Not-Your-Average Low Carb Green Smoothie

If you’ve ever been on the fence about green smoothies, I encourage you to try this one. Similar to our keto-friendly Brownie Batter Smoothie it uses frozen veggies instead of the commonly used frozen banana. By freezing all of the vegetables first, the “green” flavour is masked a little, and the texture of the blended frozen vegetables becomes deliciously smooth.

Avocado, coconut cream and cashews add to the creaminess and help balance flavours, while the cinnamon and cacao help to flavour the smoothie – instead of anything too “green”, this smoothie is creamy and chocolatey.

While the smoothie gets some sweetness from the coconut cream, pumpkin and cinnamon, you will need to add some additional sweeteners – I find a blend of erythritol and stevia works best.

Note that this recipe serves one, however I cook up a big pumpkin to freeze, as well as freezing a few cut up zucchini and broccoli so that I always have ingredients ready to throw together to make this. It’s a great way to sneak in a few veggies into a quick, filling and refreshing breakfast or snack in those warmer months.

Please note that you need to freeze the veggies in advance. Once you have all the frozen veggies ready, the smoothie only takes 5 minutes to prepare! Low-carb sweeteners can be used to taste.

Step-by-step

1. Prepare the frozen veggies in advance. Cut pumpkin into 2 ¹/₂ cm x 2 ¹/₂ cm (1 inch x 1 inch) pieces and steam until tender (approx. 20 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place on a lined tray and freeze overnight.

   

2. Cut the zucchini into 4 cm (1 ¹/₂ inch) slices, and then halve. Cut the broccoli into florets. Spread over a tray, and freeze overnight.

   

3. To make the smoothie, place all ingredients into a high-powered blender and process until smooth and creamy.

   

4. Note

   Note that this recipe will produce quite a thick smoothie – add more water or unsweetened almond milk to thin as desired.

   

5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

   

Recipe

Not-Your-Average Low Carb Green Smoothie

★★★★★4.8 (147 ratings)

This sugar-free breakfast smoothie is a great way to sneak in more non starchy veggies into your diet!

Hands on

5m

Overall

5m

Servings

2

7.9 g

Net carbs

5 g

Protein

21.2 g

Fat

237

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 2 servings

• 2 florets broccoli, frozen (35 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 2 slices zucchini, frozen (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
• 1 large cube pumpkin, frozen (35 g/ 1.2 oz)
• ¹/₄ avocado (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• handful baby spinach leaves (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 1 cup water (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
• ¹/₃ cup coconut cream (80 ml/ 2.7 fl oz)
• 2 tbsp cashews or almonds(14 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (5 g/ 0.2 oz)
• ¹/₂ - 1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
• 1 tbsp powdered Erythritol or Swerve (10 g/ 0.4 oz)
• 2–6 drops stevia, to taste
• Optional extras:
• 2-4 tbsp grass-fed collagen powder, whey (or egg white) protein powder such as Jay Robb, or plant-based protein powder such as Nuzest (will provide extra protein)
• 1-2 tbsp MCT oil or Brain Octane Oil (will provide extra energy boost and increase the ketogenic ratio)

Instructions

1. Prepare the frozen veggies in advance. Cut pumpkin into 2 ¹/₂ cm x 2 ¹/₂ cm (1 inch x 1 inch) pieces and steam until tender (approx. 20 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place on a lined tray and freeze overnight.

2. Cut the zucchini into 4 cm (1 ¹/₂ inch) slices, and then halve. Cut the broccoli into florets. Spread over a tray, and freeze overnight.

3. To make the smoothie, place all ingredients into a high-powered blender and process until smooth and creamy.

4. Note

   Note that this recipe will produce quite a thick smoothie – add more water or unsweetened almond milk to thin as desired.

5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition per serving, about 1 cup/ 240 ml

Carbs 13%Protein 8%Fat 79% of calories

Net carbs

7.9 g

Total carbs

17.7 g

Fiber

5.1 g

Sugars

2.4 g

Protein

5 g

Fat

21.2 g

Saturated fat

13.6 g

Calories

237 kcal

Sodium

21 mg · 0.9% RDA

Magnesium

70 mg · 17.4% RDA

Potassium

576 mg · 28.8% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 1 cup/ 240 ml	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Broccoli, broccolini, fresh	0.7 g	0.5 g	0.1 g	6
Zucchini (summer squash, courgette)	0.4 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	3
Pumpkin, fresh	1.5 g	0.3 g	0 g	7
Avocado, fresh	0.5 g	0.5 g	3.7 g	40
Spinach, fresh	0.1 g	0.2 g	0 g	2
Water, still	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Coconut cream, creamed coconut milk (organic, unsweetened)	1.8 g	1.5 g	13.9 g	132
Cashew nuts, cashews	1.9 g	1.3 g	3.1 g	39
Cocoa powder, raw (cacao)	0.6 g	0.5 g	0.4 g	6
Cinnamon, spices	0.2 g	0 g	0 g	2
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)	0.3 g	0 g	0 g	1
Stevia extract (SweetLeaf or NuNaturals, natural low-carb sweetener)	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	7.9 g	5 g	21.2 g	237

Serving size about 1 cup/ 240 ml

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan