This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I can earn a small commission from items you purchase (at no cost to you).
If you’re new to green smoothies—or just want one that actually tastes good—this is the recipe to start with. This simple green smoothie blends spinach with banana, mango, and pineapple to create a naturally sweet, tropical drink that comes together in minutes. It’s proof that healthy can be easy, delicious, and something you’ll actually want to make again tomorrow.
Table of Contents
What is a Green Smoothie?
A green smoothie is a blended drink made with leafy greens, like spinach or kale, and naturally sweet fruit such as bananas, berries, or tropical fruit. The fruit balances the flavor of the greens, creating a smooth, refreshing drink that’s easy to enjoy. Green smoothies are a quick and simple way to add more fiber, vitamins, and minerals to your day in one glass.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Everything you need to make my favorite green smoothie recipe is found in a garden, farmer’s market, or the produce section of your grocery store. I’ve found that the closer we eat to nature, the better we feel. This green smoothie recipe is a great way to start that journey.
- Fresh spinach: Baby spinach is the most mild version to use in smoothies, and also the most easy to find. I suggest using organic spinach because it’s on the Dirty Dozen List.
- Pineapple: I buy frozen pineapple at Costco in bulk to make Frozen Meal Prep Smoothie Packs. If it’s on sale, I’ll cut up pineapple and freeze it myself.
- Mango: You’ll find frozen mango next to the ice cream in the freezer section. I love how it’s already peeled and cut for you and ready to add to the blender. If fresh mango is on sale, you can always cut the mango and freeze yourself. Check out my guide on how to cut mango.
- Fresh banana: Bananas add a creaminess to smoothies that is hard to replicate. It’s magic! You can also freeze bananas to use them in green smoothies, yet the best results come from blending with a fresh, ripe banana.
- Water: The liquid base in the smoothie is water. Use filtered water to avoid any unnecessary chemicals or pollutants.
Save this Recipe for Later!
Enter your info below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox to save for later.
How to Make a Green Smoothie
The only equipment you need to make this green smoothie recipe is a blender for smoothies. A juicer or food processor won’t work to get you a creamy smoothie.
- Blend 1 cup of spinach in a blender with 1 cup of liquid. Blend until all leafy chunks are gone.
- Toss in 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 turn it into a smoothie bowl, use more frozen fruit. (You can freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple, or berries.)
- Add in superfoods once the smoothie is nice and creamy. Chia seeds, hemp hearts, and flax seeds are all great choices.
- In order to break down the cell walls of the plants, you need to blend at high speed. You shouldn’t have any leafy chunks or weird texture in your smoothie if your blender is powerful enough.
- Drink immediately. To get the maximum amount of nutrients from a smoothie, drink it immediately after blending it.
Recipe Tips
- Following a simple smoothie method in my How to Make a Smoothie guide helps balance greens, fruit, and liquid for a smooth, great-tasting blend. Tossing in random greens can lead to bitter flavors or a thin texture.
- Frozen fruit makes smoothies thick and creamy without ice, which can dilute flavor and strain your blender. I use a fresh banana for creaminess, plus frozen mango and frozen pineapple for sweetness.
- Invest in a high-speed blender for smoothies if you plan to make green smoothies a daily habit—it makes blending faster, smoother, and easier to stick with.
Ingredient Swaps
- Banana: You can substitute it with a quarter of an avocado.
- Mango: Swap with frozen pineapple, red apple or peaches for a fiber-rich alternative.
- Pineapple: Swap with a naval orange to get that juicy citrus flavor.
- Water: Use oat milk, almond milk, coconut water or orange juice depending on your health goals.
- Spinach: Swap for kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, or any leafy greens of your choice.
How to Store a Green Smoothie
Store your green smoothie in the fridge with an air-tight lid (ex: mason jars are great) for up to 48 hours, yet I think it tastes best if consumed within 4 hours after blending. The longer your smoothie is exposed to oxygen, the more it breaks down and the nutrients deteriorate (aka: oxidation).
Green Smoothie Add-Ins
- Protein powder: You can turn any green smoothie recipe into a meal replacement by adding a serving of my Homemade Protein Powder to the blender.
- Natural sweeteners: Increase sweetness by using more natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, bananas, or dates. A smoothie can taste like dessert without any refined sugars.
- Chia seeds: A simple way to add more healthy fats and protein is to add 2 tbsp chia seeds. It won’t alter the taste, but drink fast or it will congeal. Some recipes suggest adding almond butter, yet that’s disgusting in a tropical green smoothie
- Collagen: Unflavored collagen is a simple way to add additional protein and support gut health.
- More vegetables: Try adding 1/4 cup frozen cauliflower for a fiber boost without altering the flavor.
More Green Smoothies
Once you try the recipe below, you’re gonna want more green smoothie recipes. It happens every day in my inbox! I love it! Here’s some of the most popular ones on my blog to try next:
- My son is obsessed with this Mango Orange Smoothie recipe.
- This Simple Kale Smoothie will surprise even the pickiest smoothie drinkers.
- I love this Glowing Green Smoothie with spinach and romaine lettuce for digestive support.
- Escape with this tropical Detox Island Green Smoothie to heal from within.
Dietary Adjustments & Substitutions
Need to accommodate a food allergy? Click the button below for tailored suggestions just for you:
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup mango frozen
- 1 banana
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.
Video
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Try adding a serving of Homemade Protein Powder, it’s super clean and easy to make.
- Not a fan of bananas? Swap it for 1/4 avocado, additional 1/2 cup mango or 1/2 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).
- Store in the fridge with a lid until ready to drink.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
You won’t be able to taste the spinach if you use the proper ratio of fruit to spinach (1½ : 1). This green smoothie recipe tastes like a mango pineapple smoothie with a hint of banana flavor.
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.
Green smoothies are the healthiest fast food out there. Blending spinach and fruit into a smoothie is a great way to boost your immune system, increase fiber intake, and boost your energy levels. Adding kale or spinach in a smoothie has incredible health benefits with additional phytonutrients. What we eat can truly transform our body 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 and leafy greens, typically spinach or kale. They’re loaded with iron, potassium, fiber and vitamins galore.
Any blender will work, yet to get the creamiest green smoothie you’ll need a high speed blender. Check out my Best Blenders for Smoothies 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.
i wonder if anybody tried a green smoothie with a full head of a romaine lettuce, i tried and i got this earthy taste , can anybody tell me how can i get rid of it.
Hi Sharon.
Maybe add a banana, some carrots and an apple.
Romaine lettuce is definitely more bitter. That’s why it’s great to start with spinach for a more mild taste. Or try half and half. And I always add a banana to sweeten things up. 🙂
I’ve been making veggie/fruit smoothies for about 2 months now but I am really excited about taking part in the 30-day challenge. I do have to admit that I drink my smoothie all in one sitting (32 ozs), usually at breakfast. It’s filling enough to hold me over until lunch time and I don’t feel as overly full (and guilty) as I used to when I was eating bagels,etc. Love reading other participants posts too. It’s more fun in a group. :o)
Hi, is it okay to drink the green smoothies on an empty stomach at breakfast? I ask because I’m pre-diabetic and I worry the sugar content may play havoc with body. Should I be eating protein first? Anything you would suggest? B
Hi Bea!
You know your body better than we do. Tons of people drink green smoothies for breakfast and love it! Here are a couple articles you may find helpful:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-protein-powder
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/low-sugar-fruits
Hiya ! Just started with this whole green smoothie challenge & im wondering is it ok to use the Thermomix to blend ?
I dont own a Vitamix or any other blender unfortunately so im wondering if the big space thermomix offers to blend is alright for these green smoothies
Or must I tightly pack it with ingredients ?
You can absolutely use a Thermomix!
Hello!
So I am a beginner and have a couple of questions =). I was wondering if it is ok to pre-make the smoothies for breakfast the night before? I ask because I have to wake up very early. Also for the beginner’s luck green smoothie is it alright to substitute mango for cantalope? I ask because at the moment I don’t have mango. Thank you! =)
You sure can blend them the night before! Keep them in a fridge in an airtight container. Substituting mango with cantaloupe would be fine, too!
Newbie here. so I have more of an aversion than an allergy to Avocados, Bananas, Mangoes, Kiwi AND Honey. So I am finding it difficult to locate recipies without at least one of these. LOL!! I am going to try a smoothie with Banana in it today and see if when the fruit is broken down by my ninja will also break down whatever I am allergic/sensitive to will not bother me. I also take medication that will not work if I eat or drink anything with citrus (Vitamin C) Does anyone have suggestions for things to use in place of these things.
Hi Christye!
Feel free to replace any fruit you allergic to with another fruit that you love!
I love the smoothies i was skeptically at first about the spinach but you cannot even taste it and it is delicious..thanks
I started your 30 day challenge today, I really like the Beginners Luck green smoothie, I read a few of the reviews and took the advise of one and let the fruit set out for a few minutes to thaw and it did very well, I love it!! I did my shopping and was able to get all the items needed and was very surprised to even find some frozen sweet dark cherries so I am totally excited. I do have one question though, how do you store the other half of the smoothie if you don’t drink it on the same day, is it safe to freeze it overnight or should it be sit in the fridge as is for the next days serving?
Hi Christine!
We usually keep it in the fridge for up to two days if we have leftovers 🙂
Hi…what are your thoughts on frozen spinach and kale. I would buy organic…It is just so much easier as far as storage and I am getting into smoothies because I am so tired of buying veggies to cook in great recipes only to have them go bad before I get a chance too. Thanks for all you do by the way! Just bought the recipe cards as my high school senior does not like when I experiment too much!
Hi Jean!
We’d prefer to buy it fresh and then freeze it. Usually the store-bought frozen leafy greens are blanched first, but be sure to read the bag about that. Here’s an article that may help with freezing greens:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-prep-smoothies/
I started your 30-day challenge this morning with this smoothie. It’s very thick, which I like. I made 1/2 of the recipe in my new Nutribullet. Thanks for the recipes.
It’s one of our favorite recipes!
Thank you so much for creating such a fabulous website ! I’m based in the UK. I have recently purchased the Nutribullet & cannot wait to
commence the 30 day green smoothie challenge. I suffer from mild acne & have tried 101 different lotions & potions ! I’m hoping that this will help me..Thanks again !
Jadah & Jen
Thank you so much for creating this web site. I’m super excited to start on April 1st.
I’m a new mom of a 4 month old baby girl who loves to breastfeed 24/7. Are any of the ingredients that you suggest can make her suffer from colics or cramps while she eats? I’m super nervous since all that we eat goes straight to the milk but I really want to drink smoothies.
Citrus and acidic food can be hard on baby tummies, like oranges, pineapple and tomatoes. Every baby is different though.
Check out this article! It is geared toward pregnancy but the same can be said for breastfeeding:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/smoothie-pregnancy
I wanted to share with you that I made this smoothie, which incidentally is my very first one, and I was pleasantly surprised. My husband gulped his down within a few minutes and later I made one for my two sons. My six year old is extremely finicky, and rarely wants anything except a jelly sandwich. I know-that’s horrible; however, he absolutely LOVED this smoothie! He loved it so much that he requested one everyday when he gets out of school, and he asked if I would make him one on Saturday too. THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me a way to get vegetables into this little guy!!!
This is so encouraging to hear! Thanks for sharing with us, and keep blending those green smoothies!
Hi there,
Your website is amazing, always so grateful when I come across a fantastic resource aligned with my health interests. I have been a juicer/smoothie fan for the last 6 months now…however having a tough time with keeping my fruits and veggies from going off…I find I am really wasting a lot of food. Any tips or tricks on longevity of fruits and veggies. I have definitely cut down on the quantity I purchase, but still find celery goes limp or broccoli a bit off before I can even get through everything.
Thx in advance
This may help you out, Jen!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-prep-smoothies/
Silly question, but assuming most of these recipes allow you to make two servings, should I just cut the ingredients list in half for a single serving?
For example, if I plan to use Almond Milk and Spinach, should I just use 1 cup of almond Milk and 1 cup of spinach, along with a cup of frozen fruit?
You’re correct, Bobby!
I did the 30 day challenge in November it was good. I think this one will be better, veggies & fruits are better this time of year. I’ll use the beginner smoothie til April 1st, changing up the fruits each day for a new twist.
Welcome aboard to the newbies.