Lemongrass usually announces itself about three seconds before you actually see it.
It smells less like a morning kitchen ingredient and more like the reception desk of a very calming day spa. It is the sort of aroma that suggests you should be wrapped in an impossibly fluffy white robe, listening to pan pipes, and preparing to have hot stones placed along your spine.
Yet inside a blender, lemongrass is an absolute revelation.
Most people associate lemongrass strictly with Thai green curries or fragrant noodle broths. However, when paired with sweet fruits and leafy vegetables, it does something citrus fruit cannot quite manage: it delivers an intensely refreshing, floral lemon fragrance and zesty lift without adding harsh, mouth-puckering acidity.
It turns an ordinary green blend into something vibrant, sophisticated, and completely distinct.
Here are three reasons lemongrass earns its place in your smoothie.
1. It brings citrus brightness without sour acidity
Lemons and limes are brilliant for cutting through sweetness, but their high citric acid content can quickly dominate a blender if you use a fraction too much.
Lemongrass works differently. Its distinctive aroma comes largely from compounds including citral, which deliver a crisp, herbal lemon flavour and bright aroma without the sharp sourness of raw citrus juice. This allows you to bring a refreshing, sunlit lift to your drink while keeping the overall flavour smooth and balanced.
2. It cuts straight through earthy, vegetal greens
Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale bring plenty of useful nutrition, but they can occasionally leave a smoothie tasting slightly heavy, vegetal, or intensely grassy.
Lemongrass is the ultimate green-balancer. Its fragrant, clean finish cuts through the earthy density of raw vegetables, lifting the entire glass and making leafy greens taste crisp and lively. Paired with tropical fruits like mango or pineapple, it creates a bright, cohesive blend where the greens sit comfortably in the background.
3. It brings naturally occurring plant compounds
While lemongrass is primarily prized for its aromatic flavour, it also contains a range of naturally occurring plant compounds.
These include terpenes, flavonoids and phenolic compounds, many of which are studied for their antioxidant properties. Adding aromatic herbs alongside everyday fruit and vegetables is also a simple way to bring a little more plant variety into your routine.
Where to Find Lemongrass in Love Struck Smoothies
Anyone who has tried preparing fresh lemongrass stalks knows they require serious bruising, peeling and fine chopping if you want to avoid fibrous bits in your teeth.
Love Struck takes care of the prep, using lemongrass to bring a bright, fragrant citrus note without any stringy stalks or kitchen hassle:
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Kale Kick Smoothie: A bright green smoothie that combines kale, spinach and sweet mango with fragrant lemongrass.