High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie for Weight Gain

Some people who try to gain weight in a healthy way aim to prepare high-calorie smoothies that are rich both in macronutrients, like proteins and carbs, which build and fuel muscles, and micronutrients, coming from greens rich in vitamins and minerals.

These people, however, often face a common obstacle: green vegetables are not the tastiest ingredients out there. Therefore, they can end up with a disgusting smoothie if they blend greens with the wrong ingredients.

As proof, we once tried to make a smoothie made only from spinach, oats, and protein powder but its taste was not impressive at all. The point is that, without a delicious recipe on your hands, you can impede your weight gain process and miss out on the power of green smoothies, some of the most convenient sources of energy and micronutrients.

But don’t worry because we are experts in creating high-calorie smoothie recipes and took inspiration from the way world-class athletes integrate greens in their smoothies. For example, tennis legend Novak Djokovic uses kale in his Mango Banana Smoothie and Banana Chocolate Kale Smoothie.

The high-calorie green smoothie recipe in this article delivers a refreshing smoothie that’s full of vitamins and minerals, coming from two green veggies, celery and spinach. Besides, our nutritious smoothie will help you gain weight while providing enough proteins and carbohydrates for boosting muscle growth.

To craft the recipe we followed our unique process for creating weight gain smoothies, which was verified by registered dietitian nutritionist Iulia Serban. Besides, to make it easy for you to follow the recipe, we bought the ingredients, blended the smoothie, and photographed the whole process.

Smoothie's calories

The standard version of the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie yields one serving of 411 calories. If you need more calories from the smoothie, however, you can adjust ingredient quantities by following these guidelines:

• For 1000-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 2.43;
• For 1500-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 3.65;
• For 2000-calorie smoothie: multiply ingredient quantities by 4.87.

Now, let's explore the recipe.

Equipment

To make the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie, you need three pieces of kitchen equipment:

• Blender
• Knife
• Scoop (for protein powder)

Ingredients

• 1.06 oz (30 g) baby spinach
• 1 large (5.4 oz or 153 g) Granny Smith apple without core
• 1.77 oz (50 g) avocado
• 1 medium (1.41 oz or 40 g) celery stalk
• 1/2 medium (2.08 oz or 59 g) banana
• 1.41 oz (40 g) whey protein powder
• 1/2 (0.74 fl oz or 22 ml) lime, juiced
• 1 cup (8.45 fl oz or 250 ml) coconut water

Role of each ingredient

Firstly, spinach and celery are part of this smoothie because they are filled with vitamins and minerals, and are the main ingredients responsible for the smoothie's green nature.

Second, the Granny Smith apple and the halved banana have the role of boosting the calories and carbohydrates in the smoothie while increasing sweetness and delivering a better flavor.

Moreover, we added avocado because it's a green fruit filled with calories and healthy fats.

When it comes to whey protein powder, it has the mission to provide quality protein without affecting the overall taste of the smoothie too much.

Furthermore, we added lime juice for a little more green color, vitamin C, and flavor.

In the end, coconut water has two roles: thinning out the smoothie and providing healthy minerals.

Ingredient substitutions

If you are lactose intolerant, you can substitute whey protein powder with a plant-based protein powder, like the ones made from rice or pea.

Instructions

1. Adapt ingredients to blender size

2. Add ingredients

3. Blend

4. Serve

In terms of flavor, the smoothie has a refreshing taste with notes of celery and a slight apple aroma that's not too bitter or too sweet.

How to store

As a general rule, although we suggest drinking the smoothie right after blending it to have the best experience, you can safely store it in the fridge for about a day.

Nutrition facts

• Volume: 15.7 fl oz (644 ml)
• Calories: 411
• Protein: 36 g
• Carbs: 52 g
• Fat: 10 g

Out of the 411 calories found in the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie, 48% come from carbohydrates, 32% from protein, and 20% from fats.

As a result, this smoothie is an energizing drink with a solid amount of proteins and some healthy fats. Moreover, since the smoothie has less than 30% of its calories coming from fats, it joins the list of low-fat high-calorie foods.

For more nutritional details, let's explore the contribution of each ingredient to the smoothie's overall nutrition facts.

Benefits of drinking this smoothie

As you may have expected, the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie brings numerous health benefits. Explore each of them below.

1. Gain weight easier

First of all, the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie can help you gain weight easier because it has a lot of calories and it doesn't fill up your stomach for too much time.

As social proof, according to the top of the best weight gain foods for females, 91% of the women who gain weight successfully drink smoothies regularly.

Increase caloric intake

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie increases caloric intake considerably because it offers 411 calories per serving. All of these calories will boost your efforts to achieve a daily caloric surplus, the essential condition for gaining weight.

Keep your appetite

On top of increasing your total caloric intake, the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie allows you to consume more food because, unlike many solid foods, it keeps your appetite satisfied only for a short time.

As evidence, a University of Bristol study compared fruit smoothies with fresh fruits and other drinks in terms of satiety. The researchers concluded that fruit smoothies are more filling than drinks that are less alike to food (e.g., water and milk) but less filling than solid foods.^[9]

2. Increase energy levels

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie boosts energy levels because it's rich in carbs, most of which come from the Granny Smith apple and the banana in the smoothie's composition.

After all, according to a University of Lausanne study on the energy potential of carbs, carbohydrates are the main energy source for humans.^[10]

3. Boost muscle growth

Another benefit of consuming the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie is that it can boost your ability to build muscle because it has 36 g of protein. The majority of these proteins come from the whey protein powder in the smoothie's composition.

As scientific proof, a pre-workout serving of 20 g of protein, according to a University of Birmingham trial on protein ingestion effects, is sufficient to support muscle growth.^[11]

4. Strengthen bones

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie can strengthen bones because it contains whey protein powder, a good source of calcium.

The whey protein powder in the smoothie brings 187 mg of calcium., which is around 19% of the daily recommended intake of calcium.

5. Fortify immunity

Our smoothie fortifies immunity because it contains seven sources of antioxidants:

• Baby spinach;
• Granny Smith apple;
• Avocado;
• Lime juice;
• Coconut water;
• Celery;
• Banana.

Antioxidants, according to a scientific review of antioxidants, increase health protection and disease prevention.^[12]

6. Enhance heart health

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie is beneficial for the heart because it contains a halved banana, spinach, and avocado, which are three sources of potassium that reduce blood pressure.

As scientific proof, a review of the effects of potassium says that potassium lowers blood pressure.^[13]

7. Protect eye health

Our green smoothie increases eye health because it contains baby spinach, a source of vitamin A.

Vitamin A, according to an Australian study about vitamin A's effects on early myopia, is "vital for eye health" because it protects against "night blindness and corneal thinning".^[14]

8. Hydrate body

This smoothie does a very good job of hydrating your body because it contains three significant sources of water: Granny Smith apple, coconut water, and lime.

9. Improve digestion

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie can improve digestion because it contains a halved banana, a Granny Smith apple, an avocado, and celery, which are all good sources of fiber.

One of the benefits of eating fiber, as stated in a 2009 review of the health benefits of dietary fiber, is a lower risk of gastrointestinal diseases.^[15]

Recipe summary

To follow the High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie's recipe in a compressed format, use the summary below.

Other high-calorie smoothie recipes for weight gain

The High-Calorie Green Protein Smoothie is not the only weight gain smoothie that contains greens. Here are a couple of other smoothies that have green veggies in their composition: Djokovic's Banana Chocolate Kale Smoothie and Novak's Mango Banana Smoothie .

Now, If you want to try other homemade smoothies that can help you gain weight, visit our full list of high-calorie smoothie recipes,

And in case you wish to get creative, you can build your own high-calorie smoothie recipes. Learn what can you add to your smoothie and how to bring extra calories to it from our guide on how to make high-calorie smoothies for weight gain.

And if it happens to get bored of smoothies...

Try switching high-calorie smoothies for high-calorie shakes or other weight gain drinks.