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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.
I usually get a smoothie similar to this at Tropical Smoothie. Now I can get it at home for a fraction of the cost! This recipes is my second favorite.
Yes, exactly!!!
Absolutely refreshing and tropical! Forgot the chia seeds. Will certainly have again!
Love ❤️ Kale tropical very refreshing and enjoyed the chia seeds super yummy
I turned this smoothie into tropi-kale heat and it is such a winner. Love love love it! Sweeter than what I normally go with so maybe that’s why I like the little kick of spice.
I think this is one of my favorite! So fresh! Specially to share with my husband today celebrating Father’s Day
After chowing down at our family’s Fathers Day barbecue, it was refreshing to have a nice smoothie to reset for the evening. I felt like I was on an island with this smoothie, it had a nice balance of sweetness but I think I’ll stick to frozen fruit on this one. Also if the orange is not blended with kale, I believe it makes it too frothy.
Loved this too, and will be added to my fav list for future
This smoothie was awesome. It made me feel like I was sitting on the beach in a tropical island. Nice and refreshing. I did not even taste the Kale because the orange, pineapple, and mango was so pleasant. I went out on the deck and acted as if I was on a foreign beach. Awesome.
Tropical Kale Smoothie…. perfect for the Summer Solstice ☀️My husband and I love this smoothie…
I like kale. I had so much spinach that I swapped it for kale today. And I added banana and protein powder to make a meal and add red fresh basil. It was my second fav so far. I like the mixture of these smoothies. They are easy to make and ingredients seem to work really well for flavors.
This is my favorite smoothie to date. It is wasn’t too sweet, and the kale wasn’t noticeable. I enjoyed drinking it so much, I was surprised (and a bit sad) when it was finished. If I had enough ingredients, I would’ve made another.
This smoothie looks good, tastes good and makes me feel good!!! I ❤️❤️❤️ It!
A tropical treat that was enjoyed on my hike today!
Loved this smoothie with pineapple.
This is good but not my favorite. Still not getting the kale blended enough for my taste. I have a Ninja Smart Screen Blender DUO with FreshVac which has done well with everything else, but not so much with the kale. Or maybe I just don’t like kale. LOL. My oranges were a little small and I only had 2 so that could have been part of the issue. I think I will make this again with spinach and see if I like it better. With all that said, it is very refreshing and even though it is chunky, I am just sucking it down. 🙂
Julie, I have two recommendations (if you aren’t already doing them 🙂 ): 1. Make sure you remove the stems from the kale before blending and 2. Blend the kale and liquid base first, then add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Oh, and lastly, if you are still not having luck, try using baby kale. It should blend into your smoothie much better.
Really tasty! Nice and refreshing!