you feeling full and give you the energy you need to cruise right through ’til your next snack or meal. Below are our favorite options for smoothie meal replacement boosters:

Pick a Plant-Based Protein

Plant-based proteins keep your body full and give you tons of energy. They also help repair your muscles, which is perfect for that post-workout buzz. Oh, kale to the yeah!

Pick a Healthy Fat

Healthy fats protect your heart, keep your energy levels up, boost metabolism, and lower bad cholesterol levels. So please don’t skip the fats. They’re actually really, really good for you! And the ingredients below make your green smoothies extra creamy.

  • Avocado
  • Coconut oil or MCT oil
  • Almond butter or other homemade nut butter
  • Chia seeds (yep, here they are again! These babies are loaded with healthy fats and protein, making them a great everyday booster)

Examples of Meal Replacement Add-Ins

Smoothies can be the perfect fast food by adding healthy fats and plant-based protein. Use one of these meal replacement booster combos in your next green smoothie. The boosts are measured to work with all 250+ of our smoothie recipes.

  • 2 tbs chia seeds + 2oz silken tofu
  • 2 tbs hemp hearts + ¼ avocado
  • 2 tbs plant-based protein powder + 1 tbs coconut oil
  • 1 tbs almond butter + 2 tbs rolled oats
  • 2 tbs chia seeds + 1 tbs coconut oil
plant protein options to turn your smoothie into a quick meal

Meal Replacement Smoothie FAQs

When is the best time to drink a meal replacement smoothie?

Any time is the right time for a smoothie! Personally, we love drinking ours in the morning for a great start to the day. But besides drinking a smoothie as breakfast, lots of rawkstars drink their smoothie for lunch or dinner, as an afternoon snack, or as a healthy dessert.

In case you’re planning on having your smoothie in the evening–most of our smoothies provide a great energy boost similar to a cup of coffee. So if you’re looking for a pre-bedtime green smoothie recipe, we’ve got you covered: Sleep Well Smoothie.

Is replacing a meal with a smoothie healthy?

The MOST important thing when blending any meal replacement smoothie recipe is to include healthy fats AND proteins. This combo will keep you feeling full and give you the energy you need to cruise right through ’til your next meal or snack. 

Do smoothies help you lose weight?

If you swap out a meal (or two) each day with a smoothie, there’s a good chance you’ll lose weight and also have more energy. This is due to the increased nutrition and decrease in overall calories. What’s even better than a smoothie is a green smoothie. When you add in leafy greens you’re adding fiber and phytonutrients… yet very few calories. My smoothies recipes are made with nutrient dense foods that curb cravings and keep you full longer.

I have a Plant-Based Cleanse that includes two smoothies a day, plus snacks and meals to help you lose weight, yet more importantly understand how to nourish your body so the weight falls off without ever feeling hungry.

15 More Meal Replacement Smoothie Recipes

meal replacement smoothies

Smoothies for Breakfast

Smoothies for Lunch

Smoothies for Dinner

Don’t forget to rate + review this recipe once you’ve made it. I want to know how yours turned out as well as if it filled you up!

blueberries on a smoothie for a meal
4.52 from 391 votes

Meal Replacement Smoothie

Healthy fats and proteins are the way to go if you want to power up with a meal replacement smoothie. This combo of juicy blueberries, almond butter and rolled oats is a must to keep you feeling full and fuel you 'til your next meal.
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Author: Jen Hansard
Course: Smoothie
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan
Serves: 1

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Blend kale and almond milk until smooth in a high speed blender.
  • Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
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Video

Notes

  • Use a frozen fruit to make smoothie cold
  • Swap out almond milk for any non-dairy milk you prefer
  • Homemade protein powder is what I use for my meal replacement smoothies

Nutrition

Serving: 16oz, Calories: 343kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Sodium: 354mg, Potassium: 787mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 6803IU, Vitamin C: 89mg, Calcium: 478mg, Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Show me!Mention @SimpleGreenSmoothies or tag #SimpleGreenSmoothies!

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Rating





Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I got my protein powder just in time for todays meal replacement!
    I’ll be keeping this one in my rotation regularly.

  2. 3 stars
    So-so. I used a frozen half banana instead of a fresh one, so maybe that’s what made it so thick that I had to use a spoon.

  3. 5 stars
    Day 3. I love this Smoothie. It’s filling and delicious. The Spinach is a wonderful addition of greens. I will add this one to my go-to Smoothie list.

  4. 5 stars
    My new favorite smoothie. What’s wild is that I am not a huge fan of almonds! This is absolutely delicious though.

  5. 5 stars
    This is delicious and SO filling! I substituted cherries for the blueberries as I’m unfortunately allergic to blueberries. I’m guessing cherries brought up the calorie and sugar content, but I enjoyed it

  6. 4 stars
    My son loved it! He kept saying how creamy it was. I think I would of preferred it with water. Beautiful color!

  7. 4 stars
    I’m giving this 4 stats because it wasn’t as filling for me for some reason . It has alot of calories too . Kinda weird I thought it would hold me til lunch . Maybe it’s just me .
    It was thick like pudding . I think I added too many greens because it wasn’t purple .

  8. 5 stars
    Very good, husband tried it also and liked! Meal replacement was very tasty and filling

  9. 3 stars
    I shopped for and used the recipe for the meal replacement smoothie noted in the 1/5/22 email which is different than the kale recipe in today’s meal replacement smoothie. The recipe I used called for spinach instead of kale and had other different ingredients too. The smoothie was ok but not as tasty as the Day 2 smoothie for me. It was easy and refreshing.

    1. 5 stars
      I have used the protein burst in all my smoothies This is one of my favorites. Kept me full long past my last meal!

  10. Personally not a fan of this one. It did keep me full throughout the morning but not super happy with the combination of ingredients. Less banana/more blueberry?