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Transform your day with this refreshing green apple smoothie! It’s naturally sweetened with dates and packed with spinach, this 5-minute healthy drink perfectly balances sweet and tart flavors.

Looking for a delicious, naturally sweet healthy drink? Alex and I have created over 50 smoothie recipes over the past decade, many of which have turned out to be reader favorites. This is the smoothie that started it all!
This green apple smoothie is a delightfully sweet tart creation we still make to this day. Its refreshing flavor and wholesome ingredients make it a favorite of us and our whole family. Here’s how to make it!
Key ingredients in this green apple smoothie
This green apple smoothie transformed us from smoothie skeptics to believers. After years of failed attempts that turned smoothies either bitter or an unappetizing brown, we finally cracked the code to a genuinely delicious green smoothie that we actually crave.
The secret? It’s all about balance. Sweet Medjool dates complement the bright tartness of green apple, while fresh lemon juice adds that perfect zing. It’s packed with cashews for a hit of filling protein. This smoothie stays beautifully green with a handful of spinach – making it as social media-worthy as it is delicious!

Smoothie storage
Pro tip: Enjoy this smoothie immediately after blending for the best flavor and color. The natural sweetness and vibrant taste tend to dull if refrigerated.
Dietary notes
This recipe is this green apple smoothie recipe is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based.
Frequently asked questions
While best fresh, you can prep the ingredients in freezer bags. Combine chopped apple, dates, and spinach, then blend with ice and lemon juice when ready to drink.
Green apples provide the perfect tartness and lower sugar content, making this smoothie refreshingly balanced rather than overly sweet.
Add protein with a scoop of your favorite plant-based protein powder or 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. For healthy fats, try ½ an avocado.
Green Apple Smoothie
Transform your day with this refreshing green apple smoothie! It’s naturally sweetened with dates and packed with spinach, this 5-minute healthy drink perfectly balances sweet and tart flavors.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 large smoothie (or two small) 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 large green apple
- 4 medjool dates
- 3 cups spinach
- 8 ice cubes
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Core the apple and cut it into chunks (do not peel). Remove the pits from the dates.
- Place all ingredients a blender and blend. Add lemon juice and blend for a few seconds again. Serve immediately.
Smoothie recipes you may enjoy
If you love this green apple smoothie, try blending some of our other delicious smoothie recipes:
- Try a fruity strawberry smoothie or raspberry smoothie
- Make a tropical mango smoothie, pineapple smoothie or piña colada smoothie.
- For a unique and surprising sweet treat, fans love our grape smoothie.
- A carrot smoothie or broccoli smoothie are a great way to sneak in veggies
I’ve recently stopped consuming meat and dairy, so I’ve been looking into juicing and blending as a means to clean and reboot my system. I wasn’t sure I would like this since I had never used dates in a recipe. It was surprisingly delicious! I will definitely include this smoothie as my top 10. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed!
Just made this smoothie today! It is delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Michelle! Thanks for trying it out :)
Oh yes, the ‘you must be so prepared and just so calm and do everything perfectly because you write a blog about healthy foods’. Um, no. And yes, sometimes healthy food bloggers do stand in their kitchen eating peanut butter and chocolate chips because that is life.
Back to the smoothie – this looks perfect for a summer breakfast! Light and fresh and bright! I have just gotten on the smoothie train, and to be honest I am getting a little sick of bananas. This green apple and spinach smoothie sounds like just the change my breakfast needs :)
I’ve gotten into a smoothie habit in the winter, and it honestly has transformed my life. I no longer feel weighed down by breakfast, nor do I get intense hunger pangs by mid-afternoon. I just make a two-serving smoothie and sip on it until about 2pm! That being said, most of my smoothies aren’t that inspiring, so I’m always on the look-out for new recipes. This looks great, and I’m always a fan of dates as sweetener. Thanks!
As much as I’d love to be a smoothie person, I’m just not. I need some chew in my breakfast! But this smoothie looks super refreshing…we just went to the apple orchard yesterday so I’m thinking it’s time to give smoothies another shot!
I like that you say healthy eating is a process and each person’s journey is unique. I guess the downside of social media is that it makes everyone and everything appear perfect. Thanks for being real and honest – it’s one of the reasons I like your blog. :) And this is the most gorgeously green smoothie I have seen! Love its simplicity and brightness.
Yum! Trying this smoothie this week! I’ve been wanting to try a smoothie with dates in it for some time now. Now I just have to search for them at the supermarket!
Kisses from Buenos Aires xx
http://amateandarottweiler.blogspot.com.ar/
This smoothie is such a beautiful color! I love to put dates in my smoothies. They are so good and give them just the right amount of sweetness!
I am very intrigued by this recipe! it’s funny what you said about people thinking healthy cooks are smoothie people, haha. I think it’s definitely true.
I am really interested by the use of dates here! But I have a lot of spinach around, so I think I’m going to try this!