Tropical Green Smoothie — I promise this healthy green smoothie doesn’t taste healthy at all! It tastes like a virgin piña colada that just happens to be bright green and good for you.
The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe
Sometimes strange looking things taste amazing. If you close your eyes, it tastes like a beautiful, tropical, sunny beach vacation.
You’re thinking, no it doesn’t. It tastes like bitter, blended up green stuff. But I assure you, it does not. Celery, kale, mizuna greens, chard, dandelion greens, and cucumbers have very strong and dominating flavors, which is why I don’t use them in smoothies. Spinach, however, is a different story.
I find spinach to be the leafy green equivalent of iceberg lettuce; totally mild and harmless. Plus, when it’s coupled with a handful of frozen mango, pineapple, banana, almond milk, vanilla, and a bit of sweetener, you can’t even taste it.
I promise. Even though this is healthy, it doesn’t taste it. It tastes like a green Pina Colada.
The color is much more jarring than the flavor. Sometimes plants are unexpectedly bold and vibrant in all their chlorophyll-filled glory.
My 6-year old bounces off the walls after drinking one of these healthy green smoothies. Some parents claim their children get hyper after too much sugar. Well, mine can eat chocolate chip cookies and candy and not really do much. But give her one of these green smoothies, and she’s talking a mile a minute, running around the house, laughing, and giggling.
I’m glad to see plants have that effect on her. They really are so powerful.
This tropical spinach keeps me full for awhile and between the almond milk, mango, pineapple, and banana, it’s tropical, sweet, and creamy.
After drinking a green smoothie, I feel invigorated, refreshed and recharged, and my head is clear and my energy is pure. Coffee wakes me up and gives me energy, but it’s a bolt of semi-jittery energy versus clean, sustained energy.
I love that this tastes like a virgin pina colada. It just happens to be green.
What’s in This Green Smoothie?
To make this healthy spinach smoothie, you’ll need:
- Frozen spinach
- Frozen pineapple
- Frozen mango
- Banana
- Strawberries
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Sweetener of choice
How to Make a Green Smoothie
After you have everything in your blender canister, blend until smooth and creamy.
Since I have to wash my blender anyway, I make double the amount I need. I fill freezer-safe platstic cups with the extra portions, freeze them, and when I’m ready for a smoothie for a snack or quick breafast, nuke the cup for a minute.
It saves time not having to remake and then rewash my blender. Having them ready and grab-able prevents me from reaching for cookies, which are equally grab-able.
Can I Add Different Fruits to My Green Smoothie?
There’s no wrong way to make a healthy green smoothie. Substitute any fruit you like. I use frozen because it’s cheaper and that way I don’t have to add ice, which waters it down, but use fresh if that’s what you like. Strawberries, blueberries, mixed berry blends, peaches, and nectarines are favorites.
What Type of Milk Should I Use?
For the milk, try cow’s, goat, soy, rice, almond, coconut, Coconut Milk Kefir, or Homemade Horchata. Or add a dollop of yogurt, Greek yogurt, or frozen yogurt.
Do I Have to Add Spinach?
If you don’t like spinach, try romaine lettuce. Both are very mild and neutral when blended. I buy frozen spinach for the same reason I buy frozen fruit; it’s cheaper, and I can buy in bulk and keep it in my freezer for a rainy day.
How Should I Sweeten Green Smoothies?
I sweeten my smoothies just a bit, but it’s optional. Use agave, honey, maple syrup, granulated sugar, stevia or your favorite sweetener. Sweet Medjool dates are nature’s candy and also work well.
Tips for Making the Best Green Smoothie
A tip for bananas is that I peel over-ripe ones, break them into chunks, and keep them in a big Ziplock in my freezer, making it easy to toss a few chunks into smoothies. When blended, they add plant-based creaminess that’s unparalleled to anything else. Bananas are naturally sweet, inexpensive, and readily available. But if you don’t like bananas or are allergic, simply omit.
If you want to boost the staying power of the smoothie, add fat. Coconut oil, coconut butter, peanut butter, almond/cashew/sunflower seed, or protein powder.
Add coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, or your favorite smoothie add-ins’ to either the blender canister before blending or garnish smoothie with them after blending.
I add homemade vanilla extract to almost everything I make, including smoothies. Extracts like coconut extract, orange extract, or lemon extract are also fun to play around with in smoothies.
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Tropical Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen spinach
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1 medium ripe banana, peeled (previously frozen in chunks is ideal)
- 1 cup strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or a favorite berry, optional
- 1 cup milk, cow’s, almond, soy, coconut, kefir, horchata
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sweetener, to taste (sugar, agave, stevia, honey, maple syrup, Medjool dates)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the canister of a Vita-Mix or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.
- Pour extra portions into freezer-safe cups and freeze for up to 1 month, thawing before serving (or microwaving for about 30 seconds)
Notes
- All ingredients and amounts are to taste. Use seasonal fruits or vary the quantities of fruits, to taste. I use frozen fruit and prefer it to fresh because it keeps the smoothie cold, without adding ice which waters it down. Frozen is cheaper and I can buy in bulk and keep in the freezer and use when needed.
- Optionally, consider adding a scoop of protein powder, dollop of yogurt for extra protein; add fat for staying power such as coconut oil, coconut butter, peanut butter, almond/cashew/sunflower seed/Cookie Butter. Blend with juice to increase the amount of Vitamin C.
- Add coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, or your favorite smoothie add-ins to either the blender canister before blending or garnish smoothie with them after blending.
- Recipe is vegan (use vegan milk, avoid honey), gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as written. Take care any ingredients used and added optionally are suitable for your dietary needs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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this “Tropical Green Smoothie” looks so health friendly, will surely gonna try this, thanks for sharing recipe and instructions with us.
this “Tropical Green Smoothie” looks so health friendly, will surely gonna try this, thanks for sharing recipe and instructions with us.
Love Smoothies!!! looks so delicious and yummy, thanks for sharing this smoothies ideas with us.
This smoothie looks like Indian ” green chutney” . Smoothie looks healthy too, contain protein 29g and that’s actually very good. Thanks for sharing about and nutrition fact.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Many thanks,,,
I made this shake this morning and it was delicious! Also for anyone else on WW wondering about the points, I entered them this morning and with the addition of Greek yogurt it was only 5 points. Just make sure your frozen fruit is frozen in water, not sugar water.
I made this shake this morning and it was delicious! Also for anyone else on WW wondering about the points, I entered them this morning and with the addition of Greek yogurt it was only 5 points. Just make sure your frozen fruit is frozen in water, not sugar water.
I have a big bag of fresh spinach in my fridge I need to use up. How much fresh spinach would equal two cups frozen?
I would just use about 3 heaping handfuls, as much as you can grab, and then go from there.
Or make this! One of my faves and uses spinach https://www.averiecooks.com/thai-chicken-coconut-curry/ as well as any of the Related Recipes, they have spinach or you can add it.
After you drank the urban remedy for 6 days, what did the following days weeks consist of? What did you drink or eat after that week? Does doing the remedy help you lose weight?
I can’t really exercise due to an injury. But I walk a lot.
I’ve done many juice cleanses over the years and after them I try to eat light, plant-based foods. Salads, lots of fruit and veggies, etc. Everyone’s experience with juicing is different but no, I don’t tend to lose weight on them. A pound or two maybe but nothing significant.
Definitely going to try this. Recipe added to our Pinterest :P
Regards,
Tiina