Arugula Smoothie

This creamy arugula smoothie pairs the peppery greens with oranges and pineapple.  It’s easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.

If you’re not an arugula fan, you may not enjoy this smoothie.  Arugula has a peppery flavor that’s more potent than other greens that typically go into smoothies, like spinach and kale.  The oranges and pineapple do not completely cover up the taste of arugula, they just mellow it out a little.  So the spiciness of the leafy greens still shines through.

I use green smoothies to get more greens into my family’s diet.  If you want to mix up adding vegetables to your smoothies that aren’t the usual spinach or kale, try pineapple beet smoothie or carrot orange ginger smoothie.  For more green-leafy forward smoothies, try a mango smoothie or pineapple cucumber smoothie.

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• Ingredient notes
• Tips
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient notes

Fresh arugula - The leafy green has a strong peppery flavor.  There’s only one cup in this arugula smoothie recipe, but you can always add more if you want to.  If you’re a bit hesitant about adding the leafy green, start with ½ cup of arugula and ½ cup of spinach.  Also, don’t tightly pack the cup of arugula when measuring it out. 

Oranges - Peeled navel oranges add a nice bright sweet acidity that helps to mellow out the arugula.  The oranges help balance the flavor so I wouldn’t recommend substituting, but you could try orange juice instead.  When blended, the oranges will also be some of the liquid needed for the smoothie.

Frozen pineapple - I use frozen pineapple in a lot of my smoothies, like in this island green smoothie and spinach pineapple banana smoothie.  It’s sweet and helps to cover up the taste of greens, greatly reduces prep work to make a smoothie, and most smoothies taste better chilled (hence the frozen part).  I opt for always having a frozen element in my smoothie recipes to eliminate the need for adding ice. 

Banana - A ripe banana will help sweeten the arugula smoothie and contribute to the creaminess of the beverage.

Tips

• It is best to have a frozen element in the smoothie to eliminate the need for adding ice.
• If your blender has a hard time blending greens, add the liquid and greens first to the blender.  Then blend until smooth, next add the fruit and pulse to break up the frozen pineapple, and then blend until thick and creamy.
• A paring knife works well to peel a navel orange, cut off the top and bottom of the fruit, cutting the white pith away.  Try not to cut too much of the orange edible part.  Then cut away the rind and white pith from top to bottom using the orange’s rounded shape as a guide.  Or peel it by hand if it’s easy to peel.  Leaving some of the white bits is okay just not too much, it can be bitter. 

Substitutions

• If you don’t have arugula on hand, try another green like spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.  Half of the amount of arugula can also be substituted with another green.
• I haven’t tested using anything other than frozen pineapple, I think the smoothie is best with a stronger flavored sweet frozen fruit.  Frozen mango may work, though the smoothie might be a smidge less sweet (it depends on how sweet your frozen mango is).
• As per the ingredient notes, orange juice can be used instead of oranges in this smoothie with arugula.  I’ve seen some recipes using fresh lemon juice which gives the smoothie the tanginess that goes well with the bitterness of the arugula.
• Water can be substituted with dairy-free milk or coconut water.  
• The banana can be replaced with ½ of a ripe avocado to still keep the smoothie creamy, but that will make the beverage less sweet and the arugula more prominent.

Variations

• Substitute half the amount of pineapple for mango.
• Add more greens along with the 1 cup of arugula, like spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.  More liquid may be needed.
• Use fresh fruit, then cut it up and freeze it to have a chilled smoothie.
• Make the arugula smoothie into a smoothie bowl, but use less liquid.  Add toppings of fresh fruit like pineapple, mango, kiwi, or bananas.  Then top with more toppings like flax seed, chia seeds, oil-free granola, or toasted coconut flakes.

Storage

Green smoothies are best served immediately, but leftovers can be stored for 24 hours in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Some of the liquid may separate so give the arugula smoothie a stir before consuming.

Related recipes

• Pineapple beet smoothie
• Carrot orange ginger smoothie
• Pineapple cucumber smoothie
• Island green smoothie
• Spinach pineapple banana smoothie
• Mango smoothie without yogurt
• Vegan chocolate banana smoothie

I hope you enjoy the arugula smoothie with a banana!  If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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