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
Maiko
We drink smoothies almost daily. We love Earthy Andy recipes. We love this one too! We substituted it for a frozen banana.
HT
The green smoothie is our family favorite. Everyone was afraid to taste it because of the spinach in it. I told them “Just try it. You will be surprised”. They loved it and ask for a green smoothie everyday. It tastes like bananas. You can’t even taste the spinach in it. Definitely a great way to get your greens. Thank you! We are looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes.
HT
The green smoothie is our family favorite. Everyone was afraid to taste it because of the spinach in it. I told them “Just try it. You will be surprised”. They loved it and ask for a green smoothie everyday. It tastes like bananas. You can’t even taste the spinach in it. Definitely a great way to get your greens. Thank you! We are looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes.
Sue
First ever smoothie and I loved it
Megan
Really enjoyed this one! I added some vital protein to make it a complete meal for breakfast. Good way to start my day!
Chuck
Yummy green smoothie! Mixed in some moringa powder this morning and the taste was still tropically delicious. Thank you for the love you’ve poured into this site. Great resource that I’ll visit often.
Jen
Skipped the banana (because I forgot to put it in) and thought it was great. Skipped the protein powder as well so my little could have some. Perfect amount of sweetness. Great way to get our veggie intake up.
Simple Green Smoothies
Some feel bananas make smoothies too sweet, so I always recommend adding an avocado in it's place. Cuts down on the sweetness, but it'll make your smoothies super creamy!
Since you liked it without the banana, maybe this is a substitute you'd like to try. Glad you liked it!
Alyssa
I add cucumber and carrots to mine, still delish!
Lily Jane
i made it and it was okay, think i should add orange juice instead of milk next time.
Simple Green Smoothies
Orange juice would be great to swap in for the this recipe! Keep in mind that it will increase sugar and calories vs. plant based milk, if that's important to you.
D Alicia
Delicious, thank you! I don't like bananas but I used them anyway but added just a little or mango so that it would supersede the taste of that. Also, I used a green mix (spinach, kale, lettuce) instead of just spinach because that's what I had on hand. Again, thank you 🙂
Simple Green Smoothies
Fantastic swaps! So glad you gave this a blend. Which recipe will you try next?!
Caron Kirkland
Don’t do a lot of smoothies, but trying to get ready for my wedding I decided to try it out. Great taste I used a little pineapple juice and little water for liquids.
Thumbs up
Simple Green Smoothies
So awesome Caron! And congrats on your big day!
Olivia
Just made this into a sorbet for dinner last night (no liquid, lots of blending) and it was a family hit!
Jen
This is absolutely delicious! I just had bariatric surgery four months ago and needed a green smoothie recipe that tastes good with some protein powder added in. I’m in love with this smoothie
Elsa
Yummy! Very tasty!!!
Dana
Blueberries and bananas, great combo! Was gifted a box of grapefruit this week, so, anyone have a good smoothie recipe for grapefruit? Thanks for this 10 day smoothie challenge. I enjoyed trying the new recipes!
Erin
These are great grapefruit smoothie recipes:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/fat-burning-smoothie
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/grapefruit-smoothie
Barbara Harvey
Ohhhhhhhh,did I enjoy my spinach, banana,Greek yogurt, avocado and a little honey.thank you...I'm going to try all these recipes in time...love my smoothies every day.thank you. Barbara.x