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 $5 a glass!
Link of the Day:
It’s also green, thanks to a secret healthy ingredient. No, not spinach or avocado!
Katie do you think this can be made in a food processor? I don’t have a vitamix and my blender probably won’t do this. It looks so delicious and sounds good too!
Sorry, I haven’t tried it so I really don’t know.
Okay I tried it! 🙂 It was super thick but I usually like juices with all that pulp so I really really enjoyed it. It’s super delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I love sour lemonade! I never did a lemonade stand as a kid, but always wanted to. My friends’ kids had one this summer and made 75$ in an hour! It’s just crazy…. (not what they used to be, that’s for sure)
Never sold lemonade either! I love sneaking in super healthy ingredients that despite the color you would never know were there. This sounds SUPER refreshing!
Ohh this looks delicious! I make a similar green drink in my juicer and always add lemon and lime! So yummy and so good for you! And I definitely had a lemonade stand growing up with my best friend– she had this special little stand thing too that had a chalkboard on it and counter and we would sit behind it and sell lemonade for 50 cents! I can’t believe kids are selling koolaid now for $5! Crazy! PS Love that you had a hot chocolate stand… looks like you were a chocolate girl from the beginning!
Hmmm I make a similar drink, but with my juicer 😀
Also, try adding a banana in place of some of the water – makes an awesome breakfast!!
Goodness, this looks amazing, I have got to try it! Do you think it would work in a magic bullet?
Not sure the apple would process…
Yes, I cut up and core apples in my nutri bullet and it works great!
I love all these green drinks popping up everywhere. They are all so delicious. Never had a lemonade stand, we lived at the end of a dead end street.
OMG! So green! I gotta try this!
Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
We just bought a Vitamix and I can’t wait to be able to make all of your yummy Vitamix recipes!
It’s like a green smoothie! 😉