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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
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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.
So I probably should have thought this through but I have frozen some bananas…and they are now rock solid…with their peels on. So should I thaw them out to use or is there any chance they’re ok to use with peel on? I know some fruits are but I’m not sure that banana peel seems to be one of them but thought I’d ask the question 🙂
We wouldn’t recommend using the peel… We have never frozen them with the peel on, so not sure the best technique. Thawing then peeling seems to be logical 🙂
Kat: You can still use them. Rinse them under water to remove the peel and the stringy fiber underneath. From there, you can then cut the banana/s into pieces, or if you’re lazy like me, break them apart by hand. Just be mindful when rinsing under water to remove the peel, that you only go just enough to make the peel easy to remove and no more. I saw this tip on another blog, and it works quite well!
Kat, I always peel my bananas first then wrap them in a sheet of wax paper and freeze them in a gallon zip lock bag. When I need one I just take out however many I need and blend it frozen. This makes your smoothie colder without having to add ice.
I freeze bananas with the skin on and while I’m preparing the rest of my smoothie chuck one is some hot water in the sink. Only takes a minute or so for the skin to defrost and peel of easily but the banana stays cold and frozen to be thrown into the smoothie 🙂
Went shopping after getting my list last night and my husband and I had this today and it was great. Looking forward to tomorrows recipe!!
Tried the new beginnger smoothie and….. LOVE IT! 🙂 …
Getting my husband to try it with me and drink at least one a day for a healthier lifestyle. ..
Going Strong ..
I am new to clean eating and am loving finding new smoothie recipes to try out, I have always loved most fruits but not so many veggies I’m hoping to add more veggies to my Smoothies but can any of these ingredients be frozen so that I can buy more in one trip? I find myself eating better if it is already in the kitchen than if I have to think ahead and remember to go to the store
I have the same problem. I wait until I’m too hungry then grab whatever is convenient. What has worked for me is making huge batches, (I have all 3 blenders going like an assembly line) then I pour them into Ball brand pint and a half freezer safe jars with plastic lids. (Walmart) I leave a little less than 1/4 inch from the top for expansion, then put the plastic cover on loosely to let air out then freeze. I tighten it down once it’s frozen to keep it fresh. At night it put whatever I think I’ll drink the next day into the refrigerator. By morning I have a slushy smoothie, and by lunch it’s a very cold regular smoothie. Once I’m down to my last couple jars the assembly line comes out again. This works with just one blender too, just takes a little longer.
Good night,
Tried the beginners smoothie this morning. Was a bit skeptical about the taste because of the look, but loved it! I am looking forward to more energy, better skin, hoping to lose a few pounds as well.
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Last week I discovered I have Rosacea and after a lot of research I discovered that it is due to poor eating and an un-balanced body ph and that can also cause a lot more health issues. I’ve also been really tired lately and my hormones have been crazy. I spoke with a friend who just finished the Dr. Oz 3 day detox so I researched that and decided that today, July 1 would be the first day of a challenge to become more healthy. I am so excited that my research today lead me to your site on the first day of your challenge!! I can’t wait to get started.
Good luck!
Excited to join such an enthusiastic community! My boyfriend and I have been green smoothie buddies for the last year and love it… Except when it’s really cold it (we live in alaska). Good luck everybody!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Jane!
How long will a smoothie last? I would like to make it in the morning before work and drink it for lunch but not sure how long it will stay fresh in the refrigerator.
In a refrigerator? 24-48 hours 🙂
What is carb value?
Not sure, Lynn… We don’t keep tabs on carbs at this point. You can use “My Fitness Pal” or “Lose It” to calculate, though!
Can I add coconut oil to the green smoothie for each day? Looking forward to starting, Thanks!
We wouldn’t recommend doing it EVERY day, but a few times a week is nice 🙂
wow, its interesting to see that you don’t need protein powder for all smoothies, I have been using that for mostly all of my smoothies, and I am getting a bit bored with the flavor concepts so this will be a nice change
I can’t wait to try my first green smoothie, my mom told me about the site,and I am just starting out with making smoothies and I have created a few of my own as well as followed some recipes…. haven’t tried with a whole lot of veggies, just really spinach, and romaine lettuce and celery.. interested in buying a few new veggies to try.
Signed up for the July challenge and made my first smoothie tonight! Sooo yummy 🙂 I’m so pumped to try new recipes this month!
When you say frozen do you mean we can use bags of frozen fruit from the store, or do you mean I should buy the fruit, cut it up and freeze it? I signed up for the July challenge and hoping I can find fresh fruit but would be great if frozen would work.
Either way works, Lauren 🙂
I’ve been having 2 or more a day. I hope that’s okay. I would think it would be. I’m down 10lbs in my first month. This is a lifestyle change for me. After learning how the animals we eat are treated, I can’t bear the thought of ever eating meat again. Yes, I have to lose another 40 lbs., but my direction in life has changed to getting my body healthy, and to advocate for those who cannot speak, but can absolutely feel emotion. I now know unequivocally, that I can get all the nutrition -and more- that my body needs without giving one more cent to the meat industry.
Thank you.
Sounds like you are on the right track, Rebecca!
I just began my journey to a healthier me a week ago. So far so good! I made my first ever green smoothie 2 days ago, and I’m already obsessed. It’s so helpful to have such an easy way to down so much healthy food! This site is so super helpful to me, and it’s so inspiring to see everyone else’s favorite recipes, too. Makes it all feel more “doable” long-term for me. So thanks!!!
Hello ladies, I just started my smoothies and I m loving it, very good and gives me something to focus on regarding my health. I m placing one meal with smoothies and even cutting back on my meat and bread intake. So I m on my way to a healthier me!!
Good morning Simple Green Smoothies,
I drink a greenie every morning. During the 30 day challenge am i supposed to replace each meal with a greenie? Not sure I understand the tactics of the
Challenge. Help.
My daily greenie includes: 2C kale, 2 celery, parsley, one green apple, 1/2 cuke, and either 1/2 c of pineapple, mango, or banana.
Hi Susan!
The challenge is all about drinking ONE green smoothie per day for 30 days. If you do that, then you can consider yourself a rawkstar 🙂 You can replace your breakfast with a smoothie, add one for a snack, or even replace a different meal. It is totally up to you when you would like to drink your smoothie!
Can I replace unsweetened almond milk for the water?
Yep 🙂 You can always switch up the liquids if you would like!
I am a big fan of green smoothies, been drinking them for breakfast for over a year. I love experimenting with different fruits and veggies. Baby spinach is my favorite greens to add. When going ‘off the wagon’, binging on the wrong things, I replace dinner with a smoothie a day for 3 days to get back on track.