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
Susann
Good morning! Happy New Year! Had my first green smoothie this morning. Very refreshing!!
Jadah and Jen
Happy New Year, Susann! 🙂
Beverly
I see several who have not received the shopping list, check your spam file as that is where mine ended up.
Jadah and Jen
Thanks, Beverly! 🙂
Kay Houston
I did not receive the grocery list. Can you please send it?
Thank you,
Kay
Jadah and Jen
Hi Kay!
Please contact us through the link below so we can help you out!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/contact
Beverly
Thank you Jadah and Jen for replying to my earlier post about not receiving the shopping list.....
..I did just find the shopping list in my spam file.....I had already gone shopping earlier today and find that I already have or had gotten everything your list had on it. except pears and raspberries this before seeing your list..........I also made my first green smoothie yesterday....spinach, carrot, mango, blueberries, 1/'2 scoop rice protein powder and almond milk drank 1/2 yesterday, finished it this morning.
Look forward to officially starting the challenge on Jan. 1st.
Jadah and Jen
Glad you got the list and had most of the ingredients! Can't wait for tomorrow 🙂
Susan
I did my first green smoothie yesterday. My Nutribullet could not handle a full recipe so I had quite the production my first time. It turned out great though - I just had a mess to clean up 🙂 I have now separated the recipe and bagged up the ingredients and put them in the freezer for the rest of this week. I am going to use this as my meal replacement for breakfast and just whip it up for my ride into work. I did the Almond Joy today and it is so tasty. I am glad I came across this site.
Jadah and Jen
Sounds like a great plan, Susan!
Alison
Hi, I signed up over a month ago and again today and no shopping list. I see responses to other questions but no response to whe anyone will get a shopping list. I am going shopping today. Also I am one person, should I be making enough for two smoothies or cutting your recipes in half. They seem very high in calories so to drink two a day ia a lot.
Jadah and Jen
Hi Alison!
If you are drinking one smoothie a day, then cut the recipes in half. If you haven't received your shopping list, then contact us through the link below so we can get it to you:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/contact
Mercelyne
What do you mean by tightly packed when referring to spinach ..I don't understand it . Expound more please. Mercelyne .
Jadah and Jen
Hi Mercelyne,
It means we measure it in a measuring cup, pack the spinach into it, and then dump it unto our blender pitcher. Hope this helps!
Beverly
I signed up for the 30 day challenge on 12/26/13 received verification but haven't received the shopping list.....is there some way to access the list.
Jadah and Jen
Beverly,
Contact us through the link below so we can help you out 🙂
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/contact
Lindsay
I just signed up for the 30 day challenge starting this week. Hen will I receive my grocery list? I received an initial email but there was no link to "confirm" my participation in the challenge. I just want to make sure I receive the emails so I can participate!
Jadah and Jen
Lindsay,
Contact us with the link below so we can help you out:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/contact
Jen
I just signed up for the 30 day challenge. I've never had a green smoothie before. I guess I didn't read the recipe and got kale instead of spinach. Will that make a difference?
Jadah and Jen
Hi Jen!
You can definitely use kale instead of spinach! Pretty much any leafy green can be substituted for another. The only thing about kale is that you may want to blend it with the liquid first for a bit before adding fruits. It is a bit tougher to blend than spinach 🙂
Victoria
When can i expect the shopping list for the January challenge?
Luma
Hello! I am so excited to have stumbled across this page. I just had bariatric surgery, so I was searching for a Smoothie "home" to call my own. I got my Blendtec and I am ready to tackle a healthier 2014. Question - since I do have the Blendtec, can I use ice? Would I substitute any of the water? Or just add ice to the recipe above? Also - what about protein powders? I was thinking of the Isopure (no flavor) and just add a scoop to your recipes. Is that ok? Thank you so much for this AWESOME website <3
Jadah and Jen
Hi Luma!
Not too sure about Isopure—don't have any experience with it. If you like it and trust it then go for it 🙂 We don't mind adding a bit of protein here and there. You can add ice if you'd like, too. We prefer to freeze some of our fruits to keep them from going bad, and just adding those for a chill. If you use ice, then you may want to reduce the amount of liquid you use in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Anthony
You will love it
Tyra
Chia seeds: How much water do I soak them in and for how long?
Jadah S
You can soak 2 tablespoons of chia seeds in 6 tablespoons of water for 5-10 minutes.
Sarel
Hi
Me and my wife are on green smoothies already, we use what is available. Frozen vegitables is a good source and provide the coldness. I also love to plant some vegitables but only the ones that grow like weeds.
Jen myself being a "spiritual man" I would love to meet your husband if possible. I am in Namibia so it is only the Atlantic deviding us.
Anthony
If you are using a vita mix you can let it blend for 5 mins on high speed to make a warm soup blend. If you don't have you could warm it slightly but not past about 112 degrees. Good luck. Stay with it and you will be rewarded