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When you want something light, hydrating, and still deeply nourishing, this Healthy Fats Smoothie is the answer. It’s crisp, refreshing, and made with simple whole foods that support digestion, focus, and steady energy—without feeling heavy.
This is the kind of smoothie I reach for when my body wants greens and hydration, but my brain still needs support. The healthy fats come from MCT oil, which blends easily and helps keep energy levels stable long after your last sip.
Table of Contents
Why Healthy Fats Matter in Smoothies
Healthy fats play a key role in how we feel after a smoothie. They help slow digestion, support brain function, and keep blood sugar more balanced. Without them, smoothies can feel more like a quick snack than something that actually sustains you.
Adding a small amount of fat—like MCT oil—can turn a light green smoothie into something that truly supports your day.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Each ingredient in this smoothie was chosen for a reason:
- Spinach: A gentle leafy green vegetable that blends smoothly and provides fiber and micronutrients.
- Fresh cilantro: This fresh herb adds a bright, fresh flavor and supports natural detox pathways.
- Ginger root: Brings warmth and helps support digestion and circulation.
- Water: Keeps the smoothie light and hydrating.
- Cucumber: Refreshing and hydrating, with a clean, mild taste.
- Green apple: Adds tart sweetness and fiber.
- Lemon juice: Brightens flavors and balances the greens.
- MCT oil: A fast-absorbing healthy fat that supports steady energy and focus. Look for a cold-pressed version, like Nutiva MCT oil.
Recipe Tips
- Peel the cucumber and apple for the smoothest texture.
- Start with less ginger if you’re sensitive to spice, then add more as you like.
- If you prefer a colder smoothie, add a handful of ice to your glass and pour smoothie over it.
How to Make a Healthy Fats Smoothie
- Start by blending the spinach, cilantro, ginger, and water until completely smooth. This helps break down the greens and ginger before adding the rest.
- Add the cucumber, apple, lemon juice, and MCT oil. Blend again until smooth and refreshing.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy right away.
Free Green Smoothie Challenge
Go on a blending journey with me and explore smoothie recipes to increase energy, reduce inflammation + kickstart weight loss.
Ingredient Substitutions
This smoothie is flexible and easy to adjust:
- Swap spinach for romaine or butter lettuce.
- Use lime juice instead of lemon for a slightly different citrus note.
- Replace water with coconut water if you want extra electrolytes.
- Skip cilantro if you’re not a fan and add fresh mint instead.
If you make this healthy fats smoothie recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Healthy Fats Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 2 tablespoon cilantro fresh
- 2 inch ginger root
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup cucumber diced + peeled
- 1 apple green, cored + peeled
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon MCT oil
Instructions
- Blend spinach, cilantro, ginger, and water, until smooth.
- Add cucumber, apple, lemon juice, and MCT oil, blend until smooth.
- Pour into glass and enjoy!
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Start with 1 teaspoon MCT oil and work your way up to the full 3 teaspoons. Seriously, this stuff is powerful!
- To make this smoothie cold, serve over ice.
“2 inches of ginger root”, is this legitimately 2 whole inches of the stalk/root? Seems excessive but I’m not too familiar with utilizing ginger. Thanks!
Hi Lisa! 1 inch is equivalent to around 2 tablespoon, so the amount of ginger in this recipes is about 2 tablespoons!
I need help in lowering my triglycerides
Hi Daniel! Definitely reach out to your health care provider for more info. I’m sure they have a wealth of knowledge on that!
I need help in lowering my triclycerides.
Hi Daniel! Definitely reach out to your health care provider for more info. I’m sure they have a wealth of knowledge on that!
This recipe is awesome! I sweeten it with just a bit of stevia and my son loooves it. Best way to get greens into a little one! Thanks for this!!
Such a good mama for sneakin in those greens, Court!
I give this a 5-star pushing me outside my comfort zone. This recipe was hard core and def not as sweet as a like, but I know it’s good for me and worth doing. So thank you Jen!
You’re such a rawkstar Sarah!
I always feel so much smarter after reading your posts. Thanks for clarifying the difference between these two.
This is my go-to smoothie when I need to ‘move things along’ if you know what I mean. It helps, and is much more natural than taking medicine.
I love adding MCT oil to my morning smoothie. I haven’t worked my way up to 3 teaspoons yet but can tell the difference with just a little.
Can I use coconut oil in place of MCT oil?
Hey Amanda – great question! You can totally swap in coconut oil for MCT oil… However! MCT oil is made up of better, more digestible acids vs. the lauric acid in coconut oil. The acids in MCT oil are also responsible for a better energy boost than what you’d get from coconut oil.
This is helpful! I started buying MCT oil at Costco, but didn’t know that I could look for different levels of the fatty acids. I’m going to check mine out now.
Hi Jen,
I have been using a tbsp of MCT oil and a tbsp of avocado oil in my daily smoothie. I’ve heard that it is best to use another ft with MCT oil. Is that too much fat?
Hey Linda,
We are always a fan of consuming healthy fats, so you should be perfectly fine! 🙂
Hi Jen,
Just started using MCT oil a little and wondering — if I put a small amount of coconut oil in my coffee, is it too much to then use MCT oil in my morning smoothie? Trying to get my oil doses down here…
Hi Paige,
I usually pick one or the other. I find MCT oil to be a great addition to smoothies, coffee, and salad dressings and I save coconut oil for baking + cooking.
I hope this helps!
Yes Jen, MCT oil is the bomb ! I have been using it and feel great ! I use bullet proof XCT oil. I will check out the Nutiva brand though
Rawkon!
Hi Donna,
Make sure + check back in. I’d love to hear your thoughts between Bullet Proof XCT oil and Nutiva!
Jen,
this MCT oil is pretty high in calories for the amount. How much of this should we ‘eat’ daily to get the benefits?
Hey Karen. This is super concentrated stuff. I recommend starting with 1 tsp and working up to 3 tsp a day max to help you get in the benefits. I do 3 tsp in my coffee at this point and love how I feel in the morning. 🙂
Hi Good Morning,
Where can I buy this product?!
Hi Rosa,
You can pick up a bottle here…
Hi Jen, thanks for this info on MTC Oil, you said in “Do your research” “if it contains Laurie acid, forget it”, well I checked the info on the label of this product and it has some Laurie Acid, so am now curious?
Regards, Helen
Hey Helen. You’re so right— I goofed on that part. They is Lauric Acid is MCT oil, you just want to look for versions that have lower amounts of that than the other MCT oils (like capric and caprylic) which are gonna be more beneficial to your body.
Thanks
Thanks, Jen! I make coffee creamer using coconut milk and put that in my coffee every morning. Can I also put MCT in or is that double dosing?
Hi Kristin,
You definitely can!
I would just add one thing— when using MCT oil (or any sort of oil.. .like butter) in your coffee It’s best to blend to together to mix it up well. Otherwise you could have a floating layer on top of oil and that’s just not very enjoyable to sip down. 😉
Thanks Jen! Reading this post from the beautiful island of Kauai where we are spending 2 weeks on holiday. I had not heard of MCT oil prior to your post. I have been using standard coconut oils – in moderation for it’s non-animal based healthy fat qualities. I am a health coach and work with folks trying to lose or maintain weight. Thank you for this informative post. I will be looking further into MCT oil and experimenting with it as well. Have you tried cooking or baking with it yet?
HI Bita,
Rawk on! Love that you’re sharing health + wellness with others as a health coach! MCT oil isn’t the best option for baking, but I love using it in coffee, salads, smoothies + shakes.
Hey Bita! Kauai looks amazing!!! I want to go there so bad. One day 🙂
I don’t cook or bake with it— just consume it in smoothies and coffees in small amounts. It would be very expensive to do much else with it and I think the benefits would go down as well when paired with baked goods. You could also add it to a salad dressing— but that’s about as adventurous as I’d be willing to go with this precious oil. 😉