The 4 Ingredient Green Smoothie Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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The 4 Ingredient Green Smoothie

12 reviews / 4.8 average

This is the story of how I started loving dates.

Not go-out-for-sushi-and-come-home-and-watch-reruns-of-the-Office-dates. <— love those too, though, and are we the only people that watch series of TV shows that we like all over again? It’s just so hard to fall in love with something else.

No, but the dates I’m talking right now about are little brown wrinkly things that are incredibly, um, how do I put this… ugly? but taste like a sweet charm straight from the Earth. Maybe even like Earthy Lucky Charms. Granola-People food. Au naturale sweetness.

Spoiler alert: wrinkly brown Earthy Lucky Charms dates are the star of this green smoothie show, and you don’t have to be a Granola-Person (which I am not) to love this.

Bananas in a blender.

Bjork and I are trying to use more natural sweeteners in our sweets, because HELLO we love sweets but heaping spoonfuls of sugar on all your food isn’t the best thing for your body. Dang nabbit.

I’ve had a love affair with straight up sugar for a looong time. I can trace the roots of this obsession back to  my former days of cereal-eating, which, by the way, is a habit that’s wayyy too expensive now! More than $4.00 for a box that’s gone in like 2 hours? I’ll take the oatmeal pleez. But you better believe, during all my cereal phases, I ate my cereal just to get to that sugary milk at the bottom. Straight up milk and sugar after a whole bowl full of carby yums. This whole sugar dilemma is all cereal’s fault.

Dates and milk in a blender.

Good news for sugar lovers who are trying to eat less sugar: there’s a magic sugar-lover’s fruit called Medjool Dates. And let me guess – you guys have been using them for years? Arriving a few years late to food trends — that’s how I like to roll.

I had seen these Medjool dates around the interwebs in all those suspiciously delicious looking healthy dessert recipes but I don’t think I had ever tried them myself until just a few weeks ago. We ❤ them! Bjork might even love them more than me, which he probably won’t like me revealing to the masses online, but my job here is to talk straight about food, okay? He loves them.

We are now semi-Granola-People who eat them drizzled with almond butter, soaked in overnight oats, and pureed into smoothies.

Spinach in a blender.

So technically this is called a green smoothie because anytime I blend something up in Blendtec (love that big ol blender!) I consider it a smoothie. I don’t juice, I just smoothie.

But also technically the consistency of this particular “recipe” is more like a juice. It’s thin enough to sip easily through a straw. In fact, it might have been too easy to sip on because I think I had this thing downed in a matter of seconds. So I’ve alternately titled the most simple green smoothie as The Green Summer Sipper.

I made this after work one day as an “after school snack” – and honestly, does that after school/after work snack impulse ever go away? I think it might have just become a permanent part of my life after 15+ years of habitual after school snackin – and on this particular day it was soooo hot, like 55 degrees (#minnesota), and this simple 4 ingredient green smoothie sipped through a black and white polka dotted straw just HIT THE SPOT. It was so cool, refreshing, healthy, but also filling. Green Summer Sipper might imply proper, controlled, slow-ish drinking, but I sipped that thing gone in a matter of seconds. sluuuurrrppity slurp.

My parting wish today is that you would find yourself sitting in the sun, magazine in hand, sipping on this 4 ingredient green smoothie A-S-A-P. And all will be right in the world.

Two green smoothies in jars.
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A picture of The 4 Ingredient Green Smoothie

The 4 Ingredient Green Smoothie


  • Author: Pinch of Yum
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 12 (nutrition facts are for 2 servings) 1x

Description

This is the most simple green smoothie ever! Just 4 ingredients, deliciously creamy, and naturally sweet. A no-guilt treat!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 large banana
  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk, unsweetened
  • 34 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
  • 2 cups spinach

Instructions

  1. Puree everything together in a blender until very smooth. There should be no flecks of spinach or small pieces of dates left – everything should be incorporated and smooth.
  2. Serve immediately.

Notes

Other optional tips:
1. Add some ice to the blender.
2. Make it thicker by using yogurt.
3. Add different fruits (my faves are mango and peach because they don’t mess up the green color of the smoothie).
4. Add chia seeds, honey, flax, protein powder, etc.

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: green smoothie, healthy smoothie, healthy green smoothie

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107 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I think I’m in love with that straw. Love almond milk and bananas and spinach but never blitzed dates before! They are super sticky sweet!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I am slightly in awe of that straw too. lol. Lindsay, we want to know, where did you get that straw??

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Have you tried grilling dates? They are AMAZING, they caramelized and get this cool crunch. Do it! They are delish!

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Green smoothies are my favorite breakfast recipes! They are so healthy and delicious. I always add water (or plant milk), dates, spinach and fruits. My favorite is mango-orange-pineapple smoothie 🙂

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Such a beautiful color!! I need this in my life. Also, I now totally want to re-watch the entire Office series!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    HA! I have watched The Office maaaayyybeee 4 or 5 times fully through? It’s just too good, especially the early episodes. I’m glad I’m not the only one who does this!

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This post might have actually convinced me to try a smoothie with spinach in it… I’ve always stayed far away from green drinks in the past but I think you just changed my mind.
    I love your straws, too!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Yay! My family all mocked me for making one on vacation… but then they all gathered around me and asked for a taste (and liked it)! They’re not as scary as they seem. 🙂

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        I agree with spinach. I sometimes use kale but really spinach is kinda sweet, not at all heavy like green smoothies sometimes are, and I just love the taste in a smoothie. My wife as we’ll will drink a green spinach based smoothie but just shakes her head at a kale one

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    4 ingredient no-sugar smoothie means I can have 2 servings right?
    Love the use of dates as a sweetener in these – I am a sugar lover myself, as a kid we used to eat sugar straight up from the jar! Its a wonder I have all my teeth still! 🙂

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    4 ingredient no-sugar smoothie means I can have 2 servings right?
    Love the use of dates as a sweetener in these – I am a sugar lover myself, as a kid we used to eat sugar straight up from the jar! Its a wonder I have all my teeth still!! 🙂

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    that is a wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to drink mine, too. Often!
    By the way, I wanted to say that I’m excited for your new venture. And I pray it will be evident in a short while that you have made the wisest decision. There is nothing better than enjoying life while you do what you love.
    (Remember to write your blog in a way you can quickly convert it to a book everyone wants to read)

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I am a bit guilty to say that I STILL haven’t tried a date. I’m secretly awed by all those people who make these healthy desserts and stuff with dates! To be honest I don’t even know where to buy them haha. But I am no stranger to the green smoothie train. Also: that comment about a hot day being 55? YES. Same thing here in Michigan 😉

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I’ve seen them at regular grocery stores, usually in the produce section (at least for the Medjool dates) but I always get big containers at Costco!

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This is really similar to my go-to basic green smoothie recipe. Ugh, so weirdly good for something so healthy. Have you tried making energy bars/balls with dates yet? If not get on it, you will love them!!

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This looks delicious, and I love that you used a blender instead of a juicer! I’m a big fan of using natural sweeteners- I try my hardest to use honey, maple syrup, and fruit to sweeten things I make. One of my favorites is sweetened with only maple syrup and fresh fruit-strawberry chia seed pudding (if you haven’t tried chia seed pudding yet, you definitely should! It’s fascinating and yummy.)

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I feel like I’m so late to the ‘green smoothie’ party, but now that I’m here, I’m here to stay! I just started loving and making green smoothies (I even have a post coming out on Friday for a fruity green smoothie) and would never have thought to add dates, I’m totally going to go buy some after work and add them to my smoothie! Thanks for the awesome suggestion!

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love sweetening with dates! My daughter calls them “football peppers” because I guess she thinks they look like a cross between mini peppers and footballs. No amount of telling her otherwise convinces her that she should call them anything different.

    I love the idea of putting them in smoothies. I don’t think I have done that, which is funny as I have sweetened so many things with them.

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    We’re “Office” fans, too. Our current fav is “Psych”. I was pleasantly surprised on how that show has grown on us. Anyhoo, back to the smoothies… I love to add spinach in our smoothies, but I never thought of using dates. What a brilliant idea! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe.

  16. Pinch of Yum Logo

    My 2 year old and I have a big green smoothie every morning and we just might have to start adding dates for a little extra natural sweetness! Thanks for sharing = )

  17. Pinch of Yum Logo

    “and honestly, does that after school/after work snack impulse ever go away?” Nope. At least not in my experience! This looks like a much more reasonable snack than a million cheese & cracker stacks, or jelly beans, or m&ms…

  18. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love dates so much in smoothies, and believe it or not, raw pie crust! I also love the Office. Fiancé and I are watching the series over again on Netflix and it’s just as good as the first time.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Exactly. It’s like, why even bother with anything else? I end up crying at all the Jim-and-Pam love story episodes all over again even though I already know what happens.