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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 greens, 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 up 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
The only equipment you need to make this green smoothie recipe is a blender for smoothies. A juicer or food processor won’t work to get you a creamy 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.
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.
- Spinach: Swap for kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, or any leafy greens 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
Once you try the recipe below, you’re gonna want more green smoothie recipes. It happens every day in my inbox! I love it! Here’s some of the most popular ones on my blog to try next:
- My son is obsessed with this Mango Orange Smoothie recipe.
- This Simple 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.
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 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.
I been drinking smoothies for years. I came across your challenge on Facebook, decided to sign up l’m excited to start the challenge today and try different fruit and veggies. Today smoothie with the oranges was awesome I never put oranges in my smoothies before but it tasted delicious.
Thanks Maxine!!
I am so happy to hear that you found our smoothie challenge and decided to go for it! That is why we love this challenge because you try so many new ingredients that you never would before and really find what you like and don’t like.
Hello, I love the smoothies and your book is amazing! 🙂
One thing that I don’t understand why the sugar percentage is not available on the nutrition list?
Thanks Maxine!!
I am so happy to hear that you found our smoothie challenge and decided to go for it! That is why we love this challenge because you try so many new ingredients that you never would before and really find what you like and don’t like.
Such a yummy smoothie! I love it even more with half an orange tossed in. This was the first green smoothie I tried and one I continue to come back to.
Yay Kristin!
I am so excited that you fell in love with this recipe!! It is one of my favorites and my kids always beg me for more
I’m excited to try these delicious smoothie recipes!
super easy and tastes great!
This is the easiest (honestly though, they are ALL easy!) And the yummiest. Who doesn’t love mango pineapple and banana? You’ll be hooked immediately and so will the kids! They’ll be yelling for more so make a double batch! Or be adventurous and simlly add whatever fruit you have in your kitchen, just use the same ratio Jen uses. Its ALL delicous and healthy.. Wish I thought of this,when my kids were young!
Hey Diane,
Yay!! We absolutely love hearing that! My kids always drink their smoothie plus trying to sneak some sips from mine as well. It’s so great to know that I am giving them nursing fruits and veggies at such a young age.
Being adventurous with your smoothie puts a smile on our face!! Keep rawkin’!!!
Best smoothie i have ever had.
That is music to our ears!! 🙂
The PERFECT first smoothie to try. I had tried a few before this but always with a milk or juice base because I swore I could never drink one with water… Then Jen made this for a group of friends and I was shocked that it actually tasted good! I recommend this first to anyone trying smoothies for the first time.
This is seriously one of the easiest and tastiest smoothie recipes there is! Enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth but still refreshing enough to feel like and KNOW you are treating your body well! This is even one of my go-to smoothies when I feel like I need a mini one-meal cleanse. In fact, I just made one a few days ago – delicious!
Always love this recipe!!! We’ve made it for the kids the last 7 year and they still ask for it!
Absolutely love the recipes and easy to make!
Hey Fiona,
I have to agree this one is delicious and so simple! It’s a win win!!!
Can I make my smoothie and then have it a few hours later or does it have to be drank right away. I want to make it, go to the gym, go to work and have it for breakfast.
Hey Cheryl,
You can totally drink it later. What we like to do is seal it in a glass air-tight container and stick it in your fridge. You can keep it in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!! 🙂
I would like to try smoothies for awhile for cancer provention. On meds that allow me to eat ..but can cause cancer infortunatley. Although i have been on the meds for 10mths i am still too scared to try citrus fruits. Are there any fruits that offer the same punch as citrus fruits that i can use in a smoothy.
Hey Sarah,
Have you checked out our recipe specifically for cancer prevention? You can check that out here: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/pineapple-ginger-smoothie
If you have any questions just let us know!
Absolutely love this smoothie. I tried several of your smoothie recipes the last few days and love every single one of them. Thank you very much for sharing 🙂
Yay Philipp!!!
So happy to hear that you love our recipes so much 🙂
I just wanted to say I am a 49 year old woman who suffers from chronic pain and am on meds. I suffer from certain side effects as constipation and low energy. I decided to try your green shake and am so pleased. I now don’t have to take anymore additional otc medicine to help with side effects. I take your green smoothie but I put kale and spinach (both because where I live is small town & doesn’t carry just plain kale), pineapple, banana. I don’t like mangos so sometimes I substitute other frozen fruits or add extra pineapple. I can’t explain enough how your smoothie has changed my life. I know, silly for saying a drink will do this but it did. I have more energy and have found myself losing weight, which I could do to lose 45 lbs. God bless you, your family and business. I hope others will see this and believe your green shake does work. And, No, to the disbelievers, I do not work for them or got paid for my comment.
Hello, could I substitute frozen spinach for raw? Seasonally tough to get hands on raw. If so, any quantity suggestions? First time mom newly post-partum and needing some immune system and health boosts! Thanks!
Hey Ames,
Absolutely! Frozen spinach will also make your smoothie cooler which is an added bonus.
Cheers!