Kale Apple Smoothie, an easy green smoothie recipe with kale and apple. Can easily be changed up and made vegan and dairy-free. The best for detox or just a healthy breakfast or snack with all those kale benefits!
This Kale Apple Smoothie recipe only takes a few minutes to put together. No, it’s not as exciting as a chocolate milkshake or anything, but as far as green smoothies go, even my kids thought it was good, so I’ll take it!
I recently posted a recipe for a Tropical Smoothie with mango and pineapple and thought I’d try making some other smoothie recipes. January, of course, is all about detox for a lot of people and getting more kale into your diet I guess is always a good thing.
You can easily change this Kale Apple Smoothie up, so check out my suggestions and ideas below. Depending on what you’re looking for you can easily make this kale smoothie detox friendly, vegan, dairy free, and sugar-free (or lower carb). Of course, it all depends on what you like!
If green smoothies aren’t quite your thing be sure to check out my chocolate smoothie or peach smoothie. And check out this long list of other tasty smoothie recipes. Those may be more your style if you’re not a kale fan. haha! Or even this Pumpkin Smoothie is great year-round!
But even if you’re not a kale fan, I swear this smoothie is pretty good.
You can never have too many green smoothie recipes, right? haha! Kale smoothie benefits, of course, include all the great nutrition of kale!
How to Make a Kale Apple Smoothie
For this smoothie you will need:
- Kale
- Apple
- Honey
- Lemon Juice
- Ice
- Almond Milk
For the full recipe, scroll down to the bottom of the post but a few notes about the ingredients and how to make this simple Kale Apple Smoothie…
Kale: I like to get bagged chopped kale at my local grocery store and keep the bag in the freezer. It’s a great way to just grab a handful of kale and throw into smoothies. Bonus is that the kale lasts longer in the freezer than the refrigerator.
Apple: Use your favorite type of apple. I like Fuji apples, but any should work, just personal preference. You don’t have to peel the apple, but you can. If you don’t like the peel or your blender isn’t that strong, you may want to peel the apple first. Don’t forget to core and chop the apple as well.
Honey: Depending on how sweet your apple is, you may want to add a little honey or your favorite sweetener. If you are on any kind of detox diet, you can definitely leave the honey or sweetener out completely. If you’re looking for a vegan kale smoothie, omit the honey and use your favorite sweetener.
Lemon Juice: I love adding a little citrus to my smoothies. It just seems to “brighten” them up a bit. You can mix it up a little and use your favorite citrus juice such as lime or orange as well.
Ice: A handful of ice bulks up the smoothie without adding calories. Also, makes the smoothie a slightly thicker. You can definitely add more or less ice.
Almond Milk: Almond milk is my liquid of choice for this Kale Apple Smoothie, but you could definitely use milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or even water. Water may be a bit bland for this particular smoothie but it would work if you had to.
Once you have your ingredients together, put them all in a blender and process until smooth. I’d suggest making the smoothie as-is the first time if you can, then make any substitutions to your personal preference.
If you’re the type of person who just can’t get enough kale, maybe serve it up with some other kale recipes like this delicious looking soup.
How to Make a Smoothie Thicker
This smoothie is somewhat thick, but if you like your smoothies thicker, I have a few ideas…
You can try adding more ice, that will give the kale smoothie a thicker slushie consistency.
Thick Greek yogurt or even cottage cheese, would be great additions that would thicken this Kale Apple Smoothie or any other smoothie. If you’re going for a no yogurt smoothie, try the cottage cheese.
Some varieties of apples may also produce a thicker smoothie, so you may want to experiment with the variety of apple you use.
You can also add frozen slices of banana, or freeze your apple chunks, for a little while before adding to the smoothie.
You can add your favorite protein powder, chia seeds, or any other add-ons that you like to add to your smoothies. A little fresh ginger would also be a great add!
Of course, there are a million ways to make a green smoothie. Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors.
Serve with your favorite fun straws or even serve it up in a bowl as a smoothie bowl.
Check out this quick video my son Jordan made to show how to make this green smoothie…
Kale Apple Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale frozen
- 1 small apple cored & diced (peeled if desired)
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 ice cubes (or more if you want to bulk up the smoothie)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Natalie says
I love green smoothies. Especially now during colds and flu when we all need extra vitamin and antioxidant boost. Love the addition of apple. Must give this smoothie a try.
susan | the wimpy vegetarian says
There’s a small grocery store over in the next town over, and they make some great smoothies. The one I always get sounds a lot like this, and I love it! They use apple juice instead of almond milk and add a little ginger. I should make these at home, so thanks so much for this recipe!
Edyta says
I definitely need this smoothie in my life right now! I may even take 2 servings :)
Jessica Formicola says
Such a creative and yummy way to sneak in some veggies! I can’t wait to try this!
Lisa Bynum says
I am so bad about not eating enough greens. Maybe I would be more successful if I DRANK them! Love that this is loaded with fiber too. Who couldn’t use more fiber?
Mary Bostow says
This is exactly the sort of smoothie that is close to my heart. Love the way you have used the ingredients in this recipe. It looks so refreshing.
Amy says
I’ve made these before and they’re GREAT! For the liquid I use natural, unfiltered apple juice though. For me it lends itself more to the flavor of the smoothie. I simply add the apple juice until I reach the consistency I like. I’ve also used different fruits. Blueberries are awesome when they’re in season. I have mixed them with strawberries and that’s really tasty too! I didn’t care for bananas much, but to each their own… I always use a fresh apple and apple juice, even when I switch up the fruit. I haven’t tried adding yogurt, but now that I’ve read this, I am! I may just try some cocoa nibs and/or flax seed just to check it out. I’ll be back to let y’all know how it goes!!
Lisa Huff says
Sounds great! Apple juice is a great idea!