While you might think that a Liver Cleansing Detox Smoothie sounds a little odd, just remember that our livers are responsible for detoxing our bodies every day, all day, all the time….no breaks. In this toxic world, we are overburdened with toxins. We come into contact with WAY more toxins in our modern world than people did even 100 years ago.
When we do not properly support our body’s natural detoxification system it can quickly become overburdened and lead to chronic disease. This is why I love my liver cleansing detox smoothie!
One of the liver’s primary functions is filtering the blood. Almost 2 quarts of blood pass through the liver every minute for detoxification. Filtration of toxins is absolutely critical as the blood from the intestines contains high levels of bacteria, bacterial endotoxins, antigen-antibody complexes, and various other toxic substances. When working properly, the liver clears 99% of the bacteria and other toxins during the first pass. However, when the liver is damaged, such as in alcoholics, the passage of toxins increases by over a factor of 10. (source)
So let’s give our livers a little assistance and help boost the detoxification process with a healthy diet and a Liver Cleansing Detox Smoothie!
The Ultimate Liver Cleansing Detox Smoothie
When we do not properly support our body’s natural detoxification system it can quickly become overburdened and lead to chronic disease. This is why I love my liver cleansing detox smoothie!
Ingredients
- 3 beets (quartered) ----> stimulates liver function
- 3 carrots ----> stimulates liver function
- 2 cups leafy greens of your choice ----> neutralize heavy metals and toxins
- 1 cup dandelion greens ----> bitter greens increase the creation and flow of bile
- 1 organic lemon (quartered) ----> high in vitamin C, which aids the body in synthesizing toxic materials into substances that can be absorbed by water and eliminated via expiration, urine and sweat
- 1 apple, cored and sliced ----> helps cleanse and release toxins from the digestive tract, taking the burden off of the liver
- 1 cup purple cabbage (chopped) ----> increase the amount of glucosinolate in your system, aiding enzyme production in the liver
- Filtered water
- 2 Tbsp MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil, which helps make the nutrients more absorbable by the body. MCT oil does not need to be broken down by the liver so it is an ideal fat to consume when detoxing your liver!
Instructions
1. Add ingredients to your blender, starting with the large chunks first (beets and apples).
2. Add the rest and pour water to about 3/4 full.
3. Blend on high until liquified (you can add more water to your desired consistency).
4. Enjoy your Liver Cleansing Detox Smoothie right away for the most nutritional benefits!
Notes
If you really want to make this smoothie nutritious, add 1 Tbsp whey and let it sit on your countertop for 24 hours, covered with a cloth. Lacto-fermented liver cleansing smoothie!
Recommended Products
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If you want to get your hands on more healthy smoothie recipes, I encourage you to check out this recipe collection “99 Weight Loss Smoothie Recipes.” They are backed by science and are pretty awesome! Plus, the books are FREE!
If you want added liver support to go along with this smoothie, my friend Wendy from Live to 110 spent months formulating an amazing Liver Rehab supplement. You can find it HERE.
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This post is part of: Party Wave Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Wildcrafting Wednesdays, Thank Your Body Thursdays, The HomeAcre Hop, Eat Fat Friday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Weekend Potluck, Unprocessed Fridays, Simply Natural Saturdays, Homestead Barn Hop, Mostly Homemade Mondays, Thank Goodness it’s Monday, Homemade Mondays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays
146 Replies to “The Ultimate Liver Cleansing Detox Smoothie”
Are the veggies added to the blender raw?
Everything is raw
I tried to subscribe by RSS twice. Both times I landed on a blank screen.
Hmmm, strange. I will look into it. Thanks for the heads up!
Kate, I really like the combination of ingredients in your detox smoothie! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Glad you like the recipe! It really makes me feel amazing after drinking it!
That would be a good idea to try. Thanks for sharing at Wildcrafting Wednesday.
Very yummy! It makes a huge batch though, how long can I keep it refrigerated and still keep the nutritional/cleansing power?
We always make huge batches because my kids eat soooo much! It will last maybe three days at most.
Is one person supposed to drink all of this at once? It is a pitcher full, I’ve made it half way so far…
I drink it throughout the day
Ok awesome, thank you!!
Sounds like an awesome smoothie! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for sharing on the HomeAcre Hop! Hope you come back tomorrow! Nancy
On The Home Front
How often can you take this? Do you have problems at the beginning with too many toxins being released? It sounds great!
It’s just veggies, drink it every day. I haven’t had any extreme detox reactions. Just a general sense of feeling clean 🙂
OK. Thanks, Kate! I’m a (former) RN, too. It’s great to see a medical person seeing both sides of things!
Wouldn’t it be best to add se kind of fat so as to better absorb some of the vitamins from the vegetables?
Yes! I add MCT oil or coconut oil frequently!
What is MCT oil?
Can you juice this instead, with the same benefits?
Yes, but I like to keep the fiber in the drink because it helps move the toxins out of the GI tract.
Thanks for sharing this!
Is it best to drink this first thing when you wake up? I saw that you recommend drinking it daily. Is there a certain period of time, like a week or two, that you should drink it? Or just whenever you feel like your liver needs some extra support?
I drink it daily when I’m doing a detox. I drink some sort of vegetable smoothie every day though!
Are they pickled beets? Or fresh raw beets? I am planning on trying this tomorrow! I am also a nurse that believes there are many ways to keep us healthy.
Just plain old raw beets. Glad to have another like-minded nurse out there 🙂
Think I may give this a try. What is the recommended serving size? And curious as to what it taste like. Thanks:)
I just drink a large glass full. It tastes like a vegetable smoothie, slightly bitter from the bitter greens
What if you are on a blood thinner? I have to stsy away from leafy dark greens and cabbage. Any substitutions? Thank you
Just omit the greens. Maybe add in some other vegetables that you can have
Do you believe this would be okay to drink while breastfeeding? I know I should be careful about “detoxing” while nursing. Thanks! Oh… and is it really thick? I used to juice… but I know the whole veg is better because of the fiber.
It should be okay during pregnancy if you don’t drink it all the time. I regularly consumed all of the ingredients in this smoothie when I was pregnant. It is thick, you can strain it out by pouring it through a strainer into a bowl if you don’t like it that thick. Fiber is great for hormone regulation and intestinal cleansing though.
I see you said something about it in the comments, but to be clear, it’s fine to use virgin coconut oil instead of MCT? Is there a higher benefit to using the MCT?
They are both great, MCT oil is even easier for the body to assimilate because of its shorter fatty acid chain structure. MCT oil is often times made from coconut oil. Use them interchangeably in this recipe.
Wait, the whole lemon? The pith doesn’t make it too bitter?
If it’s an organic lemon you can use the whole thing, there are wonderful oils found in the peel. Might make it slightly more bitter, but bitter foods are what stimulate the liver and gallbladder to clean out!
Can’t wait to try this. do you think I could freeze some of it – or would it lose potency? Thanks~
It would lose potency, but hey frozen detox smoothie is way better than frozen dinners 🙂
What kind of volume does this yield?
It yields a large blender full. Probably about 8 cups
I truly appreciate you website.
Thank you so much!
Doris
Kate: Two things, how often are you supposed to drink this? Also, is there a way to break this down so I can use my Nutribullet to make it? I know all that won’t fit. Thanks!
I drink it daily for a few days when I want to give my liver a boost. just divide the recipe by 1/4 and it should fit
How long should I keep taking the supplements? I’m finally getting mine removed next week. I’m slightly nervous. Do you recommend anything else thanks for your in put!
Is it possible to substitute something else for the dandelion greens?
You can just leave the dandelion greens out or sub any other leafy green. You just wont get as much of a liver detox.
I couldn’t find the dandelion greens, but I did find an essential oil. I put 5 drops in mine. Hopefully that works well.
Excellent write-up. I certainly appreciate this website.
Keep it up!
I have a fatty liver and no gallbladder is their anything I should do different.
I cannot give direct medical advice, but you should be fine. It’s just food after all
I’ve recently survived stage 4 rectal cancer. They removed 13 lymph nodes (cancerous) . went through radiation , chemo, 2 surgies, wore illiostmy bag for 8 months before being “hooked back up” . was pretty much bed-ridden for close to 2 years. They didn’t think I would live. Look what God did! After last surgery, spent 1 year having 20, 30, sometimes 40 bowel movements a day. GI doctor threathenend me with a colonostomy bag. I balked. Have gone wheat,gluten,sugar, & preservative free. Still working on totaling getting there. But , WOW! What a difference already. My question is: with so many lymph nodes removed, wellllll?????????? I know you can’t give medical advice, but you seem to “know your stuff” so any extra feedback would be helpful and appreciated. Really enjoy your site. Very helpful. Thanks.❇
I’m not entirely sure what you are asking. Lymph nodes? This is great for the liver 🙂
I just made this recipe. It makes way too much and tastes horrible. I drank a full glass anyway. I still want the cleanse. The rest of my family wont' touch it. I guess I get to finish the rest of it (it fills a 2quart pitcher). Yay for my liver, boooo for my taste buds.
It’s not made for flavor, just function. I am not too keen on the flavor either, but I love the benefits.
I added one banna after tasting it to make it taste better hopefully that doesn’t mess up the cleanse but I figure the nutrition is all still there
if you have arithis citrus will aggravate it big time…any suggested replacement
Just cut out the citrus
How long does this take to flush alcohol metabolites out of your system?
I am not sure Lynne, wish I knew
I am curious as to why you use MCT oil rather than Coconut Oil? From my research Coconut Oil is better than MCT Oil. Due to MCT does not contain Lauric Acid. As where coconut oil i believe is about 50% Lauric acid.
I used MCT because the coconut oil got chunky in the smoothie. MCT stays liquid and blends better 🙂
Is it OK to add fruit to help the flavor or will that change the effectiveness?
Fructose is very hard on the liver so I would limit the fruit. Berries would be your best option!
that is not true ma’am. Great drink by the way. But the problem with fructose from processed sugars and corn syrup is the speed that it hits your liver. It’s too fast for you to handle. You can eat as much fruit as you want and you will not have a problem. It hits the liver slow enough for it to process. Sorry, no sass intended. Fruit is great because it can give you energy that doesn’t burn out and cause you to crash like skittles do:)
Thank you for this. It tasted nice yet too much fiber for me – I had a nissen fundoplicaiton 15 months ago, and this smoothies caused horrible constipation.
The morning is a great time to think about detoxing, because the body follows a natural cycle, and your liver and digestive system have been working while you sleep to filter out the good from the bad. By giving yourself a freshly prepared detox smoothie first thing in the morning you are helping that process along, rather than setting it back with a large or unhealthy breakfast.
I just found this site and am very excited to add some of these practices to my routine. One question:don’t some raw leafy greens contain oxalic acid? I have been giving my spinach a light steam before adding to a smoothie to ensure vitamin absorption. What are your thoughts?
Yes, they do contain oxalic acid (things like spinach and kale), but I don’t drink this every single day so I don’t worry too much about them. Dino kale is very low in oxalates so that one can be used with more frequency.
Love your idea!! Very similar to what I’ve been doing for years to help my liver and gallbladder. I’m a wild foods forager as well, and love to pick the wild greens and use them. I’ve usually squeezed the lemon, though, and I add a small chunk of fresh ginger as a digestive aid and anti inflammatory. I know citrus is hard on arthritis, but lemon creates an alkaline environment in the body. If the individual that commented about not being able to do citrus cannot do lemon as well, maybe they could try raw apple cider vinegar. Thanks for your post!!!
Great idea to add some raw apple cider vinegar!
Hi Kate, it says to add 1 apple. Is that a green or red apple? Does it matter? Which apple do you use?
Doesn’t matter what kind of apple you use Sylvia. I would just stay away from Red Delicious, they have very little nutritional value
What about adding olive oil rather than MCT Oil? Isn’t it a good oil for a liver detox?
Olive oil would work, to help you absorb the vitamins and minerals. The reason why I prefer MCT oils is because it does not need to be digested first, it is an almost immediate source of energy and also helps absorb the vitamins and minerals. Basically, it’s one less thing that the liver has to do.
DUSTY…..Organic, Unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil is the MCT powerhouse choice.
https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil-the-truth-exposed/
3 questions- Do you have to peel the beets first, can you use any type of beets, and where can I find dandelion greens?
Hey Jennifer,
No I dont peel the beets. I use any organic beet from my co-op. I also get the dandelion greens at my co-op. They are pretty seasonal. You can sometimes find them at Whole Foods in the off season
I am a type 2 diabetic and have been for 15 years. I can’t stand the taste or texture of most veggies and fruits (I have no teeth to chew with) and I can’t stomach fish/seafood! I have tried the smoothies you find in bottles in stores and they were somewhat tolerable yet pricey! Due to many health issues I have; stroke, looking at a liver and kidney transplant, gall bladder hernia, blood clots in both legs-my Doctor jokingly calls me his “problem child”! Anyway, since I am not a fan of most healthy foods in their natural state, I was told that blending different ingredients could give me the nutrients I need but make them enjoyable to eat. Sorry so long!
Will this help during a pre-op gastric sleeve diet??
I am not familiar enough with that diet to advise on it. This smoothie is really to give your liver a little love 🙂
Can I add a packet of splenda for taste?
I would not recommend adding Splenda. If you need to, I would use Stevia
Your recipe incorrectly states “MCT’s do not need to be broken down by the liver”. This is incorrect MCT’s are in fact transported to the liver and metabolized, they just require less enzymes than other fatty oils, substances.
While I applaud you on your recipe….you are slightly incorrect about your MCT choice.
Organic, UNrefined, extra virgin coconut oil is by far a much more powerful MCT than what you listed.
CONFIRMED: https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil-the-truth-exposed/
What would be ingredients for thus using the magic bullet? Or for 1 cup size?
Do you think I can freeze the ingredients so that I can have them prepped ready to blend in the mornings?
Definitely!
I screwed up trying to make this. My blender started to smoke. I ended up with very little juice and lots of pulp. So I just started pouring filtered water through a strainer with the pulp in it. I filled a few bottles of the stuff doing it this way. Took one big glasss and it was easily one of the worst things I ever had but the buzz you get afterward is amazing! I don’t think my body has ever had that much of a direct infusion of vegetables in one sitting! Just imagine what would have happened if I did it properly!
Hi Kate,
I mainly use all of these ingredients on a daily basis in my nutrition mixer anybow and try indeed to minimize on the fruit intake. Therefore, instead of juice water, I use coconut water and maybe less than a third of a glass of fruishly squeezed organic and 100% UNconcentrated mango and apple juice. What are your thoughts on this? Just gives more flavour than water and can only imagine that the coconut water is good for you…
Also, next time I will add coconut oil as I wasn’t aware of the benefits in smoothies in this aspect and I have it here in the cupboard anyhow.
Hope to hear back soon!
mango and apple can add in a bit of sugar, but coconut water is great!
instead of WAtER** is what I meant, sorry!!
How is this supposed to be taken? How many times a day? 1 glass a day and if so, if I drink it in the morning can I eat regular food the rest of the day? It makes a big batch, so do I drink daily until the batch is finished? Thanks:)
Hi! I’ve never done a liver detox. Is it ok to have this, with my daily smoothie ( avacado, organic dark greens, berries, organic almond milk)? Too much smoothie in a day? I do eat a sold diner…..mostly graze throughout the day. I do drink organic gun powder green tea with organic lemon, everyday. I’d also like to add milk thistle…..or is there such thing as too much of a good thing? LOL I take a vitamin B complex along with cod liver oil and probiotics, everyday. Part of my treament for depression as prescribed my dr.
(Also, how long should I do this, to give my liver a good cleanse? I understand that maintaining a healthy lifestyle contributes, too. I’m being treated for severe depression. I know my liver is suffering. It shows in my skin 🙁 ).
Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Blessings, friendy.
I have done days when all I drink is the smoothie
*solid dinner. Auto not so correct 😛
Seriously? Respectfully, your lack of self confidence and need for perfection, is not my issue. I came here to get health advice, is all
Peace.
Oh dear. I’m talking to to myself! So sad.
Thank you for the reply, Kate.
Looks good. How often do you drink it Kate?
When I feel like doing a good detox. Typically every few months for a few days
How often do you drink it? To cleanse your liver.
Whenever I feel like my liver needs a little help. If I am starting to feel toxic
Kate, Great smoothie recipe for liver health. Packed with detox ingredients. I mentioned your recipe in my liver detox article. https://blenderauthority.com/liver-detox-smoothie-recipes/
I have a Magic Nutribullet, this recipe is too large to fit into the machine. I do make a smoothie most mornings, a serving for 1. Not sure how to reduce this recipe.
Is this type of water taken daily for weight loss or not, Kate? I am interested in this matter.
Have a nice day!
not for weight loss, for cleansing
I have always used bananas for detox and they work all the time.
How often is it safe to have this smoothie? I mean can it do any harm if drank for months? Thank you for the reply
It’s just a bunch of health food so you can drink it frequently
From my previous experiences I did it for like a month and the results were incredible
Hi Kate,
I am trying this detox my liver for the first time. Can I eat regular normal meals? Any foods to stay away from? Also can you please be specific as how many days I should drink this smoothie in the morning to make it effective. Please advice
Thank you much!!
There is no specific protocol. Just drink it to nourish your liver
Try nettle leaves for the greens.
ooh, nettles are a great idea!
Going to try this, but was also curious if anyone has been sick from drinking this many beets too? I used to juice daily and one morning after juicing (with 3 beets in the mix) I got very sick for a few hours… it was miserable… and after reading a bit more I read that beets (raw) can affect some people that way. Anyone else have that issue? Thanks! (And I hope not… It was no fun at all!)
Taste was better than expected. I didn’t see any serving size, so I made myself drink the whole thing. I drank half this morning and the other half after lunch. I am miserably full now ????
Glad you liked the taste!
Is coconut oil an acceptable alternative to the MCT oil?
sure is 🙂
This smoothie is great! Can you please let me know how many servings total for this recipe?
Hi! How palatable is it after fermenting?! Would kids like the fermented version? Thanks so much!
I’m not sure kiddos would like it fermented.
Hi Kate,
I followed the recipe as stated used water and added when needed. The only thing is I used it in my ninja but is it supposed to be very pulpy? It’s very fine but nothing like a smoothie more like a drink that I have to chew a little bit. Is this normal? Not sure what I did wrong if it is not.
Thank you!
it can be very pulpy, just add more water and blend it up again.
My husband and I eat whole food plant based which excludes animal protein, dairy and oils. Your ultimate liver detox calls for MCT oil. Can I replace the oil with something else to make ensure vitamin and mineral absorption? Thank you.
MCT oil is made from coconuts, so it’s plant-based. You can always just leave it out too.
How long should I drink this smoothie?
How long do you detox for?