Get your veggies first thing in the morning with this vegan Almond Chai Green Smoothie. The perfect breakfast recipe to kickstart your day that’s protein-packed and ready in minutes.
I’m convinced that inside every person there is a smoothie-lover. As a former smoothie-hater I can speak for those of us who have seen the light and can assure those who haven’t that there is another way!
Not in a million years did I think I would become a smoothie person. A warm bowl of oats always sounded more appetizing to me then a cold drink on a dreary winter morning. But today I want to tell you about how I changed my tune and in the process fell in love with my daily morning smoothie.
But first…A VIDEO! Just to prove how easy this almond chai green smoothie recipe is (and why you should probably start every single day with it), have a look at this short video and per usual get in a good laugh at my ridiculous antics!
I am a sweet breakfast person. Unless, I’m going for brunch and huevos rancheros is on the menu, I need sweet first thing in the morning. Weekends usually consist of a bigger ordeal (pancakes, waffles, french toast etc…) but weekdays I need something quick and easy, which in the past was usually oatmeal.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love oatmeal, but for the past 6 months or so I’ve been finding that it hasn’t really been hitting the mark. Especially since I’ve been trying to eat a more plant-based diet, I’ve been needing something a bit more satiating first thing in the morning. Finding yourself hungry 2 hours later is never fun!
So I decided to give the smoothie train another shot. I also didn’t think it was fair to eliminate an entire category of breakfast foods just because I wasn’t into the few flavors I had tried. Here’s how I learned to fall in love with my breakfast smoothie:
–Find a flavor you love. Just because you don’t like a mango smoothie doesn’t mean you won’t like a blueberry smoothie! Don’t rule out all smoothies just because you haven’t found the flavor you love yet.
-Use a protein powder you enjoy. I like adding protein powder because it gives the smoothie more staying power. But a protein powder can make or break a smoothie so keep trying until you find a brand you love!
-Consistency is key. I’m someone who likes a thick smoothie so I worked to figure out the perfect ratio of liquid to solid ingredients. I also discovered that using ice will always thicken up a smoothie but also gives me a brain freeze first thing in the morning, so I thicken in other ways.
-Remember the veggies. Adding greens to your smoothie is a great source of vegetables first thing in the morning. As a sweet breakfast lover it can be tough for me to get my veggies in first thing in the AM, but drinking a smoothie makes this easy-peasy. I promise you won’t taste them!
-Spice it up. I’ve loved teaming up with Simply Organic for this post because they challenged me to spice up my smoothie. I’ve gotten myself in a bit of a smoothie rut lately, but adding spices (like this chai version) helped me add a little variety. In the process I discovered a new flavor I love!
Give these tips a try and let me know how it goes! But I’m wholly convinced you will love this Almond Chai version, so maybe start with that 😉
PrintAlmond Chai Green Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder of choice (I used Vega Sport Protein)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 scoop natural, smooth almond butter
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a blender in the order listed.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve with toppings of choice. I like hemp seeds, added cinnamon and almond butter.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Simply Organic. I was compensated for my time and all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting The Healthy Maven and the brands that make THM possible!
Are you a smoothie-lover? If not, have I convinced you?
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32 Comments
Stella @ Stellicious Life
January 12, 2016 at 6:19 amI LOVE smoothies! 😀
Though I never drink mine cold (I skip the ice and frozen bananas as they would give me a sore throat), I just add room temperature bananas and sometimes avocados to thicken the smoothie. I’ve never added nut butter yet, but I’m planning on trying it.
One of my favourite thing with smoothies is that you can experiment all you want, there are so many mix and match options, the combinations are endless. Recently I even convinced Boyfriend to give green smoothies a try, once he saw they can be sweez and delicious and don’t necessarily taste like kale he was on board 😉
★★★★★
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 8:21 amYes! I did the same with the bf! I was so proud when I was away in Malibu and he made his own 🙂 It’s hard to convince people to try it but I don’t know a single person who hasn’t jumped on board once they realized they couldn’t taste the greens!
Alysia at Slim Sanity
January 12, 2016 at 7:16 amI love chai spice! Need to get some for my smoothies 🙂
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 8:19 amyes! 2016 trend? I think yes!
Lee
January 12, 2016 at 8:30 amCHAI SPICEEEEEE – such a great way to add more flavor to a smoothie! Love your MN sweatshirt. Way to represent the BEST STATE ever. You’re going to make one heck of an Edina Mom one day.
★★★★★
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 1:52 pmLOL this comment was the best. #EdinaGoals
Sahar Aman
January 12, 2016 at 9:08 amBasically making this for breakfast, which also really makes me happy over my pantry situation! Also, it looks like your top says Maven 🙂 Okay, will stop being random! xoxo
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 1:56 pmhahahahaha no I wish!!! Chai + Smoothie makes me think of you! Smoothie date soon? Yes please!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa
January 12, 2016 at 10:05 amLove love LOVE this green smoothie! Starting your day with a big glass of greens is totally the best. Definitely trying this tomorrow! xo
★★
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa
January 12, 2016 at 10:06 amp.s. I don’t know why it only put 2 stars…meant to hit 5 🙂
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 1:57 pmhehe I won’t hold it against you LOL 😉
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 1:57 pmAw thank you my dear! Love seeing you around my little corner of the internet! I think a YouTube collab is in order!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa
January 12, 2016 at 4:36 pmThat would be amazing! Let’s DO IT! I also have another FB proposition for you which I’ll message you about right now 😉
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 6:07 pm🙂 Let’s get planning!
Cassie
January 12, 2016 at 10:27 amMmmm, chai and almond butter! This sounds absolutely so refreshing and so delicious!
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 1:57 pmThanks, girly!
Kathy Cooper
January 12, 2016 at 2:43 pmFind a substitute for almond milk and almond nuts. Almonds require too much water to grow almond trees as well as process the nuts into almond milk.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html
Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A.
January 12, 2016 at 3:31 pmYum! I don’t usually put spices in my smoothies but apparently I SHOULD!! This looks amazing 🙂
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 6:06 pmYOU NEED TO!!! Life-changing!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks
January 12, 2016 at 3:35 pmI like smoothies for breakfast (sometimes). I definitely prefer more of a “meal” – like eggs or oatmeal. If I have a salad for lunch (which is most days) that plus raw greens in a smoothie is just too much raw veg!
The Healthy Maven
January 12, 2016 at 6:05 pmI hear ya! Sometimes it can be overkill! In the winter months I struggle to get in my veggies so adding them to smoothies is the easiest way for me!
Les @ The Balanced Berry
January 13, 2016 at 12:59 amSmoothies = EVERYTHING. I try having other things for breakfast, I really do but nothing else is as good as a smoothie. I also prep smoothie packs to keep in my boyfriend’s freezer so I can blend one up at his place whenever I’m craving one…because God forbid I go 24 hours without one 😉 Love this recipe and your videos!
The Healthy Maven
January 19, 2016 at 8:45 pmTeach me your smoothie bowl styling ways! Also I would totally do the same if I didn’t live with the BF…then again I totally hid a banana so I can have it in my smoothie tomorrow cause otherwise the kid will wolf it down (like all food in this house haha)
Bharat Sharma
January 13, 2016 at 3:02 amI am not much of a smoothie lover but sometimes I enjoy banana smoothie as I find it delcious. As far as Almond Chai smoothie is concerned, I am not sure whether or not I will like it. I love almonds and the tea but I am skeptical about their taste when they will get along together.
The Healthy Maven
January 13, 2016 at 12:59 pmYou never know if you never try 😉 Since this is banana-based I think you’ll really enjoy it!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats
January 13, 2016 at 10:03 amSo delicious and creamy! I’ve been craving smoothies every day even though it’s getting colder here. Well, colder as in 50 degrees. Louisiana *sigh*
The Healthy Maven
January 13, 2016 at 1:01 pmIt’s 18 degrees here and I’m still drinking smoothies haha. No cold is gonna stop me!
Trevor E
February 1, 2016 at 7:56 pmHow did I miss this? I just love everything that you do.
This is completely delicious.
Taking a few mins to add some spices is all it takes to take smoothies to the next and greatest level!!
Davida Kugelmass
February 2, 2016 at 9:37 amobviously used my favorite Vega Sport Performance Protein 😉
Sprouts Blog
November 29, 2016 at 5:18 amAmazing Meal Vanilla Chai Flavor
[…] appetizing to me then a cold drink on a dreary winter morning. But today I want […]
Tricia
September 20, 2017 at 10:40 amThis is delicious and I even screwed it up! So it’s also forgiving! A little too much nutmeg, no cardomom, ice instead of bananas with a bit of stevia to make up for that sweetness. Excellent! And this is my first venture into green smoothie land. Thank you so much!
Ashley
November 5, 2017 at 11:30 amDavida, this recipe looks so yummy! I’m definitely going to try this one! Also, I am loving this chai smoothie recipe as well right now! https://ashleydiana.com/chilly-chai-smoothie/