Kid-Friendly Spinach Smoothie (vegan)

Smoothies are my favorite kind of recipe to develop, test and enjoy! Whenever my kids hear the blender running they book it to the kitchen to see what I'm making, and as soon as they tried a sip of this green smoothie their eyes went wide and they reached for their biggest cup. Needless to say, we've made it many times since and it's an instant favorite! I love how much spinach I'm able to get in each smoothie. Huge mom win! I have even used spinach in baked goods because the flavor is so mild. They add so many nutritional benefits and a really fun green color to both my Dye-Free Green Muffins and Dye-Free Green Pancakes. Plug in your blender and give it a try!

Kid-Friendly Spinach Smoothie Ingredients

This smoothie has a warm, vanilla sweetness that's so good year-round. I love the way almond butter, cinnamon, vanilla and dates make this smoothie taste like an absolute treat! For a fruity, tropical take on a spinach smoothie, check out my Tropical Green Protein Smoothie!

• Non-dairy milk - I usually use almond milk in smoothies, although you can use any variety you like! If you're interested in making your own vegan milks, I have posts on How to Make Oat Milk, How to Make Almond Milk and How to Make Cashew Milk.
• Baby spinach - The recipe says two handfuls, but the flavor in raw spinach is so mild that you can really add more in and you won't really notice!
• Almond Butter - Raw, creamy almond butter gives this smoothie the most delicious flavor! You can make your own if you have raw almonds, or use Sunflower Seed Butter for a nut-free option.
• Medjool dates - Dates add some natural sweetness that really makes it kid-friendly! You could add more than two, but I found that it doesn't take a lot to add a subtly sweet flavor.
• Vanilla - I use just a splash, which is all it takes to perfectly balance these sweet and comforting flavors.
• Cinnamon - Just like the vanilla, just a pinch is all you need for a totally delicious and subtle flavor in every sip.
• Smoothie boosters - In pretty much every smoothie recipe I list hemp seeds and chia seeds as optional nutrition boosters! If you have these on hand, I always recommend adding a scoop to your smoothies. You could also toss ¼ avocado into the blender for added nutrition.

Smoothies Kids Love

Smoothies are one of my very favorite things to make! I drink one (and, I'll admit, sometimes two!) every single day. While I don't mind a smoothie that tastes more like a health food than a treat, my kids are a bit pickier! Here are a couple smoothies that get an enthusiastic thumbs-up from all three kiddos in my house. To make your smoothies even more fun, you can add a dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream or a scoop of Easy Granola.

• Sunshine Smoothie
• Creamy Pink Smoothie Bowl
• 3-Ingredient Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
• Vegan Healthy Birthday Cake Smoothie (it's a tradition in our house to make this one every time someone has a birthday!)
• Easy Healthy Strawberry "Milkshake"
• Creamy Vegan Mint Chocolate Smoothie

All About Spinach

All of the other flavors totally cover it up and you can feel great knowing you got a bunch of greens in first thing in the morning. One serving of raw spinach (½ cup) has only 5 calories and contains 60% of your daily vitamin A and 15% of your daily vitamin C. It also has folate, manganese, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

Plant-Based Protein in Smoothies

This smoothie has a surprising amount of vegan protein thanks to both almond milk and almond butter! Almonds are low in carbohydrates and high in protein.  They also offer a good source of fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E, iron, calcium and magnesium. For even more plant-based protein, toss in a spoonful of hemp seeds or chia seeds!

I hope this smoothie is easy to make and fun to enjoy! Any recipe that gets my kids happily eating greens is a HUGE win in my day. If you make this smoothie, please tag me on Instagram so I can see your green smoothie fun and don't forget to drop a review below to help other readers! For even more smoothie fun, check out my cookbook Rock Your Blender. It's filled with smoothies that taste like treats. They're all exclusive to the book and not found here on the blog! You can instantly download as a EBook or buy a paper copy on Amazon.

More Green Smoothies

• Creamy Avocado Vanilla Smoothie with Hidden Veggies
• Green Aid
• Creamy Minty Wheatgrass Smoothie (that doesn’t taste like wheatgrass!)
• Easy Detox Smoothie (that actually tastes good!)
• Minty Kale Smoothie
• Tropical Green Protein Smoothie
• Creamy Citrus Matcha Green Protein Smoothie