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Whenever I buy a big bag of kale, my goal is simple: use every last leaf. That’s when I start freezing kale and getting creative with my green smoothies. This Kale Banana Smoothie is a great way to turn leftover kale into something crave-worthy.
It blends a mix of fruits—almost like a fruit salad—to soften kale’s bold flavor while still delivering plenty of fiber. I also add collagen to boost protein and support my body at this stage of life, because nourishing well now matters more than ever.
Table of Contents
Kale Banana Smoothie Ingredients
- Kale: This leafy green vegetable is the nutrient backbone of the smoothie. It adds fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants while blending smoothly when paired with enough liquid and fruit.
- Almond milk: A light, non-dairy milk that helps everything blend easily without overpowering the flavors. It keeps the smoothie creamy while staying low in calories. Check out the best almond milk brands to buy.
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and a creamy texture that balances kale’s slightly bitter edge. It also contributes potassium for muscle and hydration support. You can also use frozen bananas.
- Frozen pineapple: Brings bright, tropical sweetness and a touch of acidity to keep the flavor fresh. Using it frozen helps create a cold, thick smoothie without ice. You can cut pineapple and freeze yourself, or buy it frozen.
- Frozen strawberries: Add natural sweetness, vitamin C, and antioxidants, plus a subtle berry flavor that pairs well with pineapple and banana.
- Collagen peptides: Boost protein content to make the smoothie more filling and supportive of muscle recovery. Using an unflavored option keeps the fruit flavors front and center.
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Recipe Swaps
- Swap the kale with baby kale or spinach for a milder flavor that blends smoothly while still providing fiber and nutrients.
- Swap the almond milk with water, coconut water, or oat milk for a lighter texture or subtle sweetness.
- Swap the banana with ½ an avocado or frozen mango to keep the smoothie creamy with less natural sugar.
- Swap the collagen peptides with an unflavored protein powder to keep protein high without altering flavor.
How to Make Kale Banana Smoothie
- Start with the liquid. Pour the almond milk into your blender first. This helps everything blend more easily.
- Add the greens and soft fruit. Add the kale and banana next. Blending these first helps break down the kale so you don’t get leafy bits.
- Add frozen fruit. Toss in the frozen pineapple and strawberries for natural sweetness and a cold, thick texture.
- Finish with collagen. Add the collagen peptides last so they blend evenly.
- Blend until smooth. Start on low, then increase to high and blend until creamy. Add a splash more almond milk if needed.
Recipe Tips
Even though this smoothie is balanced and uses whole foods, the fruit can still be high in natural sugar. If you are sensitive to natural sugar, there are a variety of ways to help your body process those tasty sweet fruits:
- If you don’t have a smoothie blender, blend the kale and liquid first to fully break down the greens and create a smooth, grit-free base.
- Use frozen fruit instead of ice to keep the smoothie thick, cold, and naturally sweet without watering it down. Learn more ingredient tips in my how to make a smoothie guide.
- Balance the flavors with enough fruit or a squeeze of citrus to soften kale’s bitterness and keep the smoothie refreshing.
- Decrease sugar by swapping half the banana for a quarter of an avocado (or 1 whole banana with 1/2 an avocado). Your smoothie will be less sweet, but also lower in sugar.
If you’ve got extra kale after making this smoothie, don’t let it go to waste. Try blending it into other favorites like an tropical kale smoothie, kale mango smoothie or a refreshing coconut water smoothie for easy, flavorful ways to use it up.
Kale Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 banana
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup strawberries frozen
- 1 serving collagen peptides
Instructions
- Place kale and almond milk in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Add fruit and blend again.
- Add in collagen and blend on low.
- Pour in glass and enjoy.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- De-stem the kale before adding to your smoothie to cut down on the bitterness.
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
- If you don’t like kale, swap for baby kale which is more mild. Or you can even replace with spinach.
- To lower the natural sugar, swap 1/2 banana with 1/4 an avocado. Or swap the whole banana with 1/2 an avocado.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks! Winners announced each season in my newsletter.Common Questions
Yes! Wash the kale well, and massage the leaves while you wash it (this tenderizes them). De-stem before adding to your blender to cut down on the bitterness.
Massaging kale is an easy way to cut down on bitterness. You can also pair kale with a citrus fruit (like pineapple or lemon) to counteract the bitterness.
It’s important to have a balanced smoothie, so swap the collagen with another protein source like protein powder, chia seeds or silken tofu.
Yummy. Previous so so experiences with kale in salads, smoothies and trying to crisp for a snack had me expecting this smoothie to be a so so. Pleasantly surprised. It’s delicious. Proportions make for a great blend. I did use protein powder in place of collagen and dairy milk as I have no issues with dairy.
PS. This was a good bunch of kale as I also actually enjoyed some in salads before freezing the rest for future smoothies.
Kale for the win! Glad you were surprised and delighted with this smoothie.
This smoothie is great. Love the addition of strawberries as that is not something I would normally pair with pineapple. I love greens and kale in smoothies and usually add more than what the recipe calls for. I only used 1/4 of a banana and added some frozen riced cauliflower to make it creamier. I also added vanilla protein powder in addition to the collagen to have this as a meal replacement.
Sounds like a yummy smoothie. I like how you added the riced cauliflower and more greens. More plants for the win!
Delicious. I love this combination of fruit with the kale.
Me too! So glad you loved the Kale Banana Smoothie!
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup water
1 kiwi
1 stalk celery
1 grapefruit
1 small cucumber
Oooh so good. Have to change things up because of my dietary requirements. I hope it won’t be held against me in the contest. I really put my heart into this challenge and had a good time. Thanks for t he invite it was a blast.
Hi, i can’t wait to do my first green smoothie
I know i will love it
All your beautiful healthy Recipes are gorgeous i fall in love with them all
I just made my Kale Banana Smoothie, absolutely love it first time doing a Smoothie, i had to take my cup away from me, i wouldn’t stop
Since I only started my smoothie journey a week ago with my daughter, I’ve become obsessed with trying different ones and I really loved this one even tho I substituted the pineapple with mango just bec I didn’t have it and it was still delicious!! It’s light & refreshing and the kale is a nice change from spinach. It doesn’t taste bitter at all. I really enjoyed it for lunch and I would definitely make it again!
I done banana strawberries and kale water ice and a little honey and blended lush
This is a very delicious smoothie and my daughter loves it too!
So glad you both loved it. Daughters can be sneaky smoothie stealers – watch out! 😉
Great smoothie. Added in some blueberries that I had sitting in the fridge, but great.
I love this recipe!!! Although I tend to use a cup and a half of water rather than just one cup. I also add pumpkin protein powder. Delicious and easy to make.
To balance out the bitterness from kale, I add chocolate chips! Not as healthy maybe but tastes really good!
Delicious and refreshing! This will be perfect in the summer.
Hey Rachel,
This really is the best smoothie for a nice warm summer day. It makes me feel like I am laying by a pool on these cold days 🙂