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This best green smoothie recipe is the one I hand to friends who want to start somewhere. It blends spinach with mango, pineapple, and banana, so your first glass tastes like a tropical smoothie.
I didn’t start drinking green smoothie recipes because I loved kale. I started because mornings were chaotic and I needed something fast and nutritious. This one took five minutes, and I could blend it while packing lunches. Then it became the habit that stuck.
Table of Contents
What is a Green Smoothie?
A green smoothie is a blended drink of leafy greens like spinach, sweet fruit, and a liquid such as water. The fruit balances the greens, so a beginner-friendly version tastes like the fruit, not the vegetable. Smoothie shops often charge $6 to $8 for one, but you can make this one at home for about $2.50.
Why this Recipe is the Best
- It tastes like fruit. The recipe uses more fruit than spinach, so mango, pineapple, and banana lead the flavor.
- It blends silky smooth. Blending the spinach and water first breaks down every leaf. That way, the texture never turns gritty.
- It suits beginners. You need four whole-food ingredients plus water, one blender, and five minutes.
- It’s top-rated. Readers have rated it 4.89 out of 5 with over 2,000 ratings.
- It’s plant-based. This green smoothie is dairy-free, with no added sweetener.
Ingredient Notes
Everything in this green smoothie comes from the produce section or the freezer aisle. Here’s a quick breakdown of why I use each ingredient.
- Fresh spinach: Baby spinach is the mildest green for smoothies, so it adds color without a strong flavor.
- Frozen pineapple: It brings tropical sweetness and a little tang. It also chills the smoothie without watering it down.
- Frozen mango: It arrives peeled and cut, and it makes the texture thick and creamy. If fresh mangoes are on sale, cut and freeze them yourself.
- Fresh banana: A ripe banana adds creaminess and natural sweetness. Frozen bananas work too if you want a colder sip. If you don’t like bananas, try my Spinach Smoothie, which uses peaches instead.
- Water: It keeps the flavor clean, so the fruit tastes like itself.
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How to Make a Green Smoothie
- Blend the spinach and water first, until every leafy chunk disappears. This two-step method keeps the smoothie silky instead of gritty.
- Add the mango, pineapple, and banana, then blend on high until creamy. A high-speed blender breaks down greens fastest, but any blender works with extra time.
- Drink it right away for the brightest flavor and color.
When Should I Drink a Green Smoothie?
Drink it whenever you will actually make it. That said, mornings suit most people, because this takes just five minutes. Green smoothies make quick breakfast smoothies for busy days. However, the base has only 3g of protein. Add protein powder or chia seeds if you want it to fill you up.
Green smoothies also work as an afternoon snack or after a workout. I skip them right before bed.
Ingredient Swaps
- Banana: An avocado quarter lowers the sugar, keeps the smoothie creamy, and adds a little fat. Leaving the banana out makes it thinner and less sweet.
- Mango: Pineapple, red apple, and peaches all have less sugar than mango, so the smoothie tastes lighter and less sweet. Pineapple adds tang, apple adds a crisp, lightly tart note, and peaches taste mild.
- Pineapple: A navel orange adds brighter citrus flavor and more fiber. It tastes less tropical and has slightly more sugar than pineapple.
- Water: Swap in coconut water to add a light sweetness and electrolytes. Non-dairy milk makes it creamier, and soy milk adds the most protein of the common options.
- Spinach: These swaps barely change the sugar, but they change the flavor. Kale, chard, and beet greens taste stronger and earthier, and romaine is the mildest.
How to Store a Green Smoothie
Store your green smoothie in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 48 hours. However, it tastes best within 4 hours of blending, because the flavor and color fade as it sits. For busy weeks, freeze the fruit and spinach in meal prep smoothie packs, then blend each morning.
Ingredient Add-Ins
- Protein powder: Add a serving of homemade protein powder to turn this green smoothie into a more filling meal.
- Chia seeds: Stir in 2 tablespoons for extra fiber and protein. Drink it quickly, because chia thickens fast.
- Natural sweeteners: For a sweeter sip, add a pitted date or a small drizzle of maple syrup.
- Frozen riced cauliflower: Add 1/4 cup for extra fiber. It barely changes the flavor.
Green Smoothie Nutrition
This recipe makes one 16-ounce smoothie, with 203 calories, 6g of fiber, 3g of protein, and 34g of sugar. All of that sugar comes from the fruit, with no added sweetener. To turn it into a meal replacement, add one scoop of protein powder. That adds about 20g of protein and 100 calories, so the total is about 23g of protein and 303 calories.
Best Green Smoothie for Beginners
Jen HansardVideo
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup mango frozen
- 1 banana
Instructions
- Pack the spinach tightly into a measuring cup.
- Pour the water into a blender, add the spinach and blend until no leaf pieces remain and the mixture looks like smooth green water.
- Add the pineapple, mango and banana. Blend on high until creamy, about 30 seconds in a high-speed blender or up to 2 minutes in a standard one, using a tamper if the blender stalls.
- If it’s too thick, add a splash more water; if it’s too thin, add a few more pieces of frozen fruit. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Protein Boost: Add a scoop of protein powder, 2 tablespoons chia seeds or 1/2 avocado to make it more filling. If you add chia, drink it right away, since it thickens fast.
- Fruit Swaps: For a less sweet smoothie, swap the banana for 1/4 avocado. Frozen peaches can replace the mango, and a peeled navel orange can replace the pineapple.
- Doubling: This makes one 16-ounce smoothie. Double everything to serve two, and blend in batches if your blender is small.
- Storing: Best fresh, but it keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours; shake before drinking. To prep ahead, freeze the spinach and fruit together in smoothie packs, then add water and blend.
Nutrition
Common Questions
Any blender can make this recipe, but greens need more blade speed than fruit. Weaker blenders leave leafy flecks, so blend the spinach and water for 60 to 90 seconds first. A high-speed blender finishes in about 30 seconds with a silky texture. Either way, add the frozen fruit last.
Yes, and two methods work well. First, freeze the spinach, mango, pineapple, and banana in a bag, then add water and blend each morning. Or blend it the night before, pour it into a sealed jar, and refrigerate it. Shake well before drinking, because it separates as it sits.
Most people don’t taste it in this recipe. The banana, mango, and pineapple outweigh the spinach, so it tastes like a tropical fruit smoothie. Blending the spinach and water first also removes the leafy texture that gives greens away. If you feel nervous, start with a smaller handful and add more next time.
Bitter usually means the greens outweighed the fruit, or a stronger green like kale replaced mild spinach. Add more fruit or return to baby spinach. Gritty means the greens need more blending, so let it run a full 60 seconds after it looks smooth. Also, blend the spinach and water before adding frozen fruit.
No. All 34 grams of sugar in a 16-ounce serving comes from the fruit, with no added sweetener. The banana contributes a large share of it. To lower the sugar, swap the banana for a quarter of an avocado, or use less mango. The smoothie will taste a little less sweet.
As written, it makes a light breakfast or satisfying snack, with 6 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. To turn it into a meal, add protein powder, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, or half an avocado. Each add-in makes it thicker and more filling, so you may need extra water.
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I’m also a newbie, waiting for the Challenge to start. I have Fibromyalgia & suffer from serious fatigue, among other health issues. I’ve read that the right smoothies can help reduce the pain & fatigue. I got so excited after reading everything on the site, that I went shopping! 🙂 My only problem now is that, the bananas, mangos & pineapple need to ripen. It’s always something right? lol So, I’ll be trying the Beginner’s Luck in a couple of days! I can’t wait! Lastly, I just want to thank you ladies for putting this all together. Great job! 🙂
Hey Cecilia.
Thanks for the comment. I am happy to hear you are joining us. Beginner’s Luck is a sweet and tropical green smoothie, that I think you will enjoy! 🙂
For best results ask your doctor or healthcare provider which fruits and leafy green would work best for you and will help with pain & fatigue. 🙂 We wish you all the best! 🙂
Enjoy your Beginner’s Luck! I love that recipe! 🙂
Thanx Jessie…I am excited about this Challenge. Especially after watching the documentary Kristen Mullaney mentioned below. I’ll be seeing my Dr on Monday to have her monitor my progress. I might turn the Challenge into an all out fast. 🙂 BTW, I enjoyed the Beginner’s Luck! I do have to say, never having been big on fruit, I’m sure I can adjust. <3
Hi Cecilia,
Saw your post and wanted to tell you that using frozen fruit is also ok to do! I buy mine from trader joes and sometimes in bulk from Costco! I also wanted to pass along the recommendation for a documentary that you might be interested in watching. It’s made by Joe Cross and it’s called Fat, Sick and Nearly dead…horrible name i know, but it tells the story of a man who was chronically ill and then went on a juicing diet, only to come off all of his many meds, lose weight and become pain free. It is truly inspiring to watch!
Good Luck on your challenge!
Kristen
Hi Kristen…I just watched it last night! lmao The countdown on Phil’s weight lose & both of their health returning was AMAZING! I’m considering the fast while doing this 30 Day Challenge. Makes sense to incorporate the 2, if I can. 🙂
Question: Recipe = 2 cups of spinach tightly packed. So is it actually 2 c spinach which after tightly packed equals about 1 cup or 4 cups which after tightly packed equal 2 cups. Confused.
Hey Lauri.
No need to stress over the leafy measurements. As long as you have two handfuls of leafy green, you are good to go. Some people measure them out, (tightly pack in measuring cups) or other just grab and go. Either way works, as longs as you are adding your leafy greens. Our motto is, the more the merrier! 🙂
Hi there! I’m signed up for the 30 day challenge and I’m really looking forward to getting started. It coincides with a campaign here in the UK called ‘Go Sober for October’, which I’m also doing. Not that I need to ‘sober up’ as such, I’m not drunk!! haha! Its giving up alcohol for a month :-).
Anyway, my question is, being in the UK, can you provide recipes using UK measurements please?
Kind regards
Jo
xx
Hey Joanne.
Thanks for the comment. Our RAWsome RAWkstar team is working on a awesome graphic chat for conversion, but until then we ask that you use google conversion. 🙂 Thanks.
I am a bit confused about the challenge. I am a beginner do I have to do the Beginner’s Luck Green Smoothie? Before we start? … Also i received the smoothie crash course when I click on it , it gave me a few smoothie recipes are those the first smoothies we doing in October?
Welcome Shirley!
Thanks for the questions. A few days before October 1st, we will need you all new recipes, until that time you can try our any recipes you would like from our website or emails. 🙂 Hope that helps. Beginner’s Luck is a great one to start with. 🙂 https://simplegreensmoothies.com/recipes
🙂