5 Warm Green Smoothies That Are Perfect For Cold Weather

There are plenty of reasons you’d want to enjoy a warm smoothie, especially in the winter months when a frozen one just makes you want to get back under the covers rather than leaving you energized.

Smoothies that aren’t ice-cold may be easier for some to swallow, and the purée isn’t just reserved for babies or folks healing from oral surgery! Warm comfort and good nutrition—you’ll want to keep these recipes close by to keep you going when the temperature drops.

In this article:

• Why Drink a Warm Smoothie?
• How To Warm a Smoothie: Don’t “Cook” It!
• Warm Green Smoothie Recipes For Cold Weather

Why Drink a Warm Smoothie?

• It keeps you warm!
  Okay, this is an obvious reason, but it has to be said. As much as I love my cold smoothies in the morning, some days they just aren’t appealing when the wind chill is in the negatives and I’m wearing multiple layers indoors. You can stay at a more desirable temperature and still get a head start on your daily veggie count!

[Related: How To Beat Winter Blues]

• It keeps your digestive fire strong
  Ayurveda, a system of ancient Indian medicine, teaches that consuming cold food and beverages is like pouring water on a fire—your digestive fire, that is. Also known as agni, this is a measure of your ability to digest and assimilate the food you eat. Is your fire strong or weak? According to Ayurvedic principles, cold drinks will weaken that fire, so if you are dealing with any digestive issues that impair your ability to properly break down your food, it may be best to skip the ice or frozen fruit in your recipe and go with a room-temp blend.

• To avoid a Raynaud’s flare
  Raynaud’s Disease is a condition that affects a person’s blood vessels, particularly in their fingers and toes, and is more common in women. Raynaud's causes blood vessels become restricted in those areas, impacting your circulation and causing the skin to go white or blue. This often happens in times of stress, but also when the skin comes into contact with something cold, whether it’s cold air or the cold glass of a green smoothie. For those affected by this condition, warm smoothies are a better option.
• To enjoy all the beneficial plant-based nutrients, without the brain freeze
  It turns out that all these recipes taste yummy cold, too, but they are deliciously comforting and filling when eaten warm. You get all the live enzymes and nutrients either way!

How To Warm a Smoothie: Don’t “Cook” It!

For any of these recipes, it’s easiest to just use room-temperature or warmed water and allow your ingredients to get to room temperature before blending.

If room temperature is too cool for your liking, you can warm up the smoothie by submerging a jar of it in a pan of hot water.  Take care to not heat your smoothie above 116 degrees to avoid killing the live enzymes in raw food. 

These smoothies don’t have to be piping hot like soup; all we want is a little warmth. That said, soup may be a better option if it’s “hot” you want. With greens and fruit, you don’t want to heat it much at all, but legumes and veggies in a soup are fine to cook. 

An alternative is to use a high-speed blender and let it run for a few minutes. This will warm up the mixture without getting it bubbling hot, and you’ll have less to clean! Some blenders even have a “soup” setting that is designed to warm while blending.

Warm Green Smoothie Recipes For Cold Weather

The next time you want an easy breakfast or snack—without the chills—reach for one of these recipes:

Warm Apple Smoothie

Room-temp smoothies work great with foods like apples, pears, even pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 small handful baby spinach
• 3-4 pitted dates
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup walnuts (almonds or pecans would work well, too)
• 1 cup warmed or room-temperature water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. If you’d like the mixture warmer, warm up the smoothie by submerging a jar of it in a pan of hot water.

 

Cherry Hot Chocolate for Breakfast

This recipe makes you feel like you’re having dessert for breakfast, and who wouldn’t want to start their day off in such a sweet way?

The best part is, you won’t even taste the hidden greens—you’ll be too busy enjoying the juicy, antioxidant-rich cherries and chocolate together to even notice! It’s best to soak the oats if you want an ultra-creamy result, but if you’re short on time, unsoaked will be fine; just know that it may be a little harder to blend.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups almond milk
• 1 cup cherries, pitted
• 1 cup gluten-free oats, soaked
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup raw cacao powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour contents into a medium saucepan and gently warm the mixture over low heat.

Pear and Ginger Pie Smoothie

This recipe takes minimal effort. You don’t even have to peel anything! The peels are where many of the nutrients are, so don’t worry about scraping your ginger root with a spoon or peeling the pears. Just make sure you use organic produce; if you clean them well, they’re good to go.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups almond milk
• 2 pears, cored and chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, about 2 inches
• 1 handful baby spinach
• ¼ cup ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey
• 2 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter, peanut powder, or nut butter of your choice)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve at room temperature, or...
2. If you’d like the mixture warmer, warm up the smoothie by submerging a jar of it in a pan of hot water..

Bright Orange Breakfast Smoothie

Rather than starting the day with straight orange juice that may send your blood sugar sky-high, we’re adding that juice to a fiber-packed smoothie that will keep you feeling satisfied and even-keeled until your next meal. If you really like ginger, consider swapping the water in this recipe with ginger tea for an extra anti-inflammatory kick.

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (from about 2 medium oranges)
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 tbsp cashews
• 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (or ½ tsp ground ginger)
• 1 ½ cups water

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve at room temperature, or…
2. If you’d like the mixture warmer, warm up the smoothie by submerging a jar of it in a pan of hot water.

 

Green Apple Smoothie

This tangy breakfast recipe looks mean and green but makes a delicious meal in the morning. If you don’t want to add protein powder, you can swap that with some flax seeds/flax meal, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds to still get the protein component of this breakfast.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 cups water or coconut water
• 3 apples, cored and chopped
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• ¼ cup vanilla protein powder of choice (optional)
• 1 inch of fresh ginger root
• 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve at room temperature, or …
2. If you’d like the mixture warmer, warm up the smoothie by submerging a jar of it in a pan of hot water.

Check out more cold-weather comfort food recipes to keep your nutrition and energy high:

Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Raw Honey

60-Second Flax Muffin in a Mug

Carrot-Orange Soup

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Banana Nut Bread

Pumpkin Waffles

Gluten-Free Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Winter Warmer 15-Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Veggie Chili

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