Enjoy my favorite green smoothie recipe, which is really a tropical energy drink in disguise. I've blended it in kindergarten classrooms and the kids ask for seconds, no joke! I try and drink at least one kale or spinach smoothie each day to boost my energy levels and fuel my passions.
I know a green smoothie doesn't sound (or look) very appealing at first sight, but when made right it can be beyond delicious. With over a thousand 5-star reviews, it's time for you to see why blending spinach into a smoothie is a great morning routine.
Why You'll Love It
Drinking a daily green smoothie is what helped me get the body and energy to do some incredible things, such as run 47 miles of the Grand Canyon, ride motorcycles through Morocco, publish two best-selling recipe books and create a backyard garden for my kids.
This daily habit has kept my kids healthy when we didn't have health insurance, energized us in between school and sports and nourished us so we rarely get sick. And when we do, we can usually bounce back with some of my own natural remedies. My kids started drinking green smoothies when they were 2 years old. Now, they're teenagers and still drink them.
When I created this recipe...it changed my life in more ways than I ever imagine. It was love at first sip for me, my two kids and over 1 million others who were scared of spinach smoothies. I've published an entire green smoothie cookbook and went on The Doctors TV Show to blend live on stage!
How to Make a Green Smoothie
The only equipment you need to make a green smoothie is a blender. A juicer or food processor won't work to get you a creamy drink you'll want to make over and over. You'll also need to get some fruit and leafy greens. The right ratio of spinach to fruit makes it sweet, as well as helps you reap all the health benefits.
Ingredients you'll need
- fresh spinach
- frozen pineapple
- frozen mango
- fresh banana
- water
It's important to use frozen fruit in a smoothie to chill it down. I know a lot of people use ice, but that will dull your blender blade and not get as creamy of a result. I like to buy my frozen fruit at Costco and create Frozen Smoothie Packs. This saves me time and money, while making a healthy smoothie an easy morning routine.
Spinach Smoothie Blending Advice
1. Blend spinach with liquid base.
Blend 1 cup of spinach (or another leafy greens of your choice) in a blender with 1 cup of liquid. Adding spinach to your smoothie boosts the phytonutrients and fiber, which then slows down the absorption of sugars into your body. Blend well (until all leafy chunks are gone).
Tip: When you’re making your first few green smoothies, follow my Green Smoothie Formula to get the perfect blend. Don't just throw spinach and kale in the blender. Chances are, it’ll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate.
2. Add fruit to blender
Toss in fruit, such as frozen mango, pineapple and bananas in the blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. If you want your smoothie to be extra chilly or possibly even be a smoothie bowl, use more frozen fruit. You can freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries.
If the smoothie isn't as sweet as you would like, add in some natural sweeteners. My go-to are bananas, mango, oranges, honey or pitted dates.
3. Toss in superfoods, if using
Once the smoothie is nice and creamy, you can add in superfoods. Chia seeds, hemp hearts and plant-based protein powder are all great choices. You can turn any smoothie recipe into a meal replacement by adding clean protein and healthy fats. You can also add a serving of Protein Smoothie Boost to any of my smoothie recipes to instantly transform into a meal replacement.
Blend on high and serve immediately for maximum nourishment.
Smoothie Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
You won't be able to taste the spinach if you use the proper ratio of fruit to spinach. This green smoothie tastes like a mango pineapple smoothie with a hint of banana flavor.
Blending spinach into a smoothie is a great way to boost your immune system and increase fiber intake, as well as naturally energize you. A kale or spinach smoothie has incredible health benefits with additional phytonutrients. What we eat can truly transform our bodies and our lives in powerful ways.
Most smoothies you buy or find online are made with just fruit and fruit juice. This makes them crazy high in sugar, which can cause inflammation and consuming excess calories. A green smoothie, on the other hand, is made with fruit, plant-based liquids and leafy greens, typically spinach or kale. They're loaded with iron, potassium, fiber and vitamins galore. If you're not sure which leafy greens to use in your smoothie, check out my Ultimate Leafy Greens Guide for Smoothies.
Any blender will work, yet to get the creamiest green smoothie you'll need a high speed blender. Check out The Ultimate Blender Guide, where I reviewed countless blenders to find the best ones for green smoothies. The key is to get rid of leafy chunks, blend quickly and provide tons of value for the price. Hint: not all of them cost $400.
For busy weeks, you can create Frozen Smoothie Packs that you prep on the weekend and enjoy all week, or month. It'll only take you 5 minutes every morning to have a green smoothie ready to go. You can also blend your smoothie the night before and store it in your fridge until ready to drink.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup pineapple (frozen )
- ½ cup mango (frozen)
- 1 banana
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (optional)
Instructions
- Measure: Tightly pack spinach in a measuring cup.
- Add: Put spinach to blender with water. Blend together until all chunks are gone. (Should resemble green water when blended well).
- Toss: Pineapple, mango and banana to blender. I like to use frozen pineapple and mangos to chill the smoothie down and save time cutting and prepping. It’s a win-win!
- Blend: It all together until smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender, this could take as little as 30 seconds or as long as 2 minutes.
- Pour: Into a glass and serve immediately.
- Store: In the fridge with a lid until ready to drink.
Video
Notes
- Not a fan of bananas? Swap it for ¼ avocado, additional ½ cup mango or ½ cup peaches.
- You can use 1 cup pineapple if you're out of mango.
- Frozen fruit is recommended to chill the smoothie (and save time cutting and washing).
Nutrition (estimated)
More Green Smoothie Recipes
If you'd like to make more green smoothie recipes, check out these popular ones below:
- My son is obsessed with this Mango Orange Smoothie recipe
- Try this tropical Pina Colada Spinach Smoothie to head to the beach asap
- Want to boost your metabolism? Then this is a great fat burning green smoothie recipe
- This kale smoothie will surprise even your taste buds
Nancy L Boulware
A great recipe!
Iyanna H.
This recipe was spots on. It was super delicious and Easy to follow. I’m gonna start making these every morning (it kept me fully most of the day btw) thank you!! 🙂
Kevin
Excellent. Thank you for sharing. I’m trying to move over to eating more plant based foods
Bethy
I havent been enjoying the green smoothies I've been making until now. Your ratios are spot on and I love that it has no dairy! I'm adding flax seed to help me feel fuller longer. My Costco hasn't had frozen pineapple in months so I've been using frozen peaches instead and it works great.
Simple Green Smoothies
That's great to hear Bethy - I totally get how things can be hit and miss when you're not going off a recipe. I'm so happy you've found some awesome solutions!
SKD
Thanks for this recipe. The banana I used must have been too large because it completely overwhelmed ALL the other flavors. I omitted it and substituted a green apple the second time. So yum! I may give a a quarter or half banana a try.
Tara G.
Delicious! I never made smoothies before. I was looking for something simple and easy for beginners. This was it. I made it with Almond milk and all ingredients mentioned. I'm such a fan of this. I may add a boost to it as mentioned but it is not necessary in my opinion.
Simple Green Smoothies
Tara, that's so exciting that you're just entering into the amazingly delicious (and convenient!) world of green smoothies! We are big fans over here.
We have so many recipes to help you fuel your passion and feel your best. If you didn't know, we have an amazing meal-planner website called Rawk the Year. There's a 14-day free trial too if you want to just check it out and snag a few awesome recipes. Keep rawkin!
Vanita
Thank you so much!
DG
My first Green Smoothy! Yummy. I followed the recipe except added non sugar Almond milk instead of water since I had it on hand. It was absolutely delicious and creamy. Thank you!!
Jeanmarie Chartier
I didn't have spinach so switched it out for Swiss chard. I always love fresh ginger in my smoothie so I added a little chunk and whipped it up in my Vitamix.... yummy.