Apples are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Studies suggest that eating apples may help protect against osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including apples, may help reduce your chance of getting cancers of the lung, breast, colon and liver.

Avocado adds a creaminess to this smoothie. It also adds an excellent source of antioxidants that help slow aging and may protect against disease. They are high in folate which also helps protect your heart and guard against stroke.

Apple-Cinnamon with Bok Choy Smoothie Recipe

• 2 apples, cored
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 2 tangerines, peeled and deseeded
• 1/4 avocado
• 2 heads of baby bok choy (about two cups)
• 6 ounces of filtered water

Add all the ingredients to your blender (I use a Blendtec) and blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 430
Fat: 9g
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrates: 86g
Fiber: 16.7g
Calcium: 28% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)
Iron: 5.2mg
Vitamin A: 213% RDA
Vitamin C: 220% RDA

This smoothie is also a rich source of folate, vitamin B1 – B6, vitamin K, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium.

Browse more green smoothie recipes.

I’d never heard of this citrus fruit before. I’ve never seen in in a supermarket growing up in the Northeast or where I live now in the Midwest. I lucked out when my friend went to California during the Holidays and brought a couple back for me knowing how much I love grapefruit.

Oro blancos have a bitter tartness like grapefruit, but they are sweeter. They are in the grapefruit family, so if you’re like me and you love grapefruit, you’ll love these too. They taste more like sweet Ruby Red grapefruit then the white grapefruits. They can be green or golden color when ripe.

Oro blanco nutrition is similar to that of grapefruit. Check out our grapefruit article for more on the health benefits and smoothie recipe ideas. Because oro blanco is related to grapefruit, it will interfere with certain prescription medications just like grapefruit, so double check before eating it if you take any medications.

How To Use Oro Blancos In A Green Smoothie

Oro blanco is a large fruit, but the edible portion is only slightly larger than a standard grapefruit. It blends well with oranges and tangerines and can be used interchangeably with grapefruit in any smoothie recipe. The flavor accents tropical fruits like pineapple.

Banana and mango make the best base fruit because they will thicken the smoothie while sweetening it. You can also use coconut milk to help sweeten it without additional sugars. Ginger adds a wonderful kick.

As for greens, stick with non-bitter varieties like fresh baby spinach and leaf lettuce. If you are a green smoothie veteran, go ahead and experiment with some kale or dandelion, but this combination isn’t for the faint of heart or newbies!

Oro blanco is the perfect ingredient for a detox green smoothie recipe. Blend with banana, dandelion and fresh ginger for the most epic detox beverage that you’ll never forget.

Oro Blanco Smoothie Recipes

Oro Blanco Coco Smoothie (this one’s just fun to say!)

• 1/2 oro blanco, peeled
• 4 ounces of coconut milk
• 1 orange, peeled and deseeded
• 1 banana, peeled
• 3 cups or handfuls fresh baby spinach

Calories: 269 | Fat: 3g (gram) | Protein: 6g | Carbs: 61g | Calcium: 25% | Iron: 3.0 mg | Vitamin A: 349% | Vitamin C: 174%

Oro Blanco Carrot Ginger

• 1 oro blanco, peeled
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• Splash of water

Calories: 154 | Fat: .7g (grams) | Protein: 3.1g | Carbs: 38g | Calcium: 8% | Iron: 0.6 mg | Vitamin A: 774% | Vitamin C: 93%

More Recipes

Browse more oro blanco smoothie recipes or get ideas from grapefruit recipes.

Browse more green smoothie recipes.

Kale is a rich source of calcium and contributes more than 300 milligrams (30% RDA) of calcium to this smoothie, which has a whopping 63% RDA. Not bad for a dairy-free, vegan smoothie!

You can make coconut milk by blending the meat and water from a green or young Thai coconut. Commercial coconut milks are available. While not ideal due to additives and pasteurization, they are convenient. If fresh coconut is not available to you, you can make your own using organic, unsweetened shredded coconut.

Coconut Kale Smoothie Recipe

• 8 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 oranges, peeled and deseeded
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 3-and-1/2 cup kale, chopped
• 1/2 lime, peeled

Add all the ingredients except for the greens to your blender and hit the “pulse” button a few times. Next, add the greens and blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Nutrition Information

(NOTE: Nutritional information is going to vary based on the coconut milk you use. The information below is based on 1 cup at 60 calories.)

Calories: 429
Fat: 7g
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrates: 90g
Fiber: 14.9g
Calcium: 63% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)
Iron: 4.9mg
Vitamin A: 1245% RDA
Vitamin C: 519% RDA

This smoothie is also a rich source of folate, vitamins B1 – B6, vitamin K, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium.

Browse more green smoothie recipes.

While I liked the flavor, the bitterness from the dandelion comes through slightly. I’ve grown to appreciate it, but if you’ve never made a green smoothie before, work your way up to dandelion. Use fresh baby spinach in this recipe instead.

Considered the best leafy green for cleansing and detoxification, dandelion greens are loaded with calcium, iron and antioxidants. They are my favorite smoothie green.

Cranberries are known for their powerful, disease-preventing antioxidant properties. Eating cranberries on a regular basis may promote cardiovascular health, boost the immune system and protect against certain cancers.

Creamy Banana-Cranberry Smoothie Recipe

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 frozen bananas, peeled and thawed slightly
• 1/2 orange, peeled and deseeded
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• 2 cups chopped dandelion greens (or baby spinach)
• 4 to 6 ounces of filtered water (or coconut water)

Add all the ingredients except for the greens to your blender (I use a Blendtec) and hit the “pulse” button a few times. Next, add the greens and blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Enhance the tropical flavors and cleansing properties with by using fresh coconut water extracted from a green or young Thai coconut.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 323
Fat: 2g
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrates: 81g
Fiber: 15.2g
Calcium: 28% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)
Iron: 4.5mg
Vitamin A: 495% RDA
Vitamin C: 143% RDA

This smoothie is also a rich source of folate, vitamins B1 – B6, vitamin K, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and potassium.

Browse more green smoothie recipes.

Tomato Nutrition and Health Benefits

Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins A (as beta-carotene) and C. A large tomato contains about 431.3 milligrams of potassium (9% RDA). They also contain small amounts of the B vitamins (except B12), copper, calcium, iron and phosphorus as well as dietary fiber.

Tomatoes are also a rich source of chromium, which plays a role in regulating blood sugar. Studies have shown that tomatoes may provide protection against high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Tomatoes are also a great source of the powerful antioxidant carotenoid, lycopene. Lycopene has been studied for it’s potential for protecting against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, male infertility and certain cancers – specifically cancers of the prostate, lung and stomach. While the prevention of these diseases by eating tomatoes is commonly promoted, the scientific research is ongoing and currently too limited to make specific claims.

Regardless, it’s a good idea to get more tomatoes in your diet!

How To Use Tomatoes In A Green Smoothie

A lot of people don’t like the taste of tomatoes on their own (I’m one of them) so it can be very tricky to add them to a green smoothie. I find that adding mango helps to sweeten the flavor and gives the smoothie a creamy base.

I prefer to use either grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or small Campari tomatoes. I wouldn’t blend a giant beefsteak tomato with a banana. That might be a little weird in the flavor department, but dropping 6 or 7 grape tomatoes or a small plum tomato in a big blend or mango-coconut smoothie won’t change the flavor and provide a good dose of lycopene and other nutrients.

I use tomatoes as a base in blender soups and savory vegetable smoothies. I also like to use sun-dried tomatoes for a richer, bolder flavor in raw vegan soup recipes.

Smoothie Recipes

Mango-Tomato Smoothie

• 1 mango, peeled and pitted
• 4 ounces of homemade almond milk
• 2 Campari tomatoes
• 1 cup pineapple, cubed
• 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach

Calories: 274 | Fat: 1.6g (gram) | Protein: 6.5g | Carbs: 67g | Calcium: 16% | Iron: 4.0 mg | Vitamin A: 545% | Vitamin C: 252%

The Raw “V-Gr8″

• 1 mango, peeled and pitted
• 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 medium stalk celery, chopped
• 2 ounces of water

Calories: 210 | Fat: 1.3g (grams) | Protein: 4.1g | Carbs: 51.9g | Calcium: 7% | Iron: 1.2 mg | Vitamin A: 467% | Vitamin C: 104%

Browse even more tomato smoothie recipes!

How To Select And Store Tomatoes

Purchase tomatoes that are a deep red color for the most flavor. If you are not going to use them right away, buy tomatoes that are slightly yellow and leave them in the sun to ripen up.

As with most fruits and vegetables, I prefer to buy organic when possible. Using only organic becomes more important when you are consuming a whole food, peel and all.

While tomatoes are not on the so-called “dirty dozen” list of pesticide-laden produce, they still rank high enough that I’m pretty strict with only using organic. It is possible to find conventional tomatoes that are grown hydroponically and are certified pesticide and herbicide free. The packages of Campari tomatoes I get at Costco (as of this writing) are not organic, but they are certified pesticide-free.

Generally, you’re not supposed to put tomatoes in the refrigerator. Storing them at room temperature maintains flavor and texture, provided the tomatoes are fresh, in season and from a farmer’s market. I’ve always kept my tomatoes in the refrigerator, though, and mainly out of habit. I’ve never really noticed any difference at all, and for most supermarket tomatoes, it probably doesn’t matter.

If you shop frequently, go ahead and buy a couple tomatoes at a time and store them at room temperature. Otherwise, stick your four cartons of Campari or grape tomatoes in the refrigerator and enjoy them anyways!

This smoothie if very sweet and so it is perfect for blending with celery and parsley. Feel free to toss in some bitter greens like kale and dandelion as well.

Parsley is the richest source of iron from any leafy green that you’d get from the supermarket. One cup contains 3.7 milligrams of iron, as well as 10% RDA (recommended daily allowance) of copper, 7% RDA of magnesium, 7% RDA of potassium, 6% RDA of zinc and 5% RDA of phosphorus.

This smoothie is low in calories, but it has 11.2 grams of healthy fiber. It’s definitely a good weight loss smoothie. The fiber will help fill you and keep you from getting hungry in between meals.

Pineapple-Papaya Smoothie Recipe

• 1 cup papaya, cubed
• 1 cup pineapple, cubed
• 1 medium banana, peeled
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 cup of fresh Italian parsley
• 4 ounces of homemade almond milk

Add all the ingredients to your blender (I use a Blendtec) and blend on high for 30 seconds or until the smoothie is creamy.

Nutrition Information

(NOTE: Nutritional information is going to vary based on the almond milk you use and is not included in the information below.)

Calories: 276
Fat: 2g
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrates: 68g
Fiber: 11.2g
Calcium: 18% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)
Iron: 4.8mg
Vitamin A: 305% RDA
Vitamin C: 344% RDA

This smoothie is also a rich source of folate, vitamins B1 – B6, vitamin K, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Browse more green smoothie recipes.

Once we got our Blendtec, we tried again. Only this time, Davy stuffed an entire stalk of broccoli in the blender. It certainly liquified completely (no sipping and chewing), but it was so ghastly he couldn’t drink it. Liquifying broccoli not only releases its nutrition, it also unleashes its bitterness.

Since these first attempts, I’ve experimented with this nutritious green vegetable and found that broccoli can actually work really well, and taste fine, in a smoothie if you use it the right way.

Broccoli Nutrition and Health Benefits

Broccoli is a great source of vitamins A (as beta-carotene) and C and is also a good source of folate. Folate is especially important for women who are pregnant. Insufficient folate in the diet of pregnant women may increase the risk of brain defects in growing fetuses. One cup of broccoli contains 14% RDA (recommended daily allowance) of folate.

Broccoli also contains small amounts of all B vitamins (except B12), copper, potassium and phosphorus as well as dietary fiber. The antioxidants in broccoli may play a role in reducing the risk of breast, cervical and prostate cancer while also boosting liver function.

How Broccoli Compares To Kale and Spinach Nutritionally

Almost every time I post a smoothie that contains broccoli, someone asks me if they can use broccoli as a leafy green in place of kale or spinach. While broccoli is very good for you, it’s not in the same league as the king of greens, dandelion and kale.

However, broccoli is certainly nutritious and can add a significant source of vitamins and minerals in a green smoothie recipe. If you look at the chart below, broccoli is comparable to spinach when you look at the vitamins and minerals in just one cup.

Nutrition information based on a 1 cup serving size.

Broccoli and kale are both in the same cruciferous plant family, so it’s important to keep that in mind when you rotate your greens. Spinach, leaf lettuce and dandelion greens are an appropriate rotation for broccoli if you don’t have access to a lot of other greens.

How To Use Broccoli In A Green Smoothie

Making broccoli work in a green smoothie can be tricky. If you have a high-speed blender like a Blendtec, OmniBlend or Vitamix, you’re good to go. You can probably get away with adding up to two cups of broccoli florets, depending on what other sweet fruits you use and your personal taste preferences.

If you have a cheaper department store blender, then I’d limit the use of broccoli to no more than one cup, and even that might not completely liquify. Start by adding a couple florets and see how well your blender performs.

Frozen broccoli is easier to work with. Frozen broccoli tends to be less bitter than raw. Additionally, you can steam it and then allow the broccoli to cool before adding it to your smoothie. This will help break down plant cells, making it easier for your blender to process it.

Adding too much broccoli will cause the smoothie to be too thick and bitter. I found that adding banana with broccoli really helps to sweeten the taste and gives it the right amount of creaminess. I usually add one large banana per one cup of broccoli I use. Mangoes, peaches and berries help further mask the flavor of broccoli in green smoothies.

Broccoli Green Smoothie Recipes

Basic Banana and Broccoli Smoothie

• 2 large bananas, peeled
• 2 cups frozen broccoli, choppen
• 4 ounces of filtered

Calories: 152 | Fat: 0.8g (gram) | Protein: 4g | Carbs: 37g | Calcium: 4% | Iron: 1mg | Vitamin A: 22% | Vitamin C: 103%

NOTE: I recommend that you use a high-speed blender for the above recipe. Otherwise, add no more than a few florets to see how your blender performs.

Broccoli Grapefruit Detox

• 1 large banana, peeled
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 red grapefruit, peeled
• 8 ounces of homemade almond milk

Calories: 264 | Fat: 4g (grams) | Protein: 7g | Carbs: 55g | Calcium: 10% | Iron: 1.5 mg | Vitamin A: 189% | Vitamin C: 202%

NOTE: You can always replace the 1/2 grapefruit with one orange if you don’t like grapefruit or are taking a medication that doesn’t allow you to have it.

Browse even more broccoli green smoothie recipes!