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This plant-based pineapple ginger smoothie features vitamin C packed fruits and veggies, plus a knob of ginger root to curb inflammation and exercise-induced muscle pain.
To celebrate the three-day weekend, I created this energizing recipe after learning Venus Williams, a pro tennis player, enjoys a morning smoothie boosted with ginger and kale.
If you want to start the day like a professional athlete, this nutrition-packed smoothie is perfect!
Table of Contents
How to Blend a Ginger Smoothie
Fresh ginger isn’t as soft or blend-able as most of the fruits and veggies I blend, so how do I make it work?
First, peel the ginger. While you can definitely get away with leaving the peel on some plants, I don’t recommend leaving the peel on here! You can use a veggie peeler or the back of a spoon.
Next, grate or finely chop the ginger into pieces. Since this root doesn’t blend easily, making it as small as possible before going into the blender will help.
Finally, blend well! Don’t skimp on blending this smoothie fully, unless you want chunks of ginger going up your straw. If you’re using a high-powered blender, then you should be able to completely blend up the ginger. If not, you should use the grating method, then puree as much as you can before enjoying.
How Much Ginger Should I Use in a Smoothie?
My advice is start with a little bit, like the size of a dime. You can always add more, yet you can’t take it back. At first, I could only handle a small piece, yet over time I’ve fallen more in love with it. Now, I’ll easily add a chunk of it in without even flinching.
Ginger Smoothie FAQs
Yes! If you want the maximum health benefits of ginger, definitely use the raw version. Just start small. A little goes a long way with this potent ingredient.
Definitely. Ginger is naturally anti-inflammatory, a natural pain reliever and a digestive aid that soothes the stomach.
Yes, I recommend it. You’ll notice a difference in texture and taste if you leave on the peel, so just peel it with the back of a spoon or vegetable peeler before adding it to your smoothie ingredients.
Venus Williams Signature Smoothie
In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s syndrome. Shifting to a plant-based diet drastically reduced some of her symptoms, including fatigue and joint pain. (This is not intended as medical advice. Please see a doctor if you experience symptoms.)
Take it from Venus, “Our bodies thrive on the things that we eat, it’s medicine for our bodies”, and choose foods that fuel your body in the best way possible. According to her interview with Shape, Venus’ morning pineapple ginger smoothie is packed with foods that calm inflammation and deliver powerful antioxidants to her body.
Whether she’s acing it on the tennis court or dialing in her lifestyle brand, Venus Williams gives it her all, and her glowing skin is no exception. Her morning drink of choice is a tasty, zingy ginger smoothie, reminiscent of a gingersnap cookie but with major health benefits to power her through everything from business meetings to morning workouts.
Pineapple and Ginger Benefits
Smoothies are an incredible way to pack in your daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Yet too much fruit and you could cause a sugar rush that leads to a crash. This smoothie is beautifully balanced thanks to the high fiber, light protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
Here are a few of the key ingredients:
- One cup of fresh pineapple provides 131% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, so this is a great fruit to enjoy throughout cold and flu season.
- The ginger in this smoothie is a natural inflammation reducer. Inflammation, which is at the root of most diseases, causes physical symptoms like skin problems and digestive issues.
- If you are prone to nausea or morning sickness, then this pineapple ginger smoothie’s for you! Ginger is highly effective against nausea, so add a bit to your daily smoothies for a calming effect.
More Smoothies with Ginger
Once you learn to like ginger in your smoothies, you’ll find it’s super versatile. Add it to pretty much any smoothie for a little kick and a whole lot of love:
- Vanilla Matcha Smoothie
- Acid Reflux Smoothie
- Gingerbread Smoothie
- Warm Chai Smoothie
- Honey Turmeric Smoothie
- Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie
- Sauerkraut Juice Smoothie
- Cilantro Lime Smoothie
- Lemon Smoothie
- PCOS Smoothie
- MCT Oil Smoothie
- Warm Wassail Smoothie
- Smoothie for Bloating
- Immune Boost Smoothie
- Anti-Inflammatory Blender Bombs
I know fresh ginger might be out of your comfort zone and I get it! It packs a punch. So start SMALL and work your way to a good chunk in your smoothie. Your body will thank you!
Don’t forget to rate + review this smoothie once you’ve tried it. Your feedback is so helpful!
Pineapple Ginger Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale baby
- 1 orange peeled
- 2 inch ginger root
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup strawberries frozen
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Add kale, ginger, orange and almond milk to the blender.
- Blend on high speed until all leafy chunks are gone and you have a smoothie consistency.
- Add pineapple, strawberries and chia seeds and blend again.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Add 1 serving of Homemade Protein Powder to boost this smoothie by 10 grams of protein.
- Swap in the leafy greens of your choice.
- Use at least 1 frozen fruit for a refreshingly cool smoothie.
I want to make all of your smoothies
do you have a book or a site that will give me the recipes to all the meal replacement smoothies- green smoothies -etc. Please!
I do Viv! It’s called >Simple Green Smoothies and it has full color recipe photos for 100 green smoothies. I think you’ll love it.
Delicious! My husband wants more!
Can the almond milk be substituted?
Absolutely! You can use any plant-based milk, water or coconut water! Whatever you prefer. 🙂
Do you use unsweetened almond milk in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Michelle. Great question! Def yes, we us unsweetened almond milk whenever possible.
Do you peel the orange before putting it into the smoothie? The picture shows unpeeled
Def a fan of this one and it will go in my weekly rotation!
Woo hoo!
I’ve been making this smoothie a lot recently to help combat inflammation. It’s really helping! 🙂
That’s great to hear, Marie!
I love this recipe and the ginger gives it the kick I need most mornings. 😉
Love the ginger in this smoothie!
Adding ginger to green smoothies is a must! I love the added spice!
It really kicks the flavor up a notch!
If this smoothie is good enough for Venus, it’s gonna be amazing!!! I love seeing what fitness peeps blend- so thank you for putting her recipe into life so we could make it too. Do you peel the ginger?
You’re welcome, Dani! And you can peel the ginger if you choose but you don’t have to, Yet if you don’t peel, make sure to scrub it really well before blending. 🙂
Super!! LOVE ginger and added even a bit more . I just wash my ginger and don’t bother to remove the skin—works for me!
I love ginger, also! Any smoothie with ginger in it is a great one in my book. 🙂
This is a winner! I just tried it with a big chunk of ginger and it made my day . Thank you for creating new recipes!
You’re welcome, Araceli! 🙂
The almond milk base with citrus is an interesting combo, can’t wait to try it! Venus Williams is #goals
You’d think that combination might taste weird but it’s really yummy!
Wow this is delicious. I’ll add in my recipes thank you.
You’re welcome! 🙂
YUM!!! (i didn’t have the orange, but yum anyways)
Even without the orange, I bet it was delish! 🙂