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Whenever I buy a big bag of kale, my goal is simple: use every last leaf. That’s when I start freezing kale and getting creative with my green smoothies. This Kale Banana Smoothie is a great way to turn leftover kale into something crave-worthy.
It blends a mix of fruits—almost like a fruit salad—to soften kale’s bold flavor while still delivering plenty of fiber. I also add collagen to boost protein and support my body at this stage of life, because nourishing well now matters more than ever.
Table of Contents
Kale Banana Smoothie Ingredients
- Kale: This leafy green vegetable is the nutrient backbone of the smoothie. It adds fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants while blending smoothly when paired with enough liquid and fruit.
- Almond milk: A light, non-dairy milk that helps everything blend easily without overpowering the flavors. It keeps the smoothie creamy while staying low in calories. Check out the best almond milk brands to buy.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and a creamy texture that balances kale’s slightly bitter edge. It also contributes potassium for muscle and hydration support. You can also use frozen bananas.
- Frozen pineapple: Brings bright, tropical sweetness and a touch of acidity to keep the flavor fresh. Using it frozen helps create a cold, thick smoothie without ice. You can cut pineapple and freeze yourself, or buy it frozen.
- Frozen strawberries: Add natural sweetness, vitamin C, and antioxidants, plus a subtle berry flavor that pairs well with pineapple and banana.
- Collagen peptides: Boost protein content to make the smoothie more filling and supportive of muscle recovery. Using an unflavored option keeps the fruit flavors front and center.
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Recipe Swaps
- Swap the kale with baby kale or spinach for a milder flavor that blends smoothly while still providing fiber and nutrients.
- Swap the almond milk with water, coconut water, or oat milk for a lighter texture or subtle sweetness.
- Swap the banana with ½ an avocado or frozen mango to keep the smoothie creamy with less natural sugar.
- Swap the collagen peptides with an unflavored protein powder to keep protein high without altering flavor.
How to Make Kale Banana Smoothie
- Start with the liquid. Pour the almond milk into your blender first. This helps everything blend more easily.
- Add the greens and soft fruit. Add the kale and banana next. Blending these first helps break down the kale so you don’t get leafy bits.
- Add frozen fruit. Toss in the frozen pineapple and strawberries for natural sweetness and a cold, thick texture.
- Finish with collagen. Add the collagen peptides last so they blend evenly.
- Blend until smooth. Start on low, then increase to high and blend until creamy. Add a splash more almond milk if needed.
Recipe Tips
Even though this smoothie is balanced and uses whole foods, the fruit can still be high in natural sugar. If you are sensitive to natural sugar, there are a variety of ways to help your body process those tasty sweet fruits:
- If you don’t have a smoothie blender, blend the kale and liquid first to fully break down the greens and create a smooth, grit-free base.
- Use frozen fruit instead of ice to keep the smoothie thick, cold, and naturally sweet without watering it down. Learn more ingredient tips in my how to make a smoothie guide.
- Balance the flavors with enough fruit or a squeeze of citrus to soften kale’s bitterness and keep the smoothie refreshing.
- Decrease sugar by swapping half the banana for a quarter of an avocado (or 1 whole banana with 1/2 an avocado). Your smoothie will be less sweet, but also lower in sugar.
If you’ve got extra kale after making this smoothie, don’t let it go to waste. Try blending it into other favorites like an tropical kale smoothie, mango kale smoothie or a refreshing coconut water smoothie for easy, flavorful ways to use it up.
Kale Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 banana
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup strawberries frozen
- 1 serving collagen peptides
Instructions
- Place kale and almond milk in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Add fruit and blend again.
- Add in collagen and blend on low.
- Pour in glass and enjoy.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- De-stem the kale before adding to your smoothie to cut down on the bitterness.
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
- If you don’t like kale, swap for baby kale which is more mild. Or you can even replace with spinach.
- To lower the natural sugar, swap 1/2 banana with 1/4 an avocado. Or swap the whole banana with 1/2 an avocado.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
Yes! Wash the kale well, and massage the leaves while you wash it (this tenderizes them). De-stem before adding to your blender to cut down on the bitterness.
Massaging kale is an easy way to cut down on bitterness. You can also pair kale with a citrus fruit (like pineapple or lemon) to counteract the bitterness.
It’s important to have a balanced smoothie, so swap the collagen with another protein source like protein powder, chia seeds or silken tofu.
I really enjoyed this smoothie.. I swapped the pineapple for avocado and it was delicious. Creamy and tasty.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing other ways to make this smoothie yummy!
OH yes, this is great. I love when berries are including in smoothies.
I love berries in my smoothie as well! Glad you enjoyed it!
I blended in a 1/2 oz of almonds with the homemade protein powder mix and greens, to take the place of almond milk. I added everything else as listed and it was great. I love to see berries in a smoothie.
Love how you used almonds in place of almond milk. Great idea!
This is my favorite kale smoothie! So tasty!
Yay! Thanks for the review!
This was a great smoothie! I added fresh strawberries because that is what I had, it gave the smoothie a great pop.
I love you added strawberries! Sounds yummy!
I enjoyed tho smoothie – nice change using kale when my go to is usually spinach. And it surprisingly wasn’t overpowering as I was expecting it to be. I make my own almond milk using Almond Cow, but will also try tho recipe again using coconut water for when I don’t have almond milk to hand. I think it will work just as well.
I love switching up kale and spinach! Kale is actually lovely in smoothies!
This one is delicious! Who would even know those delicious greens are hiding in there. So glad I found this during the 7 day Challenge!!!!
So glad you enjoyed the Kale Banana Smoothie!
This Kale Banana smoothie is not my favorite out of the whole week. I can taste the bitterness that I can only assume is from the kale. I can taste the banana but not the strawberries. But, it’s not horrible and will drink it again because it’s good for me. I probably will try a little less kale or maybe a different variety. I feel like some of these smoothies, you need to play with them to meet your taste buds.
Sorry to hear that this smoothie was not your favorite. I like how you are going to try different ingredients to make it your own! Let me know if you find what works for you!
Ok but not a favorite. The banana overpowered the other flavors. Will try again with 1/2 the banana
Trying half of the banana is a good idea! Hopefully it will taste great for you!
Made this much earlier today and loved it!!
So glad you enjoyed the smoothie! Thanks for the review!
Great smoothie. As always, I made changes. I used oat milk for my liquid. Used 1/2 banana and 1/4 c pineapple so it wasn’t a super sweet drink. I love the taste of kale,but it wasn’t noticeable in this smoothie.
Thank you for the review. I love how you make the smoothie to your tasting. Rawk on!
Love the high protein and fiber in this one. Keeps me feeling full all morning. Pineapple is amazing and freezing it prior to blending is a perfect way to keep is chilled without adding ice.
So glad you enjoyed this smoothie. Great tip if you are using fresh pineapple!