Sure, I know a spinach smoothie doesn’t sound that appealing, but when made right it can be beyond delicious. With hundreds of 5-star reviews, it’s time for you to see why this is the best green smoothie recipe.
Are you wondering why anyone would be excited to drink something as green as this? I hear ya— I’ve been right where you are. And so have 1 million+ others who’ve blended this smoothie in our free 7-day smoothie challenge.
Drinking this daily smoothie is what helped me get the body and energy to do some incredible things, such as run 47 miles of the Grand Canyon, ride motorcycles through Morocco, publish two best-selling recipe books and create a backyard garden for my kids. This daily habit has kept my kids healthy when we didn’t have health insurance, energized us in between school and sports and nourished us so we don’t need to take vitamins.
When I created this green smoothie recipe…it changed my life in more ways than I ever imagine. It was love at first sip for me, my two kids and over 1 million others who were scared of spinach smoothies.
I’ve published an entire recipe book on Simple Green Smoothies, and then went on The Doctors to blend a few green smoothie recipes live on stage! I was nervous with all the cameras and lights, but I knew I had to share green smoothies with the world! They truly are magical for your health.
Are green smoothie recipes healthy?
What we eat can truly transform our bodies and our lives in powerful ways. Especially with this smoothie recipe as I’ve seen in the lives of so many of my friends, family and community online. Blending spinach into a fruit smoothie is a great way to boost your immune system, as well as naturally energize you.
Most smoothies are made with just fruit and liquid, which is high in sugar and can cause inflammation. A green smoothie, on the other hand, is made with fruit, plant-based liquid and leafy greens.
This recipe is full of iron, potassium and vitamins galore— and tastes like a tropical treat from all the island fruit. Yet the best part is how simple as well as quick it is to make! You only need 4 ingredients and all of them can be found at your local grocery store (they don’t cost a fortune either!). As I say all the time— I’m all for making healthy eating affordable so it’s sustainable.
A green smoothie can taste just as good as a regular smoothie, and also have incredible health benefits.
How to make a spinach smoothie
All you need to make a tasty green smoothie is a blender, fruit and leafy greens. The right ratio of spinach to fruit makes it sweet, as well as helps you reap all the health benefits of a green smoothie. The key is to use recipes that actually taste good and follow my simple tips below.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- fresh spinach
- frozen pineapple
- frozen mango
- fresh banana
- Blend 1 cup of spinach (or another leafy greens of your choice) in a blender. Adding leafy greens to your smoothie boosts the phytonutrients and fiber, which then slows down the absorption of sugars into your body.
- Next, add 1 cup of liquid and blend well (until all leafy chunks are gone).
- Toss in fruit, such as frozen mango, pineapple and bananas in the blender.
- Next, blend again until smooth and creamy.
- Serve smoothie immediately for maximum nourishment.
- Looking to turn your smoothie into a meal replacement? Adding clean protein + healthy fat does the trick. I realized that none of the protein powders on the market were what I wanted when it came to pure protein with no weird gums or fillers. So I made my own! The result is my Protein Smoothie Boost -with only organic hemp + chia + flax seeds, in a perfectly smooth, smoothie worthy powder. Give it a blend and see what you think!
Can you taste spinach in the smoothie?
You wouldn’t be the first to look at this recipe and say “No way!” Green! Spinach! Yuck! Yet don’t walk away! These bright green smoothie recipes will actually delight your taste buds. You’ll even have an extra pep in your step when you realize how great you feel!
Even kids LOVE this green smoothie recipe! I started blending this smoothie in my daughter Clare’s kindergarten class four years ago. Now every year, I visit her school to blend this recipe with each new class. That’s how delicious this recipe is!
Not sure if your blender can handle the greens? I’ve created The Ultimate Blender Guide, where I reviewed countless blenders to find the best ones for green smoothies. The key is to get rid of leafy chunks, blend quickly and provide tons of value for the price. Hint: not all of them cost $400+. 🙂
Top 5 Smoothie Blending Tips
- Follow the 60/40 formula. When you’re making your first few green smoothies, don’t just throw things in the blender. Chances are, it’ll taste nasty if you wing it right out of the gate. To save you a few smoothie-fails, bust out those cute lil’ measuring cups to learn how to make your own green smoothie.
- Blend in stages to avoid leafy chunks. Chewing your green smoothie is no fun! To get a “smooth” green smoothie experience, blend up your leafy greens and liquid-base first. Then add your remaining fruits and blend again.
- Ditch the ice and freeze some fruits. Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas, grapes, pineapple or berries. You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender.
- Use raw natural sweeteners. Add naturally sweet fruits to any smoothie that tastes bitter or a bit too “green.” My favorite naturally sweet fruits are bananas, mango, apples, pears or pitted dates.
- Make smoothies ahead for the perfect fast food. Life is crazy busy— especially in the morning. That’s why we think green smoothies are the healthiest fast food for people who are constantly on the go. You can smoothie prep, or even blend the night before and store it in your fridge.
More healthy smoothie recipes
- My son is obsessed with this Mango Orange Smoothie recipe
- Try this tropical Pina Colada Spinach Smoothie to head to the beach asap
- Want to boost your metabolism? Then this is a great fat burning green smoothie recipe
- This kale smoothie will surprise even your taste buds
If you have any questions about the green smoothie world, feel free to join the Smoothie Challenge Support Group.
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup pineapple, frozen
- 1/2 cup mango, frozen
- 1 banana
- 1 Protein Smoothie Boost, optional
Instructions
- Measure: Tightly pack spinach in a measuring cup.
- Add: Put spinach to blender with water. Blend together until all chunks are gone. (Should resemble green water when blended well).
- Toss: Pineapple, mango and banana to blender. I like to use frozen pineapple and mangos to chill the smoothie down and save time cutting and prepping. It’s a win-win!
- Blend: It all together until smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender, this could take as little as 30 seconds or as long as 2 minutes.
- Pour: Into a glass and serve immediately.
- Store: In the fridge with a lid until ready to drink.
Video
Notes
- Not a fan of bananas? Swap it for 1/4 avocado, additional 1/2 cup mango or 1/2 cup peaches.
- You can use 1 cup pineapple if you're out of mango.
- Frozen fruit is recommended because it's easy and chills the smoothie.
New to Green Smoothie’s & this was Very Tasty! Thank You for a great start!
Excellent taste! . So much better than ice cream and seconds to make. Try it…you won’t regret!
Great, simple healthy recipe! I typically have all these ingredients on hand so it’s an easy one to throw together!
Very yummy! My two year old kept asking for “mo” (more). I mixed up my grocery list so I replaced the pinneapple with peaches
First smoothie of the challenge. A good start.
Always a favorite! A great start for the challenges.
A very good start to the 10 day green smoothie challenge!!
This Beginners Luck Smoothie is so delicious! I’ve made many smoothies and this is an all time favorite! Loved the suggestion of blending spinach and liquid first then add fruit and reblend! Smoothie comes out so smooth!
I love pineapple and banana combinations. While I’m not a mango fan it is pleasantly not a dominate flavor in this smoothie.
This one was so delicious! Perfect amount of everything. Will definitely try again!
I love this smoothie. I made it before the challenge started and didn’t have any pineapple yet, so I subbed frozen cantaloupe and it was awesome. I also make all smoothies that call for water with coconut water, I just find that it adds a nutty flavor that I really like.
I enjoyed this smoothie. I did add a half scoop of plant based vanilla protein powder and it was simply delicious
Delicious! Making these for my husband and myself, we both felt great after drinking it. Just the right level of sweetness. Would be good with a little fresh ginger added, will try that next time.
Loved it! Started a ten day smoothie challenge this morning and am now really looking forward to the next nine!!!
I made it for two using one fresh and one frozen banana along with fresh spinach and frozen mango and pineapple. Perfect consistency and flavor.
Great combo. I added protein powder and used only half the banana to limit the sweetness – will try the avo swap next time! Love the tip to blend spinach and water first – I usually throw everything in at the same time and hope for the best
Day 1 Beginners Luck I added protein powder and Udo’s oil to make a complete meal. Love the pineapple banana flavor of this green smoothie.
Delicious start for Day 1 of the challenge!
Usually not my go to fruit for my smoothies…but, I really enjoyed it.
Yeah Melanie! We’re bringing you over to the world of greens!!!
My whole family enjoys this one. It’s creamy and flavorful. So delicious.
Love it! Great flavor! Highly recommend it! My kids loved it!
Liked this one. I already added spinach to my smoothies/protein shakes but really liked this one as additional choice.
Really good and simple. Best of all i usually have all these ingredients in the house!
Love pineapple, love mango, love banana. All three together= love x 3!
Loved this smoothie and so did my kids and husband! The proportions are perfect. I’ll be prepping and keeping these in the freezer for my family and I. Great way to start off the challenge!
I really liked this one a lot!! Loved the flavors and the ease of making it!!
This is a great smoothie! Well balanced flavors – I’ll be adding this to my go-to smoothie list!
This smoothie rocks. It tastes great and refreshes you from the inside out
Very tasty!
Very tasty!
This has quickly become one of my “go to” smoothies. I usually use all frozen fruits and it is so smooth and delicious. You’d never guess how healthy it is
This is very good . Thank you
I don’t do instant gram, sorry
Great recipe! Loved this smoothie:)
Challenge Day 1: I loved this one and prepped a bunch for the freezer. I’m so excited to keep drinking this one! 🙂
It did taste lovely and tropical !
“Old Reliable” – this one is great! I always seem to have the ingredients on hand. It’s a beautiful color and even tastes great with extra greens added.
This recipe is how I discovered how delicious green smoothies are. It was at a health conference that someone made a smoothie with the same ingredients. One taste is all it took for me to know the power of green smoothies.
Love the Beginner’s Luck smoothie. It tastes great and so easy to make. Have made this one before but had hubby make it this time since he wanted to join me. Love it!!!
One of the best basic green smoothie recipes! It’s natually sweet, but not overly so. Highly reccomend for anyone who is unsure if green smoothies are for them or is skeptical about using veggies in smoothies.
Delicious!
Day 1 smoothie – Tasty – easy to drink. but personally bananas tend to take over the smoothie . I would defiantly still drink again!
Perfect amount of sweet 🙂 will definitely make again & again!
Simple & delicious treat! So easy to make. My kids took one drink & asked me to make more for them.
Love this recipe. Easy to make, delicious, and I just feel better when I drink it!
We (me, husband, daughter and grandson) are new to green smoothies and drank every last drop of this one! Fresh and bright – perfect for the start of the new year! Can’t wait to try more!
First smoothie of the 10 day challenge and it was so good! My husband was surprised because it wasn’t too sweet and it wasn’t too much spinach. Win!
Day 1 smoothie challenge – check! It was yummy.
This is by far my favourite smoothie! The ratios are perfect and my smoothie came out the ideal consistency. I didn’t need to blend things separately, it worked all together. Yum!
Oh my goodness! This is a smoothie for everyone! So delicious. My kids and husband would drink Beginner’s Luck and love it too!
Day 1 smoothie completed!
This smoothie just might be my go-to! The ingredients are easy to find and tasty!
Beginners Luck; light, tastey and the perfect color! I did half a banana instead of full and added quarter cup of frozen avocado.
This smoothies was very delicious. It had just the right amount of sweetness. My 15 year old loved it so much that I had to make her one.
Tasted great with coconut water. Next time I will have it with almond or coconut milk or use it as a meal replacement as suggested by others. Highly recommended.
It was a little too grassy for me – but I’m just getting used to green smoothies! I added ginger and loved it
Best Green Smoothie!!! Yummmm
I used 1/4 cup coconut water and 3/4 cup almond milk and it was oh so good!!
Thanks for the tip on blending the spinach making it very smooth!
ready for Day 2!!
Taste is great. It’s very refreshing. My only complaint is I was hungry pretty soon after. I prefer some fat and protein in a smoothie to make it more filling and less of a fruit salad.
Tasty smoothy to get you started on the green smoothie bandwagon.
Refreshing and tastes great
Classic Goodie!!
My love this smoothie! Tropical and sweet and simple! We added chia seeds, oats, flax seed, and extra spinach to make it a meal replacement, and we replaced the water with unsweetened coconut water.
Refreshing, tropical, delicious
Good and healthy start to the new year!
Easy, delicious, basic ingredients. A good one to get started with.
Had my first smoothie of the year! Feels so good to get back into this! Hope to stay on track! Very filling!
I enjoyed this smoothie. I added chia seeds and used mango flavored unsweetened coconut water.
One of my favorites
This was my very first SGS & is still my favorite. I add protein, collagen & chia seeds to make it a meal. Always delicious!
This smoothie was easy to make and pretty tasty as well!
It is the BEST GREEN SMOOTHIE a great tropical recipe, I added avocado and vanilla protein to mine and made it a meal replacement. So good.
Delicious!! My kids love this one!
Family favorite! Sweet and delicious
This smoothie was a big winner in my house today! So delicious, and boosted with protein smoothie boost to keep me full all morning.
This smoothie is so creamy and delicious!
Beginner’s Luck is my favorite recipe! Love the flavor combinations.
Absolutely delicious! My 16 yr old daughter loved it too!
THE PERFECT GREEN DRINK TO INTRODUCE YOUR TASTEBUDS TO THE JOY OF SMOOTHIES! This is always my go-to smoothie recipe for me and my twin 4 year old daughters. I keep the ingredients stocked in my freezer and always know they’ll blend together to make the perfect green smoothie. So delicious!
When is the best time to drink this
Beginner’s Luck Smoothie is refreshing and easy to whip up. Very smooth. Added a trio of seeds: hemp, chia and flax, plus MCT oil for a satisfying meal replacement.
Lived this Beginner’s Luck smoothie! I couldn’t believe how much the sweet taste of the fruit came through. I really expected it to taste somewhat bitter from the spinach. It was very filling and refreshing! Really loved the tip on blending the spinach with the water first. I have made smoothies with leafy greens before, but never had one as smooth as this one. Blending the greens first really made a big difference!
Considering it’s my first smoothie with greens, it wasn’t pretty but sure was delicious! I made it with Swiss chard instead of spinach because I have a grow wall full of it
I used only 1/2 a banana and power green blend. Delicious!
Tasty! I doubled the recipe to share with my husband. I only had one frozen banana and the bananas I bought yesterday are too green so I subbed 1 of the bananas with an orange. So good!!!
First smoothie of the year…. YUM!
Bright, creamy and refreshing. I love this one. I can see adding a bit of lemon juice and some protein powder to make it a meal.
This is one of my favorite green smoothies!!!
Exceeded my expectations! I used frozen mango & pineapple and that made it nice and frosty!!
My all time fav recipe, and the green smoothie my daughter always request because she knows the ingredients are always on hand! Easy to make, and delicious!
Delish!
Delicious way to start my day & New Year!!!
I was really surprised by how delicious this is! I never made a smoothie with water before. It works!
I love the taste!
I made a double batch for another smoothie tomorrow.
Our favorite! My kids are doing the 10 Day Challenge with me and this is the perfect start. They slurped it up in minutes.
My daughter and I made the Beginner’s Luck this morning and enjoyed it! We are excited to start a healthier lifestyle incorporating raw fruits and veggies more.
I enjoyed this smoothie. Simple in preparation and in flavor. The only change I made was to add 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds which do not change the flavor in any way, just the protein and fiber content.
This is a great smoothie to start off with, and I love the name! When I made it this morning, it wasn’t as good as when I have made it in the past, I think perhaps my mango and pineapple weren’t as sweet as they have been (both frozen, different brand). Next time I’ll let them defrost a little before blending and maybe add some microplaned fresh ginger. The color was a nice, bright green and made me feel happy!
This is the most delicious smoothie! It is definitely my favorite! I replaced the spinach with kale and it was still refreshing to drink.
Super tasty! Love it!
So delicious my 2 year old grandson almost drank it all. Tomorrow I’ll do 1.5 of all ingredients.
Tastes great…went with ll frozen fruits . Really refreshing and filling. Great start to 10 day challenge and a New Year.
Love this smoothie – made this one with extra spinach and added meal replacements to it too!!!
Totally recommend this green smoothie recipe! I used a whole bag (8 oz) of spinach instead of just one cup, and it still has great flavor!
This was delicious! The banana makes it a little sweeter which I love and the flavors worked together perfectly. If I wanted to, could I do 2 cups spinach instead next time?
For sure! You can also use less fruit if you want. This is just our baseline to get people started, yet you can tweak the heck out of this recipe!
Tastes great…went with ll frozen fruits and used half a banana. Really refreshing and filling. Great start to 10 day challenge.
Use fresh fruit not frozen with coconut water…