Cucumber Apple Smoothie
High fiber and nutrient-packed this easy cucumber apple smoothie is like health in a glass! It is a zippy and refreshing green juice, but in smoothie form so we don’t miss out on all that fiber! Green vegetables and fruits and a knob of ginger for kick, this is a fantastic way to start your day!
- 1 Erica’s ramblings:
- 2 Let’s chat about a few of the health benefits! This smoothie features:
- 3 What you’ll need to make this cucumber apple smoothie:
- 4 How to make this green apple cucumber smoothie:
- 5 FAQs:
- 6 What to serve with cucumber apple smoothie:
- 7 Variation ideas:
- 8 If you love this green smoothie you’ll love these other delicious recipes:
- 9 Watch how to make:
- 10 Cucumber Apple Smoothie
Erica’s ramblings:
Growing up my username for everything (email, aol, etc. dating myself here 🥴) was iluvjuice47. An unfortunate choice in username no doubt lol, but the reality was, I really did like juice. I’d drink a glass of juice every single morning! In fact, I used to eat the frozen white grape juice concentrate straight out of the container for a “frozen treat.” Yiiiikes.
Now that I’m an adult (kinda) and a registered dietitian, I don’t make a habit of drinking juices daily. I prefer to eat the whole fruit or blend them into a nutritious smoothie!
This recipe to me is a hybrid juice/smoothie. It’s a green juice, but blended like a smoothie so that I’m still consuming all of that beneficial fiber from the whole fruit or vegetable.
There are a lot of satisfying flavors going on in this simple smoothie- a little sweet and tart from the apple, spicy from the ginger, zingy from the lime, punchy from the mint and refreshing from the cucumber and ice water. It’s a lovely balance.
To me, smoothies fall into two camps. Camp one is a smoothie that is well balanced with protein, fat and fiber and consumed as a full meal. Camp two is a ‘fun nutrient smoothie’ that blends fruits and veggies, doesn’t have much protein or fat and serves the purpose of providing a big dose of nutrients when we feel like drinking our salad instead of chewing it, ya know what I mean?
This cucumber apple smoothie falls in camp two. I love a light smoothie like this paired with something heartier for breakfast like a slice of avocado toast, bowl of yogurt and granola or a couple scrambled eggs. It’s simply a great way to consume some extra fruits and veggies in your day.
Let’s chat about a few of the health benefits! This smoothie features:
- Fiber (kale, apple, cucumber): fiber aids digestion, promotes regular bowel movements, helps control blood sugar levels, and supports weight management. Whole vegetables and fruits are some of the best sources of fiber.
- Water (kale, apple, cucumber, water): fruits and vegetables are all rich in water. This may sound like “duh”- but staying hydrated is one of the healthiest daily habits you can practice.
- Vitamin C (kale, lime): one of the key benefits of vitamin C is its essential role in supporting the immune system. It is also an antioxidant and can help increase the absorption of iron when consumed concurrently with iron-rich foods. (source)
- Gingerol (ginger): gingerol is a compound that possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects (source) and this smoothie is a perfect way to consume a pretty good chunk of it!
- Quercetin (kale): quercetin is anti-inflammatory and may help protect against chronic diseases and support cardiovascular health (source).
What you’ll need to make this cucumber apple smoothie:
Green apple: you can use any type of apple but I like a granny smith apple for this smoothie (as opposed to a sweet apple)
Cucumber: I love the mini seedless cucumbers.
Fresh mint leaves: you can find fresh mint in the herb section of the produce department at any major grocery store. It’s also very easy to grow!
Kale: Tuscan kale, curly kale, purple kale, use any kind of kale you enjoy.
Ginger: snag a knob of whole, fresh ginger if you can! In a pinch, you can use powdered ginger.
Lime juice: you can use lime or lemon juice, I love lime to stick with the green theme and for it’s punchy, bright flavor.
Honey: this is optional, just if you want an extra touch of sweetness.
How to make this green apple cucumber smoothie:
Place ice cubes in a liquid measuring cup and fill it up to reach ½ cup.
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. (It’s up to you whether you’d like to include ice cubes or just the ice water, I’ve done it both ways.)
Adjust the consistency with a splash more water, if needed.
Enjoy as is or over ice!
FAQs:
You can use coconut water or orange juice but keep in mind that this will affect the sugar content of this smoothie.
As written, this recipe is very low (free from) added sugar. Be sure to omit the optional honey.
To meal prep this smoothie: portion dry smoothie ingredients (green apple, cucumber, mint, ginger and kale) into individual Ziploc or reusable silicone bags and store in the freezer until ready to use. Blend with lime, honey and 1/2 cup water when ready to serve.
Sure. Strain the smoothie through a fine mesh sieve. This will remove much of the beneficial fiber in the whole fruits and veggies but will still be yummy and nutritious!
Instead of adding ingredients like Greek yogurt or protein powder, I’d recommend pairing this healthy smoothie with a more substantial meal or snack (that is high in protein).
A few tablespoons of chia seeds, hemp hearts or flaxseed is always a good idea!
What to serve with cucumber apple smoothie:
- Avocado toast
- Scrambled eggs
- Chicken, tuna or chickpea sandwich
- Oatmeal with berries
- Greek yogurt and granola
- Bowl of soup
Variation ideas:
- Use baby spinach or baby kale instead of curly kale
- Try a ripe pear instead of apple
- Switch up the liquid and use coconut water
- Add some nutrition boosters like spirulina, hemp hearts, chia seeds or ground flaxseed
- Squeeze in fresh lemon instead of lime
- Add a knob of turmeric for even more antioxidants!
If you love this green smoothie you’ll love these other delicious recipes:
Watch how to make:
Whether it’s a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day or a needed immune-boosting addition on a chilly winter morning, I hope you love this cucumber apple smoothie!
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
Print
Cucumber Apple Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 smoothie 1x
- Category: Smoothie
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A combination of crisp cucumber, tart apple, hearty kale and zingy lime, this cucumber apple smoothie is a refreshing way to add a powerful dose of nutrition to your day.
Ingredients
- 1/2 large green apple, sliced or chopped into chunks
- 1 small Persian cucumber (or about 1/3 English cucumber), sliced
- 10 mint leaves
- 1/4-inch knob ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup kale, leaves removed from ribs
- 1/2 lime, juice of
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
- 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth. (It’s up to you whether you’d like to include ice cubes or just the ice water, I’ve done it both ways.)
Notes
Refer to above blog post variation ideas and answers to frequently asked questions.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 smoothie
- Calories: 88
- Sugar: 12.2 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click and make a purchase, I receive a small commission. Thank you so much for your support and helping me continue to do what I do!!
I love Apples and Cumber smoothie
I don’t put anything else in it
I used Only Cucumber, Apple, ginger, lemon juice, and honey but I added pink salt, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 a tea spoon of Blue Berry And ginger Balsamic Vinegar… with ice.. it was amazing..!