Zero Waste Radish Greens Smoothie
Layered Radish Greens Smoothie, a root-to-stem way of using radishes and radish greens in a beautifully layered pink and green smoothie. Tasty and sustainable!
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Do you throw out radish greens? You’re missing out! Those edible leafy greens are delicious in a radish greens smoothie. Your new favorite breakfast or afternoon snack!
๐ Don’t trust us? Here are three reasons why you should reuse radish greens in a smoothie:
- It’s piquant. The sweet and spiciness of radishes and radish greens meld with the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla for an appetizing smoothie.
- It’s sustainable. This recipe uses radish greens, a food scrap that usually gets thrown away.
- It’s a showstopper. A layered smoothie is just more fun to eat. This smoothie gets its stripes by alternating a radish root base with a radish green smoothie. Make as many or as few layers as you choose!
Ready to learn how to make this root-to-stem smoothie? Let’s do it!
๐ Ingredients
This zero-waste smoothie comes together with the following ingredients:
- Banana: you’ll need one frozen, sliced banana to make this recipe extra creamy and smooth.
- Chopped radish and radish greens: the base of the smoothie!
- Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract: what we used to bring the smoothie a delicious, fresh flavor.
- Plant-based milk: the liquid used to blend the ingredients together. You can use any type of milk that you’d like—those with a thicker consistency like oat milk or pea milk tend to work better for smoothies.
- Date: all you need is one date to add some natural sweetness to this recipe.
- Optional: shredded radish and radish greens as a topping.
- Recommended tools: high powered blender, knife set, cutting board
๐ฅฃ How to make (step-by-step photos)
1๏ธโฃ Step One: Slice and freeze the banana
First, slice the banana into ½ inch (1-2 cm) slices, place on a plate or in a bowl, and freeze for a minimum of 15 minutes before making this smoothie. Don’t freeze the entire banana with the peel, or else you won’t be able to remove the outer peel before using it because it will be too hard (we’ve made this mistake).
Why use frozen banana in smoothies instead of ice? Freezing banana slices (and other fruit) instead of using ice is the perfect way to get a smooth consistency that isn’t grainy from the blended ice. You can add ice if you need to when making the smoothie, but we like to start with a frozen fruit base and then add in ice if we need a thicker consistency.
2๏ธโฃ Step Two: Make the radish smoothie base
When the banana is frozen, add ¾ of it to a high powered blender or food processor with the chopped radish, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and ½ cup of the plant-based milk (we used oat, but pea milk is also great for smoothies because both have thicker consistencies).
Blend the ingredients together until smooth, adding 1-2 ice cubes for a thicker consistency or adding more plant-based milk if you need to make the smoothie thinner.
Transfer the smoothie to a glass or container and place in the freezer to keep it cold until you’re done with the radish greens layer.
3๏ธโฃ Step Three: Make the radish top smoothie layer
Next, wash out the blender and add in washed and chopped radish greens, the rest of the frozen banana, 1 pitted date, and 2 tablespoons of plant-based milk. Blend until smooth, adding in more milk if needed.
โป๏ธ Food Scrap Tip! Learn how to to wash and dry radish greens for smoothies with our step-by-step guide. And follow our tips for storing radishes to reduce food waste.
4๏ธโฃ Step Four: Layer the smoothies
The final step is the fun part! Remove the radish smoothie base from the freezer and create alternating layers with the radish base and radish leaf smoothie as you pour them into a glass.
Finally, top the smoothie with a bit of shredded radish and a few radish leaves. Enjoy!
โ Recipe questions + quick tips
In place of banana, you can use another smooth ingredient like avocado or even a plant-based yogurt like coconut or oat milk yogurt. Radishes on their own are not a super smooth ingredient, and while you may get a smooth consistency if you have a very high-powered blender, we suggest using a creamy ingredient like banana, avocado, coconut cream, or vegan yogurt for extra creaminess.
Simply cut radish greens from the hard stems, soak in water, and then let dry. Then remove any hard stems and chop.
No! You can omit the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and ginger if you’d like but we included them in the recipe because they add a nice flavor. However, a smoothie with banana, radish, radish greens, and dates will still have a great flavor.
To make a smoothie without ice, freeze the fruit you’re using first. The frozen fruit will do double duty as a flavorful ingredient and take the place of ice for a smoother consistency.
Any plant-based milk will do, but a milk alternative with a thicker consistency like oat milk or pea milk is best for smoothies. These thicker milks will make for a smoother, thicker textured smoothie.
๐น How to serve
This simple radish greens smoothie is so tasty! Here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy it:
- As a simple superfood breakfast. This smoothie is packed with fiber and nutrients, making it a great option to start your day with! Mix in some nut butter, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or plant-based yogurt to increase the protein and healthy fats and make it more balanced.
- As a powerful afternoon snack. Switch up your snack routine with a radish greens smoothie! This recipe is simple and delicious, and is the perfect way to reenergize. Enjoy it alongside a handful of nuts or seeds so that it will hold you over until your next meal.
- Make it a bowl. Instead of sipping out of your usual smoothie glass, make a smoothie bowl! This is such a fun way to add a twist on smoothies, and you can add all of your favorite toppings.
๐ง How to store
This smoothie is best when enjoyed fresh, we do not recommend freezing and then eating later (it will become very icy when frozen and will not have the same smooth texture). However, we do suggest freezing radishes ahead of time to also act an an ice replacer in smoothies.
โป๏ธ Sustainable kitchen tips
Want to take your sustainable kitchen to the next level? While this recipe is a great way to reduce food waste in itself, here are some ideas to make it even better for the planet:
Make the smoothie while radishes are in season. The best time to add radish greens to smoothies is when radishes are at the peak of their growing season. That’s during the fall, winter, and spring in California—find out when they’re in season near you here.
Choose Fair Trade fruit. Bananas and other tropical fruits are often grown on plantations in countries where fair living wages are not commonly paid to farmworkers. To ensure your fruit is ethically harvested, choose those that have a Fair Trade certification (see a list of all our recommended trustworthy food certifications).
Don’t toss the food scraps. Banana peels and any scraps that you accumulate from the radishes should be tossed in the compost bin. They are better off there than in a landfill!
๐ฑ More radish top recipes
Want more recipes using radish leaves? Check out our other food waste recovery recipes using radish tops:
- Radish Top Pesto
- Radish Top Pesto Pasta
- Sautéed Radish Tops
- Radish Greens Chimichurri
- Radish Greens Chips
- Radish Leaves Salad
Looking for more zero waste smoothies? Try our Beet Green Smoothie and our Low Waste Carrot Leaves Smoothie!
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Radish Greens Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 large banana peeled and sliced
- ½ cup radishes sliced
- ½ teaspoon ginger minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ¾ cup plant-based milk divided
- ½ cup radish greens washed and dried
- 1 whole date soaked and pitted
- Optional: sliced radishes and radish greens as garnish
Instructions
- Freeze banana: First, slice banana into small slices and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to freeze. Freezing the banana means you don’t have to add additional ice to the smoothie to make it cold. After freezing, you’ll use ¾ of the banana for the radish layer and ¼ for the greens layer.
- Make radish smoothie base: Add ¾ of the banana to a blender with the chopped radish, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and ½ cup of plant-based milk (we used oat milk). Blend until smooth, adding ice for a thicker consistency and more plant-based milk for a thinner consistency. When done, pour the radish smoothie into a container or glass and set inside the freezer until ready to layer.
- Make the radish greens smoothie: Next, wash out the blender and add in the radish greens, the other ¼ of the frozen banana, 1 date, and 2 tablespoons of plant-based milk. Blend until smooth.
- Prepare the layered smoothie: Finally, remove the radish smoothie from the freezer and layer radish top smoothie on top of radish smoothie to create a layered effect. Enjoy!
Notes
- Notes: Freezing the banana will mean you don’t have to add ice to the smoothie, however if you like a colder and thicker consistency then add 1-2 ice cubes to the radish base.
- Tools Needed: high powered blender, knife set, cutting board
- Prep Ahead: This smoothie is best when enjoyed fresh, we do not recommend freezing and then eating later (it will become very icy when frozen and will not have the same smooth texture).
- Nutrition Notes: This smoothie uses all plant-based ingredients and is gluten-free. It is high in fiber and, depending on which plant-based milk you choose, it may also be a good source of plant-based protein. Feel free to add your own plant-based protein powder for a more filling smoothie.