Glowing Green Smoothie

This glowing green smoothie is creamy, naturally sweet, and brimming with both nutrients and balanced fruit flavors. Don’t miss it.

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Why we love this recipe

Sometimes you just need a green smoothie to make you feel great. This accessible recipe is easy to make and easy to love. It’s:

• Perfectly smooth and creamy
• Fruity and naturally sweet, with a hint of tanginess
• Made exclusively from whole foods
• Vegan and gluten-free
• Flexible — swap in or add your favorite ingredients

I first published this recipe here in 2015, after contributing it to the cookbook We Love Kale. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and also made some changes to the recipe itself.

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale or cavolo nero) has a more delicate texture than curly kale varieties, making it easier to incorporate into a smoothie. High-speed blenders can handle other varieties too, but I’d recommend sticking with lacinato if you’re using a regular blender. Kale is good all year round, but it’s at its best in the winter. If you are not into kale, baby spinach makes an excellent alternative.
• Frozen banana helps give this smoothie its dreamy consistency. Whenever you have bananas that get too ripe, peel them and pop them into a zip-top freezer bag. They keep well in the freezer for at least a year and slice easily even when frozen.
• I like to use frozen pineapple, too, though it’s not strictly necessary that it’s frozen. You can buy it frozen or dice it yourself, line a sheet pan with parchment, place it in a single layer, and freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to a year.
• Nice, ripe Hass avocado adds next-level creaminess and healthy fats to this smoothie. If, like me, you don’t live in an area where avocados grow, you’ll still probably be able to find them at various stages of ripeness in your local stores. If you do live somewhere with plenty of access to different avocado varieties, feel free to use your favorite creamy cultivar.

How to make it

Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a glowing green smoothie in a high-speed blender. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details — plus an alternate process to use in a regular blender — in the recipe card below.

1. Add the pineapple, banana, kale, and avocado to the blender.
2. Pour in the water and lime juice.
3. Position the lid and blend on high speed until perfectly smooth and creamy.
4. Pour into a glass and serve right away.

Expert tips and FAQs

More favorite green smoothie recipes

• Pineapple spinach smoothie
• Lean green mango and arugula smoothie
• Banana spinach smoothie

5 from 6 votes

Glowing Green Smoothie

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope

This glowing green smoothie is creamy, naturally sweet, and brimming with both nutrients and balanced fruit flavors. Don't miss it.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 1

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup (170 grams) frozen pineapple chunks
• ▢ 1 medium frozen banana, about (110 grams) after peeling, sliced
• ▢ ½ cup (30 grams) tightly packed, finely chopped lacinato kale pieces (not including stems)
• ▢ Flesh of 1/2 ripe Hass avocado, diced (about 60 grams)
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) water or coconut water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

In a high-speed blender

• Place all ingredients into blender.
• P?rocess until perfectly smooth.
• P?our into a glass and serve right away.

In a regular blender

• Place the water or coconut water, lime juice, and avocado, and pineapple into the blender.
• Starting on a medium-low setting and increasing the speed as you go, blend until smooth.
• Depending on your blender, you may need to stop occasionally and press the ingredients toward the blades, then resume blending.
• Add the pineapple, banana, and kale and continue to blend until smooth and creamy.
• P?our into a glass and serve right away.

Notes

1. Lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale or cavolo nero) has a more delicate texture than curly kale varieties, making it easier to incorporate into a smoothie. High-speed blenders can handle other varieties too, but I'd recommend sticking with lacinato if you're using a regular blender. Kale is good all year round, but it's at its best in the winter. If you are not into kale, baby spinach makes an excellent alternative.
2. Frozen banana helps give this smoothie its dreamy consistency. Whenever you have bananas that get too ripe, peel them and pop them into a zip-top freezer bag. They keep well in the freezer for at least a year and slice easily even when frozen.
3. I like to use frozen pineapple, too, though it's not strictly necessary that it's frozen. You can buy it frozen or dice it yourself, line a sheet pan with parchment, place it in a single layer, and freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to a year.
4. Nice, ripe Hass avocado adds next-level creaminess and healthy fats to this smoothie. If, like me, you don't live in an area where avocados grow, you'll still probably be able to find them at various stages of ripeness in your local stores. If you do live somewhere with plenty of access to different avocado varieties, feel free to use your favorite creamy cultivar.
5. Smoothies are at their best shortly after blending. But if you need to make yours in advance, you've got a couple of options. Store it in a regular cup in the freezer for up to an hour or in an insulated, lidded cup in the fridge overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 44.1g, Protein: 3.5g, Fat: 6g, Fiber: 7.8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Smoothies

Cuisine: American

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