Immune Boosting Wellness Smoothie | Ambitious Kitchen

I first started making this immune-boosting green smoothie a few years back after my best friend Callie visited me from LA. She’s always coming to me with the latest and greatest wellness ideas and made me this “wellness drink” a few times while she was here. I was skeptical at first because I wasn’t used to using real turmeric root in anything except my famous chicken soup, and was nervous to try it in a smoothie.

Upon my first sip, I realized what a game-changer this recipe was and how much I love using fresh turmeric in recipes.

I come back to this immune boosting smoothie, or “wellness drink,” time and time again whenever I’m feeling a little under the weather. It’s refreshing, flavorful, and packed with nourishing ingredients that make you feel dang good. Absolutely perfect for postpartum, too!

FREE Smoothie E-Book with my best recipes

Looking for even more smoothie recipes, tips & tricks? Sign up below to get a FREE e-book with my best smoothie recipes, plus all of my best tips for making smoothies straight to your inbox:

Amazing ingredients in this immune boosting smoothie

Not only does this smoothie taste fantastic with hints of pineapple, banana and ginger, but it also includes ingredients that boast some pretty incredible health benefits. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Banana: I love using frozen banana to add creaminess to this recipe. It’s packed with healthy carbs and potassium.
• Pineapple: pineapple includes a natural enzyme called bromelain, which is wonderful for preventing inflammation and helping digestive issues. It also sweetens the recipe nicely.
• Spinach: I always encourage using spinach in smoothies to get your greens in, because you can’t taste it at all! You can add 2-3 cups to this recipe and get an extra dose of fiber, vitamin and nutrients in all before lunchtime.
• Ginger root: fresh ginger makes all the difference in flavoring this dish; it also helps with digestive issues, reducing inflammation and even pain.
• Fresh turmeric root: this is the magic! It’s earthy, incredibly flavorful, and has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal herb. There are numerous benefits of turmeric, which range from increasing antioxidant absorption to even preventing cancer. Turmeric also happens to contain a compound called curcumin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
• Black pepper: yes, you’ll need a few shakes of black pepper to release the magic of this immune boosting smoothie! Read up on this below.
• Manuka or raw honey: I LOVE using a little honey, but make sure it’s raw or manuka honey to get additional benefits and higher antioxidant levels. I love keeping a jar of raw/manuka honey in my cupboard just in case I come down with a sore throat during the cold season.
• Milk: I love using coconut milk in this recipe because then the smoothie tastes a little like a pina colada. Oh la la!

Wait… why is there black pepper in my smoothie?

As I mentioned above, turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory properties thanks to a compound called curcumin. To get a good dose of curcumin, you’ll need to add black pepper in with the turmeric, which enhances your body’s ability to absorb the compound. You won’t be able to taste it at all. In fact it adds a nice zest to the smoothie!

Should I grate the turmeric & ginger?

Nope! Feel free to toss the knob of freshly peeled turmeric and ginger right into your blender. They will both blend up well so that you don’t get chunks of them in every sip.

Simple ingredient swaps

Out of a few ingredients? Good news: this immune boosting smoothie is easy to customize. Here are some suggestions:

• Customize your fruit: feel free to substitute an extra 3/4 cup of pineapple for the banana, or use mango or even an apple.
• Swap your greens: feel free to use fresh kale instead of spinach for a boost of greens.
• For the fresh turmeric: if you don’t have any fresh turmeric root you can also use a 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric.
• Choose your milk: I typically opt for unsweetened almond or coconut milk but feel free to use any milk you’d like.

Make it vegan

If you’d like to make this immune boosting smoothie vegan, simply omit the honey. It will still be sweet enough with the banana and pineapple.

Try our favorite nutrition boosters

Enhance any smoothie with some additional nutritious ingredients to really make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little! Here are a few suggestions that you can add to this immune boosting smoothie:

• Matcha: if you’re a green tea lover, you can add a teaspoon of matcha to your smoothie for green color, antioxidants and earthy flavor. It’s so good!
• Flaxseed meal: this is one of my favorite ingredients to add to smoothies for a little boost of fiber and minerals, and is especially great for nursing mamas as flaxseed can help increase milk supply. Usually, a tablespoon is plenty! Here’s a brand I love.
• Chia seeds: feel free to add in a tablespoon of chia seeds to your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats and fiber.
• Hemp seeds: if you’ve been wondering what to do with those hemp seeds lurking in your cupboard, feel free to throw in a tablespoon into your smoothie for a boost of healthy fats, omegas and minerals.
• Protein: make this a post-workout smoothie and boost the protein by adding 1/2 cup greek yogurt or 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder. I recommend Vital Protein collagen peptides or Four Sigmatic Protein Powder.

How to make this smoothie thick & creamy

I have a few tips & tricks for making this immune boosting wellness smoothie thick, cold and perfectly creamy every time:

1. Use frozen fruit. Using frozen fruit is best as it helps keeps the smoothie cold and thick. Sometimes ice doesn’t blend as well, so it’s best to skip unless absolutely necessary. If you only have fresh fruit, try adding 1 cup frozen cauliflower.
2. Watch how much liquid you add. Start with less and then don’t be afraid to add more milk if your smoothie is too thick or won’t fully blend. High powered blenders tend to blend frozen fruit much better, so if you have a regular or personal size blender, you may need to add more milk.
3. Start low, go high. Start the blender on low speed, then gradually increase to high to help blend all ingredients. Finally, end with the blender on low speed.

Meal prep this immune boosting smoothie

That’s right! Get all of our tips for making smoothies ahead of time here so that mornings are a breeze. Enjoy a quick, nourishing breakfast or snack any day of the week!

Our go-to smoothie tools

Check out more of our go-to kitchen essentials here.

Watch me make this wellness smoothie

More delicious smoothies to try

Get all of our delicious smoothie recipes here!

I hope you love this immune boosting wellness smoothie!  If you make it, be sure to rate the recipe below and leave a comment to let me know how you liked it.

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on October 15th, 2018, republished on April 12th, 2021, and republished on January 3rd, 2024.