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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 loveee this smoothie! When I bought the simple green smoothie book two years ago this is the one I gravitated to the most, and then I suddenly became allergic to both pineapples and mangos. So sad. Today I had to substitute those items with peaches and oranges, good, but not as good as this original recipe! So smooth and tasty.
Way to rawk those swaps and make Beginners Luck work for you, Valeria!
Tried this today. Really fresh tasting and refreshing!
Soooo soooo delicious. Spinach and pineapple is always a winning combo.
Hi
Interested is the homemade protein powder powder. do you have the ingredient list and nutritional breakdown somewhere?
Thank you.
Vee
Hi Vee! Our homemade protein powder contains only 3 ingredients actually – organic hemp seed, organic chia seed and organic flax seed. That’s it! You can totally read more about it in our Rawkstar Shop, as well as find our nutritional breakdown starting with 10g of protein per serving.
Kind of tasted too green lol. But maybe it’s just a taste to get used to. And I’m new to this.
We’re so glad your gettin your green smoothie game on! While most people don’t even notice the greens, some can take a bit of time to grow accustomed to it being there. Def feel free to use less spinach in your smoothies, and add more as you become used to it.
Amanda. Lol. My husband said it tasted like the grass .lol. He didn’t not like it.
Tried this today – added 40g of fresh raspberries….yum!
Awesome add-in Tracey!! Delish!
YUM!
WHAT!?? There are people who are afraid of spinach taste?
I guess we are all different . Nevertheless, I don’t think you can taste the spinach in it.
It’s a very delicious smoothie that I often use to jump-start my mornings.
Today I added both spinach and baby kale in there. Delish!
Thanks so much for sticking up for spinach E.G.! Way to rawk some plant-based awesomeness!
How long is it able to stay in the fridge with a lid? I would like to prep and have these ready to go fit a couple of days at a time if possible.
Love your site!
Rawkin question AJ! So, a smoothie is best consumed fresh or within 12 hours. 24 hour might be stretching it. You can always make ahead and freeze to make it easier for you to have them prepped ahead of time. Check out DIY Frozen Smoothie Packs on a Budget for tips on how to do this. Whether your pulling it from the fridge a few hours later or getting ready to consume a smoothie that’s been frozen, always to be sure to rebound a bit or shake well in a blender bottle or mason jar before drinking.
I was looking to change up another green smoothie I’ve been loving and this is it! I add 1/2 cup of oatmeal and use unsweetened almond milk instead of water. Thank you!
Awesome swaps Christal!
I love eating my veggies- but I’m a bit intimidated by the green smoothie. We don’t always have fresh spinach, so how much frozen spinach should I use?
De-lic-ious!!! I’m always making my own smoothie recipes up but usually they don’t always taste so good, lol! So I wanted to keep it simple but tasty so I gave this recipe a try and it was very satisfying. I’ve tried it a couple of ways, I used water which was the best to me but I also use oat milk, almond milk, as well as using a vanilla protein in it. The original recipe is light and hits the spot but the other modification weren’t too bad either. I will be trying several of the smoothie recipe on here and let you know how they turn out. Amazing recipe to maker of this post, keep up the great work, and thanks for putting the leg work in first, lol!
Rawk on Mama Kash! Love that you are playing with diff ingredients to find what works best for you!
Really good! I added vanilla protein powder to mine.
That’s awesome Shaelyn!! Have you tried our homemade protein powder yet?
Hello there, I’m looking for a healthy smoothie that taste good but low in sugar do to my diabetes.
I can u help me with a weight loss smoothie please
Hi Ruby – sure thing! Check out our Fat Burning Smoothie recipe.
Great question Augie! Any of our smoothie recipes can be customized any time. Check out our article on Low Sugar Fruits for Smoothies to see what would be best to swap in for each recipe. And def check with your doc to be sure your plan is going to be best for your body and your overall health.
Simple and easy thank you! I also added kale, ginger, protein powder and extra water just imitating other ingredients from a smoothie place here.
Erinn that’s awesome! We love customizing around here + ginger is def a win!
Great starter smoothie! And for those who like a little less sweet (usually me), easy to adjust the ratio to have more greens than fruit. Always delicious!
Love it.