Joe Rogan likes to start his day by drinking a kale shake. He’s been making these bright green “Hulk loads” smoothies for years. Drinking a kale shake is the easiest way to consume your recommended daily servings of vegetables. Chewing and swallowing the same quantity of vegetables is boring and time consuming. Kale shakes don’t taste the best so in that sense, it’s hard to screw up making one. You can experiment and add whatever veggies you want. Adding fruit can help improve the bitter taste.
Even when it tastes great, it sucks!
– Joe Rogan on kale shakes
What blender does Joe Rogan use?
Blendtec Designer 625 Blender
Joe Rogan uses a blender to make his kale shakes instead of a juicer because a blender retains the fruit and vegetable fiber while a juicer does not. To obtain the perfect shake consistency you will need a high speed blender. A low quality blender will be unable to blend the ingredients properly and you will be left drinking a chunky liquid salad.
When Rogan first started making kale shakes, he was using a Vitamix blender. He later switched to a Blendtec Designer 625 blender, claiming it to be superior to the Vitamix. Both are high quality options although they are expensive. You can save some money by buying a certified refurbished Blendtec or Vitamix blender from Amazon. A good low budget option is the Ninja blender.
Nutrition and Health Benefits
Kale shakes are nutrient dense and low in calories. One cup of chopped kale has only 33 calories. A typical serving of Joe Rogan’s Infamous Hulk Loads Kale Shake has around 300 calories with about 60g of carbs and 13g of protein. Kale, celery, cucumber, ginger, and garlic all contain antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects.
Kale is high in micronutrients and a good source of magnesium, iron, calcium and Vitamins K, A and C. It’s also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids which are important for vision health. Kale contains sulforaphane which breaks down into isothiocynates. Isothiocynates turn off bad genes which would otherwise activate carcinogens and turn on good genes which prevent DNA damage and kill cancer cells.
The high fiber content of a kale shake is very filling and according to Joe Rogan will make your poop slide right out.
Joe Rogan’s Original Kale Shake
Joe has posted a few different variations of his kale shake recipe. This recipe from 2012 is the original kale shake that he drank daily. It is very heavy on the garlic so you might want to start with one clove of garlic or none at all. This kale shake is also quite thick. Add a cup of water or some ice cubes to thin it out.
Ingredients
- 4 large kale leaves
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 cucumber
- 1 “pager sized” chunk of ginger root
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 good sized slices of pineapple or 1 pear
Ingredients for kale shake: 4 large kale leafs, 4 stalks of celery, 1 cucumber, 1 pager sized hunk of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, pineapple
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 17, 2012
The video below shows Joe Rogan making a kale shake in 2011. He had only been drinking kale shakes for a few weeks so he was still experimenting with the recipe. Rogan first learned about kale shakes from his friend, actor Kevin James, who lost 80lbs after including them in his diet. The ingredients are the same as above, however he did not include garlic and used a pear instead of pineapple.
Joe Rogan’s Infamous Hulk Loads Kale Shake
The Infamous Hulk Loads Kale Shake is a slight variation of the Original Recipe. Rogan reduced the amount of celery and ginger, and replaced the pineapple or pear with an apple. Again, consider adding a cup of water or some ice cubes if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Ingredients
- 1 large salad sized clump of kale
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 cucumber
- 1 “car key fob sized” chunk of ginger root
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 apple
https://www.instagram.com/p/1yMZcEJyGs/
Joe Rogan’s Angry Hulk Loads Kale Shake
Rogan sometimes incorporates beets into his kale shake after a suggestion by former podcast guest Rich Roll. The beet turns the color of the kale shake from green to red. The addition of coconut oil allows your body to better absorb nutrients from fat-soluble vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- 4 large kale leaves
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 cucumber
- 1 “testicle sized” chunk of ginger root
- 4 cloves of garlic
- apple
- 1/3 of a beet
- extra virgin coconut oil
The angry hulk loads (red) recipe: kale, celery, cucumber, 1/3 of a beet, 4 cloves garlic, testicle sized chunk of ginger apple, coconut oil
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) February 21, 2013
Joe Rogan’s Hulking Kale Shake (Onnit)
This kale shake recipe via Onnit includes the same base ingredients as well as the pineapple from the Original Recipe, uses 1 less clove of garlic, while adding coconut oil and 2 cups of water or coconut water.
Ingredients
- 4 large kale leaves
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 cucumber
- 1 “thumb sized” chunk of ginger root
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 pineapple
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
- 16 oz water or coconut water
Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s Kale Smoothie
Dr. Rhonda Patrick is a frequent guest on the JRE Podcast who is also a big fan of daily green smoothies. Rhonda’s Ultimate Micronutrient Smoothie is kale based like Joe Rogan’s, however she adds a lot more ingredients. She also started out using a Vitamix 5200 blender but eventually switched to a Blendtec blender which she likes more.
The ingredients below are for a 32 fluid ounce serving.
Ingredients
- 4 large kale leaves
- 2 to 3 rainbow chard leaves with stems
- 1.5 cups of baby spinach
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 tomato
- 1/2 large avocado
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 apple
- 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/2 tall shot glass of flaxseed (optional)
- 1.5 cups of unsweetened flax milk
In the video below, Dr. Rhonda Patrick goes in depth to describe the health benefits of each ingredient included in her kale smoothie.
