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.
Table of Contents
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 homemade protein powder 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.
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
Don’t forget to rate + review this recipe once you’ve made it. I love getting your feedback!
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Equipment
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.
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).
I give it a try
Let us know how it goes, Peek.
Hey guys!
So I’m going to start the challenge on my own next week when I get a blender for my new apartment! I was wondering though, how many calories are the smoothies typically? Can I find that information somewhere? 🙂
Hey Carley Ray!
We don’t count calories, but we have heard great things about MyFitnessPal and LoseIt apps that can track your intake. Hope that helps!:)
Will these smoothies work for Prediabetic?
They totally can be Noelia! Yet, we def recommend you run any recipes by your doc or nutritionist to be sure they are best for your body and your health journey. Happy blending!
I’m on Day 2 of the green smoothie challenge! I have been doing them as 2 meal replacements – breakfast and lunch. I have been using the recipes but still am not feel totally full. Any suggestions of what to put more of in them to be fuller so I’m not feeling hungry? I do have a snack in the afternoon.
Hey Danielle!
Are you snacking on nuts and seed in between your 16 oz of smoothies?
Check out our Fresh Start Guide: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/21-day-cleanse
We’ve partnered with a holistic nutritionist who has created nutritionally balanced and tasty recipes. These recipes are so good that most of them will stick with you beyond the cleanse.
how long a green smoothie is good in the fridge , i usually keep one for 24 hours, does it still keep all the nutrition value at that time? wha would me the maximum time?
Hey Sharon, we store green smoothies in the fridge for no more than two days, in a seal container. Give it a little shake before you drink it. 🙂
I’m expecting a baby in two months (#8 for us) and have found in the past that the spinach in green smoothies help me to naturally avoid pregnancy-induced anemia. Would you suggest drinking a green smoothie in addition to a regular meal or in place of a meal? One per day for best benefits or several? Also, have you ever used kefir in smoothies and how does that affect taste? (I’ve read a lot of the probiotic benefits of kefir and have my own grains that I’m trying to introduce to my teen daily as he has been plagued with a lot of illnesses the past year due to his student athlete schedule) Thanks!
Hi Kim!
Here is a link to green smoothies and pregnancy:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/smoothie-pregnancy
We personal do not drink kefir, we’ve talked with a lot of nutritionists and milk isn’t all that it’s been hyped up to be. Dairy is one of the highest diet allergies (and often goes undiagnosed), yet can cause inflammation and infections. And if you aren’t buying organic milk, you’re also getting doses of antibiotics, hormones, etc that can tip your own body out of whack. So we just avoid milk for our family (and opt for almond milk). We get our calcium from plant-based sources mainly— broccoli, spinach and kale.
It’s definitely a personal choice, and you just have to decide what works best for you and your family.
Hope that helps.
Hi,
My mother’s allergic to mango (which is fairly common in the recipes on this site), so what are some fruits I can substitute for mango? Also, my mom doesn’t want to buy anything large that I wouldn’t be able to easily finish (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, etc.), so what could I substitute for those fruits?
Thanks!
Elene
Hi Elene.
For the mango substitute try peaches.
For the other items watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple try buy little frozen bags at the store, or precut items so she doesn’t have to buy the whole pineapple, ect. 🙂
Hope that helps.
im new at this & im wondering if this is the only thing you drink? nothing else ?. Also im kinda young soo what do i do ?
Hey Valeria! You can drink green smoothies with your regular meals. 🙂
I am so sad that I saw this so late, but either way, I will be having a green smoothie for the next 30 days. I am looking forward to trying your smoothie recipes, they sound so yummy. Which one of your smoothies do you think Moringa Powder or Acai Powder will combine well with? Thanks.
I am not sure which powder will mix well with Beginner’s Luck. Try them both and see what you like. 🙂
OMG, absolutely LOVED this smoothie! So good & sooo healthy. My 3 kiddos said it way yummy too! Definitely adding to our go-to smoothie list!
I am glad you liked it and happy your kiddos did too! 🙂
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! 🙂