Zucchini Smoothie

This zucchini smoothie is fruity, creamy, and loaded with this versatile veggie! Whiz it up it two ways: green or chocolate.

Got zucchini? Here’s a fun way to use it: whiz it into a smoothie! This versatile vegetable loads fiber into any blended drink. This one comes out fruity and creamy, and you can make it two ways: green or chocolate! (The chocolate variation is our favorite, but who’s counting.) You can also use either frozen zucchini or room temperature if you want to whip it up right away. Here are all the variations!

Ingredients in this zucchini smoothie

This zucchini smoothie is a fun way to use up this green vegetable, if you’re not in the mood for baking up zucchini bread or muffins. It replies on bananas and peanut butter as the base, lightly sweetened with a hint of maple syrup and made creamy with your milk of choice. Our son tried this and couldn’t stop sipping it! (Of course, it was the chocolate variation.) Here’s what you’ll need:

• Frozen zucchini: Zucchini acts as the ice here. You’ll need just 2 hours to freeze it (use room temperature zucchini and frozen banana instead).
• Banana: Room temperature banana is all you need: no need to freeze it! It’s essential for the creamy texture of the smoothie.
• Spinach: This ingredient is just for the green variation: it adds a nice green color to the smoothie (but you can use in the chocolate variation as well).
• Milk: Use your favorite milk here, dairy or non-dairy both work, making it a vegan smoothie. You can also use a combination of Greek yogurt and milk to heighten the protein (see below).
• Peanut butter: Peanut butter adds a bit of protein and a nuance to the flavor; add more as desired.
• Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup is our sweetener of choice, but you can use honey or agave syrup as other options.
• Vanilla extract and cinnamon: These bring just the right flavor hints, like your favorite zucchini bread.

Chocolate variation

Want to make a chocolate zucchini smoothie? Simply add cocoa powder to the list of ingredients above. You’ll likely want a touch more maple syrup to sweeten the smoothie and make it taste chocolaty.

It’s preferable to not use spinach in this variation as it brings a tinge of green to the brown color of the chocolate. However, the cocoa powder is so dark you likely won’t notice so you can throw it in if desired. (Our 6 year old didn’t mind one bit.)

How to freeze zucchini

You’ll need to freeze the zucchini for this smoothie at least 2 hours in advance.Here’s how to do it:

• Slice the zucchini into thin half moon shapes. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze for at least 2 hours.
• If freezing for longer, remove the zucchini from the freezer after 1 hour and transfer to a sealed container for storage.
• If you’d rather eat the smoothie right away, use room temperature zucchini and frozen bananas!

Ways to add more protein

This zucchini smoothie doesn’t have lots of protein on its own, unless you use dairy milk (which has 8 grams protein per 1 cup). If desired, you can add more protein to make it even more filling! Here are a few options with dairy and plant-based protein:

• Stir in Greek yogurt. Use ½ cup Greek yogurt and ½ cup milk for a significant dose of protein (Full fat Greek yogurt has about 10 grams protein in ½ cup).
• Chia seeds. You can add plant-based protein and fiber with chia seeds: 2 tablespoons chia seeds adds 4 grams protein and 11 grams fiber.
• Vanilla protein powder: We use this protein powder that has natural ingredients and a flavor that’s not too artificial. Just remember to reduce the maple syrup because protein powder adds sweetness.

More variations and mix-in ideas

Want a few different mix-ins for this zucchini smoothie? Try these flavors:

• Use almond butter or cashew butter. Any nut butter works here! You can also add more nut butter to taste.
• Swap in other frozen fruit. We recommend using at least one banana, but you can use another 1 cup frozen pineapple or mango instead of the second banana.
• Throw in coconut. Throw in a handful of coconut (or toasted coconut) for a tropical vibe.
• Sweeten with Medjool dates instead. You can use Medjool dates to sweeten if desired: start with 2 large dates and add more to taste.

More smoothie recipes

You can mix up an entire rainbow of smoothies with your blender! Here are a few more fruit and vegetable smoothies we love:

• Try our 50 Best Smoothie Recipes
• Go for 25 Best Fruit Smoothie Recipes or 10 Vegetable Smoothie Recipes
• Mix up a smoothie with veggies like Kale, Celery, Cucumber, Avocado, Avocado Banana, Carrot, Green, Beet or Spinach Smoothie 

01

Best Kale Smoothie

02

Glowing Green Smoothie

03

10 Vegetable Smoothie Recipes

04

50 Best Smoothie Recipes

This zucchini smoothie recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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