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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.
It was so good I can drink that everyday
Hi there, are fresh baby spinach leaves ok or does it have to be the large on the stalk English spinach?
Baby spinach is great! And organic is even better.
Billy, I think they mean it the opposite way. That amount makes 2 servings. One serving is 1 cup of everything. 🙂
So I’m a little confused on your serving size. You give the amount to buy each week to make 5 days worth of smoothies. But your serving size says that the recipe makes 4-5 cups, half a serving. Naturally one would think you’d want a full serving of something like this a day. That being said we would need to double the amount needed to buy a week and the recipe each day to get a full serving. Can you further explain just what exactly we should be taking in a day, full or half serving. Thanks!
Hi Billy. Our recipes typically make 2 servings (or 4-5 cups). We make 2-serving smoothies to always have enough to share, drink later in the day or save for the next day. If you only want to commit to drinking one green smoothie a day, then you only need to drink 2 cups worth (so we recommend halfing the recipe). I hope that helps Billy!
Wow, I’m super excited about the 30 day challenge! I bought a nuti bullet and experimented with different recipes for a few days, then, the machine stopped working. I returned it, disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to do the challenge. Then I put the ingredients in my blender, *tada!* it worked! Thanks for the inspiration and motivation. I have hypertension, am overweight and looking forward to getting healthy!
Hi, we seldom have spinach here in the Philippines. What can you suggest for replacement?
Use whatever fresh dark leafy greens you can get your hands on. The taste will vary, so you might have to experiment a little, Louie.
Some of the veg in the Philippines can be toxic if consumed raw. The safest thing I can think you can use in a green smoothie is pechay or lettuce if you can get it.
This is great! I have been drinking a green smoothie a day, sometimes two, for 5 days now and I feel so energized that I have been going for walks around the local high school’s track after work instead of plopping down on the couch!
This is music to my ears— love hearing the quick results from just adding a green smoothie into your daily lifestyle. Woohoo Kelly!
Why are bananas a food to avoid? I see a lot of the smoothies will contain bananas
I don’t think you should avoid bananas, but you should limit the amount as they are high in sugar.
If Im trying to loose weight with this how would i benefit the most.
I have hypothyroid. What substitutions if any should I do?
I think you should take the recipe to your dr and ask, since these ladies aren’t health care professionals.
How many servings is recommended for weight loss?
Smoothie for breakfast and lunch?
Hi Jennifer. This would be something to talk to a nutritionist about because is really depends on your BMI and what other sort of foods you eat for the rest of the day. Just by introducing a green smoothie as your breakfast and following clean eating lifestyle, you should lose some unnecessary weight.
What would you suggest for someone who despises bananas whole-heartily? You say to swap it out with other fruit. Any other fruit in particular or just something I have on hand?
I hear ya Melissa. We swap it a lot with mango, pineapple or even avocado (if you are wanting that same creamy texture).
I just made this smoothie with my unidentified leafy green and it’s delicious. Thanks so much for the push I needed to get my daily allowance of fruit and veg. It’s a goal I set for myself this year and with your recipes, I’m going to meet it. Yay for green smoothies!
If i drink 2 smoothies a day that means i am only eating one meal a day? wont my body store fat bc i am not eating enough calories? someone help me what to do here I am confuse.
Hi Hazel— you don’t have to replace your meals with green smoothies. The point of teh challenge is to just drink a green smoothie daily. If you want to use it as a meal substitute you can, but you can also have it as a snack or dessert. We want you to pack in the fruits and veggies that your body needs to function properly and green smoothies are such an easy and yummy way to do that.
Hey, I’m having trouble. What time exactly are we suppose to drink the
smoothies
Can I use milk instead of water for this beginner’s smoothie? And if I don’t have mangos, can I use peaches?
I’m going to try making my first green smoothie tomorrow.
Hey Jackie— you can replace liquids with what you prefer, but milk is not one of the ones we recommend due to dairy sensitivity and all the hormones in the milk that can affect us in many adverse ways. The water is actually really good in this smoothie, yet if you prefer milk I am sure it will still taste very good. If you want it thicker, you can always add another banana or even an avocado. We are all about swapping out ingredients with what you got. Peaches sound yummy!