This refreshing green sour apple smoothie is both sour and very creamy thanks to a granny smith apple, lemon juice, and yogurt, and a small amount of frozen banana. It's a great option if you like tart smoothies! Or try a Spinach Apple Banana Smoothie.
Table of contents
How will this apple smoothie recipe make your life easier?
Drinkable breakfasts/snacks can really come in handy, you can drink smoothies like this sour apple smoothie in the car, while getting ready in the morning, and many other places. It is a lighter breakfast/snack, so it's great for when you're not very hungry.
Not only are smoothies great to go, but they just take a couple minutes to assemble. For this sour apple smoothie, you'll need to measure out yogurt, chop an apple, and blend it all up, and you're ready to move on to your next task.
Also, I've been hesitant to try green smoothies/drinks because they've been completely taken over by diet culture. But in truth, with a good combination of ingredients, they can be tasty. So here's a green smoothie recipe without diet talk.
Other great smoothie recipes
- Spinach Apple Banana Smoothie
- Triple Berry Smoothie with Granola
- Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Blueberry Tea Smoothie
What makes this green apple smoothie so good?
- Plain Yogurt: This is essential to making your smoothie creamy, but it also adds in protein, and maybe fat to make your sour apple smoothie more filling and satisfying. Plain yogurt adds to the tart flavor, so use plain in this sour apple smoothie.
- Granny Smith Apple: Apples are great in smoothies, they add a nice flavor, but make sure to add yogurt or something creamy for peak creamy smoothie texture. Leave the peel on for extra nutrients and tart flavor in your sour apple smoothie.
- Spinach: Spinach is usually a secret weapon in smoothies. Fresh or frozen spinach does a great job blending the smoothie flavors together. I don't have any scientific evidence of this, but it keeps some of the fruits/veggies from tasting too bitter.
- Frozen Ripe Banana: A little frozen banana goes a long way. It adds sweetness, makes your smoothie creamy, and is delicious. If you like a less tart sour apple smoothie, add a full ½ frozen ripe banana.
- Ground Flaxseed: Or chia seed works. I like adding either of these to smoothies for a bit of extra fiber. It doesn't change the flavor, and helps thicken up smoothies just a bit.
- Water: I just used water to blend it up, but you could use orange or apple juice, milk, or coconut water. Water and orange juice would probably keep the smoothie the most tart. Add more if you like a thinner smoothie.
- Lemon Juice: Adding in extra tart flavors to your sour apple smoothie.
How do I make it?
To make your sour apple smoothie, add all ingredients to a blender jar: yogurt, chopped granny smith apple, spinach, frozen ripe banana, ground flaxseed, water, and lemon juice. Add yogurt first as it will help your smoothie blend more easily.
Blend until smooth. Enjoy your sour apple smoothie immediately.
Substitutions/Tips
- This sour apple smoothie will still be good without the frozen banana, the texture might be less smooth, but it will work. Also, if it'is too tart, you can add ½ whole frozen ripe banana, or some honey or sugar too.
- I like to add ground flaxseed to my smoothies, but it's not essential. You can substitute it for chia seeds if you have those. They're great add-ins to thicken up your smoothie a bit, without changing the flavor much.
- You'll need to add some liquid to get a smoothie texture, I used water to get a nice tart flavor, but orange or apple juice, milk, coconut water, etc would also be good. Start with ⅓ cup and add more if you like a thinner smoothie texture.
- Other great add-ins: You can add cashews, english cucumber, and/or protein powder to your sour apple smoothie.
FAQ
There's a non-food version and smoothie smoothie version. The smoothie smoothie version has a a variety of ingredients like a tart apple, plain yogurt, lemon juice, spinach, and liquids to make a tart smoothie.
Apples are delicious in smoothies, especially tart apples. The only thing is that the texture of an apple smoothie can be somewhat gritty. A frozen ripe banana or yogurt will smooth it out.
What can I make with leftover ingredients?
- Frozen Ripe Banana: Spinach Apple Banana Smoothie, Strawberry Banana Smoothie, Strawberry Banana Milkshake
- Spinach: Lentil Spinach Curry, Thai Inspired Beef Bowl, Spinach Salad with Pears, and Spinach Strawberry Salad, Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie.
- Ground Flaxseed: Baked Oats for One and Apple Pie Overnight Oats.
- Plain Yogurt: Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip, Broccoli Greek Yogurt Salad, and Overnight Oats with Yogurt.
- Granny Smith Apple: Use in-place of the apple in these recipes: Apple Crumble Tart, Single Serving Apple Crisp, and Apple Cucumber Salad.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon Herb Couscous, Lemon Carbonara, and Chicken Soup for One.
Did you make this sour apple smoothie? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!
Sour Apple Smoothie
Equipment
- Measuring cups, spoons
- cutting board
- knife
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Plain yogurt regular or Greek or other type
- ½ whole Granny smith apple cored, sliced or chopped
- 1 cup spinach fresh or about 1-2 Tablespoons
- ¼ whole frozen ripe banana
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed or regular flaxseed
- 1-1 ½ Tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice
- ⅓ cup water or other liquid, add more if desired
Instructions
- Add ingredients to blender jar: ¼ cup plain yogurt, ½ cored and chopped granny smith apple, 1 cup fresh spinach, ¼ whole frozen ripe banana, 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed (or not ground), 1-1 ½ Tablespoon lemon juice, ⅓ cup water (or other liquid).
- Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if desired. Blend again if needed. Enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
- Other sour apple smoothie recipes add cucumber and cashews. Both would be good additions, but make the smoothie less tart. You could add about 1 inch of english cucumber and ½-1 Tablespoon cashews if desired.
- Swap fresh spinach for frozen, you can use about 1-2 Tablespoons of frozen spinach in this recipe.
- You can substitute the water for orange or apple juice, milk, or coconut water. If you want your smoothie more tart, add water or orange juice.
- Skip the banana and/or flaxseed if you don't have either. You can add sweetness by adding honey, or your favorite kind of sugar to this recipe. Or juice, adding juice will add sweetness.
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Colleen says
I never thought to use apple in a smoothie, but it was so good! A really nice change from my usual smoothie. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie says
I love granny smith apples, and I am really excited to try this one. I can never seem to get enough of that apple flavor!
Rebecca says
right?! same here
Dana Sandonato says
This was super tasty! Never did I think to include an apple in my smoothie. I loved it!
Rebecca says
it's so good!
Rebecca says
great to hear! it's delicious
TAYLER ROSS says
I made one of these smoothies for breakfast this morning and it was delicious! Definitely making often!
Rebecca says
great to hear!
Farah Abumaizar says
This looks wonderful! I love the idea of adding apple to a smoothie, especially with banana and spinach. Yum. Thanks for the inspo!
Rebecca says
yes, its such a great addition!