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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 love any tropical smoothie and this one is a favorite. I often swap spinach for kale if it’s what I have on hand. The sweetness of pineapple is good. I don’t always add chia seeds. Today I added plant protein and made it a meal.
The Tropical Kale smoothie was great, I added chia seeds, flea seeds and collagen in it.
i loved this smoothies ❤️
Nice and tropical! With a little bit of protein powder, it made a nice breakfast before going kayaking.
I loved this smoothie! Definitely added to my favorites list! So tropical….all I needed was a umbrella straw and a beach chair! Yummy!!!
I found this smoothie is similar to Citrus Vegan. It has fresh tropical flavors!
This was really good! I might do 1/2 spinach + 1/2 kale next time. The kale is a little strong for my taste….but the kids both loved it with all kale.
Yummy. Added some lime though
I love this smoothie, it was so delicious. And I like the fact that all the ingredients are plant-based and are non-dairy. Most days I have some issues with my digestion in the morning but this morning when I had smoothies I felt great!
Soooo good! I loved this smoothie. The orange, pineapple, mango trio was delicious. I might add some coconut oil when I make this smoothie again to add to the tropical flavor.
I opted for spinach instead of kale. Kale is very expensive in Alberta, while spinach is more affordable. This smoothie is one of my new favourites. I added the chia seeds while the smoothie was about midway blended.
This was very refreshing! I used a spinach-kale blend. I will definitely make this one again!
This smoothie is super tasty. I did not add chia seeds as this is not on the 10 day challenge, but I bet that would make it even better!
I liked it! Definitely gaining a taste for kale! Loved the sweeetness of the other fruit instead of banana! Excellent!
Delicious! I like the taste of kale but the pineapple and mango disguised the kale completely. My kids enjoyed this smoothie!
Day 7 – Tropical Kale. Tasted a bit grassy. Normally would be fine for me, but my gut is a little finicky after my long run. Simple Green Smoothies #simplegreensmoothies