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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.
Try adding a little lemon, I use the bottled variety, unsweetened almond milk, and a frozen banana. I use mostly frozen fruit and greens. If it’s thicker it will stay mixed longer.
Hi Simple Green Smoothies! I bought your e-book and I have a question…ABout 30 minutes after I make my Green Smoothie, it separates. My ingredients are 1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, 1 cup water and 1 cup romaine lettuce. What did i do wrong? 🙂
Sometimes certain ingredients separate easier. Just give it a quick shake and you’re good to go 🙂
I’m a little confused. My first month I lost 10 lbs easy as pie. My next month I have continued to feel better but no weight loss. I tried being heavier on the spinach and lighter on the fruits to lower the sugar content but then I had mad sugar cravings. I do have a bagel in the morning when I’m running late and wonder if the bread has anything to do with it. It’s a carb like a fruit though, so that might be wrong. Am I supposed to have only shakes until dinner for weight loss?
I use all frozen fruits and veggies to save time and have less waste from over-ripened fruit. My smoothies are very thick, like a Frosty. Could I be having too much therefore too many calories?
Weight loss is different for everyone 🙂 Green smoothies aren’t miracle weight loss pills, but they are healthy and whole foods that gives your body the nutrients that it craves. What is your physical activity like? You may want to incorporate some or more, and be substituting for at least one meal per day. Hope this helps!
Wow! A friend recommended trying green smoothies and I thought that would be good for you but taste terrible. I just made the beginners luck smoothie and I wondered how I was going to drink all this green slimy stuff. But it tastes great! I definately want to try more!
I tried this beginner smoothie mon. and have been drinking at least two 16oz size everyday. I have really been missing out on green smoothies. This was so good now next week I plan to try different ones. I plan to drink at least two glasses everyday until somebody say its not safe to!! Thanks for this page!!
Any suggestions for continuing the challenge while traveling out of town for the weekend?
If where you are traveling to doesn’t have a blender, then take your own, buy produce at a local store/market, and keep on blending!
I was at the shore this fourth of July weekend, packed up my nutribullet, preplanned smoothies, cut up and froze each recipe in a baggie and off I went, worked so well! Good Luck!
The was my first! AWESOME experience!! So good! I did use coconut water instead of regular water though 🙂 amazing!
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!