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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 green vegetables, 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 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.
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How to Make a Green 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. A juicer or food processor won’t work to get you a creamy smoothie.
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. Here are some of my favorite oat milk brands and almond milk brands to buy.
- Spinach: Swap for kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, or any leafy green vegetables 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
Here’s some of the most popular green smoothie recipes on my blog to try next:
- My son is obsessed with this mango orange smoothie recipe.
- This tropical 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.
If you make this best green smoothie recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
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 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.
Super! Thank you 😀
You’re welcome, Kate! 🙂
Thank you for adding me. I am starting a late but I am looking forward to the challenge.
Hey Shawnna! It is never too late to join! 🙂 Glad you have joined us!
my neighbor was telling me about this and I am getting info and making list of things will need to get started… I am 59 yrs old with some health issues from boot camp… not as young as use to be… lol but anxious to start this program… what have I got to loose… oh yea… weight…
oh and I am going to try the 1 oz of apple cider vinegar b4 bedtime.. hope it helps the sweats cant wait to try tonight… thanks for that tip
Glad you are here, Toni! 🙂
Hello Lovely Ladies,
I am officially starting the 30 day challenge today. I am inspired by all the comments, and REALLY inspired by the website. I have a quick question: What would you recommend for a banana substitution. I am unable to eat them. I thought I would share this little titbit for anyone challenged with this as well….I take 1 oz. of apple cidar vinegar 30 minutes before bed time has helped me sleep better as well as it has reduced my night sweats (I am over 50) so that I am able to have a more restful sleep.
Thank you for the inspiration, recipes, and support 😀
Kate
I started to add protein powder to my smoothies. I am using Vanilla Whey Protein, and the flavor completely over powers the taste of the smoothie. I had looked at some plant based protein, but they only had 9 grams of protein vs. the 25 grams in the whey. I need to find a protein powder with a good amount of protein and no real flavor so I can still taste the delicious smoothie. Any suggestions???
Hey Allison!
Have you tried Hemp Hearts? They have 10g of protein.
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/shop
Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi! I’m in the midst of the 30 day challenge and I’m loving it! However, I am trying to count calories and none of the recipes indicate how many calories it is. Is there anyway you can help with this? Thanks!
Hi Dafina! We personally don’t count calories, so we don’t include them in our recipes at this time. You will find that when you consume more nourishing whole fruits and veggies, you will not only feel full longer, but you’ll also have lessened cravings for high-calorie, nutritionally empty foods. So in the end it balances out. But we know many people would like to have calorie info. Two great resources for tracking calories are the phone apps My Fitness Pal and Lose It.
I’ve been using My Fitness Pal to estimate the calories for each individual ingredient, divided by the serving amounts. Not exact but it gives a pretty good estimate.
Day 10 of the challenge and still going!! 🙂
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Karyne! Glad MyFitnessPal is working out for you! 🙂
Hi,
I’m so excited to start the 30 day challenge! I just have one question. I’m not a very big fan of spinach or kale (or any green fruits and veggies) and I wanted to know if the fruit in the smoothies will cover up the taste of the Spinach/kale.
Thanks!
Hi Vive, have to tried baby spinach or baby kale? It is much more mild.
YAY! Made my first smoothie today (beginners luck) and it’s delicious! I am so excited to try so many new ones! I do have one question…there were a lot of hair-like strands in it. I’m guessing that’s from the spinach, so should I pick the stems off tomorrow?? 🙂 thanks!
Hi Paige. I actually find that it is the pineapple that does this. Try blending the pineapple and liquid first then add your leafy greens, followed by the rest of your recipes! 🙂
I just picked up a NutriBullet Pro today. I am going to try a 10 day cleanse from a book I bought at Amazon. That book is how I found your website. My hope is to jump start a weight loss program. I am a 51 year old male and have lost 80 pounds at least three times since my 20’s. I always followed the Atkins diet which works great as long as you stay on it. I have always gained all the weight back within two years. I now am the biggest I’ve ever been, about 350 pounds. I’m 6’4″ so have always carried weight well, but now my proportions are obviously out of skew. I am always tired and don’t sleep well. My medical doctor just wants to prescribe more meds that have worse side effects than what it’s supposed to treat.
Bottom line, I really hope this smoothie thing works for me. I need something to turn my health around. I stopped taking all the meds about a month ago and already feel better except the post traumatic arthritis in my feet and legs.
After the 10 day cleanse, I’ll continue the challenge for the remaining 20 days until I’ve completed the 30 challenge. I am hoping to be down 20lbs by the end of the July.
P.S. Great website and loads of information. Thanks for this great resource.
Best wishes to you, Steve! Let us know if you need anything from us!
All the best!
Steve I just wanted to cheer you on! Good for you!
Hey! Yes I saw that and am definitely considering. Since I am doing this challenge and a 21 day work out program, I don’t want to take on to change too much.
Can I drink the whole recipe in a day? I work weird hours and don’t get home till 8:30/9. Being able to have a smoothie that I can drink at lunch and for a snack/dinner would be great.
Yes, we recommend 16oz servings. Most recipes make 32-40oz.
Enjoy!
I am starting my Green Smoothie life today. I used the basics of one of your recipes to make todays. As I do this I am also trying to change my regular eating habits, which are terrible. My plan is to have a breakfast (grapefruit and yogurt, cereal, protein shake/bar) then to have the smoothie as a meal replacement at lunch. Hopefully have a snack during the day (although I’m not sure what to use) and then dinner…(and I am pretty lacking in knowledge of health meals).
If I am doing the smoothies for lunch, what should I do with your recipes. Is drinking a whole one too much? Should I add protein of somem kind? I am in desperate need of changing my life and am really eager to do this correctly.
Hey Allison! You seem to be heading in the right direction! The desire for a change and putting it into action is a great start! If you are looking for a whole new eating plan, have you checked out our Plant-Based Cleanse? https://simplegreensmoothies.com/cleanse
Hi
So I know were supposed to use fresh raw spinach however where I live raw vegetables arent really hygenic as theyre mostly sold by the road. I wanted to know of I could cook the spinach or if there is anyother way to clean it rather than just washing?
Hey Nisha! Do you have access to frozen spinach?
This is the best thing I have ever tasted, this is the first time in a long that I have had a full serving of fruit and veggies. I didn’t even taste the veggies much. I loved it!!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Amanda!
Everything said made a great deal of sense.
But, think on this, what if you composed a catchier post title?
I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, however what
if you added a headline that grabbed people’s attention? I mean Beginner’s Luck
Green Smoothie – Simple Green Smoothies is a little vanilla.
You ought to peek at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they write post titles to grab people to open the links.
You might add a related video or a picture or two to get readers interested about everything’ve got to say.
Just my opinion, it might bring your website a little
livelier.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Might be obvious but I’m new to this. Do you put spinach stems in? I did this morning and can feel them in the smoothie. A bit thready! Thanks.
Hi Juliet!
If you use baby spinach you can toss the whole thing in but if theres woody stems, you’ll want to toss those first and just use the leaf!! 🙂
I’m starting the July 30-day challenge next week and getting excited! I just made this and it was great. It’s hard for me to get fresh spinach or kale locally on a regular basis — next opportunity I get I’ll stock up and freeze — so until then I am using packaged frozen. 1)You wrote to see on the package if the spinach was blanched before frozen. Mine doesn’t mention that but says it was picked when ripe and flash frozen to preserve nutrients. Is this good? 2) I noticed my smoothie is a much darker green than the one in your pictures. (Still great, though.) Can it be that because my frozen spinach is so tightly packed/condensed, the quantities should be adjusted, or should I continue to use the same amount as I would fresh? Thanks!
Hi Sarah!
It sounds like the frozen spinach is pretty good. Go for it 🙂 It could be pretty condensed causing there to be more spinach than what we normally use. That’s ok, though!