Protein Power Kale Smoothie (21g!)

A creamy kale smoothie with 21 grams of protein and yummy lemon meringue vibes…but NO Greek yogurt or protein powder. It’s the ultimate low effort, 5 minute energizing breakfast.

You want it ALL. Me too. And I really don’t think it’s too much to ask for a decent 7-in-1 eye cream, and a healthy breakfast without a lot of effort. Because mornings are chaotic and I’d rather get an extra half hour of sleep, thank you very much.

We deserve to feel really good and energized, so I built this kale smoothie recipe with a lot of intention to make it nutritionally complete, actually filling and yes, taste good. It’s packed with 21 grams of whole food protein – without needing to wrangle a protein powder into the budget.

I know there is a lot of (honestly, kind of ridiculous) chatter on the internet about whether smoothies are actually a healthy choice, so let me put on my dietitian hat for a second and settle some things.

Smoothies are, without a doubt, the easiest way to get a nutritionally balanced and filling breakfast into your belly in 5 minutes flat. But what, exactly, does that mean? It means that you build smoothies with all the components of a balanced plate, in a way that helps keep blood sugars and energy levels stable.

If you’ve ever had a smoothie that leaves you starving 30 minutes later, you’ll know that there is actually a bit of a trick to getting it right.

This is how you build a smoothie that actually fills you up

First things first: you want to maximize protein. Contrary to what you might have heard on the internet, we all need different amounts of protein depending on our size and activity level, but 20-30 grams is gonna do it for almost everyone.

*cue game show announcer voice* …but that’s not all! You also need fibre – which adds filling volume while it encourages gut motility and feeds the gut microbiome. And let’s not forget about healthy fats, which help slow blood sugar rise, increase absorption of fat-soluble antioxidant compounds (like beta-carotene found in kale) and keep you feeling fuller, longer.

This kale smoothie is everything you could ask for: it’s got your greens, your daily requirement of omega 3 fats from hemp hearts and a whopping 21 grams of protein, with no Greek yogurt and no protein powder. It even gives you a boost of iron and zinc, two important minerals for energy and immunity.

Start your day with this and the smug self-satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve already eaten a vegetable and it’s not even 9AM.

Looking for more fun, flavourful nutrient-dense plant-based recipes? Grab a copy of my latest cookbook, Plant Magic!

How to make a kale smoothie that actually tastes good

Let’s be real: raw kale has quite a, um, taste in smoothies. It’s a bit bitter and funky. To hide that, I use a little trick: acid and sweetness neutralize bitterness. For sweetness, I like the smoothie with just mango – you can pump it up with maple syrup or a date if you like.

But the real secret ingredient? A slice of whole lemon. Yep, rind and all. It gives a vibrant, not too acidic edge that completely obliterates that bitterness and gives the smoothie a creamy lemon meringue flavor. Bonus: the peel of citrus is also packed with antioxidant bioflavonoids and it reduces waste.

Sound good? Then grab these 6 simple ingredients – kale, mango, soy milk, almond butter, hemp hearts and lemon – pop them in your blender and blend on high until it’s smooth. And if thick and creamy isn’t your jam, my turmeric green smoothie is juicier and mind-blowingly good.

Pro Tip: you can freeze kale for smoothies! Here’s how: Wash and dry (well!) the kale and tear or chop it into 2 inch-ish pieces. Then, just pop it into freezer bags and freeze! It’s actually that simple and you’ll never waste a big bunch of kale again.

Low FODMAP friends! The servings of mango + soy milk are not low FODMAP. Here’s an easy swap that keeps the protein content stable. Swap mango for pineapple and swap the soy milk for almond milk. Then just add 2 more tablespoons of hemp hearts, for a total of ¼ cup. If you’re already using a protein powder and not worried about protein, skip the extra hemp!

Oh, and the almond butter? Actually low FODMAP in the 1 tbsp serve, just make sure to do an exact measurement, as 1 ½ tbsp is high FODMAP.

More yummy plant-based smoothies

• Blueberry Pineapple Smoothie (Erewhon Coconut Cloud Dupe!)
• High Iron Blueberry Spinach Smoothie
• 5 Minute Raw Carrot and Fresh Ginger Smoothie
• Turmeric Ginger and Mango Smoothie
• Low FODMAP Papaya Lime Smoothie

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Protein Power Kale Smoothie (21g!)

A creamy, kale smoothie with 21 grams of protein and yummy lemon meringue vibes…but NO Greek yogurt or protein powder. It’s the ultimate low effort, 5 minute energizing breakfast.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword hemp hearts, kale, mango

Dietary Preference dairy free, Gluten-Free, low FODMAP, peanut free, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Author Desiree Nielsen, RD

Equipment

• High Speed Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup soy milk unsweetened, or almond milk for low FODMAP
• 1 cup raw kale about 1 large leaf
• 1 cup frozen mango sub pineapple for low FODMAP
• 2 tablespoons hemp hearts add 2 more for low FODMAP
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• ⅓ inch slice lemon skin and all!

Imperial – Metric

Instructions

• Place the soy milk, kale, frozen mango, hemp hearts, almond butter and lemon in a blender and blend on high for one minute, until smooth. Want it frostier? Toss in a couple of ice cubes and blend for 15 seconds.

Notes

Low FODMAP friends: you might be thinking, wait, isn’t almond butter high FODMAP? Actually, it’s low FODMAP in the 1 tbsp serve, just make sure to do an exact measurement, as 1 ½ tbsp is high FODMAP.

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