Learn how to make Frozen Spinach Cubes that are perfect for green smoothies with this quick and easy recipe. They’re so simple, and they’re the perfect way to use up leftover greens!
A few weeks ago, I shared a quick vid on my Instagram story about blending up a bunch of leftover spinach into ice cubes for a week ahead of green smoothies. And all of a sudden –✨ poof ✨ — my phone blew up with questions.
“Whoa, how do you make those?”
“What else goes in there besides spinach?”
“How many do you add to a smoothie?”
“How long do they last?”
I tried to respond to as many of you as a could. But for anyone I may have accidentally missed — and anyone else out there today who might also be interested in some creepy-green-yet-life-changing frozen spinach cubes — I thought I’d pop in today and share how I make these little guys. They only take a few minutes to make, they’re the perfect use for leftover greens, and if you happy to love green smoothies as much as I do, they’re a total lifesaver.
Oh, and the best thing about them? No recipe required. ?
Just toss a bunch of leftover fresh baby spinach (or whatever greens you love to add to your smoothies, like kale or Romaine or arugula or chard) in the blender. Then add in a generous splash of liquid (I prefer coconut water, with all of those natural electrolytes, but water would also do). And purée the mixture until it’s nice and smooth, adding in extra liquid as needed if it’s too thick.
Then pour the mixture into some ice cube trays. Freeze until solid…
…then voila! A delicious batch of spinach ice cubes will be ready to add to your smoothies!! I recommend storing them in a nice thick freezer bag. Then you can just grab a few whenever you’d like to use them!
As far as portions go, I recommend starting with 1 or 2 per smoothie, then give it a taste and add more if you’d like. ? The amount of spinach in each cube will probably differ from batch to batch, depending on how thick your spinach mixture is. But after a smoothie or two, you’ll figure out what amount tastes good.
So whether you happen to have a surplus of spinach in the fridge (common in my house, since I often buy it at Costco)…or if you have a batch of spinach on its last leg that you need to use quickly…or if you’re just looking for an easy hack to make more green smoothies…this recipe may just be a game-changer. :)
Happy freezing!
How To Make Frozen Spinach Cubes (for Green Smoothies!)
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 16 cubes 1x
Description
Learn how to make frozen spinach cubes with this easy method! They’re perfect for green smoothies, or any other recipe that calls for pureed spinach.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach*
- 2/3 cup coconut water (or water)
Instructions
- Add spinach and coconut water to a blender, and puree until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick, add in extra coconut water.
- Pour the spinach mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid.
- Use immediately, or transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Feel free to substitute kale, Romaine, arugula, chard, or other greens you like to add to smoothies in place of spinach (or combined with spinach).
Prep time does also not include freezing time. This depends on your freezer, but mine generally take about 4 hours to completely freeze.
This is an awesome idea
I was just looking for a way to freeze my spinach to be able to use in smoothies. I didn’t think of this. Thanks.
Been doing similar for a while. I use 2×8 square large Ice cube trays of silicon from Amazon. I use a Braun Shredder/Chopper and course chop Cabbage, Lettuce, Carrot, Peppers, Asparagus spear or 2, Romaine & Cucumber. I also put a little diced Ginger and Beetroot in the bottom of each tray. This way one signature veg does not overpower the smoothie. As long as they are all fresh and washed, no other water required. I aim to fill 16 and normally fill a few {4} extra small resealable “tupperware” containers. Press mixture down carefully with a fork and seal with the supplied lid. Have bought 2 more trays so I have 32 cubes which gives me about 2 weeks supply. My Nutribullet 900 handles the cubes and other frozen fruit, but if you get 1 or 2 out the night before and leave in fridge they should be soft for the next day. Happy Smoothies.
Your idea to take the cubes out the night before and leave them in the fridge is brilliant! I typically put frozen banana into my smoothies so I was concerned about add too many frozen items. Problem solved.
Works great! This dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes to prepare our morning smoothies. And it is saving us money because we aren’t wasting spinach.
I used green juice about to expire- excellent idea!
Thanks so much for the idea. I buy the big bag of spinach from Costco and normally freeze it into 25 baggies for smoothies. I hate that I am wasting so many baggies every month. This is a great idea, which will save baggies and freezer space! Plus it keeps the frozen aspect to my smoothies! I can’t wait to try it today!
I make ice cubes of olive oil and basil to preserve my fresh herbs for use during the winter. This works for so many fresh items.
I am going to use this method to make Green Berry Popsicles for me and my kiddos. Thanks for the inspiration. I will certainly make cubes for my daily smoothie!
Do you loose nutrition at all by blending to freeze then using later and again blending
Into a smoothie?
I love this idea!! I’ve been searching for ways to keep spinach and other smoothie leaves from going bad before they get used!! This will be a time and leaf saver for sure!!