This tall green glass brings together everything we like to find in a blended breakfast: baby spinach leaves, half a frozen banana for creaminess, a few raspberries for tartness, and a series of seeds and powders that give it its density. Spirulina and chlorella add a frankly green note, which the banana and the red berries round off effortlessly. Chia, ground flaxseed and hemp protein thicken the whole thing, while raw cacao nibs and goji berries add bite. Three minutes in the blender are all it takes, and the glass leaves with you.
Morning green smoothie: spinach, spirulina and raspberries
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Ingredients
- 125 ml coconut water, preferably cold-pressed
- 60 ml filtered and hydrogenated water
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 60 to 90 g baby spinach leaves
- 30 g fresh raspberries
- 1 teaspoon spirulina powder
- 1 teaspoon chlorella powder
- 1 tablespoon hemp protein powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon baobab powder
- 1 teaspoon goji berries
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao nibs
- 2 Brazil nuts
- 5 to 7 ice cubes, depending on the texture you want
Method
- Pour the liquids into the blender jug first: the coconut water and the water. Powders cling to the sides less when they land on liquid.
- Add the baby spinach leaves, the half frozen banana and the raspberries.
- Top up with the spirulina, the chlorella, the hemp protein, the flaxseed, the chia seeds, the baobab powder, the goji berries, the cacao nibs and the Brazil nuts.
- Blend for 1 to 2 minutes at full speed, until perfectly smooth, scraping down the sides once if needed.
- Add the ice cubes and give it one last blast, longer or shorter depending on whether you want a fluid or a really thick smoothie.
- Pour into a tall glass and drink without waiting.
Tip
No chlorella or baobab in your cupboards? The smoothie is still very good without them: the spinach and banana duo carries the whole recipe, and you can fill in the gaps later. If you are new to algae, start with half a teaspoon of spirulina on its own and increase over the weeks, the time it takes to get used to the taste. Finally, watch out for the chia seeds, which thicken quickly: drink the glass within ten minutes, or allow an extra 50 ml of coconut water.
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FAQ: your questions about the morning green smoothie
What is the difference between spirulina and chlorella?
They are two quite distinct microalgae. Spirulina is a spiral-shaped cyanobacterium, grown in shallow ponds; chlorella is a green freshwater microalga with a hard cell wall that producers break open to make it assimilable. On tasting, chlorella often comes across as the greener and more bitter of the two. In this smoothie, one teaspoon of each is plenty, and there is nothing to stop you starting with just one of them.
Can you take spirulina and chlorella at the same time?
Nothing stands in the way in the kitchen, and that is exactly what this recipe does, with one teaspoon of each. The two powders blend in without difficulty, but their flavours add up: if the glass tastes too green to you, halve the amounts and lean a little more on the banana or the raspberries. Choose powders whose producer publishes the analyses, as these crops are sensitive to their environment. If you are on medication or pregnant, ask your doctor for advice before making it a habit.
What drink can you make with baobab powder?
Very tangy, baobab powder works best with fruity drinks: orange juice, plant milk and banana, lemon water, or a smoothie like this one. Allow one tablespoon for a tall glass, no more, as its acidity quickly takes over from the rest. It dissolves better if you blend it with the liquids before adding the frozen ingredients. If you have none to hand, a squeeze of lemon juice brings a comparable tartness.
When is the best time to eat Brazil nuts?
There is no truly ideal moment: they slip just as easily into breakfast, blended into a smoothie as they are here, as into an afternoon snack. What matters more is the amount, as these nuts are known for their selenium content and the usual guidelines hover around one to three nuts a day. The recipe holds two of them for one glass, which stays very reasonable. Keep them cool in a closed jar, as their fat turns rancid quickly.
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