Lamb's Lettuce Smoothie

Name: Lamb's Lettuce Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: approx. 1.0 l, 4 servings
Cuisine: international
Ingredients: 400.0 ml Water; 100.0 g fresh lamb's lettuce; 2.0 Frozen Banana; 2.0 Green Apple; 2.0 EL Fresh lemon juice

A green smoothie with tender lamb's lettuce, banana, and apple — mild, fresh, blended in your Vitamix in one minute.

5 minEasySmoothieVeganVegetarianGluten-FreeLactose-Free

Lamb's lettuce is rarely thought of as a smoothie ingredient — yet it is exactly what many people look for on their first try with green smoothies: mild, almost without bitterness, with a tender, nutty character. While spinach sometimes has a metallic aftertaste and kale is strong and tangy, lamb's lettuce stays in the background. The fruit comes through clearly, and the greens add freshness without taking over.

The small, tender leaves are fully broken down in your Vitamix — no pulp, no fibers in the glass. With a ripe banana for creaminess, green apple for light acidity, and a splash of lemon juice, you get a smoothie that also makes a good first step for anyone new to green smoothies.

Instructions

1
Rinse the lamb's lettuce briefly under cold running water — the small rosettes can hold grains of sand. Let it drain well. Cut the apple roughly into pieces; remove or keep the core to taste. Peel the banana and break it into rough pieces.
2
First add the water to the Vitamix container. Then add the lamb's lettuce, followed by the banana pieces and the apple. Close the lid firmly, start on the lowest setting, and increase quickly to the highest setting. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, until the smoothie is fully smooth and uniform. Lamb's lettuce is tender — it breaks down very quickly.
3
Pour the smoothie straight into glasses. Optionally season with a splash of fresh lemon juice — this brightens the flavor and adds some freshness. Drink right away; it tastes best freshly blended.

Chef's Note

Lamb's lettuce does not need to be washed like wild herbs — as a cultivated vegetable from the store, it comes already cleaned. Still, rinse it briefly under running water to remove grains of sand from the leaf rosettes. The leaves are very tender and need no preparation — straight into the container.

Do not peel the apple: the skin contains fiber and gives the smoothie some structure. Cut the apple roughly into pieces (remove the core to taste). The banana should be ripe to overripe — yellow with brown spots — which provides the sweetness needed and a creamy texture without sugar.

Lamb's lettuce has a short season (October to March), but it is available year-round as organic produce. In winter it is particularly inexpensive — that is when the smoothie pays off most. If you cannot get it fresh, you can replace it with young arugula or leaf spinach, but then expect more sharpness or some oxalic acid.

Lamb's lettuce is tender, but its small leaf rosettes hold grains of sand and fine fibers that weaker machines leave behind as a slightly grainy texture. Your Vitamix fully breaks down even tender leaves — the result is silky, uniform green with no grain in the glass. The speed ramp (low to high) also ensures that the light leaves are caught by the vortex first, before the highest setting finalizes the texture.

You will also find this smoothie in our overview of green smoothies.

Nutrition per 100 ml

Energy	37 kcal156 kJ
Fat	0.2 g
Carbohydrates	8.8 g
of which sugars	6.0 g
Protein	0.5 g

Values per EU FIC Regulation (1169/2011). Values are averages and may vary depending on ingredients and preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why lamb's lettuce in a smoothie — how does it taste?

Lamb's lettuce is one of the mildest green smoothie ingredients there is. Unlike kale or dandelion, it has practically no bitterness — instead it gives the smoothie a tender, slightly nutty freshness without dominating the flavor. The fruit comes through clearly, and the greens stay subtly in the background. If you are not yet familiar with green smoothies or do not want to get used to stronger bitter notes, lamb's lettuce makes an ideal starting point.

Does lamb's lettuce have an oxalic acid issue like spinach?

Lamb's lettuce contains considerably less oxalic acid than spinach or Swiss chard. For healthy adults, the amount in a smoothie recipe (50 g) is entirely unproblematic. If you drink green smoothies daily and want variety, lamb's lettuce is a good choice anyway — rotating your greens keeps any single leaf type from dominating over the long term.

Do I have to remove the apple core?

That is a matter of taste, not a safety question. Apple seeds contain amygdalin, which releases very small traces of hydrogen cyanide when chopped — the amount from the core of a single fruit is harmless for adults. Your Vitamix breaks the seeds down completely, so no hard pieces remain. If you prefer the whole-fruit approach, you can blend the core in; if you want a slightly milder smoothie, remove it first.

When is lamb's lettuce in season, and can I use it year-round?

The classic season for lamb's lettuce runs from October to March — it is a typical winter salad plant. In the supermarket it is available year-round as a cultivated vegetable, often especially inexpensive and fresh in winter. If you cannot find lamb's lettuce in summer, you can switch to young leaf spinach — it is milder than mature spinach and makes a similarly mild smoothie.

Which Vitamix container is suitable for this lamb's lettuce smoothie?

For 2 servings, the 1.4 L container is ideal — it fits the Explorian E310, E510, and all Ascent models. For 4 servings, we recommend the 2.0 L Low-Profile container, used with the E520 and the Pro 750. Lamb's lettuce leaves are very light and tender — they break down quickly, and no tamper is needed as long as there is enough water as a base.