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If you’ve been indulging a bit too much, feeling sluggish, or just want to boost your daily dose of greens, this Tropical Detox Smoothie recipe is the perfect way to get back on track—without sacrificing flavor. Here’s some more reasons I’ll blend this smoothie:
- Really want to start your day on a clean note
- Need a nourishing post-workout recovery
- Craving a light afternoon snack
- Need to reset after a weekend of indulgence
Why You’ll Love This Smoothie
Packed with leafy greens and tropical fruit, this smoothie is light, refreshing, and loaded with fiber and antioxidants to support digestion and hydration. The best part? It’s made with just five simple ingredients that support optimal health.
- Supports healthy digestion: Thanks to the fiber-rich combo of kale, spinach, mango, and pineapple, this smoothie helps keep things moving through your digestive system. Fiber acts like a gentle broom for your gut—supporting regularity and helping your body naturally eliminate waste.
- Reduces bloating: The water content in the fruit and leafy greens, along with their natural enzymes (like bromelain from pineapple), may help reduce water retention and ease bloat. It’s a refreshing way to flatten your belly without extreme cleanses or diuretics.
- Fights inflammation: Leafy greens like kale and spinach are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients that help your body manage inflammation. Combined with the natural enzymes in pineapple and mango, this smoothie delivers a gentle, food-based way to help your body recover from stress, processed food, or overindulgence.
Detox Smoothie Ingredients
When it comes to making a truly nourishing detox smoothie, quality ingredients make all the difference. Each one plays a specific role from flooding your body with vitamins, supporting digestion, or giving the smoothie that sweet, refreshing flavor you actually want to drink. Here’s a quick guide to choosing and prepping the best ingredients so your detox smoothie turns out vibrant, smooth, and full of feel-good fuel:
- Fresh spinach: Look for bright green leaves without any slimy spots. Organic is ideal if you’re blending it raw. Rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt or grit. If you’re using baby spinach, there’s no need to chop—just toss it in.
- Kale (stems removed): Choose curly or lacinato (dino) kale with crisp, dark leaves. Avoid bunches with yellowing edges or wilted spots. Remove the thick center stems. Tear or chop the leaves before adding to the blender for a smoother blend.
- Frozen mango: Look for pre-chopped frozen mango in the freezer aisle for convenience. If using fresh, peel, cube, and freeze it yourself. Store chopped mango in freezer-safe bags for easy smoothie prep.
- Frozen pineapple: Like mango, frozen pre-cut pineapple is a time-saver. If buying fresh, choose one that smells sweet at the base and has a little give when squeezed. Cut fresh pineapple into chunks and freeze on a parchment-lined tray before transferring to a storage bag.
How to Make Detox Smoothie Recipe
- Start by pouring the water into your blender, followed by the spinach and kale. Blending the leafy greens first with just the liquid creates a smoother base and helps eliminate any leafy chunks—no one wants a chewy surprise mid-sip! Blend for 30–45 seconds until the greens are fully broken down and your mix looks vibrant green and frothy.
- Next, toss in the mango and pineapple. If you’re using frozen fruit, there’s no need for ice—your smoothie will be perfectly chilled and creamy.
- Blend on high speed, until smooth and silky, scraping down the sides if needed. This is where the magic happens—the tropical fruits add natural sweetness, balancing out the greens beautifully.
- Pour your detox smoothie into your favorite glass or travel cup. Take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous color (that green glow means it’s packed with nutrients!). Sip slowly to support digestion and help your body absorb all that goodness. This smoothie is perfect as a morning reset, post-workout fuel, or afternoon pick-me-up.
Recipe Tips
Use frozen fruit to get that thick, frosty texture—like a smoothie shop classic.
Prep ahead by portioning your ingredients into freezer bags for a grab-and-blend detox option.
Add a squeeze of lemon or a slice of fresh ginger for even more zing and detoxifying power.
Tropical Detox Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ cup spinach
- ½ cup kale
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup mango
- ½ cup pineapple
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach, kale, and water until smooth.
- Add remaining fruit and blend again.
Equipment
Notes
- Use at least 1 frozen fruit for a refreshingly cool smoothie.
- Swap out spinach for the leafy greens of your choice.
- You can use unsweetened coconut water in place of regular water for a electrolyte-filled beverage.
Nutrition
More Detox Recipes
Common Questions
Yes! Fresh fruit works, but your smoothie will be thinner and less frosty. To keep the thick, cold texture, try adding a few ice cubes or freezing your fruit in advance.
A high-speed blender makes it easier to break down leafy greens like kale and spinach, especially if you’re using frozen fruit. If you’re using a standard blender, blend the greens with the water first, then add the fruit.
Absolutely. You can prep and freeze the ingredients in a smoothie pack, or blend the smoothie and store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Just give it a good shake or stir before drinking.
Yes! You can add a scoop of plant-based protein powder, chia seeds, hemp hearts, or nut butter to make it a complete meal or post-workout smoothie.
The best time to drink a detox smoothie is on an empty stomach. In other words, an empty stomach means you don’t have to worry about your smoothie sharing space with other digesting foods, which can lead to a bloating and upset stomach.
This detox smoothie is essentially a green smoothie, of the healthiest drinks you can have. Plants are a key foundation to living a long, healthy life as we know from the Blue Zones around the world. The easiest way to eat more plants is to blend them up then drink them down, just like in the green detox smoothie recipe below. It’s simple, quick and (maybe most importantly?) clean up is easy.
This is one of my favorites! I added Greek yogurt and a little honey and basil to replace my breakfast before a good workout and it was just the healthy fuel my body needed. Great smoothie to end the challenge with!
Not my favorite. I used coconut water instead of plain water. Next time I’ll use just water.
Another great smoothie for the 10 day challenge. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Everything blended up well and it was very refreshing and tropical. I added protein powder and 1 TBS of yogurt.
Out of all of the smoothies in the 10 day challenge this is my favorite!!
Nice & fruity with the substitution of coconut water. Added extra fruit to hide the kale better
So good! So simple! Added a bit of fresh grated ginger. One of my favorites.
Yummy very tropical and refreshing. Instead of water I blended mine with a Ginger Lemon Turmeric Kombucha that gave it a little kick.
Dora, you just blew our minds!!! LOVE that sub for your liquid and will def give a blend soon.
I love, love, LOVE mango!!! I have to watch my sugar count, but this was my splurge! With no kale on hand, I easily doubled the spinach and enjoyed my smoothie!
This is the first one I’ve tried that calls for kale, which I love, but was a little skeptical about how it would be in a smoothie. It tasted very slightly more vegetable-y than with just spinach, but the overall flavor is still more fruit than veggie, and I don’t think most people could identify that there is kale OR spinach in this. All the fruits I used were frozen. I’m looking forward to using fresh when available as I think it would just kick the flavors up notch. This one was a pretty green with a nice frothy consistency.
Refreshing smoothie! I added cilantro for added benefits. Weekend of not-so-healthy eating so decided it was time for a detox smoothie! 🙂
I liked it. I think I’m getting the hang of combinations now.
Yay Amanda!! 🙂
I Need More Energy.And I Need To Loose Weight
can we substitute frozen greens rather than fresh?
also I love this recipe !!
A good way to start a healthy day.
i will give it a try and feed you back.
Thanks
Sounds great, Temitope!
I love this detox smoothie!! Its easy to make and taste great!! I have it first thing in the morning and highly recommend it!!!
Awesome, Monica! 🙂