Although I am actually a huge fan of (green) smoothies, there aren’t many smoothie recipes on That Healthy Kitchen — only one to be exact!
To be honest though, my smoothies are actually almost always the same: some fresh spinach, a banana for sweetness and some seasonal fruit + water. Super simple, super easy, and almost not worthy of being called a recipe.
This smoothie however includes basil, which makes it special and because it is delicious I decided to make an exception to my rule: for this Frosty Basil Lemonade Smoothie. Normally, lemonade is made with lemon juice, sugar and water, and it involves no wholesome ingredients whatsoever. This version however is sweetened with a banana (yes, really!) and has a delicious hint of sweet and tasty basil and of course lemons — whole lemons, actually! 🍋
Don’t be freaked out by the banana, its sole purpose is to sweeten the lemonade. You could of course use dates, stevia or maple syrup in stead. This recipe is quite sour however, as I personally love tart flavors, but if you feel like the smoothie is too sour for you, you can add a little sweetener of choice – I would opt for a little stevia or one or two dates.
There is one downside to this smoothie however, and that is the fact that it oxidizes quite quickly, which means that that pretty light-green colour won’t stay for long (I’m talking about 15 minutes to half an hour here) and will turn a darker, less vibrant green. The darker colour doesn’t mean it has gone bad or anything like that, it just looks a little less appetizing.
Frosty Basil Lemonade Smoothie
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: –
Total time: 5 mins
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 lemons
1 very ripe banana
20 gram basil
3 cups (700 ml) water
optional: sweetener (stevia, medjoul dates or maple syrup)
Instructions
1. Peel the lemons and remove the seeds.
2. Put the cleaned lemons, banana, basil and 1/3 of the water in your blender and blend.
3. When the smoothie is smooth, add the rest of the water and blend again. Taste before serving to see whether or not you want to add some sweetener. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information per serving
36 kcals
0.2 gram fat
9.6 gram carbohydrates
of which 1.7 gram fiber and 4.4 gram sugar
0.8 gram protein
3 Comments
I’m not a fan of bananas, what other fruits could go well with this smoothie? I’ve got cherries, apples, and strawberries. But I’ve got a berry kale blend too.
Never mind, I always do this. I ask questions before reading the whole thing lol and I read your article before the recipe and saw what you said about the banana long being for sweetness and I ended up LOVING this smoothie! I’ve been trying to eat healthier and drinks have always been a problem. It’s either water, or I can splurge and get vitamin water or Gatorade. But I wanted more natural options but whenever I try some recipes I see online I usually like them at first but not as a refreshing drink I’ll drink all the time. I’m very picky. I hate the pulp really… but anyway, this drink was soooooooo good! Like I chugged it down so fast! Again I could do without the pulplyness but because it’s a smoothie and not a drink I can deal. But yeah I really couldn’t believe how much I loved it since I’m so picky. Definitely a new favorite! Thank you so much :)
Also with my previous comment, is it possible to do this with lemons and maybe cherries? Or lemons and strawberries?
Hey Brooke!!
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic reply! :) I’m really happy you loved the smoothie so much! What did you end up using instead of the banana?
If you want to reduce the pulpyness, you could strain your smoothie next time! It will reduce the fiber content a bit, but if it helps you to not drink soda, it is still a healthier alternative.
With regards to a different kind of fruit, strawberries go really well with basil (though it might be an acquired taste), but apples also work. I would suggest to try it out with different fruits, and see what you like most :)
Emma