Favorite Matcha “Nice Cream” Smoothie

Balance out your day with the most delicious, dreamily thick and creamy green matcha smoothie. It’s basically a salad that tastes like a milkshake. It’s pretty hard not to love.

If you’re new to green/protein smoothies, this is a great first one to try. Opt for almond butter rather than protein and go for just one handful of greens for the most approachable, mild, delicious matcha “mylkshake.”

If you’re into protein smoothies, you can make this with vanilla protein powder. If not, you can get a super rich and creamy matcha smoothie by using a little nut butter. I love both versions depending on what I feel like I need at the moment. And if you’re super hungry, you can always use both for a seriously filling and wholesome shake!

This matcha smoothie is:

Vibrant thanks to the matcha and spinach

Extra creamy thanks to nut butter / protein powder, psyllium husk, and frozen bananas

Sweet thanks to the banana

Protein-packed thanks to the protein powder

Fiber-rich thanks to the psyllium husk

Vitamin-rich thanks to the spinach and matcha

Packed with antioxidants thanks to the matcha powder

Basically, it’s good for you, and it’s ever so delicious. Have it for breakfast. For lunch. For a snack. It’s the perfect green milkshake.

This smoothie is inspired by our favorite smoothie shop and the one that introduced me to the delicious world of green smoothies–The Local Juicery in Sedona AZ–we can’t get enough of this drink.

a creamy matcha shake is shown along with matcha powder, kale, and cinnamon

Favorite Matcha "Nice Cream" Smoothie

A few notes, if you are new to green smoothies, this is a great one to start with! You may want to start with 25 grams kale though instead of the full 50 grams recommended below.

In terms of sweetening, you have a couple options. I like to sweeten my smoothies with stevia since it is low in calories and has a low glycemic index. If you'd rather though, dates also make a lovely sweetener.

Yields1 Serving

Total Time10 mins

Ingredients

50 g de-stemmed kale (if you're new to green smoothies, start with half the greens)

28 g (1 scoop) vanilla protein powder (I like Garden of Life Vanilla) OR 1 Tablespoon natural cashew or almond butter

6 g (1 Tablespoon) matcha powder

5 g (1/2 Tablespoon) ground psyllium husk

juice of one lemon

¼ tsp vanilla extract

107 g (1 medium) banana, sliced and frozen

150 g (2 handfulls) ice

¼ tsp cinnamon

2-6 Tablespoons milk of choice (I like unsweetened vanilla almond milk or oat milk)

stevia to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon of the powdered Nu Naturals Stevia) OR 1 medjool date

Preparation

Add all smoothie ingredients (except stevia, if using) to the blender in the order listed. Begin at low speeds and gradually increase as the blades catch. If the blades stop catching, stop and start at low speeds again.

If you have a Vitamix, you can use the tamper to help press the frozen items into the blades. If you have a high speed blender without a tamper, just be sure to stop and scrape down the sides every now and then. Don't worry if it looks a little dry at first--this is normal. If you add too much liquid early on, you won't get the thick and creamy "soft serve" consistency pictured.

If you aren't working with a high speed blender, you may need to go ahead and add another 1/4 cup of milk to get things moving. Add more liquid gradually so you don't accidentally add too much and end up with a water-y smoothie.

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 ~ 12 oz Shake (protein version made with unsweetened almond milk and stevia)

Servings 1