Green Smoothie

Recipe from Veggies Natural Juice Bar & Cafe

Adapted by Ali Slagle

Published Jan. 10, 2024

Green Smoothie
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(435)
Notes
Read community notes

For a green smoothie that’s neither too sweet nor reminiscent of gazpacho, make the “Stew” from Veggies Natural Juice Bar & Cafe in Brooklyn. Fresh, spicy and sweet everyday staples like agave or honey, greens, ginger and banana harmonize thanks to one ingredient that brings them all together: vanilla extract, which enhances and balances flavors in baked goods and beyond. The Stew was invented on Veggies’s opening day, when a customer named Stew asked for a drink using a few requested ingredients. Co-owners Ian Callender and Jahman McKenzie named the smoothie after him, also paying tribute to Caribbean stews. Mr. Callender advises not to add more liquid to this smoothie — the greens bring their own — or more vanilla or ginger, which can overpower. The proportions for this recipe have been fine-tuned and perfected over time. —Ali Slagle

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (16-ounce/2-cup) smoothie
  • ½cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, oat, soy or hemp)
  • 1tablespoon agave or honey, plus more to taste
  • 2packed cups/2½ ounces spinach leaves
  • 1½ packed cups/1½ ounces de-stemmed, torn curly kale leaves (from 2 leaves)
  • 1thin slice/3 grams fresh ginger
  • 1ripe, large banana
  • ½cup ice cubes
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

299 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 147 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour milk and agave into a blender. Add spinach, kale, ginger and banana. Blend on high until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Add the ice and vanilla and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add more agave or honey, if desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5
435 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Van

You can easily freeze ginger and then it doesn't rot. Easy to grate when it's frozen too!

Judi

Ginger is easily frozen. When you need some, just grate on a microplane zester, skin and all. It's a ginger game changer. Always have it on hand, never rotten.

I like painting and poetry. I can't stand peppers.

O for goodness sake. All that chopping and measuring for a smoothie. I just used a baby kale and baby spinach packaged combo. Then threw in about 3 or so handfuls. No fresh ginger (it always rots before I can use it) so tossed in a generous sprinkle of powdered ginger (be careful!). The rest is easy and it’s hard to believe it’s 290 calories. Use frozen banana if you want to skip the ice. Delicious.

Richard

I know that this is messing with the recipe, but I would add some almonds and leave the drink a little crunchy.

Michelle

Frozen mango

theGrossman

I was given a recipe from a nutritionist. No need for honey or agave which many doctors consider the same as using refined sugar. And by adding the avocado it becomes very smooth in texture. Kale Avacado Banana Pineapple Ginger

Bella

Omg I am so happy to see this - I LOVE Veggies Natural Juice Bar and Cafe and will be trying this recipe. I request more smoothie recipes from them if possible - especially the papaya banana smoothie.

Lisa

Buy small tray of frozen ginger cubes at Trader Joes. Inexpensive and quick! (They also have garlic and basil cubes)

Paul Callaro

My green smoothie has few ingredients and tastes like fruit, not kale. It's easy to make and to clean up. Vary the amounts to suit your taste. Into the blender container add - in order: 1 cup of green grapes, 1 cup of water, 6 chunks of fresh or frozen pineapple, slice of ginger, 1/2 a banana, 1 pitted date (or 1 tbsp honey), 2 to 3 cups of fresh kale (or spinach) and 6 large ice cubes. Blend on high until smooth. Add more water to thin it out if you prefer. I highly recommend a Vitamix blender.

Karl

Can also use cow's milk (which has a bit of natural sweetness) and ditch the agave.

Sienna

yum I love putting sugar down my throat

Linda K

Why is this so high in carbs? I don’t use the sweetener but still!

Vanessa

I am always surprised by smoothie recipes and even books. Just wing it! Put it some fruits, maybe some type of green, non-dairy milk and some coconut water. Blend with ice and you are good to go!

Samantha Nagel

It is ALL ABOUT THE BANANA. Make sure the banana is brown uniformly, and then put it in a little bag and keep it in the freezer before adding. This literally makes the smoothie.

J

Made this as written and it was absolutely delicious. I was surprised that you don't really taste the kale or spinach, you just get the nutty sweetness from the oat milk, banana and honey. The ginger is a great addition as well.

Talia

71g spinach, barely 3g ginger, 27g kale

Vickie

I assembled the greens and ginger in the morning, and made the smoothie as mid-afternoon pick-me-up for my husband, and he said he liked it. The tip on being able to freeze the ginger was helpful.

CW

Kept vanilla too

CW

Skipped honey/sweetener, added frozen pre-cut banana, skipped ice cubes, used 7g powdered spinach in lieu of fresh greens, and sprinkled 4 tbsp chia seeds and 1 tbsp sunflower on top (offsets the sweetness nicely)

ML

This is like having a vanilla-ginger shake for breakfast! If you add a couple slices of avocado, it makes this wonderfully creamy!

marchforsanity

If bananas are frozen and then broken into pieces, no ice is needed. Less watery.

CN

Instead of ice, we freeze the bananas. We also freeze cucumbers and other veggies. We drink this daily.

An incidental cook

Made it with a ripe kiwi (keeping with the green theme) and some apple, no extra sweetener. Added a few cashews. Used chard leaves instead of kale. It's what I had on hand. Tasty!

Carrie

The texture was delightful, but the vanilla ruined the smoothie for me. It overpowered the delicate flavors of the greens, banana and even the ginger. I measured the ginger by weight and it was the perfect amount. Next time I will leave the vanilla out completely, or perhaps reduce to 1/8 tsp

Todd

My secret ingredient is fresh basil. A few leaves is plenty, and what you don't use can be frozen. I'd also skip the honey/agave (banana makes it plenty sweet). But my main issue with this recipe is it's almost completely devoid of protein. Call me crazy but for me that's almost pointless, unless you're seriously watching your overall calories. Throw in scoop of unsweetened pea protein, a handful of almonds or walnuts, or some greek yogurt, and now you've got something.

S

There are 9 grams of protein in this smoothie made according to the recipe. That's not too shabby for plants.

One of the few reasonable nytimes cooking commenters

For some reasonable feedback: made as written; the recipe is excellent.

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