These frozen green smoothie cubes are made with leafy greens, yogurt, peanut butter and protein powder for an easy smoothie meal prep.
Smoothie cubes are a practical way to prep multiple servings of a healthy, protein-packed drink.
I like to do this to make my morning routine easier, because all I have to do is pop a couple of pre-made smoothie cubes in a blender with some milk, and voila, a breakfast drink!
These little cubes are also convenient to take traveling (tips on how to use them below).
The ingredients are easy to adjust for your preferred consistency. Use fewer cubes and more milk for a thinner smoothie, or more cubes and less milk for a thicker smoothie.
Can I Use an Ice Cube Tray?
You can! I often use silicone ice cube trays to freeze foods for later (like when freezing herbs in oil or making infused oils).
For smoothie cubes, my favorite freezer trays are these silicone cube trays, which are slightly larger than (my) ice cube trays. They allow the frozen cubes to pop out easily and have lids for easy stacking in the freezer. The stacking part is so nice because I like to make large batches of smoothie cubes all at once.
What Kind of Greens Should I Use?
My favorite greens for these smoothie cubes is kale, but raw spinach works well also.
I've also tried making these with collard greens and mustard greens, but found the flavor a little more peppery than I liked.
How to Add Extra Protein to These Green Smoothie Cubes
Instead of using regular milk, you can use milk with a higher protein count. My favorite is Fairlife milk, but I often opt for Aldi's high-protein milk (shown below) for a slightly budget-friendlier option.
Also, instead of using standard plain Greek yogurt, you can use one with extra protein. My favorite is Oikos Triple Zero, but I often use the Aldi protein yogurt shown below since it's more affordable than the Oikos version.
Do I Need a Blender When It's Time to Make the Smoothie?
A blender will make things easiest, especially if you want really cold, quick-to-prepare smoothies.
For individual smoothies, extra-small smoothies, or when traveling, I really like to use this portable blender.
If I'm making larger batches of smoothies (maybe for multiple people), I prefer using my larger Vitamix.
That said, if you won't have one available, here are a couple options. (If you know you won't be using a blender, make sure that when you're doing the initial prep the ingredients get well blended.)
The first option is to add frozen cubes to milk in a sealed jar. Let the cubes melt for about 10 minutes, and then shake really hard. If the cubes don't seem to be mixing, let them sit a few more minutes before trying again.
Another option would be to add the cubes to a jar with milk, let it all sit together in the fridge overnight, and then shake in the morning. Your smoothie would have a milkier consistency, but if you don't mind that, this is a nice option.
How to Make Green Smoothie Cubes
In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, protein powder, peanut butter, greens, banana and water.
Blend everything well, using high speed or a smoothie setting. (Is the final result not completely pureed? That's generally okay — but if you won't have access to a blender later on, you should try to get it as well mixed as possible!)
Pour the resulting mixture into the blocks of your ice cube tray, and freeze.
Once the smoothie cubes are fully frozen, pop them out into a freezer-safe bag and store them back in the freezer.
When you're ready to use them, take out the desired number of cubes (anywhere from one to four per person, depending on how large of a drink you're making).
Blend with milk to your preferred thickness (or use one of the non-blender techniques described above).
Enjoy!
Want more smoothie ideas? Try a kale protein smoothie, arugula smoothie, orange smoothie, persimmon smoothie, or turmeric smoothie!
Green Smoothie Cubes (Make Ahead Smoothie)
Ingredients
Smoothie Cube Ingredients:
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt I use Oikos Triple Zero plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter Or other nut butter
- 2 tablespoons vanilla or unflavored protein powder (2 scoops) I like Designer Whey vanilla
- 4 ounces chopped, raw kale
- 1 banana Or about ½ cup frozen banana slices
- 2 ounces water more or less as needed
Smoothie Prep Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk (amount approximate) I like Fairlife Milk
Instructions
- Add the yogurt, peanut butter, protein powder, kale, banana and water to a blender with a tamper. Alternatively, use a food processor. (This mixture will be very thick, especially if using frozen bananas.)(Reference recipe notes: Smoothie Cube Blending Tips.)
- If your blender has a smoothie setting, use it to blend. If not, blend on high until ingredients are mostly blended. It's ok if not all of the fruit or greens are pureed fully. Pour into a silicone mold (such as an ice cube tray) and freeze for at least 4 hours.Once frozen, store in an airtight container or bag.
- To use the smoothie cubes, add desired number of cubes to a blender with preferred amount of milk.For a very small smoothie, use 1-2 cubes and about ¼ cup milk. For a larger smoothie, use 3-4 cubes and ½ cup milk. Adjust the amount of smoothie cubes and milk to your preferences, using more cubes and less milk for a thicker smoothie and fewer cubes and more milk for a thinner smoothie.(Reference recipe notes: Making the Smoothie Blending Tips.)
Notes
- Creamy or liquid items first (such as the yogurt and peanut butter)
- Leafy greens go next (the kale)
- Frozen and hard to blend items on top (the fruit if frozen)
- For very small smoothies, a smaller personal size blender works very well.
- If your blender is struggling to blend the cubes, try adding only a few cubes at a time. This is especially helpful when making large batches of smoothie.
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