One of our most popular recipes is our Pineapple Banana Smoothie, which we fondly call the Pineapple Upside Down Cake in my smoothie recipe app, Daily Blends. It's dessert-level good! Before you run from the sight of spinach—give this a shot.... TRUST ME! This smoothie not only tastes amazing, it also has some added health perks that you'll definitely enjoy.
Banana and pineapple smoothie
This pineapple banana smoothie is inspired by a cake from my childhood: the Pineapple Upside Down cake. While it may be based on a super sweet dessert, this fruit smoothie is loaded with health benefits too:
- Only sweetened by fruit, no added sugar here!
- thick & creamy thanks to the protein-rich almond milk + bananas
- 100% plant-based to give you the healthiest smoothie without any of the tummy troubles that dairy often causes.
- Naturally boosted with calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin D, which gives you some delicious health benefits.
No wonder this pineapple banana smoothie is such a fav among our fellow smoothie lovers! Seriously, this is a fun smoothie for newbies as well as veteran smoothie drinkers.
Smoothie ingredient swaps + protein boosts
If you need to lower the sugar, then replace the banana with a half cup frozen cauliflower, or ¼ an avocado. That way you keep the creamy texture while cutting down on the sugar.
Want to turn this pineapple banana smoothie into a meal? I love adding in a scoop of natural almond butter, for a hint of nuttiness + a load of healthy fat.
If you want a protein boost without any change in flavor, then try a clean, plant based option. My completely plant based, organic Protein Smoothie Boost is a quality way to add protein to any smoothie you make. It gives your smoothie 10 extra grams of protein + healthy fat, without changing the flavor! That means this pineapple banana smoothie goes from 4.2 grams of protein to 14.2 grams, #kaleyeah!
What almond milk should I use in smoothies?
While water is an easy base to swap in for almond milk in this pineapple banana smoothie, I love the flavor + creaminess that the almond milk adds. You can either make your own almond milk (which is what I do!), or you can buy some from almost any grocery store. If you choose store bought, don't forget to check out my Rawkstar Report on the best almond milk brands currently on the market.
Liquid swaps for pineapple banana smoothie
If almond milk isn't your thing, no worries! Green smoothies are SO versatile, and I've got some great swaps for you. Honestly, you could swap in almost any non dairy milk you want (cashew milk and oat milk are my top choices for this pineapple banana smoothie). The thickness + texture changes depending on the liquid used, so keep that in mind. If water is your base of choice, then add in a tablespoon of hemp hearts so you don't lose the protein.
More healthy smoothies
Pineapples are a sweet, tropical ingredient found in many of my smoothie recommendations for beginners. They are flavorful and bright, as well as loved by many. If you're looking for more pineapple smoothie options, then I've got some great recipes for you!
- Pineapple Ginger smoothie
- Mint Pineapple smoothie
- Pineapple Kale smoothie
- Clear Skin smoothie
- Citrus smoothie
- Perfect Pineapple smoothie
What are some of your fav pineapple smoothie combos? Share in the comments so that we can all try some new flavors together!
Healthy Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
- ½ cup pineapple (frozen)
- ½ cup cherries (frozen)
- ½ banana
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (optional)
Instructions
- Blend spinach and almond milk until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make smoothie cold.
- Cherries can be substituted with berries.
Caroline Hileman
Tasty!
Raychel
One of my favorites! I thought this would be super similar to another favorite of mine, chocolate covered cherry, but the pineapple really changes it up. I'm glad I tried this one. I added protein smoothie boost.
Alannah
I love how the nuttiness of the almond milk toned down the tartness of the cherries to just the right balance.
Melanie
I forgot to rate the smoothie
Grace
Yummy! I used kale instead of spinach (to alternate the greens), homemade almond milk (also made with my Vitamix), a whole banana (because I didn’t have cherries), and threw in some hemp hearts.
Beatrix
Tasty. I found to make almond milk is very easy, so usually try to plan ahead and just use my own fresh home made almond milk
Suzie
I made this today right after I made coconut bombs - so left some coconut bomb in the blender before making this one 🙂 Very tasty. I couldn't taste the cherries. I will add a few more next time. Overall a good smoothie. I'd try this one again.
Stephanie P.
I’m not always the biggest fan of cherries, but I learned a couple years ago that I LOVE them in smoothies, this one is no different, nice and bright from the pineapple, tasty!
Gaynor Woronowycz
Hi Jen
Really love the recipes easy to make however when reviewing nutrition facts some concerns that the sugar content is quite high.
Nicole
Went down easy - next time I'll jazz it up a little!
Lesley R
I'm not a huge fan of milk based fruit and veggie smoothies but I actually found the cherry and milk combo quite nice in this one. Took it to-go for lunch and it held up nicely in the lunch box!
Anne
My husband and I both really liked this one, just the right balance between tart and sweet.
Eve
This was better than I thought it would be. I think I would use water next time though. Just not a huge fan of almond milk and pineapple.
Courtney
I liked this. I added coconut smoothie cubes, which (I think) added some extra creaminess. I couldn't get cherries this week, but the berry medley I had worked. I love that I can make slight adjustments and still have a great smoothie!
Stephanie
Not my most favorite...but ok!
Jamie E
A little sweet but good. I’m not a cherry fan and I couldn’t really taste it a lot. More banana to me.
Susan
This is a favorite. I love cherries! Delicious
Ren
Delicious and smooth
dominique larin
My favorite green smoothie so far! It is sooo tasty and delicous!!! Everyone here loved it!
Venetria Patton
I liked this, but didn't find it as filling as some of the other smoothies. I would probably add chia seeds next time.
Sabrina Schroeder
I like the fresh taste. I used sour cherries instead of sweet.
Judith Walter
Great smoothie. I add chia seeds to mine
Amanda Fitzsimmons
I enjoyed this one! I love the cherries! I added red grapes, some cranberries and flax seed. It was great! Will try again.
Sarah Jasinski
I have never tried cherries in a smoothie before and I really liked it! I also made an extra smoothie today with bananas, peanuts and greek yogurt. It's my go to sweet tooth smoothie!
Laura Perkins
Loved this smoothie!! The flavors work really well together. I did sub Oat Milk for Almond Milk and it was very good.
Titilola Palmer
Delish! Loved this smoothie. I added a half scoop of plant based vanilla protein powder and it was so delicious
Jen Hart
When I first saw this recipe I thought "cherry and pineapple?" But it's amazing! The cherry is a little sweeter than the pineapple and blends so good with its flavor. I tend to add a little extra spinach so I rarely get the pretty purple color but I always get the amazing taste!
Stephanie
This smoothie is good. My 23 month old and my picky 6 year old both enjoyed it too. Pineapple and cherries are some of my favorite fruits. I will be making it again but with coconut water and extra spinach.
Aurilia Hill
Pineapple spinach smoothie I took on the go for my hike and it was sooooo
Dory
I didn’t have any cherries so I had to substitute with raspberries. The colour wasn’t super appealing and less green than normal, but the drink was still good!
Elizabeth
I added chocolate protein powder and cacao nibs to this smoothie for a wonderful variation! So good!
Shari Guymon
day 3 smoothie was tasty. The only addition I made to the recipe was 1
tablespoon of chia seeds. The banana added the creaminess that I like . I primarily tasted the pineapple. Very refreshing.
Laura Hodges
Added some almond butter and cacao...made it a meal replacement! I will make another one with just the recipe ingredients and compare.
Love the cherries!
Vashti Phillips
I added a spoonful of rosemary leaves for boosting the immune system especially in a time like this. At first I thought it would have been overpowering but no, it was just right. I enjoyed it to the last drop. Day 3 and loving it
Akasha Villalobos
This is good for a pineapple smoothie. For whatever reason, pineapple in a smoothie just isn't my jam. So if that's not you, you'll probably love this. My husband did. He likes anything with banana.
AnnMarie
Delicious and creamy. I swapped avocado in for the banana. Day 3 and going
Kim
I really liked this one. I used 1/2 water and 1/2 almond milk and added a little fresh ginger.
Cristina Ribeiro
Tropical, refreshhing, delicious
Dawn
Glad it was healthy because there was something about the flavors that didn't meld. Pineapple and cherries sounds tropical but the almond milk threw it off.
Simple Green Smoothies
I hear ya Dawn! For some of us, the combo of citrus + milk don't sit well— I'm the same way. Yet coconut milk doesn't throw off the flavors to me— you can def swap to that (like I do). Yet most people have no issue with the almond milk.
Ajcdav
A nice, simple and tasty smoothie. A good combo of fruit that goes well together. I can see addind a little chocolate to it to!
Melanie
I absolutely love cherries in my smoothies, but never tried it with pineapple before. It was delicious.
Lynne Miles
Any smoothie with pineapple and banana and I’m in love. They give a smoothie the flavor I love. The cherries and greens are a bonus.
Dora Suarez
I didn't have cherries on hand so I used blueberries, it was refreshing but I found the berries overpowering, will need to try with the cherries one of these days.
Susan Smith
Perfect combination. We have a variety of tastes; however everyone in my house liked it.
Loren
Delicious! Hubby likes it also! Looking forward to making this again in the near future.
Linda
Love this combo!
Tina
The pineapple & cherries are the perfect combination!
Maria Barrios
Love it! Very refreshing!
Deborah
This is a winner for me. I love the creaminess added by the banana, The cherries add a nice balance to the strawberries (for me at lleast), I am not the biggest fan of strawberries, I don't hate them, I just have a mild sensitivity to them and I think that affects my taste buds for them).
Deborah
Ooops - I mixed up my reviews. No strawberries in this one. The cherries were a nice balance to the pineapple.
Simple Green Smoothies
Feel free to swap any recipe that has strawberries for another berry... or even cherries Deborah.
Carolee Crider
I waited until after my workout this afternoon to make this. A little sweeter than I would like for breakfast, but an excellent afternoon snack.
Erin
This was a huge winner at my house today. Both my daughter and I chugged it right down! So good.
Sloane Grey
I looovveeeee this one!! My favorite so far! I’m a huge cherry fan, so I was looking forward to trying this one. It’s smooth and sweet, and I love the blend of flavors with the pineapple and cherries!
Amy B
Love the cherries in this! Yum
Mindy
My favorite! Pineapple makes every smoothie yummy!
Shelby Foreman
This smoothie is soooo good! Creamy tropical smoothie for the win! I use frozen fruit and I think this would be a wonderful treat in the summer.
shannon
I liked this one today. Could really taste all the fruit in it for sure. I love that I am drinking healthy drinks that are good for me.
Linda C.
Loved this smoothie. Substituted the almond milk with Almond Breeze's mix of coconut milk and almond milk (unsweetened) and both my husband and I loved it!! This is a keeper!
Shelby Foreman
Coconut milk...what a great idea! I'm gonna have to try that!
paul bowers
Love this one -- and it really works well with a protein powder boost!
Kathleen
Used flax milk. Other than that followed recipe as written. This one is delicious!
Jess Spitsbergen
Love how creamy this one is and sweet with the cherries!
Anna
Delicious smoothie, highly recommend! Yum!!!!
Lisa Strohl
Love this smoothie as part of the challenge, the cherries give it great flavor!
Laura
Super tasty!
Amy Wheeler
Delicious. My favorite green smoothie so far!
Simple Green Smoothies
Wow! I am thrilled you found a winner!
Kimberly Wade
I felt the flavor of the cherries got lost in this one. It also was not a pretty color, but still a tasty smoothie overall.
Kathy Overstreet
Another favorite - I love this challenge as it is reminding me of my favorite smoothies! Added extra spinach to this one too as I am used to more greens in my smoothies! Added Protein powder and water instead of milk plus Metamucil (this is per doctor's instructions)!!
Danna
Added chia seed to this tasty recipe
Claudia
Love the addition of cherries!
Ka
This is a family favorite, as my 8 year old calls it.
Kathi
Had to substitute blackberries. Could not find cherries! Delicious!
Rach M
Replaced the cherries with blackberries because that is what I had. Other than picking seeds out it was very good next time I will add nut butter.
Lauren
I love pineapple in smoothies! Great flavor combo.
Colleen
My husband and I enjoyed this one. It was creamy; he thought I had used yogurt! We didn't get a lot of the cherry taste, so I might need to add a little bit more of those, but the pineapple definitely came through.
Dawn
This was good. It was more like a juice. I didn't get the "cake" reference. I'll try with variations described in the comments. Thanks again for another great recipe!
Simple Green Smoothies
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is a pineapple-y sponge cake with cherries and it's really good. Also full of sugar and other not-so-good-for-you things, which is why we love this smoothie. Did you use almond milk and frozen fruit? That will help it have more of a creamy texture and less of a juice texture.
Elizabeth Chappelear
This smoothie is absolutely delicious! I loved drinking it and will mark it as a favorite! I added protein powder and ground flaxseed and it was still super yummy! Thanks for the new favorite!
Catherine Lennon
For me this recipe SCREAMS summer !!!
I used frozen cherries, banana and pineapple and got the exact same consistancy as a boost juice .
I would buy a juice just like this at boost for $8 and made it in 60 seconds in the NutriBullet at home for at most a $1 !!!
This is a print and keep recipe for a healthy summer treat - so refreshing and one of my favourites !!!
Tammy Verhulst
Making sure I rated this recipe.
Sarah
Cherries are so good in my green smoothies, thank you for a great combo in this recipe!
Krista
Love the combination along with the coconut water. Very tasty and refreshing.
CJ
Cherries are my favorite to put in a smoothie, but I usually have them in my chocolate protein powder mix. The cherry pineapple mix is really good in this. The color came out a bit like day old guacamole, but the taste was supreme.
Ann Owens
I love carrots so this mild flavored, thick smoothie lett the carrots shine! Many thanks!!
Monique King
My favorite!
Deanna Perlmutter
Pineapple dream was simply delicious! I love pineapples so this was a great one for me. I especially liked the hint of cherry flavor.
These smoothies make me so happy!
Kimberly
This one hits my craving for pinapple upside down cake! Love it!!
Susan Mcfadden
Love pineapple in smoothies.
Leah
Yum again.
Patrice
Day 3 - Pineapple Dream. I really enjoyed this one!! I didn't have cherries, so I substituted for blueberries. Yum!!
Marcie
Pineapple dream is soooo good. Love the cherry in combination with the pineapple and banana! Yum!
Fiona Gough
It was OK.