Banana spinach and avocado smoothie in the Ninja Slushi

The famous green smoothie takes on a completely different dimension when prepared in the machine. No more blenders where ice cubes melt and dilute the flavour: in the Slushi, the cold stays intense. I spent a long time serving this type of drink behind the counter, and the secret to a good avocado and banana mix is maintaining a smooth yet intensely fresh texture without losing the creamy mouthfeel. With the right amount of honey, you will get a perfectly homogeneous and refreshing result.

Banana spinach and avocado smoothie in the Ninja Slushi

Recipe by Camille RoosCourse: Smoothie / iced juiceCuisine: Difficulty: Easy

Servings

4

people

Prep

10

minutes

Freeze time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

An ultra-fresh and homogeneous green smoothie, with no melting ice cubes, thanks to the constant churning of the Ninja Slushi.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas (approximately 200g, provides the base sugar)

• 1 nice avocado (approximately 150g)

• 100 g fresh baby spinach

• 50 g honey or agave syrup (essential for the consistency)

• 550 ml plant-based milk (almond, coconut, or oat)

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Peel and cut the bananas and avocado. Blend them in a blender with the spinach, lemon, honey, and plant-based milk until you get a very smooth liquid. The lemon prevents the avocado and banana from oxidising inside the machine.
• Check that the total volume is above the minimum required by the vessel (at least 475 ml) and pour the mixture into the Ninja Slushi between the min and max fill lines. The added honey ensures the minimum sugar content to prevent a block of ice.
• Select the Frozen Juice programme. Let it churn until you reach the perfect chilled smoothie consistency, drinkable through a straw, then serve immediately.

Protein version for sports

Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder during the blending stage, and replace the honey with dates (blended very finely).

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Sugar-texture balance for green smoothies

The classic mistake with healthy juices or smoothies in the Slushi is wanting to make it “100% no added sugar”. The key point with the Slushi is sugar as a natural antifreeze. Without it, your banana-spinach mix will freeze into a solid block instead of staying fluid and drinkable through a straw. Ripe bananas provide an excellent carbohydrate base, but for a volume of nearly a litre including the milk and avocado, it is not enough. That is why I always add 50 g of honey or agave syrup. It is not just to soften the vegetal taste of the spinach, it is a technical necessity so that the auger of the machine can continuously stir the preparation without straining. If you prefer other green flavours, I use the same basic rule for my spinach kiwi green smoothie in the Ninja Slushi: the fruit provides the substance, the sugar ensures the churning.

Why the Slushi beats the blender for avocado

When you make an avocado-based smoothie in a traditional blender, you often add ice cubes to cool the mixture heated by the blades. The problem is that the ice melts quickly in the glass, creating an unpleasant separation between the water at the bottom and the green puree at the top, destroying the creaminess of the avocado. The major advantage of the Ninja Slushi here is the contact cooling without water dilution. The evaporator brings the mixture to a sub-zero temperature uniformly, while the auger keeps the fats from the avocado and plant-based milk perfectly emulsified with the rest. If the machine beeps and displays a red light, it is often because the initial puree was too thick or not sugary enough: do not hesitate to thin it out with a little extra splash of plant-based milk. Once mastered, this continuous cooling principle works wonderfully for other dense fruits, like in this dragon fruit hibiscus smoothie that I love to serve in the summer.

What other vegetable would you like to test in an iced version?

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes, but thaw it first and squeeze it well to remove excess water before blending, otherwise your liquid-to-sugar ratio will be off.

The machine light flashes after 20 minutes, what should I do?

It is a sign that the mixture is freezing too firmly. Add a little sweetened plant-based milk (or a splash of syrup) directly into the vessel to thin out the consistency.

On my entry-level model, which programme should I choose?

All current models have the Frozen Juice programme. Use it, it is the ideal setting for alcohol-free fruit purees.