To fuel your body while you get that heart rate up, we suggest a nutrient-rich pre workout smoothie. This recipe is packed with healthy fats and carbs to energize you. Bonus: this pre-workout shake tastes really good.
Drinking a daily green smoothie isn’t a diet—it’s a lifestyle. It’s about taking care of your body and saying yes to plants… every single day. In addition to fueling your body with tasty plant-based smoothies, it’s important to exercise daily. Walking, hiking, bootcamp, chasing kids and biking are all great options.
Ingredients in Pre Workout Shake
As an endurance runner, I don’t want super quick energy, I want constant, long lasting energy that doesn’t take much work for my body to break down. The combination of greens and fruit delivers the nutrients you need to keep you fueled for a long run or a big workout.
- spinach
- coconut water
- pineapple
- peaches
- banana
- coconut oil
This is one of my favorite combinations. Yet you can boost your favorite smoothies with any of the ingredients below to help fuel your workout.
Pre-Workout Smoothie Ingredients
Before your workout, stock up on healthy fats with a moderate amount of carbs and protein. You can add any of these to a pre-workout smoothie to boost the health benefits. Here’s six foods that are perfect to eat before you get your sweat on:
Bananas
We love bananas as a pre-workout food for so many reasons! Bananas are packed with tryptophan, which your body converts to serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical the body creates that sends us happy vibes. Throw in the fact that bananas are loaded with carbohydrates that help energize your body, and you can see why we put bananas at the top of our list.
Oats are a great pre-workout smoothie boost
Oats make this list for one simple fact: they take a long time to digest. This means that they provide long-lasting energy during your workout! Oats also help maintain stable blood sugar during your workout, which is always a good thing. You can add dry oats, soaked oats or even cooked oats to your smoothie. We usually recommend adding 2 tbs dry oats, or 1/4 cup cooked oats to any pre-workout smoothie recipe.
Apples
Apples contain a powerful antioxidant called quercetin. Quercetin’s main role in the body is to deliver more oxygen to the lungs. When you get more oxygen to your lungs during a workout, you have more endurance. This makes it so much easier to get through that hour-long spin class!
Coconut Oil
If you’re exercising for weight loss, then coconut oil will be an important ingredient for you in a pre-workout smoothie. The fatty acids in this superfood fight body fat by converting into energy that boosts your metabolism (as opposed to saturated fats that add body fat). Add coconut oil to your smoothie before you workout to help you maintain energy throughout your entire routine, while also fighting that body fat like crazy.
Nut Butters add protein to a pre workout shake
Nut butters are quick and easy… just grab a spoonful and you’re on your way. But the best reason to eat nut butter before a workout is because it’s loaded with healthy fats and fiber, which keep you feeling full and energetic throughout your entire workout. There are many kinds of nut butters to choose from, but our favorite is almond butter. Add 1-2 tbs to your pre-workout smoothie.
Plant-Based Protein Powder
Adding a scoop of a clean, plant-based protein powder can quickly boost the protein of your smoothie. Protein Smoothie Boost is our favorite because it is organic AND only has 3 ingredients: Hemp, chia and flax which is the perfect blend of protein and healthy fats.
Perfect Pre-Workout Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The best kinds of pre-workout smoothies are filled with protein, good carbs, healthy fats. These ingredients help you stock up on energy, and keep you full for a long time. The apple, banana, rolled oats, coconut oil, and (of course) leafy greens make the perfect combination for a pre-workout smoothie you can drink before every workout!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut water
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped pineapple
- 1/2 cup frozen sliced peaches
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tablespoon room temperature coconut oil
Instructions
- Blend the spinach, coconut water and water until smooth.
- Add the pineapple, peaches, banana and coconut oil, and blend again.
Notes
*Use frozen fruit to make smoothie cold.
- Category: Smoothies
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pre-workout smoothie, pre workout shake
3 More Pre-Workout Smoothie Recipes
Looking for more great pre-workout smoothies? We have tons of them on the blog because I love fitness and finding recipes that enhance my workout. You can access all of our fitness food recipes here. Or if you want 3 solid recommendations, check out these ones:
Try our Energizing Pre-Workout Green Smoothie, Vanilla Protein Shake or Berry Protein Smoothie.
This was delish! Nice preworkout smoothie!
★★★★★
Hey, this recipe sounds amazing but I’m not a fan of peaches. Can you tell me about any substitutes for that.
Absolutely, Megha! You can swap out the peaches for nectarines, mangos or apricots.
I tried this and it was GREAT!!!!!!!! It was so delicious and it gave me lots of energy and added a couple more things like chia seeds and some protein powder. I would for sure make this in the future!!!!
Awesome, Meera! 😀
I’m so confused with serving. The above mentioned ingredients ((1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup almond milk (unsweetened),1/2 apple,1/2 banana,1/4 cup rolled oats,1/2 tbsp coconut oil,1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)) actually make 16oz as i can see after preparing that which we have to consume entire 16oz before workout. But u said in other comments that it will create 2servings.How?please explain in detail.
Garry, the original recipe has since been changed to yield 1 serving instead of 2. One serving of this smoothie is 16 ounces.
I’m confused because I see where you can scale the recipe but I also see for Scale 1x that it yields 2? Is that two servings? What is the measure for each serving. Getting ready to try this before I workout but I wonder if I’m consuming too many calories. I will also add it to My FitnessPal to get the caloric content. Thanks and I will be checking out your website!!
Hi Mariscia! Sorry about the confusion, let me clear it up for you. 🙂 If you want to just make one 16-ounce serving, you would use 1 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, 2 1/2 Tbsp rolled oats, 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.
We usually like to make two servings of smoothies at the same time to have one to save for later or to share so that’s why our recipes often say “Yield: 2.” Happy blending!
Do we have to add coconut oil? I dont have any lol!!!
If you don’t have coconut oil, that’s alright! But you do want a healthy fat in this smoothie so in place of the coconut oil, add 1/4 to 1/2 an avocado OR 1-2 tbsp. almond butter OR 1-2 tbsp. chia seeds. Happy blending!
Can you use chia seeds in this?
Yes, you definitely can!
I find myself low on energy during workouts and that cuts it shorter. Will try this out
Hey Tabita,
I know you will love this recipe! Hopefully it gives you the energy you need to get through your workouts!!
I am doing a Whole30 program, what can I replace with the oats? Or can I have it without it?
Thanks!
That’s awesome you’d doing the whole30! How many days are you in? Oh, and you could remove the oats or swap them with hemp hearts or a spoonful of almond butter.
Excellent smoothie, not too sweet but good. I’m about to HIIT my morning workout. Thanks.
★★★★
Hi there
How many calories are in this smoothie?
Thank
Hi Stacey,
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.
Hi! What can I replace the almond milk with in this recipe if I’m allergic to almonds? Thanks!
Hi Jillian,
Allergic to almonds. I’ve got you covered! Swap in another plant-based milk you love. Oat or hemp milk are both great options!
….except, it has been proven that coconut oil is bad for you.
Hi Randy,
Did you read that article from the American Heart Association? It definitely scared a lot of people in the health world, and it’s an important read. Curious about the controversy? Check out this article from The Food Babe here…
https://foodbabe.com/coconut-oil-healthy-controversy-explained/
I hope I can do this.. I always try to research any idea I have for new weight loss. I am currently at a plateau even tho I’m working with a trainer and my muscle is building. I am almost off my metphormine for my diabetes(one pill to go for 6 more months) and I am trying to find something to help with sustaining my appetite and speeding up my metabolism like the metphormin does. I don’t wanna try anymore pills not to mention I am on blood pressure and heart pills as well as cholesterol( almost off as well). My goal is to reset my health and at my age(50) try and keep up with going to Anytime fitness and energy as well. I’m not a person to completely go smoothies but I come home at 830 at nite most nites so I wanna drink smoothies that late at nite. So YES I am very interested in researching your ideas.
Hi Margie,
I’m so happy you reached out + I hope our recipes are the right choice for you + your body. For any member of our community with health concerns, we always suggest reaching out to your physician first. They know you + your body first and will help you decide if our recipes are the right choice for you + your diet needs.
Have any questions? Reach back out, anytime! 🙂
Can I use Steele cut oats in place of rolled oats?
Hi Margie,
Totally!! You may find them a little grittier than their rolled version, but you can totally use them in this recipe. A way to get over that grit is to cook them + allow them to cool before blending.
Can I use regular milk instead of almond milk?
Hi Cheryl,
Of course you can! Personally, our team tries to avoid dairy. It’s the #1 undiagnosed food allergy and can be pretty tough on your digestion. So that’s why you won’t find it in our recipes. But if you love the way dairy makes you feel, then go for it!
It took me awhile to drink it straight or have it on cereal.. But I put it in my smoothies it really does taste creamier. I use Unsweetened Reg so it taste more like reg milk. I was really surprised after 6 months how my health, energy and blood work became so much better. They also have cashew, coconut and even Chocolate(taste creamier than normal choc milk). After awhile you cant tell the difference
Hi Jen
I recently switched to a plant based whole food way of living and just ordered a Vitamix to help on my journey. I want to thank you for your recipes .. they look delicious and nutritious and I can’t wait to try them. It’s amazing how you can impact a person’s life unaware..keep up the good work.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the love, Mark! And I love how you’ve embraced whole foods, your new Vitamix will definitely be an amazing tool for you!
What is vitamix?? Is that a meal replacement protein powder?
Hi Margie,
Vitamix is a powerhouse blender! Learn more about our favorite blenders, including Vitamix here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/blenders-for-smoothies
This sounds yummy but I was wondering…if it’s two servings can I drink the other half the next day or will it not taste as good?
Hi Frankie,
You totally can! Our recipes will keep in your refrigerator for up to two days in an airtight container. Adding a small amount of lemon juice can help preserve all of their green goodness too!!
Just a heads up, separation is completely natural, as our recipes are free of any of those yucky additives or preservatives. Simply give your smoothie a quick shake + you’re ready to go!
Hey I love this smoothie. How many calories is in it?
★★★★
Hi Harriet,
YAY! So happy to hear you love this smoothie. For a very long time, we’ve decided not to share the nutritional information of our recipes. Not because we were hiding anything – we simply wanted our community to focus on fueling their bodies with whole nutrition -packed fruits + veggies, rather than focus on the numbers. Over time, we’ve realized that these numbers are important to our community. So if you take a peek at our newest recipes you’ll notice we’ve begun to share that information. In the meantime, two great resources for finding the nutritional information of our recipes are LoseIt.com and MyFitnessPal. Hope this helps!
Great post shared thanx..
Thanks for the leafy love, Fraddy!
I tried this yesterday prior to my workout. It turned out pretty yummy and I had a good run
★★★★
Rawk on, Brittany!