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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.
I need to get more greens in my diet. I grabbed the spinach and threw it in the smoothie and added the fruit & water. This is delicious and I would definitely make it again!
Woo hoo, Ashley!! If you liked this smoothie, you should def give our free 7-day green smoothie challenge a go. 😀
I just used the Vitamix blender link you have posted above. There is no Vitamix blender on that page for under 300.00. Yours is listed for 500.00.
Hi Susan! Our apologies, that’s an old deal that is no longer valid. But stay tuned because we love partnering with Vitamix and often do promotions with them! If you are looking to order a blender sooner rather than later, I suggest checking out their page of Certified Reconditioned blenders. They are still amazing Vitamix machines but at a reduced price. Here’s the link: https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/certified-reconditioned-series. 🙂
Is this enough for breakfast? What are your thoughts on having fat/protein in a smoothie? I have tried using protein powders but they upset my stomach.
Hey Adrianne. If you want to turn a green smoothie into a meal, make sure to add a healthy fat + a plant-based protein. We have a great article on it here: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Also, if you’re looking for a protein boost for your smoothie, we have *just* the thing for you. We recently rolled out our SGS homemade protein powder and it’s been a huge hit. It’s made from three simple ingredients, has no added sugars, and doesn’t have that chalky texture/taste. I’m betting it won’t upset your stomach. You can learn more about it here: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/homemade-protein-powder
Starting out with smoothies I used to drink this one all.the.time! It is seriously so good and so refreshing!
It totally is! 😀
I have read most fruit & veggies don’t mix with the exception of appls & pears. What’s your opinion about that? Thanks.
Hey Deborah. I believe you’re referring to the food combining philosophy. To be perfectly clear, there is absolutely no scientific basis for adopting rules about food combining. In fact, the food combining hypothesis was thoroughly debunked almost 80 years ago, there is absolutely zero scientific evidence to support it, and no credible scientists or doctors support food combining today.
Supporters of the food combining approach to eating believe that fruit should only be eaten on its own and on an empty stomach. Furthermore, they promote eating food groups separately to help optimize digestion rather than confuse your digestive system. But your digestive system isn’t easily confused. In fact, it’s efficient and powerful, and it isn’t necessary to eat fruits on their own or to avoid eating fruits and vegetables together.
When you eat, your digestive system sends out all types of enzymes at once into your stomach and small intestine. It doesn’t send out specific enzymes that digest only fruits or just vegetables. All of the enzymes and stomach acid do a good job of working together to break down whatever food is eaten.
The bottom line is: Your digestive system can handle different types of foods at once. The most important thing is to make sure you’re eating enough fruits and vegetables to get all the nutrients you need.
Hi what would you suggest I add if I don’t have any mango?
You can sub peaches, nectarines, papaya, or apricots. 🙂
Super easy and delicious! I added a protein powder for an after workout smoothie!
This was a great introduction to the world of green smoothies, looking forward to a whole new adventure each new day.
Very tasty although I did tweak it a bit with additional spinach and used 4 Vitamin C booster cubes and less pineapple and mango. When I made my booster cubes I couldn’t get papaya so I used yellow bell pepper. The bell pepper adds a small bit of savory to the smoothie!
OK you literally just saved my green smoothie career!! I just thought my blender wasn’t strong enough to blend greens, little did I know the order of blending makes all the difference! Thank you for that invaluable tip!
You’re welcome! 🙂
This is our all-time favorite smoothie! So sweet and simple!
Very tasty. I liked the combination of the pineapple, mango, and banana. I drank it down quickly.
This was a really good smoothie that I will make a lot.
51.2grams of carbohydrates is crazy! I think Americans like sugar too much and that’s the problem. If you want to make a smoothie and lose weight I can’t beleive you’d do it with all that sugar, natural or not. In fact, I think that much sugar everyday could put on weight! If you want high nutrient content, but low sugar, try frozen blueberries and if you want things a little sweeter try adding some raspberries or pineapple, but only a small amount. I love my Vitamix and make a smoothie for breakfast everyday so maybe my perspective is different.
Many of us in the SGS community love drinking a green smoothie every day. The best thing about our smoothie recipes is you can tweak them to fit your needs. This is a “beginner” smoothie in that is has spinach (a mild-tasting leafy green) and tropical fruits- flavor profiles many people enjoy. It’s meant to introduce folks to the wonderful world of green smoothies and often, after drinking green smoothies for a while, they will increase the amount of leafy greens + veggies and decrease the amount of fruit when making their smoothies. We also offer many recipes using low-glycemic fruits for those who have concerns about blood sugar levels and the like.
This smoothie was amazing! It was perfectly blended into this creamy, smooth deliciousness! I am so glad I came across your challenge. It is helping me to get back on track with my nutrition and as a bonus I’m using my Vitamix more!
That’s awesome, Dee-Ann! 🙂
FaceTime making this! I was wondering do you remove the stems off the spinach? Also do you use canned or fresh pineapples before freezing it? Used canned pineapples then froze it into chunks
You don’t have to remove the stems from spinach but I’d recommend removing the stems from kale when you use that in a smoothie. And we prefer to use either fresh or frozen pineapple as canned pineapple often contains added sugars and the bromelain (responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties in pineapple) is neutralized during the canning process.