This is an incredibly simple recipe for the best green smoothie! It is super healthy, tastes amazing, is made with just 6 ingredients and comes together in less than 5 minutes! Plus you also get my tips on how to mix and match ingredients to make other delicious green smoothies + meal prep them for weeks!
Flavors in this green smoothie!
I really enjoy a well made green smoothie. It is the perfect fuss-free way to include more greens in our diets!
This smoothie has the most amazing tropical flavors. I use mango and pineapple in this smoothie for a big boost of vitamin C + the amazing natural sweetness it provides. I also like adding in some ginger because of the amazing health benefits, anti-inflammatory properties + a little spicy kick. For the green component, I used kale in this recipe. I’ve also included a ton of variations below, that will help you mix and match and find your own favorite flavor combinations.
If you’re worried about this smoothie tasting like kale, then don’t! You will not taste the kale in this smoothie at all. The tropical flavors work so well with the ginger and help in masking the bitter taste of kale in this recipe!
How to meal prep green smoothies for the week
While you can make smoothies in advance and refrigerate them for up to 3 days, I find that they taste the best when made right before serving. It also only takes about a minute to blend in a powerful blender.
The best way to meal prep smoothies is to prep all the ingredients in advance and freeze them. Measure out all your fruit, greens and add ins and add them into individual freezer safe bags/boxes. Then when you want to make your smoothie, just add your liquid + the entire contents of the frozen bag/box into the blender and blend for about a minute. So easy!
The frozen fruit makes the smoothie cold & creamy without adding any ice! If your blender finds it hard to blend so much frozen fruit/veggies, feel free to add an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of liquid to help with blending.
The best ingredients to use in a green smoothie
When making a smoothie, it is always important to add the liquid ingredients into the blender first. This helps the blades run smoothly, resulting in a creamy and thick smoothie. My favorite liquids to use in a smoothie are:
- Almond/plant based milks (for a creamy smoothie)
- Coconut water (especially during the summer, for extra electrolytes and hydration)
- Fruit juices (for added flavor, vitamins and sweetness)
- Watermelon/other melons (melons are almost all water and can easily replace the liquid in smoothies)
- Water (if you’re trying to cut calories)
I love using tropical fruits in my smoothies because they are naturally sweet and packed with vitamins. Here are some of the flavoring add ins that work well in green smoothies:
- Bananas (for creaminess)
- Tropical fruit like mangoes, pineapples, kiwis, lychees
- Berries like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
- Super foods like acai berries
- Seasonal fruit like cherries, peaches, nectarines
- Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit (for extra vitamin C and antioxidants)
- Colorful veggies like beets, carrots, celery
- Anti inflammatory ingredients like ginger, fresh turmeric, cayenne pepper, black pepper
Since this is a green smoothie, we can’t forget the greens! I find that including greens in my smoothies helps me up my veggie & fiber intake easily without even having to think about it. My favorite greens to add in smoothies are:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
- Amaranth
- Beet green & carrot tops (so delicious + helps in reducing waste!)
- celery
Smoothies are a great way to include additional nutrients into our diet without much effort. Some of my favorite add ins to include in green smoothies are:
- Protein powder (this is my favorite plant based protein powder)
- Collagen powder (I love including a scoop of collagen in my daily diet, either in my morning coffee or smoothies. It has so many health benefits!)
- Chia seeds
- Flax seeds
- Moringa powder
- Spices like cardamom or cinnamon
- Local honey (to help with allergies)
- MCT oil (to add healthy fats)
Equipment to use for making smoothies
I absolutely love using my Vitamix blender to make smoothies. I tried so many blenders before investing in a Vitamix and they would either not do a good job or end up breaking easily. I love how powerful it is and makes my smoothies so smooth and creamy.
I also love using the individual servings jars when I just want to make 1 serving of the smoothie. It is perfect to even carry on the go.
I also love using these glass straws to sip my smoothies. They are amazing, so easy to see through and clean thoroughly (when compared to stainless steel or bamboo options) and sustainable. I highly recommend them!
More healthy recipes to try!
The best green smoothie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/3 banana
- 1.25 cups pineapple chopped
- 1.25 cups mango chopped and preferably frozen
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 cups kale washed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into the blender in the order listed above and blend until you have a smooth green smoothie. (See notes for substitutions)
- Optionally, top it with some hemp seeds and berries.
Notes
- Replace the almond milk with any other fruit juice or coconut water.
- Feel free to add more banana to make the smoothie creamier.
- Replace the fruits with the same amount of your favorite combination of fruits.
- Use frozen fruit to chill your smoothie without using ice.
- Replace the kale with any other greens of your choice. Spinach, lettuce, beet greens or even celery are all great options to add in here.
- Add in optional add ins like protein powder , collagen powder or other superfoods.
Estimated Nutrition
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.
A Little Note & Thanks
If you purchase something using the links on this site, Lime Thyme receives a very small commission. Don't worry, you won't pay a penny more. I only recommend products I believe in and personally use, so I hope you enjoy them too. Thanks for stopping by!
