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This First Watch kale tonic recipe features kale, apples, cucumbers, and lemon juice. Ready in just 5 minutes, this drink is tangy, refreshing, and packed with vitamins and antioxidants!
If you are a fan of First Watch restaurant, you know that this kale juice recipe is one of their most popular menu items.
It's tangy and refreshing and can be a great part of your daily diet, especially if you're a lover of green smoothies.
This healthy green juice recipe is made with just 4 ingredients and is ready in 5 minutes. It's easy to make and customizable, meaning you can add your favorite fruits or vegetables to make it your own!
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- How to Make First Watch Kale Tonic Recipe
- Expert Tips
- FAQ
- Substitutions
- Helpful Equipment
- Health Benefits
- Storage
- Similar Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- Kale: I use curly kale, but you can also use dinosaur kale or lacinato kale.
- Fuji apple or a green apple: Since kale can be bitter, we're adding sweetness to the juice by using apples!
- Cucumber: You can use any cucumber you like including English cucumbers or mini cucumbers. Just make sure they're sweet and juicy.
- Lemon juice: For adding a little bit of tanginess to contrast the bitter taste of the kale. You can also use lime juice.
- Water: For blending everything.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make First Watch Kale Tonic Recipe
- To a high-speed blender, add water first, then add the kale, apple, cucumber, and lemon juice.
- Blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the mixture is completely smooth, with no chunks.
3. Over a large bowl, strain the juice through a fine mesh. Use a spoon or a spatula to press the pulp to release all of the juice.
4. Serve immediately with ice cubes and/or sparkling water, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Expert Tips
- se a fine mesh to strain the juice. The last thing you want is to have pulp or chunks of vegetables in your juice. Make sure to use a super fine mesh or a nut milk bag.
- Add more apples to make it sweeter. If you're new to drinking green juices, you may want to make it a bit sweeter to start. This first watch kale tonic recipe tastes a bit bitter, so feel free to add more apples or cucumbers.
- Don't be afraid to switch things up! I look at this recipe more as a base to which I sometimes add different things like ginger, celery stalk, carrots, and even parsley.
FAQ
What does kale tonic taste like?
This kale juice is earthy, tangy, and a bit sweet, with grassy undertones. Depending on how much kale you add, it can be a bit bitter, so definitely adjust it to your own taste!
How much sugar is in a kale tonic from First Watch?
This recipe has 15g of sugar per serving.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you can transfer it to a mason jar or an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months!
Can I drink this as a smoothie?
Yes and no. I think the texture is off-putting, but if smoothies are your jam, why not?
Substitutions
- Apples: I am using Fuji apples because they're sweet, but you can use any apples you like including Golden Delicious, Granny Smith Apples, and green apples.
- Kale: If you don't have kale on hand, or if you don't like the taste of it, you can use spinach or other leafy greens like Swiss chard.
- Water: You can use coconut water or orange juice.
- Cucumber: You can use celery or another green vegetable of your choice.
Helpful Equipment
I think that investing in a high-quality blender is key if you're looking to eat healthier. Not only you can use it for smoothies, but you can also blend green soups, homemade hummus, and banana pancakes, AND you can even use it to make your own vegan cream cheese with it!
For this First Watch kale tonic recipe, you'll need a high-speed blender like Vitamix, as well as a fine mesh strainer.
If you don't have a blender on hand, you can use a powerful juicer and dilute the juice with some water.
Health Benefits
Kale is high in antioxidants and also contains vitamins K, and C, and manganese.
Some research shows that eating green leafy vegetables every day helps toreduce inflammation and heart disease risk.
There is also evidence that certain compounds in fresh juice may act as prebiotics, feeding the beneficial bacteria in our gut.
To wrap it up, drinking green juice can be an efficient way to add key nutrients to your diet. It should be consumed in moderation and as a part of a balanced diet.
Storage
If you don't drink the juice right away, store it in a mason jar in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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📖 Recipe
First Watch Kale Tonic Recipe
ThisFirst Watch kale tonicrecipefeatures kale, apples, cucumbers, and lemon juice. Ready in just5 minutes, this drink istangy,refreshing, andpacked with vitamins and antioxidants!
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: First watch kale tonic, green juice, green juice recipe, kale juice, kale tonic
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 3 cups
Author: Petranka
Ingredients
- 2 oz. curly kale, stems removed (measured without stems)
- 1 medium Fuji apple, chopped
- ½ medium cucumber, chopped
- Juice from ½ lemon or more to taste
- 1 ½ - 2 cups filtered water
Step-by-step imagesScroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
Blender
To ahigh-speed blender, add water first, then add the kale, apple, cucumber, and lemon juice.
Blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the mixture is completely smooth, with no chunks.
Over a large bowl, strain the juice through afine mesh. Use a spoon or a spatula to press the pulp to release all of the juice.
Serve immediately with ice cubes and/or sparkling water, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Juicer
Using a high-quality juicer, juice all of the ingredients. Dilute the tonic with 1-2 cups of water, depending on how strong you want it to be. Serve!
Notes
- Use a fine mesh to strain the juice. The last thing you want is to have pulp or chunks of vegetables in your juice. Make sure to use a super fine mesh or a nut milk bag.
- Add more apples to make it sweeter.If you're new to drinking green juices, you may want to make it a bit sweeter to start. This first watch kale tonic recipe tastes a bit bitter, so feel free to add more apples or cucumbers.
- Don't be afraid to switch things up! I look at this recipe more as a base to which I sometimes add different things like ginger, celery stalk, carrots, and even parsley.
Storage
- Fridge: If you don't drink the juice right away, store it in amason jarin the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Transfer it to amason jaror an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.19g | Protein: 2.56g | Fat: 0.68g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 15.33g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 0.98mg
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Tried this recipe?Leave me a rating and a comment telling me how it went. Or tag me at @sunglowkichen and hashtag #sunglowkitchen on Instagram!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Leah says
Amazing! Taste just like First Watch! Thanks for sharingReply
