This healthy green protein smoothie uses lemon, pineapple, spinach, greek yogurt, and vanilla protein powder for a tasty, filling breakfast.
One of my forever favorite smoothie ingredients is frozen pineapple. It’s light, refreshing, and feels like a real treat. If I’ve had an indulgent weekend and feel like I need to give my GI tract a break, I usually whip up some type of greens and pineapple protein smoothie.
And since we’re just getting out of the holiday season, I really needed the reset with today’s recipe!
Recipe Highlights
- Protein-packed: 40 grams per serving.
- Light and refreshing: Yet still super satisfying and filling.
- High fiber: Over 13 grams!
- Moderate carb: 39 net carbs. Check the ingredient swaps if you want to make it lower carb.
Key Ingredients
Pineapple
Even though pineapple tends to have more sugar than other fruits, it’s still considered low glycemic load at a 1 cup serving and doesn’t cause a big spike and crash in blood sugar levels.
Greek Yogurt
This is often a staple ingredient in my smoothie recipes because it makes the recipe rich, smooth, and creamy. But the biggest reason I use greek yogurt is because it’s absolutely loaded with protein, calcium, and vitamin K2. This combo makes it very important for body recomposition (fat loss) goals, dental health, and bone health.
Just make sure to opt for full-fat and unsweetened. Full-fat dairy products have been found to be inversely associated with obesity. That means people who eat full-fat dairy (rather than low-fat), are less likely to be obese.
Autumn’s Vanilla Protein Powder
Pineapple already has natural sugar, so it’s really important to not add more sugar with protein powder. That’s one of the reasons why I love our zero added sugar Vanilla Protein Powder so much. It’s a high quality, clean protein powder that only uses monk fruit extract (a natural zero sugar sweetener) to enhance the flavor of any smoothie.
With over 730 reviews averaging 5 stars, it’s become a staple for a healthy breakfast or lunch with our community. Balancing tasty flavor with high quality ingredients can be tricky, but that’s exactly what we set out to do with our delish, best selling protein powder!
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Chia Seeds
Another staple ingredient in my smoothies! Chia seeds are very high in blood sugar stabilizing fiber, which helps to further slow down how quickly your body absorbs carbs from this smoothie.
Equipment Needed
- Blender
How To Make This Recipe
Add all ingredients, except for the topping, to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass and add toppings.
Ingredient Swaps
- Lower carb: Use 1/2 cup frozen pineapple instead of 1 cup.
- Greek yogurt: Skyr and plant-based greek-style yogurt can both be used in place of greek yogurt.
- Spinach: Any frozen leafy green works! Kale is another good, nutrient-packed option.
- Toasted coconut flakes: You can use un-toasted coconut flakes or sub it out completely for 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds or walnuts.
Meal Prep
You can add all your smoothie ingredients to a mason jar and store in the fridge the night before. Just blend it the next morning when you’re ready to drink it.
Other Recipes You May Love
- Sunrise Surprise Protein Smoothie; Another tasty twist on a pineapple smoothie!
- Lemon Blueberry Pie Protein Smoothie; Creamy blueberry and lemon goodness.
- Anti-inflammatory Golden Milk Smoothie; Kefir, turmeric, and ginger.
Tips From The Nutritionist
Autumn Bates, CCN, MS, BS, CPT
Frozen greens are pre-cooked before they’re frozen. This makes it much easier to digest and lower in anti-nutrients. I also love that frozen greens are generally a lot less expensive and don’t go bad quickly.
FAQ’s
Yes, but it’s important to make sure it’s properly balanced with fiber and fat to make it a complete meal. Many green smoothies just use greens, which lack fat and are ironically sometimes low in fiber.
They can be! Just make sure to use frozen greens most of the time. These are easier to digest and lower in anti-nutrients than raw greens.
Did you love this recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Green Protein Smoothie with Pineapple and Lemon
Ingredients
- 10 ounces unsweetened almond milk
- 2 scoops Autumn's Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened greek yogurt
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- 1/4 cup frozen spinach
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 meyer lemon juiced and zested
- 1/2 ounce toasted coconut flakes for topping
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for the toasted coconut flakes to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Top with toasted coconut flakes.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe?
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