Lemon Smoothie (Sunshine in a Bottle!)

This Lemon Smoothie is like sunshine in a bottle! Yogurt, lemon, honey, ginger and turmeric offer numerous health benefits, and the flavor will wake you up on a sleepy morning.

Is there anything harder than getting out of a warm bed on a cold winter morning? Especially when you live in a 100-year-old drafty house. Let me tell you, I struggle!

The only thing getting me out of bed lately is knowing that this Sunshine in a Bottle Lemon Smoothie is only a few minutes away once I get downstairs.

Quite obviously, lemon is one of my favorite flavors (I make a mean lemon margarita and lemon creme brulee), so it’s kind of like I’m waking up to my favorite food.

Just like my carrot cake smoothie, every single ingredient in this smoothie (well, except the ice) has been selected for maximal bright, zingy flavor and health benefits.

The yogurt base gets you started on your probiotics for the day, while the honey adds a natural sweetness and energy boost (keep the honey bear out for dinner for honey mustard pork chops).

Turmeric could help fight off any cold or illness you might be dealing with, and ginger can be used as a natural pain reliever for muscle soreness.

But the real star, of course, is the lemon. Just like in my lemon pancakes and lemon curd cake, I use both lemon juice and lemon zest for the most amount of citrus tang.

Let’s walk through how to make this lemon smoothie recipe, and everything you need to know about substitutions, making it vegan, and add-ins.

“Just tried this lemon smoothie! WOW! Love it! Love all the ingredients, too. Great combination. Sunshine in a bottle is a perfect name.”

—Cynthia

What you’ll need for this lemon smoothie recipe:

• yogurt – I prefer low fat French vanilla yogurt, but if you have plain Greek yogurt on hand from making Greek chicken meatballs or healthy buffalo chicken dip, that will work, too! So will regular plain yogurt. If you’d still like some vanilla flavor, simply add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract when using plain yogurt.
• lemon – you’ll need 1 fresh lemon, and you’ll be using the zest and the juice from it. Buy an extra lemon so you can make my citrus dressing or roasted broccoli with lemon, too!
• honey – this sweetens the smoothie. If you don’t prefer honey, I discuss alternatives below.
• ginger – nothing beats the bright zing and slightly spicy flavor of fresh ginger. It’s truly the best wake up call in the morning!
• turmeric – this is what gives the smoothie (and my sweet dumpling squash soup) it’s bright yellow color, and it also adds an earthy flavor and a bit of spice. It pairs very well with the lemon and ginger flavors, and has so many health benefits.

How to make a lemon smoothie vegan:

This lemon ginger smoothie is so easy to make vegan! First of all, get rid of the dairy by simply using a non-dairy yogurt alternative (such as yogurt made with almond milk or soy milk) in place of the yogurt.

Then, since honey is not considered vegan, you can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar to add sweetness and keep it vegan. Agave nectar is also the star of my agave lemonade!

Can I make a lemon smoothie without yogurt at all?

I strongly prefer this smoothie WITH the yogurt. Without the yogurt, you’re basically going to be left with a blended lemonade. The yogurt is what gives the smoothie body and makes it filling.

But, an alternative to yogurt would be a banana. This will add creaminess and body to the smoothie. Make frozen chocolate covered bananas with the rest of the bunch of bananas!

What if I can’t find fresh ginger?

I almost always have fresh ginger in my fridge, because orange ginger chicken and miso ginger dressing are staples in our meal plans. But, if you don’t normally have it or can’t find it, I have an alternative.

While the flavor won’t be quite as bright and fresh without fresh ginger, ground dried ginger can be used in place of fresh ginger in this recipe. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger will do the trick.

Can I make a lemon smoothie with spinach?

This is one of my favorite tricks to get more veggies into my diet! I’m willing to add a handful spinach to just about any kind of smoothie I make, and I’ve added spinach to this lemon ginger smoothie recipe quite often.

Of course, the smoothie will become a vibrant green color instead of the sunshine-y yellow you see here, but personally, I don’t find that the taste changes all that much. The bright flavors of the lemon and the ginger cover up the spinach flavor, in my opinion.

If you’d like to add blueberries, check out my blueberry lemon smoothie.

Can I make one serving of this lemon ginger smoothie?

Sure! The recipe is written for two servings because my husband and I will usually each have one smoothie when I make this recipe. You can also double or triple this recipe and include it as part of a brunch food buffet (don’t forget to put some bacon in the oven)!

But I also make a single serving just for me on occasion. If you want to make one serving, simply halve the ingredients like this:

• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice cubes
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• pinch of ground turmeric