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.
Lynn Waldron Horowitz
Fresh fruit/greens taste.
Tricia
I shared this one with 19 and 25 year old sons. I loved the green color, but they didn’t care for it; they were cautious, not knowing the ingredients:) We all enjoyed it very much and will make it again sometime. The only downside was that my bananas weren’t very ripe. 3 thumbs up here!
Ionela
Incredibly simple and refreshing! Kids loved it too!
Valerie
This is a yummy, simple recipe, especially if you're just starting out on green smoothies. I've had a green smoothie habit for a while now, so I added some extra spinach and it still tasted great. I thought the 1/2 cup each of pineapple and mango, as well as a banana, would be too much fruit, but it had a great blend of flavors and wasn't overly sweet.
Cheryl
Beginner's Luck was delicious, I love a smoothie with pineapples. Looking forward to tomorrows smoothie.
Daketa
Hey! I jumped right in and prepared my smoothie this morning with no pre-prep. I used a super greens blend of spinach, kale, and chard. The fruit in this recipe went great together. The greens weren’t over bearing. The pineapples gave it a bit of sweet zest, and oooh the sweet flavor of mangoes. No extra sweetener needed. This was a great combination.
Ana Villanueva
I chose to have this delicious smoothie as my dessert tonight! A perfect boost of healthy.
Yvonne
if you have family members not keen on veggies, this is a great way to add greens in a smoothie!
Jenni Greer
I made enough for two smoothies today. I enjoyed the first one for lunch and I noticed that I didn't get that 3:00 pm lag. And now I'm having the second smoothie after my post-workout. Taste great!
Susan
Beginners Luck
Awesome
Carolee
One of my favorites!
Danielle Adamson
Whole family enjoyed this smoothie. Somehow I had bought 2 bags of frozen mango instead of getting a bag of frozen pineapple so I subbed in a fresh Orange. Also added some flaxseed.
So tasty and filling.
Carmen
This smoothie got rave reviews from my husband. It was absolutely delicious!
Cindy Cusick
Beginner Luck was delicious. I had to add more water to get it drinkable and not like soft serve although that would be nummy too!
Joe
Pretty and delicious!
Christine Hagglund
Tastier than I expected !! Looking forward to more great recipes
Betsy Hobbs
Absolutely delicious
Kristina Mercado
Not a huge fan of bananas but it tastes really good with the substituted peaches
Cesanee Johnson
Taste great! Simple and good smoothie especially those who are new to drinking green smoothies.
Sam
This is the first time I am trying this green smoothie. I was not sure with spinach how it will taste but I was surprised with the taste.
I love it and would like to have the same for few more days.
Jen
One of my favorite smoothie blends!
DC
Refreshing smoothie! Light in calories! Throughly enjoyed it.
Carol Jackson
Yum. Our 19 year old was like “no thanks” but one sip and he’s hooked
Kelly
This was a fairly tasty smoothie to start the challenge. Overall the taste was pleasant, but kind of faint. Needed something for a kick, but it was good. Couldn’t taste anything but the pineapple, but it was smooth going down. I appreciated how easy it was to make. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
Paula
I was a little skeptical but thought I'd give it a shot. After putting together the ingredients I took one small sip. I thought....not bad. Glad I tried it, easy to make and its really good! It's a keeper will be making it again.
Arlene
So tasty — way more delish than what you’d think for something SO green!
Kristina Mercado
Not a fan of bananas but it tastes really good with peaches as the substitute
verena b lenhart
This is one of my favs! You really did luck out when you created this as a beginner... delish AND nutrish!
Lisa Bates
This Beginner’s Luck smoothie is delicious! So creamy and perfectly sweet. I was concerned that it would taste like banana, but I really couldn’t taste the banana much.
nicole moody
I really enjoyed this smoothie. I added a little extra spinach because I don’t mind the spinach taste. It turned out really smooth and not too sweet.
Galina Edwards
I like this smoothy so much! one of my favorites!
My husband asks me to make it every day)
Auni Olmos
Loved this refreshing smoothie!
Nadine Steger
Awesome smoothie - love the combination
Donald McCollum
Very tasty!
Billie
Very tasty! Great combination. I added collagen and have a cup blended and waiting for me in the morning.
Diana
Always a winner!
Jill Reynolds
One of my all time favorite smoothies!
June Milich
Use just a small amount of pineapple and increased the mango Love pineapple but I seem sensitive to the acidity. Still get the benefits and delights of the flavor of pineapple. Great mix of ingredients.
Michelle
Delicious and refreshing!
Janelle
My 8 year old son and I liked it. He more than me. We added some extra spinach, chia and hemp seeds.
Jody
This is a smoothie to ease your way back into eating healthy. Eating (or drinking) healthy can also be tasty. Don’t fear the spinach, but rather embrace the spinach!
Gurjit Kaur
Extremely delicious and smooth. A big thumbs up from my family of four!
Brian Woods
I made this tonight after my workout. I weighed 1 cup of spinach and already had it blended before I saw that you only needed 1 measure cup tightly packed...smh lol (I had spinach all the way to the top of my blender) But... it was still good.. added some powder collagen. Saving the rest for tomorrow. 🙂
Diana
Always a winner!!
Joanne
So easy, tasty, and overall awesome!
jacqueline r pegelow
was good, still need to drink the green smoothies from something other than a clear glass though. I know it is all in my head
John Hornby
Blending the greens separately from the fruit was new to me. Great technique! No more globs of greens!
A little thin for my taste, I’ll add more frozen fruit next time
Leslie
Great taste and it’s working on my system!
Megan Jowers
Great way to get daily fruits and vegetables.
Maria
Tastes great, looks beautiful and so easy to make. I love all of the flavors. They blend together so well and you can’t even taste the spinach!
Elizabeth Mendoza
I Love it. I feel full longer
Amy
Loved it! Sweet and bright green.
Karen Waldrope
Today's smoothie was delicious. I already had all of my fruit as well as the banana frozen & waiting. I am in VA but still had my own fresh spinach to harvest for this growing beneath protective domes...even after last Monday's snow. I waited until I got my order of your books & green smoothie powder to make mine so my smoothie included a scoop of your protein powder as well. Today's challenge for me was hunting thru your canister of smoothie powder with a chopstick looking for a scoop. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Then, of course I read your directions on the canister. Anyway, just want to say your green protein powder is truly the best I've ever tasted! Thank you for my fast shipment! I'm looking forward to tomorrow's smoothie already.
Val
Day 1 Smoothie is so delicious!! It’s refreshing and not overly sweet…the perfect blend of fruits with yummy spinach!! Very easy to prepare! A true winner that I will make again and again! I’m spreading the word to my friends and family members
Sheila
So delicious, creamy with a tropical twist. Add in protein powder to fill you till the next meal.
Kristy Berry
I love the combination of mango and pineapple in a smoothie, delish! I added hemp seeds as well
Vanessa Aviles
Very delicioso and fresh....
Suzanne
Deliciously refreshing!
Lisa
Great starter recipe! I added flaxseed and protein powder. Very yummy!
Rosie
Excellent way to start the day! I could only find barely yellow bananas, but the sweetness of the pineapple and mango made it perfect. Love that I’m getting my greens too!
Karen
I always buy a bunch of bananas & let them ripen until they get speckles of brown. Then peel them & break them into 3 or four sections onto a sheet of plastic wrap & wrap them individually & place them in a zip lock in the freezer. Always have frozen bananas ready & waiting for a smoothie this way.
Dawn H
This Beginner's Luck Smoothie is always a favorite! I love introducing it to guests to get them to try Green Smoothies!
Annette Goff
It's good.
Valerie Rodriguez
I finally got to the store today! As soon as I got home at 2:30, I made my the Beginners Luck Smoothie! I substituted coconut water, and I added a Tbl. Of MTC Oil and 2 scoops of SGS protein powder! Then jumped in the car to pick the kids up from school. Slurping my fabulous Simple GREEN Smoothie along the way, listening to my Favorite Christian music station, K-Love! It was a very happy afternoon!
Annette Goff
I listen to K-Love also.
Judith Fletcher
Super yummy….will definitely be making this one again!
Jacquie Kummel
Much less sweeter than I thought it would be with all of the fruit. Quite tasty. It is a keeper.
Stephanie H
This smoothie tasted very good. It is a very creamy smoothie. The pineapple, mango, and banana worked well together. I would probably add a little more pineapple next time. Overall a good smoothie.
Keita McLeod-Kary
This is one of my favorite smoothie recipes. Someone suggested using peas (as I don't have simple green smoothies protein boost) for a bit of extra protein and it worked perfectly. I drank my smoothie for breakfast and was full until the early afternoon. So tasty!
Kaneez
Healthy and delicious smoothie!
Lynette Toomamian
Pure Yum!! I loved this smoothie and the vibrant green color.
Laura
Great! Not too much banana taste 🙂
Maria
Pretty good! Pineapple is very refreshing in smoothies.
Paula Pociecha
Excellent flavor and texture. Thick, creamy and yummy!
I confess, I use coffee as my smoothie liquid! And I must have awfully big bananas because I doubled the recipe (for hubby and me) and ended up with about 40 oz (had to add additional almond milk liquid)! Lunched on it throughout the whole afternoon! I also added chia, pumpkin and flax seeds for protein. I was very happy for the pre-prep idea because I would not have had time to make it all from scratch for lunch today. Brilliant save!
Laura
Great! Not too much banana taste 🙂
Lina Paz
Very Good !
Alisa
I added some protein powder to make it a meal replacement and it was great!
Krista
Delicious! Substituted water for coconut water and found it to be a perfect swap. Added hemp hearts and avocado to make it a meal. Winning!
Krista
Delicious! Substituted water for coconut water and found it to be a perfect swap.
Mickey
I enjoyed this smoothie. I think it could be a little sweeter. I would drink this again and maybe bump up the pineapple.
Marthalynn
What a treat! This smoothie is a tropical delight. My kids asked for a second serving. It's going on my tried and true list!
Jemia
Beginner’s Luck can easily be a smoothie beginner’s love! This was so easy to make and all of the ingredients blended well. Pineapple seems to be a fruit I like in smoothies, so this was a so-so-right blend for me. I drank it as a snack…calmed my sweet tooth!
Marcus Rodriguez
Delicious and super easy to make.
Danielle
This smoothie is really good. Sometimes people shy away from green Smoothies but this makes you want to drink it again. It's very refreshing and filling with the protein boost.
Helene Lowry
Delicious!! I started the New Year making something similar!
Wendy Pegues
Delicious And Creamy, I Added Protein Powder To Help Make It More Of A Meal Replacement For My Dinner.
Tina Mann
This smoothie was so tasty that even my green-phobic family will drink it!
Randa kuziez
This smoothie was really fresh and a really good way to start the smoothie challenge! Thanks!
Lori A Shaffer
I've never made a smoothie and in fact, don't purchase them either. I was ready for this, with just a bit of 'I'm not sure about this' thrown in there. I was VERY pleasantly surprised! Not too sweet, not too grassy tasting - it was a win!. Looking forward to trying tomorrow's version.
Carol Long
All I can say is Wow! This was really refreshing
Margo
I loved this smoothie. I needed this about 2:00 this afternoon for a pick me up during a very busy day at work!
Pam Jank
I thought it was delish! I also tried it with a little milled flax and a smidge of ginger. It was good either way.
Jenn.
One of my faves! So simple and delicious.
Pat
Great!
Anotherwindyday
I love beginners luck! It’s such a great place to start the challenge! It’s so good I think I could drink it every day, but I know there are other amazing smoothies awaiting on the other days of the challenge too!
Linda Buck
Simple and very good. Healthy start!
Ann Marie
What wonderful flavors. You turned me on to smoothies years ago and I have been making one almost every day ever since. I add homemade kefir to all of them. Thanks for doing another challenge. I loved the soup one.
Dana
The pineapple gives the smoothie a refreshing taste, this is a good pick me up!
Amanda S
Very tasty!
LaTonya
This was a good start!
Rose Herrera
This is my new favorite green smoothie! Just the right balance of sweet without tasting too green.
Patrick M Hauer
Both my wife Ruth and I enjoyed this one, although it is much more bland than most of the fruit based blends that we do for breakfast. We will do this one again however, and it did taste healthy and as always with Vitamix, give you a positive feeling of health and energy
Pam Jank
I thought it was delish! I also tried it with a little milled flax and a smidge of ginger. It was good either way.
Jackie
This one was great tasting! I added a scoop of Simple Green Smoothies Protein smoothie boost! Very filling!
Eileen
I decided to drink this smoothie instead of a glass of wine after work. Smooth and refreshing. Loved it!
Latricia
A delicious go to smoothie for lunch. Great way to get my serving of fruits and veggies.