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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.
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.
Kale Smoothie Ingredients
This recipe takes me back to my California roots through its tropical ingredient list:
- Orange: 92% DV of Vitamin C
- Pineapple: 761% DV of Vitamin C
- Mango: Vitamin C… and a natural sweetener.
- Chia seeds: 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.
- Kale: This Top Superfoods List is a great way to boost your fiber intake + help your body process the natural sugar found in the fruit ingredients.
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 my homemade protein powder recipe.
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 FAQs
Smoothies can be great for you, if you focus on using whole food ingredients. Ditch the added sugar and processed foods and use real whole food. Fresh or frozen kale can be used (both have great nutrition!). Just make sure to swap up your leafy greens to ensure your body gets well rounded nutrients.
Yes! Just make sure to wash it well and massage with your fingers before adding it to the blender. Also, de-stem the kale to ensure those tough stems don’t end up as chunks in your smoothie.
I love the mild flavor of Lacinato kale, yet curly kale is typically the easiest to find at the grocery store. I would stay away from Tuscan kale as it is a bit spicier. If the first kind of kale you try isn’t your fav, look for another kind!
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
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- ½ cup water
- 1 orange peeled
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup mango frozen
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Blend kale, orange and water until smooth.
- Add remaining fruit and blend again.
Notes
- Use at least 1 frozen fruit for a refreshingly cold smoothie.
- Swap kale with the leafy green or your choice.
- Swap in coconut water if you need natural electrolytes.
- Depending on how big and juicy your orange is, start with a little less water and gradually add more as needed to easily blend.
The Kale was a little overpowering. I added half of a banana and that helped.
Lovely combination. No more oranges on the trees, so used papaya instead. Also, used spinach, since that’s what was at hand. Still delicious!
Sorry, the kale was too strong for me. That combined with the chia seeds just made it a thick glob of something I had a tough time drinking. It actually took me most of the day to finish. I’m a kale lover – just not in a smoothie.
Good a bit of different taste but great to try new things
Good, light. I added cinnamon and I might add a banana next time.
Ok, this kale smoothie was actually better than I anticipated. Even though I am a huge kale fan, I still prefer spinach in my green smoothie. However, take my advice – if you always add a bit of extra greens in your smoothies (like me), go easy on the kale until you taste it- you can always add more! I used 2 large kale leaves, and I’ll bet it would have been perfect if I had stopped at one. But I still finished the whole thing!
Great tips, Miki!
Day 3-Let’s just say green may be my new fav color after drinking green for 3 days lol!!! Not too sweet which I can dig it…….can taste orange, a bit of pineapple and some mango and the kale is not nasty which I was a bit afraid of! I used lacinto kale and I can say massaging it does make a huge difference love it live it peace and blessings over all that has partaken in this challenge
Green is the best for sure, Gabrielle!
This one seemed less sweet than the previous ones and I liked it. Next time I’ll try swapping the banana with cauliflower.
The flavor was sweet but not too much. I liked this one.
Kale still from our garden made this smoothie so green! Love! it definitely is different than spinach, but I loved the orange taste in it.
so tasty! i love the addition of the chia. keeps me full for a long time!
I cut the orange back and added in some yogurt. Creamy & Citrusy with no bitter taste.
I appreciate the creaminess and lovely taste of this smoothie packed with delicious greens!
Packed with greens is right, Sarah!
Soooo good the kale was a nice change. The orange made it have just a little more of a citrus hint to it. So far every smoothie has been a home run ♀️.
The kale definitely is a change from spinach, but just as good I think!
For some reason, I liked this smoothies the best so far in the 7 day challenge. The taste was great and satisfying.
I love to hear that, Gail!
I really enjoyed this smoothie. I love Kale, so this was perfect for me. The pineapple and mango were so refreshing.
Yay!! Glad you liked this one, Joyce!