This insanely tasty tropical kale smoothie recipe was originally created for my #1 best-selling recipe book, Simple Green Smoothies. Over the years, I've craved it more and more, and even started growing my own kale to use in smoothies. This smoothie tastes like sunshine, and will cause you to fall in love with green smoothies.
What is kale?
I'm sure you've noticed kale's rise to fame over the last decade. It went from an unidentified leafy green to the top dog of the produce section overnight. Kale comes from the cruciferous family (along with cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, and more). Kale is a supercharged superfood, because it is loaded with vitamins A, B6, C, and K, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese.
People typically identify kale by it's sharp taste, and tougher texture, yet if this is you, then I'm gonna ask you to give it another try. Simple Green Smoothies team member Erin swore she would never drink a kale smoothie after tasting kale for the first time in 2013, yet she now grows a 4' x 4' plot of kale in her garden every winter.
Tips for blending a kale smoothie
While this kale smoothie recipe uses lacinato kale, any kale will work. I highly recommend removing the stems of the kale before blending to eliminate as much bitterness as possible. You can compost the stems or even feed them to the backyard chickens. To tenderize kale leaves, wash them in water, then gently massage the leaves with your fingers.
When blending kale, tear it up into smaller pieces before tossing in the blender. Blend with just the liquid + kale first, until no chunks remain. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend again. This 2 blend method helps the kale break down quicker, especially if you're using a non high-powered blender.
Kale smoothie ingredients
This recipe takes me back to my California roots through its tropical ingredient list: orange, pineapple, and mango. To help process the natural sugars in these fruits, I add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds per serving. The omega 3s and 6s in the chia seeds, as well as the protein boost, help turn that natural sugar into energy as your body processes it.
Easy ingredient swaps
If you want to turn this smoothie into a great pre or post workout beverage, then swap the water with coconut water, aka nature's gatorade. Add even more superfood goodness by swapping the chia seeds with a plant based protein powder, like Protein Smoothie Boost.
More kale smoothies
Whether this is a new ingredient for you or a staple in your fridge, here are some more great smoothies that use kale:
- kale mango smoothie
- kale banana smoothie
- pineapple kale smoothie
- kiwi smoothie
- coconut oil smoothie
- fruit and vegetable smoothie
- ginger pineapple smoothie
- cherry smoothie
Really, swap out the leafy green in any green smoothie with kale. It might just become your go-to smoothie ingredient too! Let me know your thoughts about this smoothie by leaving a rating + review below once you blend it.
Kale Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup fresh kale
- ½ cup water
- 1 orange (peeled)
- ½ cup pineapple (frozen)
- ½ cup mango (frozen)
- 1 tbs chia seeds
Instructions
- Place kale, orange and water in blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add remaining fruit and blend again.
Lynnette Clancy
So good….kale is hard sometimes
April R Eckert
Oranges, lemons and limes, have become a new addition to my smoothies. They really help bring up the vitamin C content along with a lot of other ingredients. This recipe is delicious and great for an immunity kick!
Erica
This is one of my favorite fruit combos when I’m feeling like something tropical. I also love what the chia seed does to the consistency when I blend it with the greens and liquid before adding the frozen fruit. I did find that if I use frozen pineapple and mango then I should not freeze the orange too or it is more difficult to blend.
Nat
Good
Meryl
Yum! My husband called it soothing. Kale never tasted so good
Lynette
This was my favorite so far!
Kim Powell
Did not use mango, not a fan, but used the rest and it was really good. Liked the addition of the chia seeds. Need to remember to do that in other somoothies!
Rachel
This was delicious! I love the tropical flavor, I never think to add oranges to my smoothies, but with a Blendtec blender it blends up nice and smooth. I did substitute peaches for the mango due to an allergy.
Patricia Bowman
I absolutely love this smoothie. I didn't think I was going to like it but wow!
Mickey Cunningham
I liked this smoothie. The kale was not overpowering. Would make this again.
Jacqueline
This really does taste *tropical and is a great blend for introducing Kale to your smoothies. It blends nicely and tastes sweet but not too sweet.
Dan
Favorite so far
Grace
I used frozen pineapple and mango which made this smoothie cool and creamy. I didn’t have any kale so used spinach instead. Added chia seeds and hemp hearts for a little protein boost. And as usual, I rinsed out the container with water afterward and added that to thin out my smoothies because I prefer them a bit thinner.
DeeDee
Good combination of flavor which I feel most everyone would enjoy.
Michele
This smoothie was refreshing, but I needed to add at least 1/2 cup of extra liquid so it could blend smoothly.
Jemia
The tropical kale smoothie was good. I used 1/2 of an orange because of its size and found it to be just enough citrus flavor for the smoothie. I’ve noticed that I can taste kale in my smoothies but I usually cannot taste spinach. It’s a flavor that I can definitely get used to! Since I can’t take vitamin supplements, I can benefit from using this leafy green in my smoothies.
Vashti
I sub lettuce for kale. This was super delicious. A meal in a glass.
Ogechi Nwaokelemeh
Yum! Used kale grown in community garden for this one!
Lorna Koppel
This is a very light and refreshing smoothie. I absolutely love it.
Suzanne Attig
I really prefer spinach to kale, so I made this with spinach. I didn’t see the chia seeds in the 10-Day Challenge Guide recipe for this smoothie. I didn’t know about a post workout use of coconut water, until I read the possible variations when I went to post my review. It was pretty good anyway. I will try it again with chia seeds and coconut water.
Maureen Cioni
I think this is one of my favorite recipes! It’s so bright green and still filled me up. I added protein powder and chia seed.
Alyssa Foote
Was a tasty but I found the flavour to be fairly mild when made into a breakfast smoothie with Greek yogurt, oats, matcha, and the magic trio (hemp hearts, chia seeds, flax seeds).
Eva McGuire
Good & smooth. Milder in flavor than some of the other smoothies. The flavor of the orange and pineapple really came through
Karen Guzowski
This smoothie was really delicious. Mention tropical, and I'm hooked. Added my usual hemp protein and some coconut oil.
Amanda
This is a delicious smoothie
Lori Toothacre
Very refreshing....I love the mango & orange!!
Kitty
The kale leaves were too tough for my blender and made the smoothie fibrous and gritty. I would replace this with parsley, or maybe baby kale if available.
Ana Siguenza
Delicious tropical flavors.
Lisa Bixby
Oh so yummy! The flavors are bright and refreshing! This one is amazing!
Gloria
Tropical Kale Day 7! The kale gives a more earthy flavor. The pineapple,mango, orange,good combination is delicious!
Dawn
The combination of flavors is delicious!
Tammy
I love this one. I plan to make it again and add the chia seeds next time.
Raychel
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one but I loved it! Citrus burst tang and deep green color! Delicious! Definitely important to have a good, juicy orange without too much pithe.
Gina
I'm really enjoying this one. It is not too sweet, but has a wonderful taste.
Codie
Omg this one is soooooo good!
Ellen
Good flavor and creamy but not a huge fan of Kale. It was also a little thick for my personal taste.
Susan Callahan
Made with fresh picked kale from my garden. This is a bright and fresh tasting green smoothie. Will definitely make again!
Monika
This one is good but two thick for me.
Lisa
I love that you can’t taste the kale in this recipe as. I usually can taste the kale aftertaste. This just might be the one that gets me to put kale in smoothies instead of spinach.
JP
This is WONDERFUL! We are in heaven today with this smoothie! It is a keeper! Light, not frothy, cool, refreshing, enjoyable! Used an old blender today, therefore it is somewhat gritty but not enough to take away from the goodness!