Winter Glow Green Smoothie with Hemp & Ginger

Created by Laura Wright
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This Winter glow green smoothie has a bit of spice from ginger and cinnamon, sweetness from pear, and creamy-ness from hemp hearts. Fresh lemon brightens everything up in this wholesome breakfast smoothie.

An up close, overhead shot of a green smoothie in a glass. The top of the smoothie is sprinkled with hemp seeds and a sprig of mint. A slice of lemon is tucked into the rim of the glass.
This post is sponsored by Manitoba Harvest.
An overhead image of ingredients for a winter glow green smoothie.


I have been drinking so many green smoothies. I do have some travel coming up and with busy (typically indulgent) holiday times on the horizon, I’m taking a “fuel” approach to my meals these days. The simplification has been surprisingly relaxing, not gonna lie, but variety is a challenge. I keep leaning on the typical vegan smoothies, but also the same roasted veg/salad/whole grain bowl combos day after day.

So in the interest of sharing more of my real life food, I’ve got a recipe for a smoothie I made up when I was getting a little tired of the old peanut butter and banana combo. The base here is ripe pear and hemp hearts, with lots of warm spice and a fresh burst of lemon.

I picked up an excellent smoothie tip from my bud Lily a while ago: instead of using non-dairy milk as your liquid, you can just scoop in some hemp hearts and add water to the blend. You’re basically making fresh hemp milk AND your smoothie at the same time. No soaking necessary. So smart! You can also just make hemp milk ahead of time in a big batch with my Maple Cinnamon Hemp Milk recipe.

Hemp hearts are one of my favourite everyday superfoods. Compared to some of the other weird and wonderful fruits/powders/herbs/seeds, hemp is quite affordable and (where I live) totally accessible. I added hemp to pretty much everything when I first went 100% plant-based because I didn’t have a great handle on cooking yet and was looking for a mega nutrient boost. I still add hemp to everything though haha.

The flavor is nutty and slightly sweet-grassy, which makes hemp quite diverse. In addition to smoothies, I love using hemp hearts in place of pine nuts for pesto. Lately I’ve been making a kale and oregano pesto with a hemp base for drizzling on bowls and tossing with zucchini noodles. I just use
this recipe, replacing the almonds with hemp and adding a couple sprigs of fresh oregano.

And another one: I always have some sort of nut-based vegan “parmesan” on hand for sprinkling, and hemp works perfectly for it. In my little electric coffee grinder, I combine ¼ cup hemp hearts, 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and a good pinch of salt. I pulse the mixture a couple times and it’s done. Delicious and super easy (looove my spice grinder).


I hope that you’ll try this super fresh green smoothie combo!

An overhead shot of ingredients in a blender jar for a smoothie, pre-blending.
An overhead shot of a green smoothie in a glass. The top of the smoothie is sprinkled with hemp seeds and a sprig of mint. A slice of lemon is tucked into the rim of the glass.

Winter Glow Green Smoothie with Hemp & Ginger

This Winter glow green smoothie has a bit of spice from ginger and cinnamon, sweetness from pear, and creamy-ness from hemp hearts. Fresh lemon brightens everything up in this wholesome breakfast smoothie.
No ratings yet
Winter Glow Green Smoothie with Hemp & Ginger - The First Mess
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped greens (I like a 50/50 mix of baby spinach and kale)
  • small handful fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon MCT oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ripe pear, cored and chopped
  • 1 cup water

Equipment

Notes

  • I think a pinch of ground cardamom would be so delicious in this smoothie.
  • I peeled my pear to get that ultra green shade (always doing it for the photo haha), but normally I’d leave it.
  • I like using a mix of mild and strong greens for a green smoothie like this one. If your taste buds are hardy enough for all kale though, definitely go for it ;)
  • The pear should be quite ripe for the right level of sweetness.
  • This smoothie ends up being room temperature, which I like in this colder climate.

Instructions

  • In an upright blender, combine the greens, mint, hemp hearts, ginger, cinnamon, salt, MCT oil, lemon juice, pear, and water. Blend the mixture on high until completely smooth. Enjoy the winter glow green smoothie immediately, with an extra sprinkle of hemp hearts on top if you like.


*This post was created in partnership with Manitoba Harvest. All opinions/endorsements are my own. Thanks for supporting!

02/12/2017 (Last Updated 03/10/2024)
Posted in: autumn, beverage, breakfast, creamy, earthy, gluten free, grain-free, kale, nut free, quick, raw, refined sugar-free, spicy, sweet, vegan, winter

245 comments

Recipe Rating





  • Kerry

    This smoothie is delicious.  Not overwhelming in flavour but filling and easy to drink. Thank you for introducing me to hemp seeds in my smoothies.

  • Cornelia

    I usually don‘t really like green smoothies cause either the texture or the taste usally are offputting to me – but this one was absolutely fantastic! Thank you for the recipe :)!

  • Village Bakery

    OMG this smoothie looks so goood! I cannot wait to try it!!!

  • Isadora Guidoni

    This smoothie must be delicious! Can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks for sharing!

  • Abby @ Heart of a Baker

    Lily’s tip is genius! I’ve been slowing down on the smoothies since it’s gotten cooler, but I’m so ready to jump back in!

  • McKel Hill, Nutrition Stripped

    This green smoothie sounds excellent – I can’t get enough of the ginger. Love adding hemp hearts in smoothies too, along with just about every recipe. So good!

  • Rebekah

    Sprinkling of hemp hearts on everything!

  • stacey

    I throw them in smoothies! So good!

  • Lisa

    Love hemp hearts on my oatmeal.

  • Beth

    Love Hemp Hearts! Most of all in my smoothies, but I’ll add them to anything I’m baking, too! xo

  • maire courtney

    My favorite way is the smoothie you mentioned. I’m new to using it but just adore it!!! Thanks for sharing your additional recipes to use with the hemp hearts. I’ll be ordering!!!

  • Mira

    I love using them somewhat like this, but in “lattes” — either golden milk or matcha. I also just enjoy them sprinkled on salads as-is. :)

  • Laura W

    I love them sprinkled on top of a kale salad.

  • Anna

    I absolutely love hemp hearts in my morning oatmeal, mixed into yogurt or sprinkled on top of avocado toast!

  • Leah

    Oh my goodness, I love hemp hearts and there are so many ways to use them! I’m currently loving them on top of a baked sweet potato with almond butter, cinnamon and cocoa nibs :)

  • Hannah M

    As a matter of fact I’ve never actually tried hemp hearts, but this post makes me want to go out and get some! I’ve seen a few recipes out there for “hempesan” and I admit I’m intrigued :)

  • Hollie

    I sprinkle hemp hearts on my cereal in the morning!

  • Becky

    i like to top my porridge with hemp hearts and recently my boyfriend started an anti-inflammatory diet to help his auto-immune so he made his porridge with hemp hearts as the base. thank you for the great recipes in this post!

  • Jaya

    I love to use it in smoothies and as a mix-in for yogurt and chia pudding. Using hemp hearts instead of cashew for parmesan sounds like a great idea!

  • Hannah

    I love to use hemp seeds in vegan cheese sauces!

  • Leisha

    I’ve actually never used hemp before but would love to try the pesto recipe you suggested!

  • Justyna

    Home made hemp mylk of course!

  • Linda Lonsdale

    I love them straight off the spoon but I also add them to smoothies and salads!

  • Tori

    I just tossed some hemp seeds in cranberry scone batter. Adds a nice element of texture :)

  • Carolyn!!

    i put hemp hearts in my homemade muesli mix and add it to salads. but now im realizing that i’ve not been creative enough. i love your ideas and all the ones i’ve seen in the comments too!

  • Samantha Papagiannis

    I love using hemp hearts in smoothies! Great added protein :) Thanks!

  • Eileen

    I like having hemp hearts on my oatmeal. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

  • Ruth

    Mmmm… this smoothie sounds good! :)
    How to pick a fave for hemp?! I love mixing it into my granola and sprinkling it on fruit crumbles, in both cases post-baking… #hemponeverything

  • Danielle

    I love to top my overnight oats with hemp seeds. I also throw them in smoothies.

  • Jasmine

    I LOVE hemp seeds because they are from Canada (like me!) …I love put sprinkling hemp seeds and sea salt on roasted yams, potatoes, and sunchokes. BUT, the all-time best recipe I have tasted is at a restaurant here in Toronto called Kupfert and Kim. They make crispy sunflower hemp seed savory balls. Kinda like the best falafel EVER. :)

    • Laura

      I’ve had those! They are ridiculously good. Need to figure out how to replicate them at home :)
      -L

  • Lilli B

    I love to use soaked hemp seeds blended as a base for a smooth and luxurious vegan ice cream with cashew/coconut milk!! smoothies are the next best thing :-)

  • Andrea Maria Vazquez Fernandez

    Hemp Hearts a fav food of mine, seriously I’m addicted to them. I cannot get enough! And it helps to know they are good for you yumminess.
    Warming dishes are my preference, so a chai spiced oatmeal with hemp hearts sprinkled on top and a dollop of maple. Definitely my way to use Hemp Hearts!

  • Maia

    I love adding them to banana bread batter, and always in granola!

  • Tracey

    I love adding hemp hearts to a big ol’ bowl of oatmeal. Filled with bananas and peanut butter, it’s my favourite way to start the day!

  • Shaun Dubreuil

    I like using hemp hearts in granola!

  • Samantha Haas

    Garnish on muffins for extra crunch ! And always mix into homemade granola bars. And your first cookbook is the favorite in my collection, seriously !

  • Shimmy

    My favorite use of hemp hearts is actually the hemp ranch dressing on your blog ! super delicious and much better for you than the bottled ranch dressing in stores made from hydrogenated oils :P

  • Spring

    I love hemp seeds in my smoothies. I totally do the short cut mentioned above as well.

  • Tova

    My favorite way to use hemp seeds are in smoothies!

  • Kate

    Hemp milk in a smoothie is already my favorite way to use hemp seeds! It’s perfect for green smoothies, and in beet smoothies (like your Hot Pink smoothie) I also like them sprinkled on avocado toast.

  • Emily

    Honestly, I’ve never eaten hemp seeds despite being curious about them for a while now. I’m currently finishing up my masters degree in food studies and school is all consuming. Graduation in April is simultaneously too soon and not soon enough , if that makes sense. Being so busy with my studies and work, this season of my life is ruled by nutrient dense foods and chocolate (gotta fuel the body and the soul). I can see myself tossing hemp seeds into my daily bowl of oatmeal, which is kind of like my calm before the storm each morning.

  • Kelly D

    I have not tried these yet, but I would add them to my banana/apple smoothies.

  • Michelle Bush

    I love adding hemp hearts to my homemade granola as well as sprinkling it on salads and steel cut oats!

  • Sandie

    I add them to the pancakes or cookies I make for my two grand daughters so they keep healthier.