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Nothing beats regular exercise and a healthy diet but having a natural drink to boost you now and then wouldn’t hurt. The good thing about making your tonic at home is that you know exactly what’s in it. The prime example? This First Watch kale tonic recipe. After all, kale’s nutritional value is no secret.

High nutritional value, a sweet taste, and a vibrant green color. If we were asked to define this kale tonic recipe, we’d go with these. With a preparation time of approximately 10 minutes, this is the perfect drink to have on the go.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tips
First Watch Kale Tonic Recipe
Comments

A person pours a vibrant green, leafy juice into a glass with ice cubes, indicating the final step in serving a kale tonic. A bowl of kale, a strainer, and other kitchen utensils are arranged on a marble countertop, bathed in natural light from a nearby window.

Ingredients

Kale — 2 cups.
Apple — 1. (Preferably Fuji)
Cucumber — 1, chopped.
Lemon — 1 large, peeled.
Ice — 5 cubes.
Water — 1 cup.

Instructions

Hands are rinsing kale leaves in a bowl under running water in preparation for making a kale tonic, with fresh ingredients like cucumber, lemon, and apples arranged around the sink, signifying a healthy beverage prep routine.

Clean the ingredients to remove any dust or dirt.

A person is slicing a green apple on a wooden cutting board, with ingredients like kale, cucumber, and lemons on a marble countertop, and a jug with a pinkish liquid beside them, indicating the preparation stages of a nutritious juice or tonic.

Add kale, apple, cucumber, lemon, and water to the blender.

A person's hand is placing kale into a high-powered blender on a kitchen counter, with sliced cucumbers, apple wedges, and a glass of green smoothie visible, suggesting the process of making a healthy, blended kale tonic.

Blend at high speed until smooth.

Strain the mixture into a jar or a jug.

Pour your First Watch kale tonic into a glass, on top of ice cubes.

Substitutions

Apples — This recipe for First Watch kale tonic has different versions, which differ concerning the apple used. Some go for Fuji apples, while others use green apples. Both are delicious and incredibly nutritious, so just pick one and go with it.

Kale — Picking the kale is an important aspect. There is more than one version, and they all differ in small details. For blending, we recommend going with curly kale, as it’s softer and easier to blend. The stems don’t have much nutritional value, so feel free to chop them off. If, however, you’d really like to include the stems too, don’t forget to chop them into smaller pieces.

Vinegar — Lemon plays an important role in this kale tonic recipe from First Watch. However, you can swap lemons with lime juice, or vinegar for that matter. Apple cider vinegar, especially, provides a great taste to your kale tonic.

Variations

The more the better — There are different versions of the kale tonic First Watch recipe, and you might’ve noticed that some include different ingredients. Celery stalk, for example, is a commonly used ingredient. It not only provides more nutritional value to your kale tonic, but it’s also so delicious. Chop one celery stalk and add it to your blender. Why not try pears? They are easy to blend, especially if they are ripe. For a different layer of taste, you might also want to consider adding some ginger and turmeric. They provide a pungent taste that improves your kale tonic.

Equipment

Blender

Measuring spoons and cups

Storage

Store any leftovers in a jar or an airtight container in your fridge, for 1-3 days.

We recommend blending the tonic again before consuming it.

Tips

Pulse — Depending on your blender or your ingredients, you might have to pulse the ingredients to achieve a perfectly smooth texture.

Use frozen — Frozen kale will be much easier to blend, compared to fresh ones. For this purpose, you might want to buy frozen kale instead of fresh.