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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.
This one is truly easy to drink and everyone I’ve made it for has liked it, even small grandchildren!
Omg! Love this recipe! You do not taste the spinach. My grandkids love it also.
So glad you’re introducing your grand kiddos to the awesomeness of green smoothies! Way to rawk it!!
Thanks for all the recipes & support. On 30 June I began my commitment to loose the COVID-19 extra weight. Not the first time, but am now holding myself accountable (aka food diary). Unfortunately during self-quarantining the 4- headed dragon aka Wine, Chocolate, Ice Cream and Cookies kept attacking me and my energy has been at a all time low. After 5 days of holding myself accountable & renewing the process of eliminating these toxins, I am already feeling some increased energy. YAY! Can’t wait to see the difference after 8 more days & beyond. By utilizing your support & keeping a food diary I feel confident I can slay that 4- headed dragon and all it stands for. Your recipes, snack ideas, and upbeat suggestions are SUPER. Had 1 green smoothie yesterday & 1 today although they were changed up a little from the published recipes. Love green smoothies and plant-based foods, just need avoid those dragons. Thanks again for making the journey so educational, exciting & fun.
Yummy! Next time I’ll follow the recipe and freeze the mango and pineapple to its cold.
Using frozen fruits are the best way to get that perfectly blended smoothie to come out cold. Love that you’re blending along with us Tammy!
Refreshing boost of vitamin c and potassium.
Good recipe. ❤️❤️❤️ Can I replace spinach with pumpkin leaves?
Pumpkin leaves, also known as ugu, would be great in this smoothie! Awesome suggestion Umoh! 🙂
Smoothies are such an easy way to get all those nutrients we need to stay healthy. Thanks for giving it a blend, Jacqueline!
This was a simple recipe and delicious to drink! I added protein to replace a meal. I like having something light and simple to make for breakfast. #10daychallange
Adding clean protein and a healthy fat are a great way to turn any smoothie into a meal. Way to rawk it Amanda!
Just had this for the first time, it’s delicious and simple. Great quick smoothie.
Jen always says that smoothies are the perfect fast food. So glad you agree, Roberta! 🙂
I have been uncertain of green smoothies. I made this one and it was absolutely delicious. Will make again. Thank you!
Sounds like you’re hooked like us now, Debbie! Enjoy and happy blending!
Hello I just made this smoothie and it’s amazing. I love it! It’s impossible to taste the spinach. I only think the recipe could be half for one person.
But it’s perfect for people who don’t eat fruits regularly like me. Thank you.
We rawk a smoothie serving of 16 oz., yet def cut back if it’s too filling for you. Love that you love this green smoothie too! 🙂
Morning greetings from -27c. Was anxious to try the first smoothy after our walk this morning and wasnt disappointed. Have been looking to add more veg rather than just fruit to our smoothy and this is a good start. The green color reminds me that spring is coming and the fresh flavor is like something from the garden. A great pick-me-up this January day and healthy too!
Hi Jen…I just got home from work starving, reviewed my e-mails when I saw your email for the 10 days smoothy challenge to which I signed and start reading til find one of the smoothies recipe (spinach, pineapple, mango &banana) what I made and drank immediately. That’s was amazing! I loved it. Thank you for sharing all this information!
We’re so glad you found us and rawked the smoothie challenge, Sara! We love this recipe too and love that you think it’s amazing. xoxo
Great recipe! Tastes amazing and has a great consistency.
Aw! Thanks Jackie! This smoothie is def the perfect recipe for taste and consistency, we agree!
The first time I made this I didn’t care for it, I added a flax/hemp mixture to it and I think it changed the flavor. Today I made it without the seeds and it was absolutely wonderful!
Such a delicious smoothie. The flavors were perfectly balanced! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
So glad you love it and will blending more with us Jasmine!
This smoothie is AMAZING! My husband even loves it! It is so flavorful and refreshing
I was just wondering about missing fruits with veggies. Because I’ve always heard not to because the veggies digest before the fruit.
Hi Diane – no issue with mixing fruit and veggies. Your body was designed to handle both for sure! Where some people run into trouble is extra gas when they first start drinking green smoothies. If that happens, make sure you’re taking in plenty of water and avoiding eating just before or after your smoothie to give the body a chance to process everything. Happy blending!
I changed it up from the last time and used an orange and pineapple juice instead of frozen pineapple.
Way to bring the tropical vibe, Janice! Love it!
I hated all green juices / smoothies but this recipe tastes amazing ! I been incorporating it into my diet and skin looks a lot better now.
Kale yeah, Amy! So glad this is helping. This smoothie totally lives up to the hype.
Yes, It tastes good…
The girl has great enthusiasm. I didn’t feel any different. I’m tired of this fad and hype expensive blenders. I’m done I’m done with this. I don’t feel any better…. I can’t be the only one who feels like this.
So glad it tasted good to you, Linda! Try backing down the greens a bit for your hubby to see if he likes it better. Sometimes it takes time to get used to the spinach. And expensive blenders are never necessary to rawk some awesome smoothies! Check out Jen’s blender guide for options in all price ranges. It’s really about the technique of blending greens and liquids first, rather than how much your blender costs. If you’re trying different smoothies daily for a bit and still aren’t noticing any benefit, it might be helpful to check in with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re not dealing with a food allergy or sensitivity. Hoping good things for you!!! 🙂
Love this fruit combinations. The pineapple stands out with its sweet taste.
This is such a simple, yet delicious and refreshing smoothie to make! Don’t forget to add some flax seed or chia if that is your thing to do!
Great tip, Nancy. The chia seed and flax will def up the protein, omega 3s and more. Pro move!
Love this smoothie! It is definitely a great choice when you are trying to drink more greens. I highly recommend trying it!
This is my go to green smoothie and even my kids and husband enjoy it!