Here’s a deliciously refreshing veggie smoothie for you, with an unexpected ingredient: this easy Cucumber Smoothie! Cucumber isn’t the most likely ingredient in a smoothie, but it adds an intriguing, spa-like flavor to the puree. The green vegetable is full of nutrients and water to make your smoothie taste even better. This one comes out perfectly creamy and it’s a great way to load up on nutrients as a healthy snack or breakfast.
Ingredients in a cucumber smoothie
There are lots of ways to make a cucumber smoothie, but here’s our favorite way! We like to combine it with pineapple and banana to make a tropical flavored puree. Here are a few notes on the ingredients for this smoothie…and then you can feel free to get creative with add-ins!
Cucumber: Use either a standard cucumber or English cucumber. If you use an English cucumber, no need to peel! Banana: All you need is a room temperature banana: no freezing needed! Frozen pineapple: This ingredient is absolutely necessary: it adds the icy texture and a sweetness in flavor. Spinach: Add a handful of greens for a beautifully bright color! Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds a hefty amount of protein. We love using it in smoothies! There’s an easy vegan swap below. Ice: This adds to the icy texture! Lime juice or lemon juice: Adding citrus juice enhances the flavor, much like salt would for savory food. If you don’t have a fresh lime or lemon, you can skip this!
Another great cucumber drink? Try Cucumber Juice.
Flavor variations and add-ins!
This cucumber smoothie has a few natural flavor pairings you can use to make it even more interesting! Of course we love it as it is. But there are a few add-ins that would be fantastic here:
Cucumber mint smoothie: Add a few leaves of fresh mint to make a super refreshing, spa-like smoothie! Cucumber mango smoothie: Use frozen mango in place of frozen pineapple. Cucumber ginger smoothie: Add ½ teaspoon of fresh ginger to add a spicy undertone. It’s so tasty!
Make it a vegan cucumber smoothie
Want to make this cucumber smoothie into a vegan smoothie? Here’s what to do:
Substitute the Greek yogurt with coconut milk. This works well with the texture! See also our Coconut Milk Smoothie. Add back some protein! The reason we love using Greek yogurt in smoothies is that its packed with protein to keep you full. Here are some ideas for adding plant based protein: try 1 to 2 tablespoons cashew butter or almond butter, or 2 tablespoons chia seeds.
What’s an English cucumber?
When it comes to buying cucumbers, we recommend grabbing an English cucumber! Here’s the difference:
English cucumbers are long and thin. The light green skin is very delicate and the seeds are small: which means you don’t need to peel or seed it before eating! The flavor is much sweeter than the standard cucumber. We love using this variety in all our cucumber recipes! Because the thin skin is very fragile, you’ll notice its sold with a plastic wrap covering the grocery store. Standard slicing cucumber is not as long and has very thick, dark green skin and very large seeds. The thick skin and seeds can be bitter, so they’re often removed when cooking. We recommend removing it for this smoothie recipe. Most of the nutrients in a cucumber are contained in the skin, which is another reason we recommend using an English cucumber if you can find it!
Cucumber nutrition
Why add cucumber to smoothies? Here are the main benefits of eating 1 cup of sliced cucumbers, the quantity you’ll use in this cucumber smoothie (source):
Low in calories. 1 cup has only 16 calories. High in Vitamin K and more. You’ll get 62% of your daily need, 14% of your daily Vitamin C, and 13% of your daily potassium. Contains antioxidants and micronutrients.
This cucumber smoothie recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, see the notes above.
More smoothie recipes
Want more healthy smoothie recipes? There are so many to try: 4.6 from 7 reviews
Greens & veggies: Kale, Celery, Pumpkin, Avocado, Avocado Banana, Green, Cucumber, Beet or Spinach Smoothie You’ll forget you’re eating all those healthy ingredients. Berries: Strawberry, Mixed Berry, Fruit, Blueberry, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Mango, or Blueberry Banana Smoothie Tart and full of sweet fruity flavor! Creamy: Yogurt, Oatmeal, Oat Milk, Coconut Milk, Vanilla Protein, Chocolate Banana or Peanut Butter Smoothie Lusciously creamy and packed with flavor. Fruits: Banana, Peach, Apple, Grape, Pomegranate, Acai Berry, Watermelon, Dragon Fruit, Kiwi, Orange, Mango Pineapple, or Pineapple Smoothie Juicy and lightly sweet: perfectly refreshing.
