Why Your Greens Are Turning Brown In The Blender (And What To Do About It)

There are all the basic food preservation tips to prevent food waste — proper storage of fruits and vegetables, keeping dry ingredients sealed, and of course the magic of refrigeration and freezing — as attempts to slow down and ward off food spoilage. And then there are food optimization tips — how to keep things brighter, fresher, greener, and yes, prettier — because we don't only eat with our taste buds, but our eyes. 

For example, the effort to keep greens as vibrant as they were on day one, after they've been introduced to oxygen, the culprit for turning vivid shades murky brown. We've all experienced the ick of opening a container of chunky homemade guacamole just to find the once bright avocados have lost their luster. Chowhound spoke with chef Ajay Sharma of the New York restaurant Kebab aur Sharab about the best approach to keep blended greens from fading. The New York Times acclaimed restaurant, with its menu of Indian street food inspired fare, features chutney on a majority of its menu offerings. The chefs keep it bright green and fresh thanks to a few steps taken before, during, and after prep. 

Chef Sharma preaches keeping all components refrigerated, incorporating ice, and two tangy key ingredients that ward off oxidation: lemon and yogurt. Greens are susceptible to turning brown anyway, as are many fruits and vegetables, due to the process of enzymatic browning. When they're thrown in a blender though and whipped with air, oxidation can happen at warp speed. 

While green juice that isn't so green, or once bright guac that's turned brown, is still perfectly safe for consumption, visuals matter! Since the use of a blender speeds along the natural oxidation process, if you can avoid blending greens (especially warm ones), you're already one step ahead. But for dishes like a chutney or tossing spinach into smoothies, it's unavoidable. 

In these instances, follow chef Ajay Sharma's wisdom of tackling the issue from multiple angles. Because the churn of the high powered blender motor mixed with warm temps spell disaster for greens, says Sharma, keep everything ice cold. Never blend warm greens or toss room temp ones into a blender; instead keep components in the fridge right up until you're ready to blend, and toss in an ice cube to keep things fresh, which will make oxidation less likely.

Acid is also the MVP for warding off browning of fresh produce — it's the same wisdom that helps keep apples from browning in the refrigerator. So, says chef Sharma, the key with green chutney is adding in a squeeze of acidic lemon juice or dollops of yogurt. Once your perfect hue is achieved, act quickly to preserve it. Anything with blended greens should either be consumed right away, or if storing for later, always kept in the fridge, tightly covered with a lid, and kept in the front — where you'll remember to eat it up within a couple days max.