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Coconut oil has some amazing health benefits such as increasing metabolism and endurance— which is great if you need clean fuel while on the go. Coconut oil in smoothies is a quick + easy way to give your body these incredible benefits, and it also helps your body process the other whole food ingredients in smoothies as well.
Once I started adding coconut oil to my smoothies… I never turned back.
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Healthy Benefits of Coconut oil
Adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to your smoothie can help curb your appetite. I use coconut oil smoothies in my Seasonal Cleanse and the results are incredible. I love the benefits of coconut oil: not only does it help clear up my skin, help keep me regular, plus keep my hair shiny – it also balances out the carbs in smoothies, and helps the body absorb the protein. Plus, it helps all those precious vitamins and minerals from the plants absorb into your body.
Non-food uses for coconut oil
I use coconut oil for much more than just smoothies. It’s the main ingredient in my natural deodorant and toothpaste recipes, a great + simple furniture polish, anti-chaffing ointment before a long run, as well as a great eye make-up remover. Seriously, coconut oil works on everything…
Did you know that you can even make your own coconut oil? Just follow this fun recipe by BlackFoodie.Co to learn how. If you’d rather go the store-bought route, don’t let the price tag on those fancy little boutique jars fool you.
I get mine from Costco in a giant tub for less than $20. The same coconut oil in smoothies can be used all over your home as a natural solution.
Boosting Smoothies with Superfoods
Coconut oil belongs to the superfood family, because of its health benefits in cooking, baking, and in smoothies. This healthy fat actually helps your body process the carbs from that smoothie you just drank, for longer lasting energy, without the sugar crash.
I love boosting smoothies with a few Top Superfoods List, especially those high in healthy fat and/or plant based protein. Chia seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseed, avocados, and almonds are all easy boosters with incredible health benefits.
Plant powered protein
Because plant powered energy is so important to me, I created my own homemade protein powder, the cleanest + best complete plant protein that can be added to smoothies. This super charged superfood blend gives any smoothie an extra 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of healthy fat.
Coconut in Smoothies
Smoothies benefit from coconut in a variety of ways:
- Coconut water is nature’s gatorade, and a great smoothie liquid base. Blend your next pre workout smoothie with coconut water to give you a great electrolyte boost.
- Fresh (or frozen) coconut flesh is a delicious smoothie ingredient, while dried coconut flakes can be added as a pretty topping for serving. Add some coconut flakes to your next smoothie bowl too!
- Coconut milk is also a delicious smoothie liquid base, with a completely different flavor profile, as well as healthy fat benefits too.
- Coconut oil in smoothies is obviously a fav ingredient as well. If you don’t like the taste of coconut oil, yet still want its benefits, then try adding MCT oil to your next smoothie. Just remember, a little goes a long way!
With the 4 different ways coconut can be added to smoothies, it’s not a shocker that we’re a little crazy for coconuts here at Simple Green Smoothies!
More Tropical Smoothie Recipes
Looking for a tropical way to start your day? Check out some of these fun creations:
- Tropical kale smoothie
- Tropical smoothie bowl
- Vegan tropical smoothie
- Creamy mango smoothie
- Dragon fruit smoothie
- Island green smoothie
- Margarita smoothie
- Piña colada green smoothie
- Detox green smoothie
While these delicious smoothies feel like they’d be best sipped on a beach during summer, many tropical fruits are actually in season during the winter months! So next time you’re at the grocery store, grab some oranges and pineapple, and don’t be afraid to add a little sunshine to your wintery day.
Coconut Oil Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale fresh
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup pineapple frozen
- ½ banana
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend kale, water and coconut oil until smooth.
- Next add the remaining fruits and blend again.
Equipment
Notes
- Use one frozen fruit to make smoothie cold.
- Can use a refined MCT coconut oil that will blend easier too.
- Swap 1/2 banana with 1/4 avocado to lower the natural sugar in this smoothie.
Today I changed kale to spinach leaves because the “airy” reaction yesterday. Still the best!
My friend had to stop using coconut oil because it increased her cholesterol. Her Dr. said not to use it.
Hey Bonnie,
I am sorry to hear about your friend. Depending on your specific health issues you have to watch how much fat you put into your body. Wishing her all the best!
32 grams of sugar in 2 cups of fresh pineapple… not sure how often you would want to indulge in this…
Feel free to add less pineapple if you prefer it to be less sweet!
Enjoy!
I cut the recipe in half and substituted 1/4 C. water for a berry Naked juice. It came out to 333 calories. It was delicious and very filling.
Hey Dawn,
Thank you so much for that tip! I am so glad that you made it into your own and enjoyed it 🙂
How do you get your coconut oil from solidifying in the smoothie. When I make a smoothie with coconut oil I melt it into a liquid then pour it in with all the ingredients but it still makes tiny little clumps all throughout the smoothie! Help!
Hi Tina,
I’ve got you covered!! First, blend your green smoothie. Then once everything is nice + creamy. Melt your coconut oil, not hot, just melted. Then set your blender to it’s lowest setting and slowly pour in your melted coconut oil. This will help ensure everything blends smoothly – no chunks!
Amazing! Very delicious- thank you! I added a spoon of turmeric and it was yummy:)
Love your website!
This was AMAZING ! Thank you so much LOVE your website
I just tried the recipe and it is delicious. I made a second batch and tried it with some ginger and that was great too. Thank you for the recipe. I really like adding the coconut oil, it will keep you feeling full longer. Similar to adding an avocado. This will be my “go-to” smoothie recipe.
Hi Clare,
YAY!! Thanks for sharing the green smoothie love! <3
Hard to find kale here.If do..Super expensive.
Can I replace with watercress/spinach/bokchoy/lettuce.. If yes, how much should I replace it with?
Hi Olivia,
Of course! Our recipes are here to inspire you, so please don’t feel like you need to follow them to a T. Learn more about our favorite leafy greens here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/leafy-greens
When i was a child my parents and i lived in Jamaica. They made their own coconut oil. They use it in their cooking a lot.
Hi Amber,
That’s awesome! We’d love to be able to make our own coconut oil!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but coconut oil, and no oil, for that matter, is “health” food. I’m not sure where coconut oil’s reputation as a “good fat” started, but it’s hogwash. If you don’t wish to research it yourselves, start with this video. Ain’t science grand?
Hi C. Demarais,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share nutritionfacts.org’s video.
We personally love coconut oil because 90 percent of coconut oil is composed of medium chain fatty acids (or Triglyerides), which are easily digested and sent right to the liver for energy production. By traveling directly to the liver, it is not stored as fat and actually can help boost your metabolism. These triglycerides also help keep skin smooth and moisturized by trapping the escaping moisture from pores.
Most of the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil are lauric acid, which is only found in as high a concentrate in human breastmilk. This powerful acid actually helps increase immunity and fight infections, which makes it essential to our daily diets.
In addition, it’s antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral and antimicrobial properties make it ideal for a facial moisturizer, deodorant and for soothing sunburns.
Learn more about why we think coconut rawks at the links below…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/coconut-oil-benefits
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/coconut-oil-benefits
If you want to save one serving for the next day what is the best way to store it?
Great question, Sadie! We suggest storing your remaining green smoothie in an airtight container with a little bit of lemon juice to help preserve all of the green goodness! Your green smoothie will keep in the fridge for up to two days! 🙂
What fruit can I use to make smoothie sweeter but not affect blood sugar?
Hi Roely,
We prefer to sweeten our recipes with natural sweeteners like honey, dates, bananas, and maple syrup.
Worried about those natural sugars and your blood sugar? We suggest reaching out to your physician to decide what’s best for you and your body.
Cheers 🙂
Honey and maple syrup are VERY high glycemic index sweeteners. Dates aren’t so great either.
Cane sugar is every bit as natural as maple syrup or honey and it also jacks your blood sugar.
Artificial sweeteners are shown to increase insulin levels despite having no sugar – they not only fool our taste buds but our entire body into reacting as if they are actually sugar.
The only lasting solution is to stop eating sugar and thus retrain your taste buds to appreciate a lower level of sweetness.
This recipe really needs no sweeteners other than the fruit in it! I used a 20 ounce can of pineapple (more than 2 cups) and it was sweeter than I wanted. Next time I’ll use an 8 oz can of pineapple with its juice – it’s sweeter than raw and easier on the mouth. Also, adding more coconut oil would help slow the absorption of sugars, and the fiber in the kale assists as well, so you could add more kale. Also next time I’ll use about 2 frozen bananas (cut in pieces and frozen quite ripe, making them sweeter) which will change the flavor balance to more like a pina colada.
I just had this and it was great! Thanks for the recipe. One question, 2 cups of water is listed twice. Should we be adding 4 cups of water?
Good catch Arielle— it should just be 2 cups. Sorry.
Do you ever make any kind of smoothies with Star fruit?
Starfruit is so yummy and great in smoothies! Just wash it and throw it in for a mildly sweet treat. I love that there is no peeling required. I think we are gonna have to share a starfruit green smoothie on here— thanks for the inspiration. Do you have a favorite recipe with it, Amy?
Sounds great! Will try it! I’m also going to make the cold and flu remedy. Since it lasts several months, I think I’ll make some for my parents and sister as well so they can have for the upcoming winter season.