smoothiesBlend 5 min · Serves 35 min totalapprox. 125 kcal per glass · serves 3

Lemon Apple Spinach Matcha Smoothie

October 2, 2026

This one is built around what is already in the kitchen. A whole seedless lemon — peel and all — goes straight into the blender. The peel carries limonene and flavonoids that the juice alone does not, and with a seedless lemon there is nothing to pick out. The apple goes in almost entirely — just 2 or 3 thin slices saved for the rim of the glass, the rest blended in whole for body and natural sweetness. It is a small thing, but it makes the whole drink look considered.

Cold water is the liquid base here rather than juice — it keeps the calorie count clean and lets the lemon and apple do the work. The matcha gives it focus, the spinach gives it colour and iron, and the rapeseed oil carries the fat-soluble vitamins across. Fresh ginger adds anti-inflammatory warmth and sharpens the whole blend — scrape the skin with a spoon and slice it across the grain so it disappears completely. Ground cinnamon goes in with the blend and again on top of the foam, where it blooms in the first sip. The Himalayan salt and crushed chilli are the details that lift everything else. Do not skip either of them.

Blend it three or four times, stopping to scrape down between each pass. That is what gives you the fluffy, creamy texture rather than something that just tastes blended. Pour it into the glasses, then spoon the chilled Oatly Barista oat milk over the back of a spoon so it sits on top as a foam layer. Dust with cinnamon and serve immediately — this one does not sit well.

The recipe, step by step

Fresh ginger scraped with a spoon and sliced thinly across the grain on a cutting board
Scrape with a spoon, slice across the grain — no threads, all warmth
Blender bowl loaded with lemon, ginger, whey protein, matcha, crushed chilli and spinach ready to blend
Everything in — lemon, ginger, matcha, chilli, protein and spinach. Blend 3–4 times for the fluffy result
Two tall glasses of lemon apple spinach matcha smoothie with lemon and apple slice garnish
Vivid green, creamy, and sharp — garnished with lemon and apple slices

What you'll need

  • 1 seedless lemon — save 2–3 thin slices for decoration
  • 1 apple, cored — skin on, save 2–3 thin slices for the rim, the rest goes in whole
  • 1 cup cold drinking water
  • Ice — a generous handful
  • 1½ cups (45 g) fresh baby spinach
  • 2 scoops whey protein powder
  • 1 scoop creatine powder
  • 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha
  • 1 thumb (about 2 cm) fresh ginger — skin scraped off, sliced across the grain (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon — plus extra to finish
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil
  • A pinch of crushed chilli pepper
  • 2–3 teaspoons raw honey
  • ½ cup Oatly Barista Edition oat milk — chilled, for the foam topping
  • Ground cinnamon — to finish

How to make it

  1. 1

    Wash all your produce before you start — the lemon, apple, and spinach. Even pre-washed spinach bags should be rinsed again. The PurePod produce cleaner is what I use — it removes pesticide residue, wax, and surface bacteria that water alone does not shift.

  2. 2

    Prepare the ginger. Scrape the skin off with the edge of a spoon — it comes away cleanly without wasting the flesh. Slice it thinly across the grain, not along it. Cut along the fibres and you get threads that even a powerful blender struggles with. Cut across them and the ginger disappears completely into the blend — all the warmth and none of the texture. If you do not have fresh ginger, half a teaspoon of ground ginger works well as a substitute.

  3. 3

    Add the cold water to the blender first — the liquid goes in before everything else to give the blades something to work with.

  4. 4

    Add the whole lemon (peel and all — no need to peel a seedless lemon), the apple (skin on — save just 2–3 thin slices for the rim), spinach, ginger, rapeseed oil, Himalayan salt, crushed chilli, honey, matcha, ground cinnamon, whey protein, creatine, and ice.

  5. 5

    Blend on high. Stop, scrape down the sides, and blend again. Repeat 3–4 times in total — this is what makes it fluffy and creamy rather than just smooth.

  6. 6

    Pour into glasses. Spoon the chilled Oatly Barista oat milk over the back of a spoon in a slow, steady pour — it will sit on top of the smoothie as a foam layer. Dust generously with ground cinnamon. Fan the reserved lemon slices and the 2–3 apple slices over the rim of each glass. Serve immediately.

Why it works

  • Lemon (whole): Blending the whole seedless lemon — peel and all — gives you vitamin C, citric acid, and the limonene and flavonoids concentrated in the peel. Vitamin C significantly improves the absorption of non-haem iron from the spinach, and citric acid supports kidney health.
  • Apple: Apple provides natural sugars for quick energy, soluble fibre (pectin) for gut health, and quercetin — an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Almost the whole apple goes into the blend — just 2 or 3 thin slices saved for the rim. Blending it skin-on keeps the polyphenols and fibre that are concentrated just beneath the surface.
  • Spinach: Baby spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense greens you can add to a smoothie. It provides iron, folate, magnesium, and vitamins K and C — and it blends in completely, contributing colour and nutrition without any grassy flavour.
  • Matcha: Matcha provides L-theanine alongside its caffeine — a combination that gives you focused, calm energy rather than the spike and crash of coffee. It is also rich in EGCG, one of the most studied antioxidants in green tea, with well-documented anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits.
  • Rapeseed oil: One tablespoon of cold-pressed rapeseed oil blends in completely and adds meaningful nutritional value. Rapeseed oil has one of the best omega-3 to omega-6 ratios of any cooking oil, and the fat it provides helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants from the spinach and matcha.
  • Whey protein and creatine: Two scoops of whey protein and one scoop of creatine across the full batch. The whey adds around 40–50 grams of protein — roughly 13–17 grams per serving across three glasses. The creatine supports strength and recovery without changing the flavour at all. Together they make this genuinely functional as a post-workout drink or a high-protein breakfast.
  • Himalayan salt: A small amount of Himalayan pink salt provides trace minerals and electrolytes, and rounds out the sharpness of the citrus. It is a flavour detail as much as a nutritional one.
  • Honey: Raw honey provides natural sugars for quick energy alongside trace enzymes, antioxidants, and antimicrobial compounds. Two to three teaspoons across three servings is a modest amount — enough to balance the citrus without making the smoothie sweet.
  • Fresh ginger: Ginger is one of the most well-studied anti-inflammatory ingredients in the kitchen. The gingerols and shogaols it contains inhibit inflammatory pathways, support digestion, and add a gentle warmth that lifts the whole smoothie without overpowering the citrus or the matcha. A small thumb of fresh ginger — scraped and sliced across the grain — blends in completely. Ground ginger works as a substitute and is slightly more concentrated, so a half teaspoon is enough.
  • Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon supports blood sugar regulation by improving insulin sensitivity — which means the natural sugars from the honey and apple release more steadily rather than spiking. It is also rich in antioxidants and has mild anti-inflammatory properties. A quarter teaspoon in the blend is functional; the dusting over the foam is sensory — it blooms in the first sip and makes the whole glass smell like something considered.
  • Oat milk foam: Oatly Barista Edition is designed to hold texture and pour cleanly — it sits on top of the smoothie as a cool, creamy layer rather than blending in. It adds a gentle oat sweetness and a visual finish that makes the glass look like something worth sitting down for. The cinnamon dusted over the top blooms in the first sip.

Shop this recipe

Naturally Seedless Lemons

Naturally Seedless Lemons

A bright, practical bag of seedless lemons to keep on hand for smoothies, dressings, and everyday kitchen cooking.

Organic Cosmic Crisp Apples

Organic Cosmic Crisp Apples

USDA Organic · Crisp, sweet-tart · Stays firm longer than most varieties

Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach

Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach

Organic baby spinach with a tender, mild flavor for smoothies, salads, and easy everyday meals.

Clearspring Organic Rapeseed Oil 1 L

Clearspring Organic Rapeseed Oil 1 L

Cold pressed and unrefined — this is the oil I reach for when I want something lighter than olive oil but just as clean. Rich in Omega 3, beautiful golden colour, and a Great Taste Award winner. Wonderful for dressings, light sautéing, and baking.

KANDO TEA Matcha Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Powder, 40g

KANDO TEA Matcha Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Powder, 40g

The matcha I use in the Power of the Earth smoothie. Ceremonial grade from Kagoshima, Japan — stone-ground, vivid green, and smooth enough to drink straight. No bitterness, no chalkiness. Just clean, focused energy.

Jacked Factory Creatine + Glutamine — Strength & Recovery Supplement

Jacked Factory Creatine + Glutamine — Strength & Recovery Supplement

5g creatine monohydrate and 5g L-glutamine per serving, unflavoured, 30 servings. Mixes cleanly into any liquid — or straight into an egg mix for a post-workout omelette.

Natural Force Organic Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Bean, 5 lb

Natural Force Organic Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Bean, 5 lb

USDA Organic · Grass-fed · Cold filtered · Hormone free · Non-GMO · Gluten free · Keto approved

PEScience Select Protein Powder, Frosted Sugar Cookie, 1.9 lbs

PEScience Select Protein Powder, Frosted Sugar Cookie, 1.9 lbs

24g protein · 27 servings · Whey + Casein blend · 5g BCAAs

REF Stockholm Sweden Mousse No. 435

REF Stockholm Sweden Mousse No. 435

A styling mousse made to add extra body and volume while helping hair hold its shape through the day.

Simply Organic Organic Ground Cinnamon

Simply Organic Organic Ground Cinnamon

A warm, fragrant organic ground cinnamon for baking, breakfast bowls, and cozy everyday cooking.

Simply Organic Ground Ginger, 1.64 oz

Simply Organic Ground Ginger, 1.64 oz

A warm, gently spicy ginger for baking, tea, stir-fries, sauces, and the comforting recipes that bring a little brightness to the table.

SMEG Retro Style Blender

SMEG Retro Style Blender

The most beautiful blender on any countertop. Powerful, smooth, and built to last — SMEG's retro design means it earns its place out in the open rather than hidden in a cupboard.

PurePod Produce Cleaner & Vegetable Cleaner with Oh-Ion Technology

PurePod Produce Cleaner & Vegetable Cleaner with Oh-Ion Technology

A compact fruit and vegetable washing machine that uses Oh-Ion technology to clean produce without chemicals. Drop it in a bowl of water with your fruits or vegetables, press the button, and it neutralises pesticides, wax coatings, and surface bacteria in minutes. Rechargeable and easy to store.

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