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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.
Very first green smoothie I ever made. So good, a great one for beginners. My toddler son has become quite the smoothie drinker and he loves this recipe
That is awesome Holly!
I am so happy that this was your first green smoothie you have tried. It is definitely our favorite one as well.
Cheers!
Hey Teri,
We know you are going to love it!
Cheers!!
Hey, do you have a recipe with less sugar? 34g seems really high, especially if you’re trying to shed some pounds. Thanks
Hey Max,
Yes, we definitely do if you are not feeling this recipe.
You can checkout the recipe for our Fat Burning Smoothie right here:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/fat-burning-smoothie
Enjoy!
Hi! Can you make this ahead and freeze it?
Hey Katie,
Absolutely!
You can totally blend and freeze for later. Also if you prefer you can blend and place in your fridge. Our recipes will last up to 2 days in the fridge in an air tight container. Just give it a little shake and you are good to go!
You can also add some lime juice to help keep that luscious green color as well!
Hey Katie,
Yes you totally can! Our smoothies will last up to 2 days in the fridge in an air tight container. All you have to do is give it a little shake and you are good to go!!
I have diabetes can I still drink the smoothies
Hey Gladys,
We have had people who have diabetes drink our smoothies in the past, however I would suggest asking your doctor first to see if these would be okay for you specifically.
Here is an article for smoothies with less sugar you can check out or bring to your doctor:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/low-sugar-fruits
Hope that helps!
Also, which blender do you recommend? Is Vitamix the best (in your opinion)? If so, which one do you have and use?
Hey Dee,
Yes, in our opinion Vitamix is our go to. Yes, we know that everyone has a different preference. We really love the Vitamix 300 Series!
Hope that helps!
Can I sub in strawberries instead of pineapple, as I’m mildly allergic?
Hey Dee,
A great substitute for pineapple is oranges, mangoes, or peaches. However if you prefer strawberries that is totally fine too
There is FAR too much fruit in this Beginners Luck recipe… 34g of sugar per serving?? That’s ridiculous… it’s almost as much as a can of coke. Yes fruit is healthy in moderation but you do not need that much of it to make a tasty, healthy green smoothie. The vegetable to fruit ratio should be 3:1. There’s a recipe I use that consists of spinach, cucumber, celery, avocado, ginger, juice of half a lemon and pure apple juice (and you only need a very small amount of the juice to make the smoothie taste nice and fruity). Don’t get me wrong, not trying to rain on any parades here but the fact is this smoothie is not as healthy as people want to believe it is.
Can you give the ratios of each, so I can try yours and make my own informed decision? Thanks!
Sure- 2 big handfuls of spinach (don’t be shy), juice of half a lemon, 4 thumb-sized sticks of cucumber, 1 large celery stalk, half a large avocado (or a whole one if it’s small), half a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger (this is up to preference too, some people like more/less ginger) a half cup of water and about a 3/4 cup of pure apple juice. Blend it all up and taste before pouring. If it’s not quite sweet enough it’s ok to add a bit more juice but do it in very small increments (apple juice has an overpowering flavour so it shouldn’t take much). Hope this helps, good luck!
Hey Dee,
If you’re new to green smoothies, we don’t recommend starting off with this “flipped ratio” (more leafy greens than fruit). The high amount of fiber may bother your digestive system, and the taste might be TOO green to enjoy. Yet for those that have been drinking green smoothies for weeks, this might be a fun little challenge worth going for!
Hey Elaine,
Thank you for your feedback. Each smoothie recipe has 3 cups of fruit in it (makes two smoothies), and it is recommended that an adult has 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit a day. When you drink one serving of our green smoothie recipe you will be meeting, or just under your daily intake for fruit. However, it sounds like you did exactly what we like to suggest if the smoothie is too sweet for you!
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.