This cucumber mango green smoothie is creamy, mellow, and refreshing, and it’s packed with fruits and veggies to boot!
I love bringing smoothies to work for lunch. I’m always pressed for time weekday evenings, so I love that I can throw together something fresh, healthy and delicious in 5 minutes flat. Plus, as much as I love eating a big plate of fruits and veggies, smoothies just feel like an extra-special treat. I mean, come on: what’s more decadent than not having to chew your food?
Since I most often drink smoothies as a light meal, rather than a dessert, I like there to be as high a ratio of veggies to fruit as possible without compromising taste. I am perpetually amazed at how much healthy stuff you can cram into a single smoothie without noticeably affecting the overall flavor. Honestly, I never used to be much of a cucumber fan, but they’ve become a refrigerator staple since I started making this smoothie. Cucumber and spinach are so mildly flavored that they’re hardly noticeable when paired with sweet, tart mango, banana, and lemon. If you’re skeptical about drinking your veggies, this recipe is a great place to start!
- 1 c unsweetened plant milk (I like unsweetened vanilla rice milk)
- 1 c spinach
- ½ cucumber (~3/4 c)
- 1 frozen mango (~3/4 c)
- 1 small frozen banana
- 1 lemon, peeled and seeded
- 1 Tbsp shelled hemp or chia seeds
- handful of ice, optional
- fresh mint leaves, optional
- If not using a high speed blender, peel cucumber and chop spinach, cucumber, mango, banana, and lemon.
- Combine all ingredients in blender.
- Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Garnish with mint leaves if desired.
2 comments
FoodFeud says:
Sep 11, 2014
Pretty pretty green! I never add hemp or chia, but that sounds great. Haha, I’ve never thought of not having to chew as decadent but I like the idea.
claryn says:
Sep 14, 2014
Hehe. Hemp and/or chia make this extra creamy, which I like, but I think it’s delicious without it, too!