Blender Juice With Spinach, Pineapple & Cucumber

This blender green juice (no juicer required!) is packed with plant-based iron and antioxidant vitamin C from spinach, pineapple and hydrating cucumber. You can whip up a batch for the week in 10 minutes or less for a delicious and EASY way to pack in your daily fruits and veggies! As a Registered Dietitian and Mom who loves creating delicious recipes that add more nutrition into your diet without sacrificing flavor or the joy we can find in food, this one hits all the marks! 

I remember the first time I tried green juice. I was at a farmer’s market in Hawaii and I loved it so much I needed to create my own version! While this one was a perfect intro to green juice (it included vanilla almond milk which isn’t typical of juices but made it more smoothie like which I loved)(get the recipe here), I wanted to make an even simpler version that’s still packed full of flavor and nutrition and so refreshing! 

This blender green juice only requires 4 ingredients (plus water), making it super easy to whip up. It’s rich in nutrients like iron and folate from the spinach and vitamin C and fiber from the pineapple and is incredibly hydrating from the cucumber and water. I love making a big batch of this at the beginning of the week to enjoy with my meals (especially nice when I’m too lazy to prep a salad or veggies) or as an extra boost of hydration throughout the day. 

Benefits of Using a Blender To Make Juices

One of the things I love most about this green juice is that you can make it in your blender! No need to buy another device that will take up valuable kitchen countertop space. A high powered blender works best but a standard blender works too, just make sure to cut the cucumber into smaller pieces.

Why do I love making this in the blender? Blending up the fruits and veggies in this recipe means that you keep the fiber from all the produce (in the form of pulp). Compared to traditional juicers that remove the pulp for you, giving you a lower fiber version of the juice. 

Fiber does so many amazing things for our body. It tends to be bulkier than other nutrients which means it takes longer to digest and keeps us feeling full for longer. It also supports gut health and keeps our blood sugars more stable so we don’t have those crashes which can negatively impact our overall mood and energy. 

What You Need For This Recipe

This recipe only requires 4 simple ingredients plus water. It’s really easy to whip up and I’ve included some substitutes that you can use if you don’t have these ingredients on hand. If you make a different variety of this juice, let me know in the comments. I love trying your variations of my recipes.

Spinach: Fresh spinach adds a vibrant green color to this beautiful juice without having an overpowering flavor. Plus it’s also a powerhouse green (more on that here). You can also use frozen spinach or substitute for baby kale, swiss chard or a greens blend. 

Pineapple: I use frozen pineapple in this recipe because it’s available year round and I love how cold it makes the juice if consumed right away. With that said, you can also use fresh if you have it on hand. I love the tropical twist that the pineapple adds to this juice. It’s sweet, tangy, and loaded with vitamin C adding a natural sweetness that beautifully balances the greens. Frozen or fresh mango is a great substitute that also lends itself nicely to this juice. 

Cucumber: Refreshing and hydrating, cucumbers offer a subtle, cooling taste to the juice. You can use any cucumber. I like to keep the skin on for an extra dose of fiber but you can peel it if you prefer. 

Lemon: Lemon juice not only brightens the juice but also provides a dose of vitamin C (bonus–I still remember learning in dietetics school that vitamin C aids absorption of plant-based iron!). I use fresh lemon but you can use lemon juice if that’s all you have available or you can substitute for lime. This will add a different citrus flavor (that’s still delish) to the recipe.

Water: Water acts as the liquid base, keeping the juice light and refreshing while ensuring adequate hydration. You can also use milk or non-dairy milks as a substitute if you’re looking for a creamy version of the juice.

How To Make This Spinach & Pineapple Blender Juice

So Let’s Get Real About Juice – Can This Be A Meal?

I know juice cleanses and diets are all the rage. They use words like detoxify, cleanse, and reset to make you feel like it’s a way to feel your best. But I want to get real and have a heart-to-heart about juice. 

It’s refreshing and oh-so-nutritious, but I do want to be clear about something – juice on its own shouldn’t be used as a meal replacement. While it’s a fantastic way to add some essential vitamins and minerals to your diet, relying solely on juice will leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. 

Here’s the deal: juice lacks the essential components of a balanced meal, like protein, healthy fats, and sufficient fiber. But don’t toss that juice just yet! There are awesome ways to incorporate juice into your life so you get all the benefits and can still feel full and satisfied. 

If you want to learn more about juice cleanses, I break them down in this blog post including the pros, the cons and what you can do instead. 

Nutrition by Addition

This juice recipe is a great example of using nutrition by addition to create a balanced meal. Nutrition by addition is a nutrition philosophy I wholeheartedly stand by. It is based on looking at what you can add into your diet versus what you need to cut out. All you have to do is pair it with other nutritious foods and you can create a satisfying and balanced meal (more on how to build a balanced meal here). 

Let’s look at breakfast as an example. I love having this vibrant green juice with my breakfast. It is so good with these light and fluffy cottage cheese eggs and some toast or paired with these high protein pancakes for an extra dose of vitamins and minerals.  

Enjoy It As A Snack

While this juice is not a meal in a glass, it can provide a great supplement to a snack! Enjoy it on the go with a handful of nuts, a bar or energy ball and you can have a fulfilling snack that will keep your blood sugars level in between meals.

Turn It Into A Smoothie

If you’re looking to create a satisfying breakfast recipe, you can use this juice as inspo. All you need to do is add some protein and nourishing fats. I recommend adding in a serving of Greek yogurt that has 2 to 5% milk fat or protein powder, nut butter or some hemp hearts or even avocado to round this juice out into a nourishing and satisfying smoothie. 

Nutritional Benefits

Spinach: Spinach is loaded with essential nutrients like vitamins A, C, K, and folate, along with minerals such as iron and calcium. Incorporating spinach into your green juice provides a concentrated boost of these vital nutrients. 

Spinach is also packed full of antioxidants which helps contribute to our cellular health and protects us from free radicals. Plus it’s a great source of dietary fiber which helps support our overall gut health and keeps our blood sugars level. 

I love adding a handful of these leafy greens to a creamy dip, smoothie, or even some eggs for an extra boost of nutrition.   

Cucumber: Cucumbers are made up of about 95% water. Adding cucumber in your green juice smoothie adds a refreshing and hydrating element, making it an excellent choice for maintaining hydration levels, especially during hot weather or after physical activity. 

Despite their high water content, they’re also surprisingly nutritious. They contain vitamins K and C, as well as various minerals like potassium and magnesium. 

Pineapple: One of the first things we learned in university was how combining certain nutrients together can help increase absorption. This is true when you combine iron and vitamin C. That’s why I love the pineapple in this recipe – it’s rich in vitamin C. In fact, 1 cup of pineapple is approximately 85% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. 

Recipe, Kitchen, & Time Saving Hacks

I love finding new kitchen hacks so I can spend less time in the kitchen or grocery shopping and more time with my family. Here are a few you can try when making this juice recipe:

Freeze fresh fruits and veggies: I know I preach this a lot but I really don’t like wasting food. Anytime I can find a creative way to use food before it goes bad, I count it as a win (and one less trip to the grocery store at a later date). If you have a bin of spinach where some of the leaves are starting to get slimy or a fresh pineapple that’s starting to go, you can freeze them in reusable freezer bags and use them in this recipe or another smoothie recipe.

You can also do this with lemons! Have you ever bought a big bag of lemons and realized you don’t have time to use them all before they get all shriveled and dry? I have a little hack for you – freeze ‘em. Yes, you can either freeze the lemons whole or cut them into halves or slices or you can freeze the juice in an ice cube tray. This also makes them super easy to zest!

Batch prep the juice: You can double or triple the juice recipe and have grab and go snacks or meal add ons to enjoy throughout the week. You can also freeze any juice you won’t drink and enjoy it at a later date. I like to freeze them in serving size mason jars (making sure to leave a bit of room at the top as the liquid can expand when frozen) but you can also freeze them in silicone muffin tins or ice cube trays. Just defrost the night before, give it a shake before serving and enjoy!

If you make this Blender Juice with Spinach, Pineapple and Cucumber, it would make my day if you would leave a comment and/or star rating below— I love hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @lindsaypleskot.rd so I can see your versions! It makes me so happy to see these recipes come to life in your kitchens! Xo

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