Looking for the best Green Smoothie recipe that actually tastes good? This healthy green smoothie is creamy, naturally sweet, and packed with spinach, mango, and banana, but you’d never know it from the flavor. It’s nutritious, filling, and ready in minutes!
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we'll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
Green smoothies make it easy to eat your greens!
I have made dozens (hundreds?) of green smoothies over the years and have developed a few tricks to ensure your smoothie is refreshing, filling, healthy, and legitimately delicious.
It hinges on having the right mix of fruits, a “satisfaction” factor ingredient like nut butter, and picking greens that are mild enough to suit your own preferences.
Let’s talk about what makes this green smoothie recipe a win:
- You Can’t Taste the Greens. If you’ve ever searched for a green smoothie that’s healthy but doesn’t taste like grass, this is the one. The balance of fruit and greens makes it ideal for beginners and anyone trying to add more leafy greens to their diet.
- Naturally Sweet. The fruit in this recipe make it sweet enough that you don’t need to add any maple syrup, honey, or sugar to make it delicious.
- Thick and Creamy. Hat tip to the frozen banana, which gives this green smoothie a milkshake-like consistency without any dairy.
- Ready in 5 Minutes. This isn’t one of those smoothies that requires a whole bunch of chopping and measuring. Even if you’re not a morning person, you can pull it off!
Want more green smoothie recipes? I’ve got ’em! Try my Kale Smoothie, Cleansing Apple Avocado Smoothie, 4 Ingredient Mango Green Smoothie, Avocado Smoothie, and Strawberry Spinach Smoothie next.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Greens. You can squeeze so many more into a smoothie than you think! If you are new to the green smoothie game, start with spinach, which is the best green for smoothies (AKA you won’t be able to taste it). Once you get the hang of it, you can move on to more assertive greens like kale or chard.
- Mango or Pineapple. You can use one of these two or a mix of both with excellent results. Pineapple is the most effective at hiding the taste of greens in smoothies, especially stronger greens like kale.
- Frozen Banana. I always recommend using frozen banana in green smoothies. It makes the smoothie creamy, thick, and naturally sweet, without the need to add sugar.
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter. To give a smoothie staying power and make it taste satisfying.
- Liquid. I most often use unsweetened almond milk as the liquid base for my smoothies, but dairy milk, other non-dairy milks (like coconut milk or oat milk), and even coconut water will work.
- Optional Mix–Ins. Keyword: optional. You can add “bonus” ingredients like protein powder, chia seeds, hemp hearts, or flaxseed if you like; or keep things simple and enjoy your smoothie as-is.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine (photo 1). Add the smoothie ingredients to a blender, starting with the almond milk.
Blend (photo 2). Puree until the mixture is smooth and creamy. For an extra-thick green smoothie, blend in a few ice cubes.
Serve. Pour into a glass and add any garnishes you’d like. ENJOY!
Green Smoothie Variations
Switch things up depending on your goals or what you have on hand:
- Kale Green Smoothie. Swap spinach for kale (remove the stems first).
- Protein Green Smoothie. Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
- No Banana Green Smoothie. Replace banana with Greek yogurt and extra mango.
- Tropical Green Smoothie. Use pineapple and coconut milk.
- Weight Loss Green Smoothie. Skip nut butter and add chia seeds for fiber.
Make-Ahead Tips
Smoothies are easy, but there are a few ways you can streamline them even more to make your morning routine effortless.
- Prep the Banana. Peel and slice ripe bananas into chunks, then transfer the frozen fruit to a ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. I do this whenever I have extra ripe bananas on hand. If you freeze your banana with the peel on, you won’t be able to remove it without thawing the banana first.
- Make Green Smoothie Cubes. Prepare the green smoothie as directed, then pour into the molds of an ice cube tray. Freeze for up to 3 months. Add the frozen smoothie cubes to a blender with a splash of almond milk for an easy smoothie on demand.
- Assemble Freezer Smoothie Packs. You can also pre-portion your fruits and vegetables for each smoothie into a ziptop bag and freeze. Then, simply toss the contents into a blender when you’re ready to blend.
Green Smoothie
Video
Email Me the Recipe!
From time to time, we’ll send you Well Plated emails. You can unsubscribe anytime. Have an account? Log In.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk plus additional as needed
- 2 ounces (about 2 big handfuls) fresh spinach or roughly chopped kale leaves
- ½ medium banana cut into chunks and frozen
- ½ cup frozen mango chunks or pineapple chunks
- 1 tablespoon nut butter of choice I like almond butter or peanut butter
- Ice optional
- Optional Mix-Ins: ½ scoop protein powder 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the blender in the order listed: almond milk, spinach, banana, mango, nut butter, and any extra mix-ins.
- Blend until smooth. If you'd like it a bit thicker, add in a few ice cubes and blend again. Pour and enjoy!
Notes
- If you are not using a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix, I recommend blending the spinach and almond milk first, then blending in the banana, then blending in the mango, nut butter, and any additional mix-ins.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate smoothies in an airtight jar or storage container for up to 1 day.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze smoothies in freezer-safe jars for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
I loved this green smoothie so much, it is so tasty and I believe it did give me energy like never before. I don’t eat greens much but want to get more natural vitamins and nutrients. I want to stay more healthy as I’m getting older, I would like to have more of these tasty smoothies. This one was so AMAZING!
This is the first green smoothie I’ve ever tried & actually enjoyed! The kale was non-existent taste wise and was so filling!