This low-carb green smoothie is made with spinach, banana, & protein powder! It makes the perfect low-carb smoothie for a healthy breakfast!
I love smoothies in the mornings for breakfast because the day usually starts out pretty hectic, and sometimes I don’t even have time to sit down to eat. Smoothies are easy because I can carry it in one hand and my baby in the other.
But all smoothies are not equal, and I like to keep my breakfast smoothies low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fiber. I’ve found that I feel a lot better during the day if I don’t start my day with high blood sugar spikes! A low carb banana smoothie is just what the doctor ordered!
This low-carb green smoothie has quickly become my go-to for breakfast, simply because it’s so delicious, healthy, and easy! It’s a great way to start the day off with some vegetables, even my toddler loves this low carb smoothie for breakfast!
Jump to:
What does it taste like?
This low-carb green smoothie is creamy, sweet, and really filling, too! The banana and Greek yogurt give it creaminess, while the protein powder and banana add a sweetness that isn’t too overpowering.
If you’ve never had a green smoothie before, this one is a great one to start with because you can’t taste the spinach at all. Not even a little bit. All you taste is vanilla and banana. It’s so good!
Ingredients
Frozen banana – This gives your low carb smoothie a thick and creamy texture, while also adding some sweetness!
Fresh spinach – The only green ingredient, it gives your breakfast smoothie a nice helping of vegetables and nutrition in the morning!
Chia seeds – These are loaded with fiber and complex carbs to help you stay full all morning long.
Vanilla extract – I love the vanilla flavor in this breakfast shake. It makes it seem sweeter than it actually is, which is a total win!
Unsweetened almond milk – Make sure to use unsweetened milk in this low carb smoothie to avoid any extra added sugars.
Plain Greek yogurt – Use full fat Greek yogurt to help you stay fuller for longer. Fat takes longer for our bodies to digest, so it’s much more filling!
Vanilla protein powder – Make sure to use a high-quality protein powder like Designer Whey. It’s full of probiotics and fiber, which makes it great for digestion. It also is sweetened with monk fruit and stevia, making it a really natural and low-carb protein powder.
Ice cubes – If you like your smoothies a little thicker, add these in to give that not-so-runny texture!
Recipe Substitutions
Banana – If you don’t want to use banana, you can use another type of frozen fruit, pumpkin puree, butternut squash, or even frozen avocado. However, your smoothie may not turn out as sweet or creamy if you don’t use banana.
Fresh spinach – The only substitutions I would suggest would be to either use fresh or frozen kale, frozen spinach or a high-quality greens powder.
Chia seeds – Flaxseed would also work great in this recipe, and add some healthy fiber to your low-carb smoothie.
Unsweetened almond milk – Any other unsweetened milk will work great in this recipe, including oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, rice milk, or hemp milk.
Plain Greek yogurt – You can use pretty much any type of yogurt, including dairy-free and vegan yogurts. Just make sure it’s unsweetened so you avoid those added sugars.
Vanilla protein powder – Other flavors and types of protein powder would work great, including plant-based protein powder and protein powder flavors like chocolate, strawberry, coconut, and even matcha!
Instructions
- Add frozen banana, spinach, chia seeds, vanilla extract, almond milk, and Greek yogurt to the blender. Blend for 30 seconds to a minute, until no spinach shreds remain.
- Add ice at this point if your smoothie is too runny. Blend again until no ice chunks remain.
- Add protein powder, and pulse 4-5 times until combined.
- Serve!
Tips & FAQ
No they aren’t low carb. Bananas have natural sugars called fructose, like many other fruits. They have about 34 g of carbohydrate per cup.
This low carb smoothie only calls for 1/4 cup of frozen banana, which helps to keep the carbohydrates from the banana to about 9 grams.
It depends on your smoothie! If you’re loading your smoothie up with juices and tons of fruit, chances are they aren’t going to be filling and won’t help you with weight loss.
If you want to lose weight by drinking smoothies, they need to be lower carb, and high in protein and fiber. That way, they prevent you blood sugar from spiking up and crashing, and they help to keep you full until you’re next meal. There’s nothing worse than making a “healthy” smoothie just to be hungry an hour later.
Low carb green smoothies are packed with nutrients, and they are my favorite way to eat vegetables in the morning! Even though it’s green, you can’t taste the spinach one bit.
The best carbs for weight loss are the ones that have fiber, which helps to keep you full longer. Some examples would be starchy carbs, such as sweet potatoes, high fiber crackers like Wasa, whole grains like barley, brown rice, oats, farro, and quinoa, high fiber fruits like banana, blueberries, and cherries, high fiber veggies like spinach, kale, and broccoli, beans, edamame, and lentils.
Storage & Freezing
As with most of my recipes, this one is totally freezer friendly! It’s quick and easy to make smoothie packs with this recipe. Simply put the banana, spinach, chia seeds, vanilla, and ice cubes into a wide-mouth glass jar or a quart-sized zip lock. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to blend up your low carb smoothie, add the contents of the frozen smoothie pack, Greek yogurt, almond milk, and protein powder to the blender, and blend it up! Super easy, and saves a ton of time in the mornings.
Nutritional Info
This green smoothie is low carb, meaning it won’t spike up your blood sugar quite the same as a regular, fruit-loaded smoothie will. Each smoothie has 13 g of fiber and only 3 g of natural sugar!
Obviously these numbers will depend on what protein powder you use. I use Designer Whey Protein Powder for pretty much all my smoothies. It’s low sugar, low carb, high in protein, high in fiber, and has probiotics! Plus, it tastes amazing and isn’t chalky at all. I HATE chalky protein powder, and this one is anything but!
Try it out —> Designer Whey Protein Powder
With all the fiber and protein in this green smoothie, you’ll be full until lunch time!
Total nutritional content per smoothie is:
- Calories: 300 calories
- Protein: 31 grams
- Sodium: 325 mg
- Carbohydrates: 23 grams (16 net carbs)
- Fiber: 8 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- ¼ cup frozen banana: $0.05
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach: $0.09
- 2 tsp chia seeds (bought in bulk): $0.07
- ½ tsp vanilla extract: $0.13
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk: $0.32
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt: $0.22
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder: $0.90
Total per smoothie comes out to be $1.78!
Other Smoothie Recipes:
Shop my recipe:
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
Recipe
The Best Low Carb Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup frozen banana
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4-5 ice cubes
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Instructions
- Add frozen banana, spinach, chia seeds, vanilla extract, almond milk, and Greek yogurt to the blender. Blend for 30 seconds to a minute, until no spinach shreds remain.
- Add ice at this point if your smoothie is too runny. Blend again until no ice chunks remain.
- Add protein powder, and pulse 4-5 times until combined. Serve!
Freezer Packs:
- To make a freezer pack, add banana, spinach, chia seeds, vanilla, and ice cubes to a large wide-mouth jar or quart sized ziplock. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to make your smoothie, add the contents of the smoothie pack, Greek yogurt, protein powder, and ice cubes to your blend and blend until smooth.
Video
Nutrition
Pin me for later!
If you end up making this and loving it, take a photo and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your versions of my recipes! And feel free to rate it down below in the comment section. I would really appreciate it!
I can honestly say that you will love this low carb smoothie when you try it! It’s easy, healthy, and delicious, and comes together in less than 5 minutes! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
xoxo Megan
I’ve been having smoothies on repeat lately! Love how this one uses chia seeds too! I might try it in smoothie bowl form. 🙂 thanks for a great recipe!
This looks delicious! I have a dairy allergy, is it okay if I omit the yogurt? A lot of dairy free yogurts are higher on carbs. I have T1 Diabetes, so trying to keep my carb intake low.
Yes, you can definitely just omit the yogurt if you want to! It will still be extra delicious 🙂
This smoothie was so delicious and I loved that it was low carb too! I’ve been making it for breakfast in the morning, it’s super easy, creamy, filling and satisfying!
I’ve been making more smoothies lately, but have been trying to find more healthier recipes. This low carb green smoothie sounds amazing. Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear that, thank you so much! 🙂
This is the perfect pick-me-up to help me get going in the morning.
Yay me too Andrea! 🙂
Tried this green smoothie this morning and it was delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made this smoothie this morning and it was delicious! I even added 1 tbsp of PB fit powder for a few extra grams of protein. It’s hard to make a good low carb smoothie but this fit the bill!
I’m really glad you loved it Katie! I’ll be adding some PB fit powder into mine next time too! 🙂
Enjoyed this for breakfast this morning and started my day off right! Cool, refreshing and tasty; easily, and new favorite smoothie!
This is perfect for my working mom survivor guide round-up. Including you!! THANKS!