The healthiest drink in the world?
Lemonade stands will never be the same.
I don’t think I ever sold lemonade as a kid. I ran a cookie stand and a hot chocolate stand, and my friend and I once sold flowers we picked from her mom’s garden. (Not a good idea; nobody bought flowers, and her mom yelled at us for ruining the flower beds.)
Sorry to say, I missed out on selling lemonade. But I didn’t miss out on drinking it: my favorite was when lemonade tasted really sour, not the super-sweet pink stuff my sister loved because it was her favorite color. I always wished they’d made blue lemonade.
With its vibrant green hue, this crazy-healthy recipe comes close:
The best part about blender recipes is that, unlike with baked goods, you can keep adding ingredients if you’re not happy with the initial result. I kept playing with this recipe, tasting along the way, and suddenly the flavors just popped. It’s surprisingly delicious!
Green Lemonade
(no added sugar)
Recipe inspired by my drink at Peacefood Cafe
- 1 to 2 very large apples (200-400g)
- 1 to 2 cups kale (or another green, or omit) (40g)
- 1 to 2 stalks celery, broken into a few pieces, and bottoms cut off (80g)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- optional: a small piece of fresh ginger (or more, for a spicier juice)
Core the apples (no need to take off the skin), and combine all ingredients in a super-high-powered blender like a Vita-Mix. Blend until completely pulverized. I like it thick, so I never bother with this next step: Unless you prefer a ton of pulp like I do, you should pour the blended mixture through the finest strainer you own. Discard pulp or use for a different recipe. (Google “juice pulp recipes” if you need ideas.) Use one apple for a more tart drink and two apples for a sweeter drink.
View Green Lemonade Nutrition Facts
Question of the Day:
Did you ever sell lemonade as a kid?
Sadly I don’t see very many kids selling lemonade anymore. Now they’re always out there selling Kool Aid… for $5 a glass!
Link of the Day:
It’s also green, thanks to a secret healthy ingredient. No, not spinach or avocado!
Tracy says
A little random tidbit for you: My town participates in Lemonade Day. It’s a cute program that familiarizes kids (maybe 4th-5th grade age?) about running a business. Kids sign up, get a “business kit” with tools to set up a lemonade stand and sell lemonade on a designated day. Super cute! And on that day, we see tons of kids out selling lemonade! There are some kids that donate their profits to charities. I believe the program started in Houston. Random, but this made me think of that. It would be great if this program were expanded to more cities.
I absolutely love your blog! You are SO creative!!
IRENE says
kids don’t sell lemonade anymore because people complain, the cops come and cite the kids for not having a permit, and the fun is just ruined.
Kelly says
A detox drink!you do NOT need any detox you are already so thin.
tina says
Listen here just because she is thin does not mean you can’t say she can not healthy ! Katie is a sweet loving girl with a fast metabolism do not go around hiding her!!!!
Sarah says
Could you just use a juicer for this recipe? Sounds so delicious!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
If you use a juicer, you should probably quadruple the recipe at least to have enough to get a lot of juice.
Cathe B. says
I don’t owna Vita-Mix but I was wondering if I could put everything in a food processor first and then into a blender…do you think that would work?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I would think it’d be ok! Be sure to chop the apple up, though.
Rebecca says
I just made this and am drinking it with the pulp. Delicious! Thank you CCK!
Sarah says
I know! I made it too! I didn’t get any pulp… maybe it just depends on the juicer. I could taste the celery. This didn’t bother me at all, because I like celery. But my friends drank it too. Two of them didn’t like celery, but kept chugging the juice. I think it was the lemon and the apples. We added just a bit of honey and it tasted just like bad-for-you lemonade. It wasn’t just the taste that was amazing, it was the texture. I have never had a drink that was so…. light! Its like the difference between eating ice and snow! It was awesome and I am definately making this again! Thanks Katie, and sorry for the long post. I just kind of needed to express how great this is!
Jackie Rybeck says
Ha! When I pin a recipe on Pinterest, so many times it links me to Chocolate Covered Katie! This is green! No chocolate! And it links me to Chocolate Covered Katie! Who knew?? I’m going to try this tomorrow, sounds so much tastier than many other detox drinks I’ve seen………Thanks Katie for another great recipe!
Diane says
I was apprehensive about how this would taste but it was good. I used raw broccoli in place of the kale.
Sami says
If you don’t have a super fine strainer (like me) you can always put a paper towel over your cup and pour the drink SLOWLY into the cup. The paper towel acts as a strainer and catches all the pulp. I do this when I make iced tea and the tea bag bursts.
Keke @ A Social Tech Diva says
I never sold lemonade as a kid, either. But I’m definitely trying this recipe! And it’s a detox drink, too?? WINNING!
Cynthia says
This recipe looks good but lacks specifics. For instance, which type of apple did you use? Have you tried other types as well? Do sweeter types of apples work better for this recipe? And what about the kale? How does the taste change if you omit it? Have you ever used even the tiny bit of any kind of liquid sweetener? What could work if we like our lemonade just a little tart but with some sweetness to it as well?
farid says
ok
Andrea Alexander says
Hi 🙂
Is there some other fruit besides apples i could use? Apples make me very sick.
Marlies says
With a few alterations I just made a healthy breakfast smoothie in my blender. I used spinach, subbed milk for the water, and added some oats, almonds and yoghurt. Tastes (and looks) great!
Hannah Jacob says
I have made lemonade stands when I was a little kid… probably one time? (lol- made $36.00, only because my dad had called all his friends to make my first one a huge success.