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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.
What is Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil is a natural fat made from the flesh of coconuts. In a smoothie, it’s used in small amounts to add healthy fats, create a creamier texture, and help keep you full longer while supporting absorption of nutrients from fruits and greens.
Adding 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a smoothie can offer a few helpful benefits—especially when you want your smoothie to be more satisfying and energizing.
- Helps keep you full longer. Coconut oil contains healthy fats that slow digestion. This can help your smoothie feel more like a meal, keeping hunger away and preventing a mid-morning crash.
- Provides quick, steady energy. It’s rich in MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), which your body converts into fuel faster than many other fats. That makes it a nice add-in for busy mornings or before a workout.
- Supports nutrient absorption. Fat helps your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins from fruits and greens (like vitamins A, D, E, and K). A little coconut oil can help you get more benefit from the spinach, kale, or carrots in your smoothie.
- Makes smoothies creamier. Beyond nutrition, coconut oil adds a subtle richness and silky texture—especially helpful in fruit or green smoothies that might otherwise feel thin.
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Common Questions
No, not when used correctly. One tablespoon blends smoothly into the fruit and greens, adding richness without an oily texture. When paired with pineapple and banana, the flavor stays light and tropical.
You can use solid coconut oil straight from the jar. Blending it with the liquid and greens first helps it emulsify evenly, especially if your blender is high powered.
Yes. Coconut oil helps slow digestion and balance the natural sugars from fruit, which can prevent energy crashes. You can also swap part of the banana for avocado to lower sugar even more.
Yes. MCT oil blends easily and offers similar energy benefits, especially for workouts. Start with a small amount since MCT oil is more concentrated than coconut oil.
More Smoothie Recipes
If you’re new to green smoothies and want to make the creamiest, most delicious smoothies at home, learn how to make a smoothie with my easy guide. Looking for a refreshing drink to start your day? Check out more of my tropical smoothies and kale smoothies:
- Pineapple Green Smoothie
- Island Green Smoothie
- Tropical Kale Smoothie
- Margarita Smoothie
- Piña Colada Green Smoothie
If you make this coconut oil smoothie, 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.
Coconut Oil Smoothie
Jen HansardIngredients
- 1 cup kale fresh
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup pineapple frozen
- ½ banana
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, unrefined
Instructions
- Blend kale, water and coconut oil until smooth.
- Next add the remaining fruits and blend again.
Recipe 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.
- Using one of my recommended blenders for smoothies will give you the creamiest smoothies in the shortest time.
- Save time by prepping and freezing ingredients in advance with my frozen meal prep smoothie packs guide.
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.