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My favorite green smoothie recipe is really a tropical energy drink in disguise. With over 1,300 5-star reviews, it’s time for you to see why blending spinach into a smoothie is a tasty morning habit.
I know a green smoothie doesn’t sound (or look) very appealing at first sight, but it can be beyond delicious. I’ve blended this recipe in kindergarten classrooms (and the kids ask for seconds)! I’ve made it for my teenage daughter’s volleyball friends and they chug it down. I drink this green smoothie recipe almost every morning to boost my energy levels and nourish my body.
Table of contents
Benefits of a Green Smoothie
Drinking this green smoothie is what gave me the body and energy levels to do some incredible things in my late 30’s after having two kids. I’ve run 47 miles of the Grand Canyon, rode a motorcycle across Morocco in a 7-day race, hiked Angel’s Landing and created a backyard garden for my kids.
This simple green smoothie is great for beginners because it’s naturally sweetened with fruit (no added sugars) and loaded with greens and protein. Some of the benefits I’ve noticed when I drink a green smoothie every day are:
- More energy from the natural fruit sugars
- Don’t get sick (my immune system is strong thanks to all the nutrients)
- My digestive system is happy with all the fiber and hydration from a green smoothie
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. Here’s some photos of them over the years (they have no clue I put these on here!).
When I created this green smoothie recipe, it changed my family’s life in more ways than I ever imagined. It was love at first sip for me, my two kids and 1 million others, who were intimidated by spinach (just like me!). Since them, I’ve published a best-selling green smoothie cookbook and shared my recipes live on The Doctors TV Show…twice!
Best Green Smoothie Ingredients
Everything you need to make a green smoothie is found in a garden, farmer’s market or the produce section of your grocery store. The closer we eat to nature, the better we feel. This smoothie recipe is a great way to start eating healthier foods. Here’s the ingredients we’ll be blending:
- 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 one of the Dirty Dozen. The right ratio of spinach to fruit makes it sweet, as well as helps you reap all the health benefits.
- Frozen pineapple: I buy frozen pineapple at Costco in bulk to make Frozen Smoothie Packs. If it’s on sale, I’ll cut up pineapple and freeze it myself.
- Frozen mango: You’ll find this 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.
- Fresh banana: Bananas add a creaminess to smoothies that is hard to replicate. It’s magic!
- Water: The liquid base in the smoothie is water. Use filtered water to avoid any unnecessary chemicals or pollutants. I like using a Berkey Water Filter that I keep on my countertop.
Fresh VS frozen fruit
I prefer using frozen fruit because it chills down your smoothie without using ice, which can dull your blender blades overtime. I use fresh bananas in my smoothies because I like how creamy they make it.
How to Blend a Green Smoothie
The only equipment you need to make a green smoothie is a high-speed blender for smoothies. A juicer or food processor won’t work to get you a creamy drink you’ll want to make over and over. Once you have a blender, you can successfully make the best green smoothie recipe following the steps below.
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 until all leafy chunks are gone.
Beginner Blending 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.
Add frozen fruit to blender
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 be a smoothie bowl, use more frozen fruit. You can freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries.
How to sweeten a smoothie
If the smoothie isn’t as sweet as you would like, add in some natural sweeteners like bananas, mango, oranges, honey or pitted dates.
Scoop in the superfoods
Once the smoothie is nice and creamy, you can add in superfoods. Chia seeds, hemp hearts and flax seed are all great choices. You can turn any smoothie recipe into a meal replacement by adding a serving of homemade protein powder to any smoothie recipe.
Blend smoothie on high speed
In order to break down the cell walls of the plants, you need to blend on high speed. You shouldn’t have any leafy chunks in your smoothie if your blender is powerful enough.
Drink green smoothie immediately
To get the maximum amount of nutrients from a smoothie, drink it immediately after blending it. The longer your smoothie is exposed to oxygen, the more it breaks down and the nutrients deteriorate. This is called oxidation. To minimize this, you can store your smoothe in the fridge with an air-tight lid for up to 48 hours, yet I think it tastes best if consumed within 4 hours after blending.
Green Smoothie Recipe Variations
It’s easy to swap ingredients based on what you have on hand. If you’d like 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 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.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup mango frozen
- 1 banana
- 1 serving homemade protein powder 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.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- 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).
Nutrition
Common 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.
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. 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, vegan milks 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 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.
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.
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/frozen-smoothie-packs
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/frozen-smoothie-packs
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.
Signed up and can’t wait to start on April 1st. I am going to start working on the beginner’s luck smoothie in the mean time. Very excited.
I am so looking forward to my first 30 day smoothie challenge. Bring on the Greens..:)
My first challenge starts April 1…looking forward to my emails with my smoothie recipes
Dear Simple Green Smoothies,
I’ve been looking into the whole green smoothies thing or a few weeks now, and trying it a few times a week. When I was searching for new recipes, I stumbled on some sites that talked about the dangers of consuming raw greens because they contain a lot of oxalates. For instance, talks about this.
You use a lot of spinach in your recipes, so I was wondering how you feel about the oxalate-debate. I would really like to know!
The Healthy Home Economist should always be taken with a grain…no, make that a shaker full of salt. 99% of what gets posted there is baseless pseudoscience.
That is the case with her nonsense article on oxalates. While they can pose a problem for certain people (those with kidney problems, arthritis, gout, or vulvodynia), the vast majority of people excrete the oxalates through their urine normally.
Contrary to what is in the article, they will not deposit “anywhere in the body”, that is just plain silly. the claims od “fungal” distress are equally baseless, so no worries there, either.
Maggie,
Bobby has a pretty helpful response written for you already, but I just wanted to add a bit, too. It is possible to have too much of a good thing, but having 1-2 cups (one cup per serving in our recipes) of leafy greens on a daily basis is not too much. For every article you find saying to stay away from leafy greens, you’ll find ten more that are supportive and advocate consuming them!
Lastly… We like to use this old phrase: “The proof is in the pudding.” There have been SO many people that have contacted us letting us know how their lives have improved because they started drinking green smoothies. We hear stories about various body test results coming back with incredible numbers, diabetes lessening or going away, increased energy, weight loss, improved outlook on life, and even how green smoothies have helped jumpstart a better and healthier eating lifestyle.
Hope this helps!