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.
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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
Equipment
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!
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.
I substituted farmer’s market chard for spinach and added Vega vanilla protein smoothie powder.
It was delish!
It really does taste like pineapple upside down cake (which I haven’t eaten for years, but I remember having as a child).
Hi Mona,
Great changes + additions! This is one of our favorite recipes!
One of my favorites! Even my daughter loved it! Added an extra banana. So delish!
Hi Sara,
This is one of our favorites too! 🙂
I read that in order to assimilate most of the nutrients of the spinach, you need to add a ‘good fat’. The vitamins are fat soluble and need that ‘good fat’ for our bodies to get all the benefits from them. In some of your recipes you do have a ‘good fat’, but not in all. Have you considered this aspect? Also, what about the levels of goitrogens, purine, and oxalates that occur naturally in spinach? For people who have problems with thyroid, gout, kidney stones, might all this spinach be too much of a good thing? I really love green smoothies, I’m just trying to be cautious and wondered if you could address these issues. Thanks so much!
If you’re scared to use almond milk or coconut milk can you just use water
Totally! Here is link to our other favorite liquids. 🙂 https://simplegreensmoothies.com/dairy-free-smoothies
Can’t wait to try this one! Question though: I am doing a detox that includes green smoothies (and I”m using your recipe with their protein powder)… anyhow, is it okay to have both servings in one day? I add a small salad or hard boiled egg at lunch/breakfast…
Thanks 🙂
Hey Megan.
Are you replacing 2 meals with green smoothies? Then adding a salad for you other meal? Though we aren’t nutritionist, does sound like a lot of leafy green in one day. 🙂
Just by drinking green smoothies daily without even changing your regular diet, you are moving in the right direction towards healthy eating. We suggest you eat real food that’s free of processed sugar and avoid ingredients that you can’t pronounce. My personal meal plan during the green smoothie diet will be paleo-inspired with lots of veggies and some seafood (we’re both pescatarians).
If you want to take your health to the next level, we recommend checking out our Plant-Based Cleanse Cleanse. This is a step-by-step meal plan, with daily green smoothie recipes and whole food meal recipes created by a holistic nutritionist.
thank you! I do have a smoothie for breakfast and lunch, but am trying to have a meat, with a grain (organic brown rice/quinoa) and veggies or salad at dinner…
Do you all typically NOT have 2 smoothies in a day? Or are you thinking replacing 2 meals with smoothies is questionable? Just curious… it’s still only 2 cups of spinach and some more veggies with dinner (and if it’s a salad, there’s lots of protein, legumes, avocado in there…)…
Just curious on if you think having the full recipe, myself, to replace two meals seems unhealthy… as I said, I am adding an organic, gluten free protein powder 🙂
Hey Megan.
Thanks for reaching out to us. Most of our smoothies make about 4 – 5 cups (32 – 40 oz)– we call this family style. A serving size is 2 cups. So if you are making a smoothie for just one person, you can half the recipes and shopping lists. Or, save the leftovers for a second meal replacement, or drink the following day (now you only have to blend every other day). You can store leftover smoothies in an airtight container with a lid for 1 to 3 days. Fresh is always best, but you will still get plenty of the nutrients your body needs if you drink a leftover smoothie.
If you drink green smoothies as meal replacements, make sure to add a protein boost (plant-based protein powder, nut milk, nut butter), or snack on some nuts or a hard-boiled egg 30-60 minutes after you drink your green smoothie.
Great smoothie! Very filling, and a sweet treat. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yum its really good!!!
I substituted half of an avocado for the banana. It still tastes great just not as sweet.
Great idea! Avocado: This fruit is a great source of monounsaturated fats, which help raise your “good” cholesterol levels. Using avocado will not only give you great fat content, but will also make your green smoothie extra creamy!
Do yall have the nutritional information on this recipes?
Hey Samantha.
Here is a link to the nutritional information: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/
I tried this one today with strawberries instead and am so not loving it. I think it is the almond milk. Going to try this with coconut milk instead next time and cherries for sure. Think it will be much better that way.
🙂 Cheers!
I loved this one…I used strawberries instead of cherries.
Great idea!
This one ended up being alot sweeter than I thought it would be, I also didn’t realize until the last minute that I was out of cherries, so I ended up replacing them with blueberries. Very interesting flavors together, just hard to get past the sweetness. Maybe my bananas were too ripe?!? Not really sure
Hey Shannon.
This one is sweet, it is a sweet treat replacement. 🙂
Can more than one fruit be frozen? How about all of them?
Hey Krystal.
Thanks for the question. Sometimes blenders can’t handle more than 1 frozen fruit. Once the liquid is added it becomes a BIG block of frozen fruit. We suggest 1 frozen fruit to add a nice chill to your green smoothie. 🙂
Day 3 – Not bad at all! Think I could grow to like this one.
Happy day 3! 🙂
delish! i made with coconut water instead because i wasn’t feeling the creaminess this morning so light and refreshing!
🙂 YUM! I like that one too! Great substitution, I will have to try coconut water in it too. 🙂
Absolutely delicious! This is a nice sweet treat!
🙂 YAY! Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it.