This green cucumber spinach smoothie is refreshing, hydrating and packed with nutritious ingredients. Done in 5 minutes and makes for a perfect breakfast, snack or post-workout treat in the summer. 100% dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan.
We love adding cucumber to smoothie recipes, such as seen in this strawberry cucumber smoothie and this mango cucumber smoothie. Cucumber adds a fresh, hydrating and cooling effect, perfect for when making smoothies in the summer!
The combination of cucumber, frozen fruit, spinach and a little mint (optional) make this smoothie ultra-green and especially frosty and refreshing. And I like using dairy-free oat milk to make it creamy and smooth plus, it is packed with vitamins!
Perfect for breakfast with toast, as a post-workout snack or to enjoy on a hot day to help you cool down and stay hydrated.
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
Looking for more green smoothie recipes? Check out this tropical island green smoothie and this avocado peanut butter green smoothie!
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Cool, hydrating and refreshing smoothie, perfect for the summer
- Delicious fruit flavor, the spinach taste is undetectable!
- Easy and super quick to make, great for quick breakfasts!
- Packed with vitamins and fiber
- Great for snacking or after working out
- 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Cucumber: I used half an English cucumber, they are easy to find in any grocery store. Clean it very well and keep the peel on for bonus nutrients!
- Frozen fruit: I used a mix of frozen banana and frozen pineapple. Frozen fruit works better than fresh to give the smoothie a frosty effect and make the mixture thicker and creamier.
- Spinach: I find baby spinach to be best to add to smoothies for its milder taste and it also blends easier especially if you don't have a high-speed blender.
- Plant-based milk: I love the full-fat oat milk from Oatly for making drinks. It has a thicker consistency and a mild sweet flavor even without any added sugars.
- Mint: adds such a nice punch of fresh flavors, try not to omit it! You can start with only 2-3 leaves if you want to avoid an overpowering minty flavor, then add more as you wish.
⭐️ Full list of ingredients (+ quantities) down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
- Dairy-free yogurt: We love adding some of this plain cashew milk yogurt from Forager Project in our smoothies to add creaminess and a little tangy flavor.
- Lime or lemon juice: freshly squeezed lime juice would add a little freshness and balance the sweet and earthy flavors.
- Protein-packed: to add more protein, then add some hemp seeds, protein powder or almond/peanut butter. We love this vanilla-flavored pea protein powder from Orgain.
- Sweeter: I think this smoothie is sweet enough, but depending on how sweet your fruits are, you might want to add some maple syrup, Medjool dates or more of the frozen banana.
- Tropical: swap the regular plant milk for either coconut water or coconut milk for a delicious tropical twist, which would work well with the pineapple and bananas.
🍴 How to make a cucumber spinach smoothie
Step 1: Pour the dairy-free milk into your blender, then add the cucumber, frozen pineapple, frozen bananas, mint, almond butter and spinach.
Step 2: Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and add a sweetener if necessary. Enjoy right away!
⭐️ Detailed recipe (+ video) down below in the recipe card!
💡 Helpful tips
- Frosty result: Again, frozen fruits work better than fresh in this recipe to give a thicker texture and a frosty consistency. If you only have fresh fruit, then try to plan ahead and chop/freeze them the night before. If you must use fresh fruit, then you might want to add a few ice cubes to the blender to make the smoothie colder.
- Blending steps: When making smoothies with frozen fruits, I recommend first adding the liquids to your blender and then the fruits. This will help the blending process.
- Blender: If you do not have a high-speed blender, then you might need to blend for a little longer to crush the frozen fruit and mint completely. Take a break or two to scrape the sides and bottom to ensure that all the ingredients are blended.
- Cucumber types: Large garden cucumbers can be filled with seeds and even have a mild sour flavor. If using them, then you might want to remove the inside part that contains the large seeds and feel free to peel them if the peel tastes bitter. English cucumbers are much smoother in flavor and usually seed-free.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Garnish your smoothie with slices of cucumber and a few leaves of fresh mint. You could also sprinkle or drizzle over:
- chia seeds
- hemp seeds
- shredded coconut
- almond butter
➡️ You can also make a smoothie bowl! The idea is to make a scoopable mixture that's thicker and frosty so it can hold onto the topping ingredients. You can do this by:
- Reducing the amount of dairy-free milk and/or
- Adding more frozen fruits
Then, transfer into a bowl and garnish with granola (we love this vanilla almond granola and this turmeric granola), seeds, almond butter and fresh fruits. Check out this strawberry smoothie bowl for more tips and inspiration!
❓ FAQs
Yes! Simply skip the banana and add more frozen pineapple. You can also swap the frozen banana for frozen mangoes, which are also great for making smoothies thick and creamy.
You can make this smoothie recipe using a regular blender! In that case, I recommend blending for a little longer to ensure the smoothie is smooth and there are no pieces of fruit/spinach left intact.
🌱 More summer cucumber recipes you might like
I hope you like this cucumber spinach smoothie recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Cucumber Spinach Smoothie
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber
- ½ frozen banana
- ½ cup frozen pineapple
- 2 handful baby spinach
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 cup dairy-free milk - I used oat milk
- 4-6 mint leaves - optional
- maple syrup - optional, to add sweetness if needed
Instructions
- Pour the milk into your blender, then add the cucumber, frozen pineapple, frozen banana, almond butter and mint, if using.
- Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and add a sweetener if necessary. Pour in a serving glass and enjoy right away!
Video
Notes
- Frosty result: Again, frozen fruits work better than fresh in this recipe to give a thicker texture and a frosty consistency. If you only have fresh fruit, then try to plan ahead and chop/freeze them the night before. If you must use fresh fruit, then you might want to add a few ice cubes to the blender to make the smoothie colder.
- Blending steps: When making smoothies with frozen fruits, I recommend first adding the liquids to your blender and then the fruits. This will help the blending process.
- Blender: If you do not have a high-speed blender, then you might need to blend for a little longer to crush the frozen fruit and mint completely. Take a break or two to scrape the sides and bottom to ensure that all the ingredients are blended.
- Cucumber types: Large garden cucumbers can be filled with seeds and even have a mild sour flavor. If using them, then you might want to remove the inside part that contains the large seeds and feel free to peel them if the peel tastes bitter. English cucumbers are much smoother in flavor and usually seed-free.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Delicious and easy, thanks for the recipe!
😊 Thanks for your feedback!