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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.
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/frozen-smoothie-packs
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 🙂