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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.
hello i have just started this challenge and so far so good, its soo good 😀
i was just wondering as am still in school is there any way i could take it to schol as in if i put it in a flask will it still be cold and taste okay and how long will be it be okay for, what do you recommeded i do if i want to drink it at school
Hi Asiyah! Its so great to hear that you are eating healthy at a young age 😀 We usually put our blended smoothies in a mason jar with an air tight lid, and we put them in a refrigerator. They should keep for about 1-2 days like that. If you don’t have access to a fridge then you can put an icepack in your lunch bag, and it will keep your smoothie cool. Hope this helps! Rawk on!
Just put it in a thermos. You’ll have a nice cold smoothie whenever you are ready.
I used water today and it actually tasted pretty good. I put less banana but it still tasted mostly like bananas. I tasted the banana, mango & spinach but not the pineapple, so going to add more pineapple next time. Not sure about the OJ since it tastes good with water. Not sure how OJ and Spinach would taste together. lol
I’m going to start the green smoothie! Wish me “beginner’s luck”. I may have missed reading all of the earlier posts, so sorry if it’s a stupid question (it’s been a long week!). When should I be drinking the green smoothie and how often?
Hi Lori! So happy that you are starting 🙂 We have loved how green smoothies have improved our health. We usually either drink one for breakfast or as a snack later on instead of potato chips or something less healthy. We suggest starting there! Some people after a little bit get crazy and substitute it as a meal.
I bought all the ingredients so going to try it beginning tomorrow morning. I have some fresh squeezed OJ I thought about putting that in instead of water.
Kimberly! Fresh squeezed is always a phrase we love to hear 🙂 Go for it and see how it tastes!
Hello again ladies! Thanks for the suggestion in using bananas instead of mango. I LOVE bananas. Is there anything besides the water that I can substitue for the coconut water?
Hi Lori! What about green tea, or a combination of water and natural fruit juice? Check out this article:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/dairy-free-smoothies
Thank you for tip #1 – how to get the greens smooth in a regular blender!! I actually found your website because of your vitamix giveaway because I was tired of chunky greens in my smoothies. But I just tried the technique of blending the greens with the liquid first–worked like a charm! Now I don’t need a vitamix 😉 Thanks!
Oh, the answer to my question. Thanks Grace!
and…where do i get a canning jar lid and straw like that?! the smoothies must taste better out of them. 🙂
Check out this page 😉
This is my first ever green smoothie. I added 1/2 cup strawberries instead of 1/2 cup of mango. It was very good. The fruits masked the flavor of the spinach. Loved it!
Hi Simple Green Smoothies,
Is there a fruit that I can substitute for the mango?
Hi Lori!
What about papaya? Banana? Avocado, maybe? Those are all things we like in smoothies that make them smooth and tasty 🙂
Just made this smoothie today! Great recipe for a simple and delicious green smoothie!
I’m about to start drinking green smoothies 🙂
I got a cheap blender, but hey – it’s better than nothing, right?
My question is : Can I use less fruit (and maybe even more vegetables) so that it’s not so packed with sugar? I’m doing Insanity and trying to stay fit, and I don’t want to eat that many fruit.
Will it still be edible, or will it taste like cr*p ? 🙂
Hi Szymon! This is a great question. You can absolutely use more veggies than fruits! It all depends on which veggies you use as to whether it tastes good or not, but there are lots of people that do veggie smoothies. If you find some good recipes then send ’em our way!
DO I drink this all day once a day or what please explain trying to lose some ponds and eat healthier
Hi Nellie! Thanks for your question 🙂 We recommend drinking one smoothie a day. You can drink it for breakfast or as a snack. Some people are a little ambitious and replace their lunch or dinner with their smoothie, and some people even drink two green smoothies a day. It is up to you and what your body/lifestyle can handle. Hope this helps!
Do you have to use fresh spinach? I love the whole leaf frozen kind by Trader Joe’s.
Hi Alicia! We like to say that fresh is best, but many times we take our fresh leafy greens and freeze them to store them for longer. So, the whole leaf frozen spinach bags should work 🙂
Hello, I have a 5 months old baby going on 6 and I am still breast feeding and really want to loose weight, do you think i could do this and would cause no harm?
Hi Tobi! We think that drinking these smoothies shouldn’t cause harm–breastfeeding or not. They are all filled with normal, natural fruits/veggies, and healthy liquids. If you use them as breakfast and have an active lifestyle, while eating healthy for other meals then you have a good chance of losing some weight. Some people drink green smoothies as a full meal replacement, and they also talk about weight loss. Hope this helps!
Thanks very much. Will start tomorrow and keep you updated.
just tried this. it was so delicious!!!
I am with child right now, and i was wondering will this be okay to drink becaue my co worker told me she is losing weight from drinking it and I want to drink it for the energy booster
Hi! Is your co-worker doing this as a meal replacement? We suggest NOT drinking this as a meal replacement if you are expecting. You could drink it with your breakfast in the morning, as a mid-day snack… or anything else! Hope this helps