Pineapple Matcha Green Smoothie

Make this vegan pineapple matcha green smoothie for a healthy breakfast or pick-me-up snack in the afternoon when you need a boost! You need just five nutritious ingredients.

A healthy smoothie that fills you up AND gives you a boost of energy? Count me in! This pineapple matcha green smoothie has simple, nutritious ingredients and is super easy to make. You need just five ingredients and a blender to make it!

Smoothies are delicious, but they can quickly become not-so-nutritious based on the ingredients you add. As a Registered Dietitian, I like to ensure my smoothies are filled with nutrients and healthy ingredients. A healthy smoothie recipe should provide both dietary fiber and protein to ensure you’re actually full and satisfied after sipping.

Each serving of this pineapple matcha green smoothie contains 15 grams of plant-based protein and 5 grams of fiber. The matcha powder gives you an energy boost from caffeine, without the jitters you’d experience from a cup of coffee.

More healthy smoothie recipes to love: pineapple papaya smoothie, acai smoothie, pear banana green smoothie, pina colada smoothie, and chocolate cherry smoothie.

Ingredients in pineapple matcha green smoothie

You need just five simple, healthy ingredients to make this smoothie:

• Frozen pineapple
• Baby spinach
• Hemp seeds
• Matcha
• Almond milk or your favorite plant milk

Baby spinach is my favorite leafy green to put in green smoothies because it has such a mild taste that won’t overwhelm the other smoothie flavors. If you’d like, you can sub another vegetable such as kale, arugula, or frozen cauliflower.

To make this smoothie, just add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth! You can add ice for a thicker and frostier smoothie if you’d like. This recipe makes two servings. It’s vegan, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and soy free.

What is matcha?

Matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea leaves. Matcha comes from the same plant as green tea, but the plants used to make matcha are shaded during the final 3-4 weeks of growth, which produces theanine and caffeine. During matcha processing, the stems and veins of the tea leaves are removed before being ground.

Matcha is traditionally consumed in East Asian countries, but it’s popularity has grown substantially and is now available around the world. The traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony involves the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, with cultural and spiritual significance. To make matcha, you whisk the powder with hot water to form a beverage.

There are two main grades of matcha – ceremonial and culinary. Ceremonial matcha is the highest quality matcha. It’s best for drinking because it has a sweet, mild, pleasant flavor. Culinary matcha has a more bitter flavor, making it better for baked goods.

You can use either ceremonial or culinary matcha in this matcha smoothie recipe – I used ceremonial because it’s what I had on hand. Two brands of ceremonial matcha I love are Jade Leaf and Kyoto Dew.

Matcha nutrition benefits

Matcha is incredibly healthy to drink and has loads of nutrients. Because of the preparation method, the nutrients from matcha are much more concentrated than from brewed green tea.

Matcha is packed with antioxidants, which help fight inflammation and protect our cells. Drinking green tea may also help prevent heart disease, including stroke (1).

Like regular brewed tea and coffee, matcha contains caffeine. Matcha has a similar amount of caffeine, but it’s not absorbed as rapidly as the caffeine in coffee. Since it’s released more steadily, the energy boost is more stable from matcha, without the jitters you can get from a cup of coffee.

Another beneficial compound found in matcha is L-theanine. This amino acid compound may have stress reducing properties, and can increase alertness when combined with the caffeine in matcha.

Plant-based protein in pineapple matcha green smoothie

To add a healthy dose or plant-based protein to this smoothie, I used hemp seeds. These little seeds pack a big nutrition punch! Three tablespoons of hemp seeds provides about 10 grams of well digested plant-based protein, and the protein contains all nine essential amino acids.

Hemp seeds are also rich in healthy fats. Most of the fat in hemp seeds comes from polyunsaturated fat, which contains both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds are also an excellent source of magnesium and a good source of both iron and zinc.

Additional healthy smoothie ingredients

Smoothies are the perfect vehicle for all sorts of nutritious ingredients – not just fruit and liquid! Here are some additional foods you can try in your next smoothie for health benefits:

• Nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts
• Seeds: chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds
• Nut butter: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter
• Frozen cauliflower, zucchini, or avocado
• Spices: cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg
• Greek yogurt
• Oats

More healthy smoothie recipes to try

• Almond Butter and Jelly Smoothie
• Ginger Green Smoothie
• Vegan Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
• Birthday Cake Batter Smoothie
• Vegan Golden Milk Smoothie

Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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