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My favorite green smoothie recipe is really a simple and healthy alternative to a tropical energy drink. I’ve made this smoothie almost every morning to boost my energy levels and nourish my body for the past 12 years. With over 1,900 5-star reviews, I can’t wait for you to blend it and vote (by leaving a review) to let me know if you think it’s the best green smoothie.
Health Benefits of a Green Smoothie
Green smoothies are a delicious and convenient way to improve your health. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, a green smoothie offers a wide range of benefits. Here’s a few of the benefits I’ve experienced:
- More energy from the natural fruit sugars blended so it’s easily absorbed
- I rarely get sick (my immune system is stronger thanks to the vitamins in the ingredients)
- My digestive system is happy with all the fiber and hydration
- My skin is glowing. Adding spinach to a smoothie boosts the phytonutrients and fiber, which then slows down the absorption of sugars into your body and makes it officially a “green smoothie”.
- My kids are growing strong and healthy (they’ve been drinking green smoothies since they were little as you can see from the photos below).
I’m in my early 40’s and have two teenagers— so life has worn me down a bit. 😜 Green smoothies keep me energized and fueled so I can still go after my bucket list adventures, like:
- Run 47 miles across the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim (I’ve done this 5 times now)
- Complete a 7-day motorcycle adventure race in Morocco (I slept in floors in random houses each night)
- Hike Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park with my family (that was intense!)
- Complete a 4-day backpacking trip with my son in the Rocky Mountains last summer (my toenail still hasn’t grown all the way back)
I don’t share my adventures to brag. I share them to help you see what is possible when you nourish your body with fruits, vegetables and the best green smoothie recipe that we’ll get into now.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe Ingredients
Everything you need to make this 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. Here’s the ingredients you’ll need:
- 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 of drinking green smoothies.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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 to filter my water.
Should I use Fresh or frozen fruit in a Green smoothie?
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 Make a Green Smoothie
The only equipment you need to make this green smoothie recipe 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. Check out my list of the top 10 best blenders for smoothies. Once you have a high-speed blender, you can successfully make the best green smoothie recipe by following the steps below.
- Blend 1 cup of spinach (or other leafy greens of your choice) in a blender with 1 cup of liquid. Blend until all leafy chunks are gone. You can follow my leafy greens guide for help.
- 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 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. 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 smoothie 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.
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 won’t taste as great if you wing it right out of the gate.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe 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: If you are wondering how to make a smoothie sweeter without processed sugar, explore my list of the best natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, bananas, or dates.
- 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.
- Collagen: Unflavored collaged is a simple way to add additional protein and support your gut health.
- Banana swaps: Don’t care for bananas? You can substitute it with a quarter of an avocado.
- Mango swaps: If you don’t have any mango, a full cup of frozen pineapple or peaches will work.
Common Questions
You won’t be able to taste the spinach if you use the proper ratio of fruit to spinach. This green smoothie recipe 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.
Green smoothies aren’t inherently fattening. They’re packed with nutrients and fiber. A basic blend of spinach, mango, pineapple, banana, and water has about 203 calories per serving. To keep them light, avoid added sugars and high-calorie extras like sweeteners or full-fat dairy. Stick to whole fruits, veggies, and water for a healthy, balanced drink.
6 More Green Smoothie Recipes
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.
- Try this vitamin-C packed Blueberry Spinach Smoothie to recharge the body.
- Boost your metabolism with these Fat-Burning Smoothies For Weight Loss.
- 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.
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.
Equipment
Video
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.
This is a good one, added a bit of kale with the spinach, and replaced the banana with a pear ( I don’t eat bananas) Good start to the year.
Really great smoothie! My husband and I are both doing the challenge.
I am currently out of town and purchased a blender……I find it doesn’t make the smoothie very smooth, and I found I had to eat some of it with a spoon! Lol
I can’t wait to get home and use my Vitamix as I know the blending results will be much better and for my husband who never eats greens much more palatable!!
Will persevere!!
Much too sweet for me! But probably great for those with a sweet tooth/kids/picky eaters.
Diane, if a smoothie is too sweet for your taste buds, try flipping the greens to fruit ratio. For example, with this recipe you would use 2 cups of spinach, 1/4 cup pineapple, 1/4 cup mango, and half a banana. You could even add a pinch of sea salt if you are like my sister and prefer salty over sweet.
Easy to make and tasted good. I substituted some frozen avocado for half of the banana, as I don’t really care for them.
loving this smoothie! i make it quite frequently, but haven’t recently so it was great to return to an old favourite.
Great Day 1 Smoothie for the smoothie challenge! Super easy to make and taste great! Just the right amount of sweetness and very filling!.
A delicious tropical smoothie for a cold winters day!
Delicious and sweet. Beautiful green color.
This is super yummy! And still sweet enough to feel like a treat…
I love all the tropical flavors in the smoothie. I’ve been making smoothies for years and I learned something new. To blend the greens in liquid first. It makes such a difference in the smoothie. Thanks!
Even my super picky eater loved this recipe!!! He said he wants this for breakfast every day now instead of Eggo waffles 🙂 WIN!!!!
So good! Can’t taste the spinach and the whole family loved it! Great way to start the new year.
Trying the challenge with my husband and son. We all had this for breakfast today. I didn’t mind the taste and it creamed up nicely in my blender. Hubby says “it’s green” and may need some protein added if he is going to relate a meal with it. My reply was “its suppose to be green; hence the name”…lol.
Great taste and very easy prep. Thank you!
This smoothie is sooo delicious! I think I may be drinking this daily. :-). It’s my first day of the 10-day challenge!! Day one and done! My husband and son are doing the challenge with me! Hoping for a great start to the new year, new decade!
Recipe was delicious. Family loved it. I think if the fruit was frozen it would have been even better. I will try that next time.