Sure, I know a spinach smoothie doesn't sound that appealing, but when made right it can be beyond delicious. With hundreds of 5-star reviews, it's time for you to see why this is the best green smoothie recipe.
Are you wondering why anyone would be excited to drink something as green as this? I hear ya— I've been right where you are. And so have 1 million+ others who've blended this smoothie in our Free Smoothie Challenge. You should join!
Drinking a daily 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.
When I created this green smoothie 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 recipe book on Simple Green Smoothies, and then went on The Doctors to blend a few green smoothie recipes live on stage! I was nervous with all the cameras and lights, but I knew I had to share green smoothies with the world! They truly are magical for your health.
Are green smoothie recipes healthy?
What we eat can truly transform our bodies and our lives in powerful ways. Especially with this smoothie recipe as I've seen in the lives of so many of my friends, family and community online. Blending spinach into a fruit smoothie is a great way to boost your immune system, as well as naturally energize you.
Most smoothies are made with just fruit and liquid, which is high in sugar and can cause inflammation. A green smoothie, on the other hand, is made with fruit, plant-based liquids and leafy greens.
This recipe is full of iron, potassium and vitamins galore— and tastes like a tropical treat from all the island fruit. Yet the best part is how simple as well as quick it is to make! You only need 4 ingredients and all of them can be found at your local grocery store (they don't cost a fortune either!). As I say all the time— I'm all for making healthy eating affordable so it's sustainable.
A green smoothie can taste just as good as a regular smoothie, and also have incredible health benefits.
How to make a spinach smoothie
All you need to make a tasty green smoothie is a blender, fruit and leafy greens. The right ratio of spinach to fruit makes it sweet, as well as helps you reap all the health benefits of a green smoothie. The key is to use recipes that actually taste good and follow my simple tips below.
Ingredients you'll need:
- fresh spinach
- frozen pineapple
- frozen mango
- fresh banana
- Blend 1 cup of spinach (or another leafy greens of your choice) in a blender. Adding leafy greens to your smoothie boosts the phytonutrients and fiber, which then slows down the absorption of sugars into your body.
- Next, add 1 cup of liquid and blend well (until all leafy chunks are gone).
- Toss in fruit, such as frozen mango, pineapple and bananas in the blender.
- Next, blend again until smooth and creamy.
- Serve smoothie immediately for maximum nourishment.
- Looking to turn your smoothie into a meal replacement? Adding clean protein + healthy fat does the trick. I realized that none of the protein powders on the market were what I wanted when it came to pure protein with no weird gums or fillers. So I made my own! The result is my Protein Smoothie Boost -with only organic hemp + chia + flax seeds, in a perfectly smooth, smoothie worthy powder. Give it a blend and see what you think!
Can you taste spinach in a green smoothie?
You wouldn't be the first to look at this recipe and say "No way!" Green! Spinach! Yuck! Yet don't walk away! These bright green smoothie recipes will actually delight your taste buds. You'll even have an extra pep in your step when you realize how great you feel!
Even kids LOVE this spinach smoothie recipe! I started blending this recipe in my daughter Clare's kindergarten class four years ago. Now every year, I visit her school to blend this recipe with each new class. That's how delicious this recipe is!
Not sure if your blender can handle the greens? I've created 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+. 🙂
Top 5 Smoothie Blending Tips
- Follow the 60/40 formula. When you’re making your first few green smoothies, don't just throw things in the blender. Chances are, it’ll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate. To save you a few smoothie-fails, bust out those cute lil’ measuring cups to learn how to make your own green smoothie.
- Blend in stages to avoid leafy chunks. Chewing your green smoothie is no fun! To get a "smooth" spinach smoothie experience, blend up your leafy greens and liquid-base first. Then add your remaining fruits and blend again.
- Ditch the ice and freeze some fruits. Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries. You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender.
- Use raw natural sweeteners. Add naturally sweet fruits to any smoothie that tastes bitter or a bit too “green.” My favorite naturally sweet fruits are bananas, mango, apples, pears or pitted dates.
- Make smoothies ahead for the perfect fast food. Life is crazy busy— especially in the morning. That’s why we think green smoothies are the healthiest fast food for people who are constantly on the go. You can smoothie prep, or even blend the night before and store it in your fridge.
More spinach smoothie recipes
- 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
If you have any questions about the green smoothie world, feel free to join my Free Smoothie Challenge and get an incredible guidebook with 10 spinach smoothie recipes and access to my support group.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup pineapple (frozen )
- ½ cup mango (frozen)
- 1 banana
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (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 ¼ avocado, additional ½ cup mango or ½ cup peaches.
- You can use 1 cup pineapple if you're out of mango.
- Frozen fruit is recommended because it's easy and chills the smoothie.
Cheryl Diegidio
I loved it, I was skeptical at first with the spinach, but decided to give it a try. I can’t wait to experiment.
Cindy
Very tasty smoothie. I'm amazed that it was as filling as it was with just water. I gave it a 4 because I would like a bit more creaminess (I'm very picky about my smoothies), so if I made again would add half water and half unsweetened nut milk.
SARAH D CARLSON
Todays smoothie was delicious!! It was a great start to the day! I added some collagen and protein powder and made it my breakfast. You couldn't even taste the spinach. I am trying to lower the inflammation in my body. If all of the smoothies taste this good I won't have a problem!
Veronica Grant
I enjoyed the smoothie. Very tasty.
Linda Poole
Day 1
Beginner’s Luck Smoothie
Wow….the flavor is wonderful. Perfect combination for me. I did add flaxseed to make it more filling. So yummy!!
Andrea
Awesome taste
Lots of energy today
Love it
Nancy
This one of my favorites, been blending green smoothies for 8 years or so and still love to blend this one up.
Margie
I’ve made this numerous times and it never disappoints! I even shared it with my 13 month old. So fun!
Kaleigh Fougere
So yummy and so fresh, I love green smoothies! Will definetly make this one again!!
Cecily Meissner
This has always been one of my favorites!!! So good
Tiphanie
Delicious! This is a great smoothie (especially for someone who isn’t used to greens) because it’s fruity & doesn’t taste bitter at all.
Deb
Day 1 Smoothies was easy and delicious as promised! Look forward to the next 9!
Maureen Kajzer
Day 1 Beginner's Luck Smoothie - I LOVED this one as I already make one similar to it. Instead of using only spinach for this one, I used spinach and kale as well a scoop of the collagen I use. Ordering the protein powder today and will begin using that once I receive it.
Josefina
Very tasteful
Julia
I love a great green smoothie and this one is superb. Simple yet so beautiful.
H B Mo
Smoothie had a predominately pineapple taste. Could not taste any of the other fruit or spinach. Had it at breakfast but it was a little sweet for me that early in the morning. I think it would be better later in the day as it was refreshing.
Not sure how to measure the spinach. Should it be packed in the cup or filled loosely?
Simple Green Smoothies
We find that a generous handful works out to be the best measure of a cup for us. So loosely in a measuring cup would be ideal. To reduce the sweetness of a smoothie, you can cut back on the amount of fruit added. Using a 'less ripe' banana also works well. Enjoy! 🙂
Le
Good, next time I will add a bit of lemon juice.
Steffani
So good - I added more pineapple than I was supposed to (oops) and it was still heaven!
Carra
Always delicious!
Cheryl Brueggeman
This is one of my favorite smoothies. The ingredients are easy to find and the flavors blend well. The vibrant green color is also a plus. Quick, easy, and simply delicious.
Jan Jack
Super delicious! Had it for dinner/dessert combo with one of the previous soup challenge recipes!
KAREN RABENT
Absolutely delish. Tasted so fresh !
I froze all my ingredients prior to making the Smoothie. It's like ice cream....& who doesn't like ice cream for breakfast
Karen Kyain
I think I don’t know how to measure the green. I still taste the green taste.
Lisa Brazill
Loved this one!!! I love the natural sweetness & knowing I’m getting some veggies in too!!! I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Krista Artis
Green Magic in a cup! OMG - I thought the taste was going to be blah, being water was the liquid mixer, but I was wrong! It was soooooo delicious and the best part is..... I can make it again! 😉 Did I mention it was green magic in a cup! Stop reading and start blending!
Sharon Whiteaker
Smooth texture; even sweet to my taste buds.
KAREN RABENT
Absolutely delish Tasted so fresh !
Maggie Dorsey
I just couldn’t help myself. I added an extra cup of spinach. OMG! Is that good!! I made extra and again couldn’t stop at 8 oz. I did at least a 4 oz refill with another 8 oz in the frig got later today!! I love this one and can’t wait to try tomorrow’s treat!!
Krista Ginter
Love this green smoothie. Small ingredient list but bit on taste and nutrition!
Eileen
Very good, even with my changes ... good taste, creamy but not as pretty as spinach would have made it....I had no spinach and am working to up my greens, drink 32 oz of smoothie per day.
I used 2 cups organic field greens, probably about 2 cups water, some frozen avocado chunks, 1 cup frozen mango (out of pineapple), 2 small pieces frozen banana, 1 Tbsp each flax, chia and hemp hearts. Very filling!
Maggie Dorsey
The avacado sounds like a great add:)
jean
All the flavors blended so well! Very satisfying!
Jane
Flavors are bright and clean. Very tasty.
Bex Ly
I think Pineapple and Banana are best friends in this smoothie. I love the smoothness and sweetness the banana added and the acid that the pineapple brought! Beautiful green colour, really refreshing. Would definitely make this one again.
Teri
I found this smoothie was very easy to make and was drinkable but not as tasty as I would like it to be. My banana was not as ripe as I would have liked so perhaps I will like it more next time I try it with a riper banana. Otherwise, I would be tempted to add some honey or flavored yogurt. For the challenge, I am sticking to the recipes without modifications to try the recipes and give them a chance as they are written.
Jennifer
My two teenage boys and I enjoy Beginner’s Luck Smoothie.
I switch out the water for coconut water, and also add the
Protein boost (green smoothie brand, of course).
It’s a great afternoon snack!
Rochelle Brumfield
For someone that doesn't usually eat greens . Pretty good and a great start to eating healthy. Thanks again.
Amber
One of my favorite smoothies! The kids love it as well.
William Cluck
mid-afternoon pick me up. lookin forward to the next nine days.
Stephanie Whitney
Made this one today for myself and my son. I used Flax milk instead of water and arugula instead of spinach (can't have spinach due to the oxalates.) We like this one. I left the banana out of my son's because he dislikes banana but used it in mine.
Pauline
Really enjoyed this smoothie,
Thank you so much
Shannon Williams
Super yummy!!!
Denise N
Made the Day 1 Challenge Smoothie for the two of us this morning around 9AM, and it was fresh and clean tasting definitely very nice to our taste buds. We decided not to eat anything afterwards until we were hungry. Luckily we both got hungry at around 3PM!!!! Now that's a win for sure. So tickled to be doing this with my husband and look forward the next smoothie!
Blanca Oviedo
My first ever challenge. I am doing it together with my husband and we both loved the beginners green smoothie. It was delicious
Janlee
Love this smoothie. Added more protein to the boost the content since I had it for lunch.
Linda
Excellent. I don't taste the spinach (used frozen). The combination of flavors is great. Looking forward to tomorrow's smoothy.
Julie D
Beginners Luck is one of the first green smoothies I made maybe 8-10 years ago when I first heard of Jen and her green smoothie revolution. It is a classic that got me started and I keep making. Easy and delicious for newbies, kids, and those scared of drinking something that is green.
Dawn H
So delicious!!! A bright full of flavor smoothie that the whole family loves!!
Dharani
The smoothie was simple but tasted great.
Lucy Frank
This was one of the first green smoothies I made years ago and it's still a favorite. I made it exactly as written today and it was delicious. Sometimes use unsweetened coconut milk in place of the water.
Debbie Little
This smoothie was delicious, and it is a fun color. I like spinach, but you would never know it is in this smoothie. I like the feeling after drinking the smoothie, not to mention all of the health benefits.
Rafaele Venezio
This is one of my go to smoothie recipes. For this challenge, I added 1/4 avocado, chia seeds and collagen powder for a more heartier texture and taste. It is soo delicious and I love the tropical notes too!
kiki
Enjoyed this very much. Decided to have it mid-afternoon as a pick-me-upper. And it did just that!
Couldn't find frozen pineapple chunks so i bought canned and put them in the freezer for 35 minutes. Perfect.
Shawn Shafer
The Beginners Luck Smoothie never lets me down! So fresh and bright I really enjoyed it for my lunch today!
Kimberly
Love this one! Super easy to make. This is the first time I’m doing a smoothy challenge with my boyfriend. He made a face, took a sip, and said “Wow, this is really good!”
Justina
This is a go to in this house. Love it minus the banana.
Nadia Montebelli
Simple and easy. The best things are
Vicky
Super quick to blend up. Very tasty.
Karen
Tasty. I was sure I bought frozen mangos, but can't find them in my freezer, so subbed dragon fruit instead. Plenty sweet, but not green. HA! This is my first smoothie challenge.
Robyn Santiago
This is my first time with simple green, I bought the book to have everything on hand as I will definitely be making this smoothie again, and again. As I’m sitting here thinking of words to express how this tasted it tasted amazing, it was fresh, it was everything. It was just a simple green smoothie, literally.
Elaine L
The tip to blend the greens first was very helpful! Had always just thrown everything in together and the greens never blended quite well enough. Used baby kale instead of spinach and it tasted great! Thanks!
susan preslar
I enjoyed the smoothie before taking a hike. I’m not really into bananas and didn’t have mango so I doubled the pineapple and had a banana so I used it. The smoothie. Was very filling and cleansing. I haven’t found the recipe book so I can get a heads up on what I need for the week.
Anne Laidig
I drank it all but I didn't think it was awesome.
teresa zawitkowska
So refreshing! Love it !
Elizabeth Lamb Creighton
I find this smoothie the easiest and the tastiest of all.
Caren English
Yummy! I think this recipe it's easy to love for all taste buds!
Donna
I never buy Mango's since I did a Mango & Papaya diet years ago. Since then, I'm not a fan of either fruit. But, when the Mango was mixed with the other ingredients in the Beginner's Luck Smoothie it was a pleasant surprise. However, I think Mango's are still out to get me. The recipe made more than I expected so I vacuumed sealed the extra. Unfortunately, I forgot to change the setting on my vacuum sealer so most of the extra ended up in the bottom of my sealer and all over the top and sides. I do have a little left that I will have with a salad for dinner. Questions, is it better to vacuum seal the extra and keep it in the fridge or the freezer? How long will it keep in the fridge if vacuumed sealed? I have a commercial vacuum sealer. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's smoothie. Lesson learned today.
Elizabeth Lamb Creighton
With my extra smoothie liquid, I put it into a canning jar with the 2-piece lid. I hate waste so I reuse the tops of jars for storage in the fridge. As I go through the week, I add the extras from the following smoothies until I have 2 cups giving me a morning off from blending. The flavors blend nicely. Sometimes I will have a "short" smoothie. They seem to last 3 or 4 days in the fridge.
Simple Green Smoothies
What a smoothie adventure you've had so far, Donna! We've not worked with a vacuum sealer to store our smoothies, yet we know that closed tightly in a mason jar, a freshly blended smoothie will last 24-48 hours. Yet the further away you are from the initial blending time, the less fresh it will taste. We love doing DIY Freezer Smoothie packs for this reason. It gives us a storage + prep ahead option, yet our smoothie is freshly blended each time.
Janet
Beginner’s Luck Smoothie: Wow! so refreshing. I added 4tbsp of Simple Green protein smoothie boast, oh so, delicious…
Tami Hamernik
Wonderful!
Anna Conklin
Loved it and I’m not a fan of bananas. Will certainly make again. Very easy to make and very filling. Waiting for my protein powder to arrive on Wednesday and it will definately be more filling. Good meal substitute.
Sharon V
The Beginner's Luck Smoothie was delicious! The sweetness from the pineapple & banana complimented the tart mango. My son also gave it the thumbs up! I will definitely make again.
Tina
Simple & tasty!
Jean H
I love this smoothie. I has the perfect blend of fruits and spinach that gave it such a smooth, refreshing tropical taste. It is, also, very easy to make.
Katie M.
Love the Beginners Luck smoothie. Super easy to make, especially with my Vitamix. Used fresh fruit vice frozen so added a few ice cubes. Feel more energized already.
Cynthia Martinez
Great, simple recipe. I add chia seeds & it comes out super creamy & delicious!
Kenyetta C.
This smoothie was absolutely awesome...it will stay in the smoothie rotation.
Kimberly
Beginner’s Luck will have you crossing the smoothie finish line first, not only in the morning, but with your family & friends. A delicious easy smoothie that hits the spot.
Beth
Delicious! I love this smoothie.
Jeri
Delicious! I enjoyed the tropical flavor.
Natalie
It was so refreshing and light.
Pam L
Fruity, refreshing, tasty. Worth repeating again. I’m going to try it with my vanilla protein shake next time.
Laura Steinwand
This smoothie was really good. I had to substitute papaya for mango and I added a scoop of rolled outs and 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder. I had the smoothie for lunch.
Sandy P
Refreshing! Delicious way to start the challenge.
Zeno
Really nice favor!
Judy T
It is sooo smooth and delicious, I only used half a banana and it doesn’t taste overly sweet! Great start!
Linda Bailey
This is a great smoothie really like the taste of the beginners luck
Karyn Feder
I absolutely love this smoothie! I wasn’t sure I would because of the “green-ness” of it, but it was great! I look forward to making it again!
Alaina
Tasted so tropical. Very yummy!
Cynthia
This is my favorite smoothie! I love the fruity creaminess.
Renee
So fresh and tropical, this is one of my favourite smoothies, I added hemp seeds and made a double batch, so my son could try it, and I believe he is hooked.
Mary P
YUM YUM, this was super creamy and I totally enjoyed it. Great way to start January. thanks. I put in some avocado as well just to give it some good fats. I still did the banana too.
Laura
It’s really good, used unsweetened almond milk as the liquid. I also only used 1/2 a banana instead if a whole to lower the carbs.
It tasted delicious. All natural sweetness.
Ruth S
Good tip to blend the spinach and liquid first then add the fruit. Delicious!
Judy T
Yes that was a good idea
Sam Ruch
Great start to the 30 Day Smoothie Challenge!
Beth Bastian
I loved the Green Smoothie!
Frances Panzke
This is delicious! I made a few substitutes—Spinach, tropical fruit I had in my freezer (so my mix had a couple of pieces of strawberry and a sliver of coconut in addition to the pineapple and mango). I also included my protein powder and collagen to make it a meal. Very smooth and creamy!
Sandra
I was unable to shop so used what I had on hand. "DELICIOUS" according to my husband and I agree. I used 3 cups unsweetened almond milk, 3 scoops Orgain plant based chocolate protein powder, 2 generous cups organic fresh spinach, 1 fresh banana, 1/2 cup each frozen pineapple and strawberries. Blended in my Vitamix 3200 (?) for 1 minute. I find the frozen pineapple really "cuts" the taste of spinach...
Temara LeShaun
I loved the beginners luck smoothie! It was the perfect amount of each fruit! Nothing overpowered another! And very simple to make! A great way to kickstart this 10 Day Smoothie Challenge!
Tracey
Beginner's Luck Smoothie = One of my/our go-to smoothie favorites.
We often add a few cashews + hemp seed to up the protein ... and maybe a dribble of vanilla for fun 😉
Elizabeth M
This one is a classic! It's super quick and easy to prepare, and it is delicious. I always increase the greens a bit.
Ashley Mc
Love this smoothie. Great way to start the day and the challenge.
Kristen
Easy, yummy, filling and gave me great energy for a fun pickleball set of games today! Made it for everyone in my house and they gave it a thumbs up too!
Sandra S
The Beginner's Luck smoothie tasted light, refreshing and tropical.
Jill McAdams
This smoothie is so yummy and clean tasting! I fixed it for the whole family this morning!