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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.
I’m a newbie to the green smoothie kick but I’ve been wanting to start incorporating a smoothie a day with my hubby so for Christmas he bought me a nutribullet system. I’m very excited to start using it. one of my questions is we have been taking frozen wheatgrass juice every morning. just thaw and shoot it. if I’m incorporating fresh leafy greens do I still need the wheatgrass, or do both offer different health benefits that I can incorporate into one smoothie?
thanks!
I´ve been spending for hours to find out, how many grams is 1 cup of spinach. Would be very thankful to get the answer here!
you can use the following URL
for measurements.
Hope it would help!
Thanks!
Any good substitutes for bananas? I’m allergic to them and I don’t like avocado. Thank you!
How about chia seeds? They make your green smoothies nice and thick and creamy when they’re blended. Or pineapple or mango work well too. 🙂
Hey Is there anything else I could use instead of pineapple please
Yes Brooke! Mango, bananas, berries, kiwi, etc. Use what you like and what you’ve got on hand. 🙂
I added 4 raspberries instead of mango and a half cup of pineapple additionally and it was delicious!
Ooh I’ll have to try that one, Melissa! Thanks rawkstar! 🙂
Joined the 30 Day Challenge. Just had my first green smoothie ever (Beginner’s Luck)…it was actually delicious. Not gonna lie, I would love to lose a few lbs, but adding some healthy changes is what’s driving me to this…thanks for helping me get started!
Awesome, Maureen! So happy to have you here! 🙂
No spinach in Nigeria. Can i use other vegetables
hello Modupe
I used cucumber, since we don’t have Spinach in Nigeria. You can also use lettuce. Lettuce is available in Nigeria
Hope this helps
Cheers
@Modupe: Efo is spinach
Yep thanks for all the subs! You can use regular lettuce, kale, chard, even fresh herbs like parsley. 🙂
Just joined the January challenge.Super excited. My sister got me a blender for Christmas…Been wanting to do this for ages.!!!!
Can’t wait….
Woohoo, Lorraine! New blenders rawk! 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipes; going for a cleanse- already made the bokchoy, coconut milk and banana recipe. 🙂
Sweet! 🙂
Thank you guys. I Love my smoothies and have shared the “Green Smoothie Challenge” with my co-workers at school. Jan. 05. (I already started). So I am extra excited.!!!!
YAY! 🙂 Thanks for blednin’ with us!
Hi guys,
I was just wondering how many grams exactly is in a cup? I don’t understand cup measurements.
Does this help Bryany:
Spices | Proteins | Superfoods:
½ tsp = 2mL
1 tsp = 5mL
2 tsp = 10mL
1 TBSP = 15mL
2 TBSP = 30mL
Fruits:
Mango | Pineapple | Strawberries | Beets | Carrots | Blueberries | Raspberries
1 cup = 250mL
1 ½ cups = 375mL
2 cups = 500mL
Liquids:
Water | Coconut Water | Coconut Milk | Almond Milk | Fresh Squeezed Juice | Rice Milk
½ cup = 125mL
1 cup = 250mL
1 ½ cups = 375mL
2 cups = 500mL
I’m so ready to start this program! (we are still on vacation though until 1/5/14) Anyway, I need to blend enough for our 9, 7, and 5 year old plus 2 adults. Are the recipes on the site for one serving? Maybe I should blend 3 times and have the kids share one?
I usually add ice to make it extra cold and help with the presentation. Is that not recommended? Do I substitute the water for ice?
Hi Stephanie.
Are you wanting to replace meals for everyone which would be 16oz + protein or as a family snack on 8oz?
Most of our smoothies make about 4 – 5 cups (32 – 40 oz)– we call this family style. A serving size is 2 cups
I just bought a smoothie blender and ready to get super healthy! Thanks for making this the easiest new years resolution ever! #amazing
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.