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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 bowls, 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.
Hi Rawkstars,
I’ve just started your 30 days green smoothie challenge and you know what I tagged in my husband too….we are loving it. This is our first ever green smoothie tryout!!
Now I’ve a quick question….in every week you’ve given us 3 delicious recipes……do we repeat it or just those 3 days enough?
Thanks in advance….hugs
Love being Rawkstars here 🙂
Hi Tonima,
YAY! We’re so excited to have you and your husband blending with us! We shared three recipes with you for Week 1 because we kicked off our January challenge on a Friday. The three recipes were meant to help get you through the weekend and to start Week 2 with us on Monday. The rest of the weeks you should have five recipes per week! We use the weekends as “freestyle” days to finish up any remaining ingredients or re-blend your favorite recipes from the week.
Hope this helps! Reach out with any questions!
Great recipes. But quick question. Have you ladies used Matcha Powder in any of your smoothies before?
Hi, I was wondering if you are using the smoothies as a meal replacement or in addition? And your recipes are 2 servings, silly question but are the recipes for two people or one?
Two servings = one serving for each of two people, or two servings for one person.
Hi Cara,
Thanks for reaching out! And thanks for some great questions! Our goal for you is to add one (16oz) green smoothie to your day in addition to your regular diet. If you’re interested, you can use your green smoothie as a meal replacement for up to two meals. We suggest adding protein + healthy fats to your green smoothie to ensure you’re fueling your body with a complete meal. Check out some of our favorite meal replacement booster combos here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Our recipes do make 2 servings, because we love sharing the green smoothie love! You can find a smoothie partner to blend with, or hold on to your second serving for later. You can either hold on to your second serving as a quick healthy snack option later in the day, or save it for the following day to take a day off blending. Your smoothie will keep in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to two days. Adding a little bit of lemon juice will help preserve their green goodness!
Personally I love using one serving as a breakfast meal replacement, and then have the second serving on hand as a quick pick-me-up during that 3pm afternoon low.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
When I started making green smoothies in October, I was using a food processor, which worked great, but was cumbersome for making them prior to leaving for work. My friend gave me a ninja single serve blender for Christmas. It is so easy to use, but I am having trouble pairing down the recipes for the 16oz. blender cup. Can you give me a recipe for that? Thanks!
Hi Debbie,
YAY! Happy to hear you’re loving your Ninja Single Serve, we love blendin’ with personal sized blenders. When doing so we suggest simply halving our recipes, and adding a little additional liquid base to ensure everything blends smoothly. Here’s our Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie Recipe for 1…
1 cup spinach
1 cup water
1/2 cup mango
1/2 pineapple
1 banana
And remember, an extra splash of water may help everything blend smoothly!
Hope this helps!
What r the calories for a smoothie?
Hi Janice,
We personally don’t count calories, so we don’t include them in our recipes at this time. You’ll 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. Three great resources for tracking calories are Self Nutrition Data, and the phone apps: My Fitness Pal and Lose It.
Do you use chia seeds or Lin, cinnamon in your recipes and can I add a cup of ice to freeze a bit my smoothie??
Hi Maia,
Great questions! We love blendin’ with chia and linseeds (flaxseeds), especially because they’re packed with protein + healthy fats to fuel your body! Cinnamon is also a great addition! We love the flavor kick, and the kick it adds to your metabolism.
Looking to ensure your green smoothie is creamy + chilled to perfection? You can add ice, we prefer to blend with at least one frozen fruit.
You might be interested in reading these web pages on chia + lin seeds…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/superfoods-list
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/pumpkin-chia-pudding
I ABSOLUTELY love the energy you bring to this whole RAWK star green smoothie thing you guys have going! I have been searching for support and a way to get started cause I am a TOTAL newbie to this and I will look no further not only have you made it simple and understandable, your posetive upbeat energy has infected me and I want to be a member of this movement!!!!!! Thanks you guys!!!!
In our family we love making all kinds of smoothies. Adding this to the list for sure, any idea what we could replace with mango? Because it’s hard to get it here.
Hi John,
Thanks for reaching out. We’ve got you covered! Some great substitutes for mango are papaya + kiwi fruit. We also love reaching for frozen fruit when our favorites are out of season or hard to find!
Cheers 🙂
Hi,
Just wondering what I can substitute rolled oats for. I have coeliac disease (intolerant to gluten) & also dairy?
Kind regards
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Allergic to gluten, we’ve got you covered! We love oats for the protein boost they add to our favorite recipes, simply swap in another plant-based protein you enjoy like chia seeds or nut butters! Or keep an eye out for gluten free oat options. Learn more about our favorite protein options here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/plant-based-protein-powder
this is my first time to the site a friend told me about it. I am presently doing the 21 day no junk food challenge but sounds like this would be great to add to it. Thanks for the info.
Thanks for joining us, Janet! Please reach out with any questions!
I never thought I could be a green smoothie girl, but I just made the beginners luck smoothie and it’s delicious. My toddler is even drinking it and loving it (I could never get him to eat spinach before). I’m so excited! We can drink this every day. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Malika,
YAY! We’re so excited to have you + your family blendin’ with us!
Cheers 🙂
I just signed up for the 30 day smoothie challenge – my question is simple (I think) — Just add a smoothie a day or replace a meal with a smoothie?
Hi Cathy,
Great question! Our goal for you is to add one (16oz) green smoothie to your day in addition to your regular diet. You can use our recipes as a meal replacement for up to two meals. We do suggest adding protein + healthy fats to ensure you’re fueling your body with a complete meal. Learn more about our favorite meal replacement booster combos here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Cheers 🙂
Do you guys know if you can make these the night before and freeze them and use them throughout the week for those busy mornings we all have?
Hi Victoria,
Yes! Frozen pre-blended smoothies will keep in your freezer for up to a month. We suggest thawing them in the refrigerator overnight before you’re ready to enjoy. Separation is natural so give your smoothie a quick shake before enjoying!
Looking for other ways to make blending easier? Check out our prep tips here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-prep-smoothies/
Cheers 🙂
Heading to Mexico tomorrow with my new Christmas Vitamix packed in the car. I’m looking forward to fresh fruits and vegetables and finding out if the 30 day challenge can boost my health.
Hi Debbie,
Cheers to blendin’ on the go!! We hope you have a wonderful time in Mexico, and hope you love your new Vitamix!! Check out our tips for blendin’ while traveling here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/healthy-snacks-for-work
I just joined the January 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge!! I am super excited about it. Most of all, I am looking forward to feeling more energetic throughout the day and overall improve my health. Can’t wait to try the Beginner’s Luck Smoothie!! 🙂 Looking forward to receiving the grocery lists and recipes. Thanks.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for reaching out! We can’t wait to kick off our challenge tomorrow and are so excited to have you blendin’ with us! We hope you keep us updated throughout your challenge on Facebook + Instagram!
Cheers 🙂
Hello,
I’ve just joined and not made any of your smoothies yet. Can I use ffrozwn spinach? If yes, how many chunks or weight is 2 cups of fresh spinach?
Thank you.
Hi Clare,
Great question! While members of our community have shared that they blend with frozen spinach, we prefer to blend with fresh leafy greens, as frozen greens from your grocery aisle don’t always yield the tastiest results.
Are you looking to use frozen leafy greens to help prevent waste? How about freezing your own? It’s perfect for stocking up on leafy greens when your favorites are in season, or even better, on sale! Learn how we freeze our leafy greens here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/how-to-freeze-spinach
Beginning with this smoothie tomorrow! I got a Vitamix for Christmas so I’m pretty much out of excuses at this point! 🙂
Hi Christina,
Oh, KALE YEAH! What a perfect way to kick-off the New Year, but with a shiny new Vitamix! We hope you love our Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie and we hope you will join us for our FREE January 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge.
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/challenge/
Cheers 🙂
Just joined today and tried this smoothie! YUM YUM I make smoothies now and then but this was good! Had spinach I needed to use and with the pineapple and banana’s it was really good! So excited to get your recipes!!
Hi Terry,
YAY! We’re so excited you enjoyed our Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie, it’s one of our personal favorites! Which recipe are you looking to try next?
Cheers 🙂
I just set a reminder in the phone to start this on Jan. 1. I cant wait I a change to help me with my sweet cravings at night this will be the snack before bed. Thanks Green Smoothie Team
Hi Kim,
We’re so excited to have you blendin’ with us!! Cheers to a happy + healthy New Year!
Okay… I’m not a health food person. I eat a breakfast sandwich and iced coffee from Starbucks most mornings. I’m overweight.
I have heard about the green smoothie thing and thought BLAGH!
In fact, I avoided listening to your episode of the “My Wife Quit Her Job” Podcast simply because I thought you would be crazy health food nuts and I would not enjoy the episode.
However, I finally listened. As an online writer/marketer type person I respect your business and growth SO MUCH. Plus, you made the smoothies sound good.
I came to your site. I found myself drawn to the recipes. I find myself eyeballing this “beginner” recipe.
Yes, I (Starbucks Queen) am considering ingesting green liquid for breakfast tomorrow. And I’m kind of excited about it.
Hi Tracy,
YAY!! We’re so happy you found us in this busy internet world! We can’t wait to hear how you enjoy your first green smoothie! Reach out and let us know!
Cheers 🙂
I love you guys, your smoothies are awsome, tried this one for the first time today because I had fresh pineapple on hand. The only modification I made is a put in half the required banana, because I find it overpowers everything. What an awsome smoothie, my new favorite.
YAY! Thanks for sharing the leafy love, Laura! 🙂