Enjoying a smoothie after workout is honestly one of my favorite things. I usually don’t have much of an appetite after a long run or a spinning class, so a smoothie is perfect. I’m sharing my best post-workout smoothie to help you make the most of that hard work, too!
Depending on the type of exercise I want to do, I’ll make a pre-workout smoothie or one after (not both). After a challenging workout, our bodies need replenishment and nourishment to recover properly.
While store-bought protein shakes and sports drinks have been popular choices for post-workout nutrition, smoothies have emerged as a delicious and nutritious alternative. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients, smoothies can help restore and refuel your body after a strenuous exercise session.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or just looking for a tasty and convenient way to support your active lifestyle, drinking smoothies after working out could be a game-changer. Let’s check out the ingredient list for this recipe to learn why this is a great option:
- Kale: This may surprise you, but kale has 4 grams of protein per serving! It is a powerhouse vegetable containing calcium, vitamins A, B6, C and K, potassium and manganese. If you are new to kale, it has a stronger flavor than spinach and this recipe is a great way to try it out!
- Coconut water: While regular water works great as a liquid base, coconut water contains natural electrolytes. This is something you definitely want to replenish after an intense workout, especially if you sweat.
- Orange: Oranges are 86% water, making them a great food option to help rehydrate. I love bringing them along with me on a long run or blending them into a smoothie.
- Pineapple: While pineapple is higher in natural sugar, that sugar contains the energy boost you need after barre class.
- Blueberries: I use blueberries as a low-sugar fruit addition with antioxidants that help lower blood pressure and fight disease.
- Chia seeds: This superfood is an easy way to add protein, healthy fat and fiber to any blend, and it’s pretty much tasteless.
How to Blend the Perfect Smoothie
Did you know it only takes about five minutes to blend a deliciously creamy smoothie? I’ve got a no-fail, two-step process that gets me a beverage I can enjoy with ingredients that my body will love:
- Blend kale and coconut water until smooth. You don’t want any leafy chunks left.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth.
The reason I blend twice (even if using a high-powered blender!) is to give the leafy greens time to break down because I don’t want to drink chunks. It doesn’t take a lot of extra time and lets me enjoy this shake that much more.
Now, grab your blender and get ready to discover a new favorite way to recover and recharge after your workouts!
Boosting Smoothies with Protein
To make sure you’re getting in enough protein and healthy fats after a great workout, try my plant-based protein powder recipe. It’s only three ingredients and the cleanest one I’ve used, no weird ingredients here!
You can turn any smoothie or shake into a meal by using protein powder, and easily refuel.
FAQs
Smoothies are a great post-workout beverage. They can help refill your body with key nutrients you burned while working out as well as refuel your energy faster. Choose one that is filled with whole food ingredients and plants so that it won’t weigh you down.
My go-to smoothie has kale, coconut water, orange, pineapple, blueberries and plant-based protein powder. This way I get to replenish my electrolytes and protein and gain energy through the natural fruit sugars.
The faster you can replenish electrolytes and energy after a workout, the better! I like to prep my smoothie before I work out so it can chill in the fridge and be ready to consume immediately after the workout is over. It also contributes to hydration, which is a bonus.
More Workout Smoothies
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out my other pre- and post-workout smoothie recipes. I’ve got a whole list of healthy protein shakes that you can use to your advantage. If you want some non-beverage options, I’ve got other healthy workout snacks, too!
- Pre-Workout Smoothie: my favorite way to start exercising with fuel that won’t weigh me down.
- Vanilla Protein Shake: the smoothie I turn to when I need a meal after an intense run or gym session.
- Coconut Water Smoothie: a warm-weather smoothie that’s better than Gatorade.
- Pineapple Ginger Smoothie: the smoothie pro athletes are drinking!
Don’t forget to rate + review this smoothie once you’ve tried it! I love getting your feedback.
Post Workout Smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- ½ cup coconut water
- ½ orange peeled
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup blueberries frozen
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend kale and liquid until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit for a refreshingly cool smoothie.
- Swap kale with the leafy greens of your choice.
- Add 1 serving of homemade protein powder to boost this smoothie by 10 grams of protein as well as healthy fat.
- Swap coconut water for regular water.
Love this definitely a favorite!
Hi Emma,
Thanks for reaching out + sharing the leafy love! This is one of our favorite recipes too, especially after a good run or yoga class!
How many calories in this smoothie? FYI it was soooo delicious mmmm
Hi Debra,
We personally don’t count calories, so we don’t include them in our recipes at this time. You’ll find that when you consume more nourishing whole fruits and veggies, you will not only feel full longer, but you’ll also have lessened cravings for high-calorie, nutritionally empty foods. So in the end it balances out. But we know many people would like to have calorie info. Three great resources for tracking calories are Self Nutrition Data, and the phone apps: My Fitness Pal and Lose It.
Loving the recipes. Was wondering if you can give me some direction. Needing to lose about 20 pounds. Want to use your smoothies. Can you give me direction what to have for dinner, lunch, snack. Thanks so much.
Hi Dianne,
Looking to lose weight by using green smoothies? Did you know our co-founder Jadah lost over 25lbs in three months by replacing one meal with a green smoothie? Learn more about her story here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/about
If you want to burn fat, you want to include plant-based smoothie ingredients that have the following weight loss effects:
-Jump start your digestion
-Burn excess fat
-Reduce and expel bad cholesterol
-Provide energy for your cardiovascular system
-Detox and hydrate your body
-Promote healthy bowel movement
-Decrease your appetite for processed foods and sugars
Hope this helps you get started on your weight-loss journey! Reach out with any questions!
I agree, for a ‘post workout’ food, it is very low in protein and, with al due respect Chia seeds are very expensive and could easilly be replaced with Flax or Sesame seeds, or a mixture of both. Furthermore frozen kale or spinach is just as good as fresh, as are frozen blueberries.
Why not make it simple: 2 portions of frozen spinach or kale; 1 cup of (coconut) water; 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of pineapple juice, 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp of Flax and 1 tbsp of Sesame seeds.
Blend together, until smooth.
Note this can be put into an air tight container and kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
Hi Ian,
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your opinion. We appreciate you taking the time to share your alternatives to our Post-Workout Green Smoothie.
If you Drink the Pre- and the Post-workout smoothie. What would be tue recommended serving Size? 8oz Pre and 8oz Post? Or double tue ammount if you worked out hard? 😉
Hi Sydney,
Blending two snack size or 8oz servings is a great idea before + after your workout! It’s also important to listen to your body. If you’re finding your tummy growling during or after a hard workout, you might want to blend a little bit more to ensure your body is fueled!
Cheers 🙂
What if I am missing the orange? Will any citrus work?
Hi Brenda,
Yes, swap out orange for another citrus you enjoy or have on hand. Here are a few of our favorites…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/vitamin-c-benefits
Hi – is there a reason the Post workout smoothie isn’t suitable for children? My son is very active and we spend a lot of time travelling and these smoothies are great whilst we are on the go but I am looking for something nutritious for him following his exercise. Thanks
Hi Amy,
We love sharing our green smoothies with little rawkstars, it’s a great way to provide them with fresh fruits, leafy greens, + tons of nutrition! How old is your son?
Hi – he is 8 years old and as I said very active!! I’m looking for something quick & nutritious following his training sessions. Thanks Amy
Hi Amy,
Sounds like it would be a great addition to his healthy diet! We suggest starting with a 8oz snack size for little tummies!
Hey!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipes !
I wanted to know if there is anything else I can use to replace Chia seeds that would provide the same or almost the same nutrients? It is not available in my country.
Hi Jammie,
Don’t have chia seeds near you? Substitute another plant-based protein option in its place. Here are a few of our favorites!!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-protein-powder
I was wondering if you drink this straight after a workout? Or do you wait say 30mins after you’ve finished?
Hi Leitulagi,
Thanks for reaching out! We suggest reaching for your Post-Workout Green Smoothie for Recovery within 30-45 minutes after your workout! Can’t enjoy your smoothie within that time-frame, no worries, your body will still be reaping the benefits!
Shouldn’t your post-workout smoothie have a larger protein content than what you have here? There is only about 1g protein/Tbsp in chia seeds, and another maybe 2 or 3 g for the kale so you’re looking at 4g protein tops in this….that’s almost nothing. Am I missing some ingredient that should have more protein?
Hi Emily,
The type of training you do, as well as the overall diet style you’re following, all play a role in how much protein you need post-workout. If you’re interested in adding additional protein to your post-workout meal, we suggest enjoying a handful of nuts, hard-boiled egg or adding an additional protein boost to your smoothie…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-protein-powder
But don’t you think this is information you should include? The packet I got said not to work out too much and then I came across this online. With a base diet of very little protein, what would be your recommendation? How many grams of protein per weight per workout? Thanks!
Hi! Can post work out smoothies be used as a dinner replacement as well? I’m trying to do a smoothie for breakfast and dinner.. Solid for lunch, and then healthy snacks as needed. I typically work out until 630… Looking for something great for after a work out but can also be filling enough to be my dinner.
Of course! We suggest adding a healthy fat to your smoothie as well, to ensure you’re getting a complete meal!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/healthy-fats
And a protein for your muscles!
Hi Can I use spinach instead of kale and mixed berries instead of blueberries? Also can i use any other type of fruit and just add the tbs of chia seeds?
Hi Isela,
Our recipes are here to inspire you! Using kale instead of spinach, and using mixed berries instead of blueberries, sound like great ideas! While you can switch up the fruits, we like adding pineapple + orange to our post-workout green smoothie for their potassium, an important electrolyte that helps the body restore its fluid levels. Mixed berries will obviously include blueberries, but just so you know…these little guys give your body a huge antioxidant boost! In fact, studies show that blueberries can triple your rate of recovery after intense workouts.
And yes, don’t forget those chia seeds!
hi there,
can i use the babies instead of the large leafy green like baby spinach baby kale.
Hi Sharon,
Of course! Baby greens are mild in flavor, but packed with nutrients! They’re a great choice for green smoothies!
Hey there!
I really wanted to drink this smoothie after my workout today but didn’t quite have all the ingredients handy, so using your post workout formula (carbs+protein+liquid) I used what I had in the fridge and it turned out quite great too! … I did one serving so
– 1 cup of kale
– 1 cup of cold water
– 1 small tangerine
– 1 banana
– 1/2 cup of grapes
– 2 tablespoons of almonds
I really wanted to try it with the chia seeds but didn’t have them, so I used almonds as protein, but being careful not to overuse it since they’re also load with fat.
I wasn’t entirely sure this new creation would work, so I reserved one tablespoon of almonds to eat as a side snack in case I needed something to drain down the smoothie with – using only one tablespoon in the blend – but thankfully it wasn’t the case at all, it was actually delicious on its own! Fortunate accident, thought I might share.
I love the website and all the tips and recipes.
Thanks 🙂
Rebeca,
Cheers for making your own post-workout green smoothie! It sounds perfect, + very delicious!
Hi !! is the post workout green smoothies like a side dish , or it can be a dinner menu ?
Hi Julie,
The post-workout smoothie helps replenish your body with the nutrients + liquids you need after a hard workout! If you’re interested in making this smoothie a meal, we would suggest adding a healthy fat to make it a complete meal! Check out our post on meal replacement smoothies here:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
H
Do the pre work-out and post work-out smoothies help you lose weight? I would like to know what do they help you in.
Hi Alice,
The ingredients in our pre-workout smoothie help you stock up on energy, and keep you feel full for a long time. The apple, banana, rolled oats, coconut oil, and (of course) leafy greens in our pre-workout smoothie make the perfect combination of protein, carbs, + healthy fats.
Post-workout it’s important to replenish your body with nurtients + fuel your body with the right types of foods to help re-build muscle, that’s why we make sure to include a healthy amount of protein in our post-workout smoothies.
So while increased activity + enjoying healthy fruits + leafy greens can assist you in reaching your weightloss goals, our pre and post-workout smoothies are aimed at insuring your body is fueled to perfection during and after your workouts!
What time of the day is it better to drink a green smothie? I doubt if it’s good to drink at 9-10 p.m. after workout? Or just to start a day wit it?
Hi Catherine,
It’s super important to replenish the nutrients in your body and fuel your body with the right foods to help rebuild your muscles. Our post-workout smoothie provides your body with the perfect combination of protein, carbohydrates, and liquids after working up a sweat, and is a great addition to your post-workout any time of day. The only concern having your smoothie so late at night is green smoothies provide you with a huge energy boost, almost like a cup of coffee!