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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.
Started the 30 day challenge this morning. My new years resolution was to have breakfast everyday (doctor ordered). Starter Smoothie was awesome and I am over the negatives of the challenge. I thought it would be hard to drink my breakfast but I am already sold and it might replace my beloved coffee. Think in February I will add the 21 day challenge. Best resolution I have ever made and I think this one is one is a lifestyle changer 🙂 You gals are awesome.
We are cheering you on Barbara! 🙂
Hi there! Just had my first green smoothie yesterday. Followed the beginner’s recipe except added in extra pineapple bc I didn’t have mango. I have a brand new Blendtec. I hit the smoothie button. My smoothie was sooo frothy. Hard to drink. Can I let it sit for a while (how long) before I drink it? If so, is it ok in the fridge to sit or does it lose some of it’s nutritional value? Soo excited! Thanks!
Hi Molly.
By frothy, do you mean too thick to drink? Is so try one less banana.
Some people say you have to drink it “right away” to get the optimal nutrients from each blend. But if left in the fridge over-night for one to three days, the taste and satisfaction is still there. You also may add a small amount of lemon juice to preserve and keep the smoothie blend as fresh as possible. Your body is still reaping the benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables even if it is not consumed right away.
I’m SUPER excited for the 2015 challenge!!! Do I need to detox first?
Hi Tiffany.
This is not a fast or a restrictive diet, so you can eat regular meals during this challenge. We are making healthy lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime! Our goal for you is to drink at least one 2-cup serving green smoothie a day in addition to your regular diet. If you would like, you can replace 1 or 2 meals with green smoothies. If you drink green smoothies as meal replacements, make sure to add a protein boost (plant-based protein powder, nut milk, nut butter), or snack on some nuts or a hard-boiled egg 30-60 minutes after you drink your green smoothie.
I’m looking forward to the January 2015 challenge. Just wondering if you had some suggestions for substitutions…I’m allergic to tropical fruit such as pineapple, bananas, mangos, advacados, papaya, etc. Thank you!
Hi Andrea.
Thanks for reaching out to us. Here is a link to our favorite low sugar fruit, https://simplegreensmoothies.com/low-sugar-fruits that you might enjoy in place of tropical fruit. 🙂
I just joined the upcoming challenge because of that bubbly persuasive video. I eat spinach probably every day and putting it in my beloved smoothies is going to be extremely difficult but I am willing to give this a try!! Just awaiting my email confirmation. *gulp*
YAY! Thanks for joining us! 🙂
I joined the January challenge. I can’t wait to start! I love green smoothies, but have been slacking off for the last few months. I am really looking forward to this challenge and the different recipes that I will be trying.
Cheers Sheryl.
Thanks for blendin’ with us! let us know if there is anything we can help with along the way. 🙂
I just joined the 30 day smoothie challenge and I am so excited. This will be my first challenge and second smoothie ever in life (about to increase) I am going to start off with the beginner one and work my way up. I also purchased some coconut water from Costco last month and now I know how to get rid of it because I did not like it by itself. Kudo’s to you ladies for changing my “get healthy lifestyle” #teamsmoothie
Hey Regenia!
Thank so much for reaching out to us! We are so happy you will be blendin’ with us come January! Beginner’s Luck is always a winner is our house hold! Hope you love it as much as we do.
Cheers to you!
I am starting football in the new year,are there any smoothies you would recommend before and after a match/training? Should I drink one 30mins before or an hour etc?
Hey Keith.
Here is an article on our site for athletes, like yourself. https://simplegreensmoothies.com/post-workout-smoothie
Hi Kathy– There’s a vegan juice bar around the corner from my work and I have been picking their brains and checking their recipes. One of my favorite green smoothies from them is actually made with green apples, kale and spinach. I think you are on the right track, personally. The greens are your priority, and you use the fruit you can eat. I honestly don’t like bananas in my smoothies, so I always skip them and replace with things like peaches and apples. Still mighty tasty. A word, though, if you use a red fruit or blueberries, etc., your smoothie will look like dirt. It will still taste fine, but will look pretty darn gross. =)
Love your site! And THANKS for sharing.
My favorite way to add an extra boost is to use coconut water instead of plain. I don’t like coconut water by itself, but it’s really good in smoothies. My baby sister calls this one the Hulk smoothie:
Spinach
Coconut water
Pineapple (or mango)
I don’t measure so it goes a bit like this: 2/3 of the blender with spinach (you can add Kale, too). A handful of frozen pineapple or mango. Coconut water to cover (squished down). Blend and drink.
I think I will try this with Granny Smith Apples next. YUM!
P.S. The juice bar by my work suggested adding celery if you like salty flavors mixed with your sweets (I do) and a dash of cayenne or some ginger if you want that sweet and spicy kick with your greens and fruit.
Hey Erin.
Thanks for your comment + I am loving your salty tip! 🙂 Will you be joining us for the January Challenge?
Just joined today and ive joined the 30 day challenge, really keen to stay healthy over Christmas and keep my energy levels up.
Thought i’d try the beginner smoothie 1st, any tips re getting as much as poss’ from a mango? Never had much success with them. What fruit could I replace with if it all goes to mush?
Hey Amanda.
Have you seen BuzzFeed how to cut a mango? It change my life:
Mango can interchange with peaches, pears, apples, pineapple. 🙂
is this safe to do while breastfeeding?
Hi Whitney.
Every mom and baby nursing experience is different, some babies are sensitive to certain food items, we have had numerous moms continue to drink their green smoothies while nursing. Just be mindful that leafy greens have lot of fiber and can be sent into your milk stream.
If you have more questions consult your healthcare provider or lactation consultant. 🙂
As a mom of a two year old who just finished nursing, I love hearing about other moms passionate at breast-feeding and nutrition! You RAWK for giving your baby such an awesome super food! Way to go! 🙂 -Rawkstar Jessie
can I substitute the pineapple and banana for berries and cantaloupe melon??
Totally. 🙂 Our recipes are here to inspire you — you don’t have to follow them to a T. Yet we do think they are mighty tasty! Feel free to use other green smoothie recipes and even make some up yourself. The key to making green smoothies your lifestyle is making it easy and part of your daily routine. So we recommend using fruits and veggies that are easy for you to find and are affordable.
I did 1cup spinach ,1cup Kale and 1 cup mango ,1cup melon with 1tbs of Almond butter. It taste great and it made enough for breakfast and lunch…Now I just have to focus on keeping dinner healthy ..
Rawesome, Samantha! Glad you enjoyed it!
You often mention not eating until 30-60 minutes after having a green smoothie. Why is this? Can I have a smoothie with an egg for breakfast? Or do I need to wait to have the egg? Thanks!
Hey Emily!
Fantastic question. I am not completely sure. Jen + Jadah have spoken to a lot of nutritionist and this might be something they suggested for our community.
Cheers.
Hello !!
Im 20 years old and Im having trouble eating healthy. I want to start this smoothies plans but I dont know what kind of smoothie should I drink for weight loss.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for reaching out to us. Just by drinking green smoothies daily without even changing your regular diet, you are moving in the right direction towards healthy eating. We suggest you eat real food that’s free of processed sugar and avoid ingredients that you can’t pronounce. My personal meal plan during the green smoothie diet will be paleo-inspired with lots of veggies and some seafood (we’re both pescatarians).
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/fat-burning-smoothie
If you want to take your health to the next level, we recommend checking out our Plant-Based Cleanse Cleanse. This is a step-by-step meal plan, with daily green smoothie recipes and whole food meal recipes created by a holistic nutritionist.
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/cleanse
Hi, I was wondering if these smoothies can be used as meal replacement smoothies and if they can be used instead of dinner.
Hey Angela.
This is not a fast or a restrictive diet, so you can eat regular meals during this challenge. We are making healthy lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime! Our goal for you is to drink at least one 2-cup serving green smoothie a day in addition to your regular diet. If you would like, you can replace 1 or 2 meals with green smoothies. If you drink green smoothies as meal replacements, make sure to add a protein boost (plant-based protein powder, nut milk, nut butter), or snack on some nuts or a hard-boiled egg 30-60 minutes after you drink your green smoothie.
Hi, I just joined Simple Green Smoothies. I have been eating a raw, whole food plant based diet for a while. I have read 30-35 books on nutrition & chronic disease thus far. Right now I am reading The China Study. One thing I have learned so far from the book is that the RDA of protein is 9-10%. “Almost all Americans exceed this 9-10% recommdation , we consume between 11-21%, with an average of about 15-16%.”. Meat based protein is not good for us humans, but plant based proteins are. Animal proteins tend to promote cancer, plant proteins do not. Here is one quote from the book: “heart disease, diabetes, and obesity can be reversed by a healthy diet. Other research shows that various cancers, autoimmune diseases, bone health, kidney health, vision and brain disorders in old age(like cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s) are convincingly influenced by diet. Most importantly, the diet that has time and again been shown to reverse and/or prevent these diseases is the same whole food, plant based diet that I had found to promote optimal health in my laboratory research and in the China Study. The findings are consistent……… we have shown in experimental animals that cancer growth can be turned on and off by nutrition, despite very strong genetic predisposition……. Relative to total calorie intake, only 5-6% dietary protein is required to replace the protein regularly excreted by the body (as animo acids).”