Lemon Smoothie (Sunshine in a Bottle!)
This Lemon Smoothie is like sunshine in a bottle! With over a half million page views, this recipe with yogurt, lemon, honey, ginger and turmeric has energized a lot of people over the years.
“I’m not a huge lemon person AND this smoothie is one of my absolute favorites! It truly is sunshine in a bottle- the taste is so bright and refreshing. Dang tasty. I make it in big batches, pour it into individual jars, freeze them, and then thaw a jar when I want a tasty drink.”
—MPW
“Just tried this lemon smoothie! WOW! Love it! Love all the ingredients, too. Great combination. Sunshine in a bottle is a perfect name.”
—Cynthia
Creamy Lemon Smoothie Is Bright, Zesty, And Hard To Stop Sipping
You know those mornings where coffee just isn’t cutting it? We often find ourselves craving something that feels like sunshine in a glass, and this lemon smoothie recipe is the answer. It’s creamy, it’s zippy, and it’s just the right amount of sweet with a little surprise kick of ginger and turmeric.
It’s one of those “how is this so simple?” recipes that brings major flavor with minimal effort. No kale in sight, either, just bright, happy ingredients doing what they do best.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Lemon Smoothies
- Big lemon flavor – Between the juice and zest, this smoothie brings serious citrus energy.
- Just the right amount of sweet – Honey balances the tartness without overpowering.
- Aromatic with a twist – Ginger and turmeric add depth and just enough complexity to keep things interesting.
- Quick and blender-friendly – Toss it all in, hit blend, and it’s ready in under 5 minutes.
Easy Lemon Smoothie Recipe Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- French vanilla yogurt – adds creaminess and a subtle vanilla note that plays so well with the lemon. Either lowfat or full fat yogurt works here.
- ice cubes – for chill and texture.
- fresh lemon juice – zest that lemon first, then juice it. No skipping!
- honey – natural sweetness to balance all that citrus.
- grated fresh ginger – adds warmth and a little “what is that?” intrigue.
- grated lemon zest – because more lemon is always the right choice.
- ground turmeric – enough for color and a hint of earthy spice in this lemon and ginger smoothie.
How To Make A Refreshing Lemon Smoothie
1. COMBINE. Throw everything into your blender: yogurt, ice, lemon juice, honey, ginger, zest, and turmeric.
2. BLEND. Blend until the mixture is silky smooth.
Lemon Smoothie Recipe Home Chef Tips
- This smoothie also makes a fun afternoon refresher.
- If you’re into a little extra zing, try freezing cubes of lemon juice and ginger to toss in whenever the mood strikes.
How To Store Lemon Smoothies
This drink is best consumed right after you make it. Keeping in the fridge is not ideal, but you can if you have to for a day or so.
Can You Freeze A Lemon Smoothie?
Sure! Freeze in ice cube trays for an easy smoothie anytime. Just toss the cubes into a blender and pulse until it is the texture you prefer.
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Lemon Smoothie Recipe FAQ
Can This Recipe Be Made 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.
Can I Make A Lemon Smoothie Without Yogurt At All?
We 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.
What If I Can’t Find Fresh Ginger?
We almost always have fresh ginger in our fridge, but if you don’t normally have it or can’t find it, we 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 our diet! We’re willing to add a handful spinach to just about any kind of smoothie we make, and we’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 we 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 our opinion.
If you’d like to add blueberries, check out our Blueberry Lemon Smoothie.
Can I Make One Serving Of This Lemon Ginger Smoothie?
Sure! The lemon and ginger smoothie recipe is written for two servings, and you can also double or triple this recipe and include it as part of a Brunch Menu.
But we also make a single serving 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
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Lemon Smoothie
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Ingredients
- 1 cup low fat French vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice be sure to zest the lemon first!
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- In blender, combine all ingredients; blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately.
Had way too much ginger, tasted a little revolting. I’m going to find a way to fix this; however, as a everything-lemon enjoyer, I most likely will not be trying this again.
Sorry to hear this missed the mark for you. Can you confirm that you used grated fresh ginger, and not the dried powder kind?
Hi Lori, thank you for the delicious lemon smoothie recipe 💛! It’s perfect as is! I originally went to the Internet to look for a recipe for lemon smoothie because I had juiced too many lemons for a cake I had made plus I was looking for a way to take Collagens and protein powder instead of with boring water! Wow, I will be making this often! So delicious and it masks the Collagens and the protein powder perfectly! I use a Vitamix and crushed ice instead of cubes and no other liquid was needed as some of the other reviews have said.
I’m so glad to hear this was a good use of your extra lemon juice, Michele!
This sounds wonderful. I’ve been wanting a lemon smoothie for a long time, and the lemon-raspberry one I’ve got tends to be too strong. I think the yogurt would soften the lemon flavor so it would be just right. I would use plain Greek yogurt and and some vanilla extract. Definitely looking forward to trying this one.
I hope you love it, Susan!
Lori, I have to admit that I adpated the recipe for our tastes and needs. That said, it’s a real keeper. The adaptations included adding collagen powder for protein, and adding about a cup of soy milk. My husband thinks that the milk tamed the lemon to a point where we would like it. I also used Greek yogurt plus 1t vanilla extract. This is a definite keeper recipe for us.
I’m new to smoothies, and this is my favorite! It’s so good! After making several batches of your recipe, I had to use vanilla ice cream instead of yogurt (didn’t have yogurt at the time). Another time I added an orange, that was good, too. Anyway, love your recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Darlyne
A person who uses ice cream when they run out of yogurt is exactly the kind of person I want to be friends with, Darlyne! So glad you liked it!
This is heaven, so bright and sunny! ☀️ I love that you can prep ingredients ahead of time for a quick treat. I freeze lemon cubes, zest and ginger in amounts needed for added convenience. Thank you and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I’m so glad to hear you liked it, Jan. Freezing the amounts needed is super smart!
This is so delicious! It’s also a very, very close copycat of chick fil a’s frosted lemonade. Mine was not as yellow as the photo, but I think that is because I likely mismeasured when trying to make multiple servings. Still a beautiful color and very tasty!
Interesting! I’ve never been to a Chick Fil A, but I’m glad I was able to create some tasty that you enjoyed, Hannah!
I used less ice and added 1 cup of frozen cauliflower rice. Delicious! My kids loved it too! I don’t always like smoothies fir breakfast but this one…for sure!
I’m so glad you and your kids loved it, Nicole. Love sneaking extra nutrition in there!
WOW! Delicious, and what a kick it has with the ginger and turmeric. I used fresh turmeric as well as the fresh ginger root. This is a definite keeper.
So glad you liked it, Nora!
This is very refreshing. I’m a lemon-lover so had to try this. I love it!!
Thanks for stopping by, Janet. Enjoy!
What is the liquid you used? I put everything in the blender and my blender made horrible noises. Added lemonade and it only took seconds to make. Very good, but I might try coconut milk.
Hi Donna – seems like every blender is a little different with regards to how much liquid they need to “get going.” I love the idea of adding a splash of lemonade.
Just tried this lemon smoothie! WOW! Love it! Love all the ingredients too, great combination- lemon, honey, ginger, turmeric, could not be any better. Sunshine in a bottle is a perfect name. I used almond milk yogurt alternative and a turmeric honey (I mix together). Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Cynthia – I am so glad you loved it! Turmeric honey sounds so interesting. What else do you use it for?
Just tried this smoothie for the first time with whatever I had on hand (i.e. less ice cubes, plain yogurt and a bit of coconut milk). it was fantastic! Especially on a grey and rainy day.
I’m so glad to hear it brightened your day a little, Jen. Stay well!
I love the combination! Lemon, honey, ginger… this is what I use for tea to recover from cold.
This was so good! It’s true – it does wake you up! Thanks for this!
You’re welcome, Shannon!
I made this with frozen banana subbed in for the yogurt and it came out great 🙂
It is so healing and yummy! Thank you!
I am so glad to hear that, Ellie. Happy New Year!
This would be a great cold summer soup.