Okra Juice and Smoothie

Okra slices on wood
MirageC / Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Serving: 1 to 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
225 Calories
8g Fat
38g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1 to 2
Amount per serving
Calories 225
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 86mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 10g 35%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 25mg 126%
Calcium 118mg 9%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 566mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

We may know okra as an ingredient that's popular in Southern cuisine, fried on its own or added to a soup or stew such as gumbo. But gumbo, which grows well in hot climates and is often a popular addition to summer gardens, actually works great in a smoothie or juice. Here, it's combined with apples, carrots, and fresh ginger. Feel free to add your preferred milk or even water, along with some healthy greens such as spinach.

If you are unfamiliar with it, okra is a member of the family Malvaceae, which it shares with others of the ‘mallow’ family such as cotton, cacao, and hibiscus. This long, sometimes ridged and sometimes smooth pod is also known as ‘lady fingers’ in other countries, but in the United States, is best known simply as okra.

There is a great difference of opinion as to where okra originated. Some people believe it originated in Ethiopia, from where it is believed to have spread throughout Western Africa and on to central parts of the continent during the Bantu migration approximately 4000 years ago.​

Okra is referred to in the historical record by ancient Egyptians and Moors of the 12th and 13th centuries. Today, okra is particularly well established in the Southern US and its cuisine. It has a ‘slimy’ or mucilaginous texture and is not only wonderful simply fried, but also lends thickening to many Cajun and Creole dishes, including gumbo, an especially hardy and beloved stew of the South.

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots

  • 2 apples

  • 1 cup okra, sliced

  • 1 slice fresh ginger

  • Your favorite milk, such as almond milk, oat, coconut or dairy, optional

  • 2 to 3 leaves of your favorite greens, such as baby spinach, collard greens, beet greens, or wheatgrass, plus a few of your favorite nuts and seeds, for extra nutrition

  • Your favorite nuts and seeds, for extra nutrition

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Either run the ingredients through a juicer or simply blend everything together well in a blender.

  3. Remember to drink your fresh juice or smoothie as soon as you can for best taste and maximum nutritional value.