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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.
Table of Contents
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 1/4 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 powder recipe 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 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 dairy-free 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
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- ½ cup pineapple frozen
- ½ cup cherries frozen
- ½ banana
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach and almond milk until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make smoothie cold.
- Cherries can be substituted with berries.
- Use the leafy greens of your choice.
- Use the dairy-free milk of your choice.
Just tried this one today and love it. Didn’t have cherries but I did have cherry juice so I used that instead.
Yummy!
One of my faves! YUMMY!!!
This one is amazing !! One of my faves.
My son and I just enjoyed your Beginner’s Luck smoothie – our first recipe we tried of yours – and it was fabulous! I love getting greens in my 8 yo at breakfast 🙂 🙂 We have some left over pineapple but are out of mango 🙁 Any thoughts on this recipe with coconut water or coconut milk? I’m trying to take nuts out for a bit. Thanks for these amazing recipes!!! I want to try them all – TODAY! I happened upon your site while researching blenders and am so very glad I did! I’ve been AIP Paleo for 4 years and recently did the Green Smoothie Girl detox that introduced smoothies into my life and there’s no going back 😉
Hi Staci,
I am so excited to have you blending with us! I am so excited to hear you + your son are blending together + fueling up with greens in the morning. This is one of my favorite recipes + don’t hesitate to change it up! Our recipes are here to inspire you, so don’t hesitate to switch up your liquid base or try a different green. Personally…I think this recipe would be amazing with coconut milk!
Thank you Amanda!!! I did 1 cup full fat coconut milk and 1 cup water and it was AMAZING!!! Just like pineapple upside down cake! For someone who’s former ‘favorite food’ was cake, this was a real treat 🙂 Looking forward to trying more recipes here. Thanks again <3
YAY!! So happy to hear you loved it!
This was delicious! One of my favorites. I substituted the banana for mango because I don’t like bananas and it was super good.
I am drinking it now..I love it
Hi Leah,
This is my ultimate all-time favorite green smoothie! So happy to hear you love it too!
Cheers,
Amanda F, Community Happiness Specialist
This smoothie totally hit the spot. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Thanks for blendin’ with us, Kerry!
I had my first green smoothie today, and to be honest it was yummy (I didn’t think it would be this yum)! I didn’t have pineapple at home, so I improvised and used almonds, dates and some dried apricot along with bananas, spinach and regular water. It looks like today will be the first of many more green smoothies to come! Thank you so much for your recipes! Even though I have subscribed for ages, I never gave it a try since I am apprehensive about most green things!
YAY!! Anindita, we’re so excited to hear you enjoyed your first green smoothie! Rawk on!! We hope you will continue to blend with us. Want to really hop on the green smoothie train? Join us for our 30-Day Green Smoothie Challenge kicking off on January 1st. It’s the perfect way to fuel your New Year!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/challenge
Hi guys, I am trying y’all’s green smoothies and they’re really yummy. However, I am not a banana fan. I don’t mind using it to make my smoothie creamy, plus I need the potassium, but I’m finding that it overpowers the rest of the flavors. Every smoothie I try just comes out tasting like banana. Is there an alternative I could try or am I doing something wrong?
This smoothie was Delicious!
Hi Sabrina,
We’re so excited to hear you enjoyed our Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe! It’s one of our favorites too! 🙂
Could you use soy milk instead of almond milk for all of these smoothies?? What about vanilla soy milk for a little sweetness?
Hi Ashley,
Great question! We believe that small amounts of organic, non-GMO soy are fine (like tamari and tempeh) but we recommend staying away from highly-processed unfermented soy products which can interfere with nutrient absorption and leach nutrients from your body. Soy milk, soy burgers, and soy ice cream are all in this category. Two great alternative to soy milk are unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk. We love them both!
By the way, I am an avid “twitterer” and would love it if you would add a “tweet” button to your site. I would be sharing often!
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for the suggestion, we’ll definitely look into adding a tweet button to our site!
Cheers 🙂
This was so delicious! I haven’t had a bad smoothie from your site yet. It is really hot here right now and I am going to make a few of these and freeze them in a popsicle mold – I bet they will be just as good (and so much better than the average treats out there). Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Michelle,
Thank you so much for reaching out! We love hearing from our community, so thank you for taking the time to let us know how you’re enjoying our green smoothie recipes! Let us know how you enjoy green smoothie popsicles!
Cheers!
Watch for pits! I left one in and it turned to gravel in the blender.
Whoops! Thanks for the reminder! 🙂
YUM! Just yum! Prepared exactly as instructed added flax oil. Tastes like pineapple upside down cake from my childhood!
Hi Lisa,
And it’s packed with calcium + other vital nutrients!
Cheers 🙂
OH, yuck! My first try using one of your recipes. I substituted kale for the spinach as that’s what I had on hand, and also used rasberries instead of the cherries. This was just bad….?
Hi Becky,
We’re so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you! Substituting ingredients is a matter of trial and error, and it’s sometimes a little tricky to get the perfect flavor! If you’re feeling up for it, you should try blendin’ our Beginner’s Luck Smoothie. It’s our #1 recipe 🙂 Please let us know if we can help you find another recipe to try!!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/best-green-smoothie
OK…the beginner’s luck smoothie wasn’t bad. Way better than the pineapple one I tried. What is your second favorite?
Hi Becky,
We’re happy to hear you enjoyed Beginner’s Luck. After all of these years, it’s still my “go to” smoothie! Another great recipe for those new to green smoothies is Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry – check it out here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/strawberry-banana-smoothie