A creamy blend of pear, almond butter, kale, and vanilla. It’s gluten-free and can be altered to be vegan as well! Truly the world’s best tasting smoothie!
Is this the wrong time of year to post a smoothie recipe?
It’s not summer, so people aren’t hankering for a cold drink.
It’s not January, so people aren’t looking for weight loss recipes.
I might be out of my mind to post this recipe right now, but I just love this smoothie so much I need to talk about it!
I first discovered this smoothie ingredient combo when I saw a post on Pinterest claiming to have The World’s Best Green Smoothie.
I normally balk at these claims because anyone can make them. Heck! I’ve even made those claims too! I have the World’s Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip recipe, the World’s Best Falafel recipe, etc, etc.
But then the post highlighted how popular this smoothie recipe was at a shop in NYC. The social proof won me over to, at least, take a look. And it sounded good, so I tried it!
Of course I modified the ingredients slightly but I had to admit that yes, this is the World’s Best Green Smoothie!
When we went to NYC I figured I needed to pay my respects to the originator of this smoothie and visit the shop, Terri, that sells them. The verdict! Absolutely divine.
My husband thought that it was tastier than my version but they do use a sweetened soy milk though. Of course, it’s going to be tastier! I can’t compete with sugar! But my version is still pretty dang good. I added vanilla and vanilla always makes everything better 🙂 Take that, sugar!
why this green smoothie is a smart choice
I’ve had a little pear obsession recently. They are so dang flavourful! And each pear has about 5-6g of fibre! Eating pears helps make it so easy to meet your fibre goals for the day (25g for women and 35g for men).
Pears also contain potassium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K. They’re a super heart healthy choice!
And let’s not forget the kale! Smoothies are such a great way for eating veggies at breakfast! Did you know that 90% of people are NOT meeting their daily fruit & veggie needs? I created a way to make it super easy for you to start your day off veggie strong! I created this Veggie Smoothie Freezer Pack printable that will give you an average of 2.5 servings of fruits and vegetables in EACH SMOOTHIE! Just enter your e-mail address to get the printable, including a shopping list and full instructions.
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
the world’s best green smoothie
Ingredients
- Âľ cup lightly packed kale
- ½ cup milk
- 1 small pear
- 1 banana frozen
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or ¼ tsp vanilla powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in blender in order listed. Start on low and then turn to high speed.
- Blend until smooth.
Nutrition
p.s. This recipe is also part of my breakfast batch cooking plan! Prep once and you’ll have 21 days of nourishing breakfasts ready to go from your fridge or freezer! Check it out here.
And what about some summertime smoothies? Check out this post with four refreshing smoothies: Strawberry Lemonade, Really Raspberry, Pina Colada Almond, and Peaches n Cream!
Robyn Olfert says
I make this smoothie every day!!! I can’t believe kale is in something that tastes so good! Thanks for getting some veggies into me!
Meg says
This really is my favorite green smoothie!! 5stars!! I actually do use the vanilla protein powder in this to give myself a little extra protein in take. I also add some flaxseed, and use Almond Milk
Jessica Penner says
Those sound like fantastic additions! I’m so glad you enjoy this smoothie!
Rosemary says
When you say Vanilla powder are you referring to protein powder?
Jessica Penner, RD says
No! It’s like vanilla extract but in powder form.
Nancy says
Hi where do I buy almond butter?
Jessica Penner says
Most grocery stores carry it alongside the peanut butter 🙂
Angie says
I have a hard to with kale. Just can’t make myself like it no matter how hard I try. Can you taste it?
Jessica Penner says
You can’t taste the kale at all! I find kale totally different raw than cooked.
Kerri says
They say there’s no such thing as a stupid question… do you take the skins off the pears?
Jessica Penner says
Haha, this one is not a stupid question! One thing I love about smoothies is that you can get all the fibre goodness of the skins on the fruit! So nope, I do not take the skins off!
Leah says
I made this today and it was kind of grainy/chunky. The flavor was great but the texture was off. Any suggestions?
Jessica Penner says
Hmm, what type of blender do you use? I have to admit that I use a high powered blender so mine always end up super smooth….
Carol says
love this green smoothie tried it as soon as i saw the recipe was so ummy
Jessica Penner says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lyd says
Question….Can you use spinach instead of Kale?
Jessica Penner says
For sure! In fact, I just did that today!
Cindy says
Loving this smoothie and have been using almond milk because it’s ehat I typically have. Are there benefits to using the soy milk vs the -almond?
Thanks so much!
Jessica Penner says
Hi Cindy! Love that you love it! Soy milk has about 8g protein/cup whereas almond milk only has about 1g/cup. Protein can help you feel fuller for longer! I’ve created a guide to help people decide which milk or alternative is the best for their needs! Check it out here: http://smartnutrition.ca/nutrition-2/milk-alternatives-guide/
Ashley says
Yum!
What I used
Vanilla almond milk to desired thickness
1 frozen banana
1T almond butter
1.5c frozen kale
1t matcha powder
3 of those snack cups of pears
I used simple truth organic pears in pear juice. I added the juice from the cups as well. I was only going to use 2… but my 4 year old asked for a cup and then decided she didn’t like them. So I went ahead and tossed them in.
This filled my 20oz travel cup with 4-6oz leftover. 4 year old is happily drinking the leftovers as I type this.
Easily one of the best smoothies I’ve ever had.
Jessica Penner says
Thanks for the review! That’s cool that you tried it with canned pears; they’re more accessible year round!
Missy says
Hi, so I bought all the ingredients to make the recipe in that photo, however the printed recipe is different. Upon reading the comments I see YOU use the printed version but it just says 1/2 cup milk. Are you still using soy milk? Does the banana need to be frozen?
Thanks for sharing
Missy
Jessica Penner says
I’ve made it with both soy and dairy milk. Since we keep dairy milk in our house that’s what i use most often 🙂 For a frozen, smooth texture, it’s best if the banana is frozen but, in a pinch, you could use a fresh one.
Kim says
The recipe in the picture and the recipe written out are different… which one do you use?
Jessica Penner says
I use the one written out in the recipe. It’s my adaptation from the one in the photo.
Sarah says
I tried this today with smoothie green mix too with the addition of ground flax. I also substituted the soy milk with unsweetened coconut milk. I am 8.5 month pregnant and this is a great way to get nutrients. Loved it! Thanks for the recipe
Jessica Penner says
That sounds great! Yeah, I often like to add pysllium, flax, or my smoothie booster recipe for a bit of a nutrition boost! Happy pregnancy to you!
Sabrina says
Truly the best smoothie! The combination is perfect. I’ve had a smoothie for breakfast nearly every day for three weeks but not one compares to this one. I used a “mixed smoothie green mix” which included kale, chard, mustard green and spinach along with a scoop of vanilla protein powder instead of vanilla. I might try adding ground flax?? This smoothie will become a regular in my rotation. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Jessica Penner says
Awesome! So glad you enjoy it too! Let me know how it goes with the flax!