Truly this simple spinach fruit smoothie is delicious and easy! It's a great first-time green smoothie to make. Just blend fresh spinach, your favorite frozen fruit, seeds (like chia seeds), banana, and any milk for the perfect healthy blend.
I have made this simple spinach smoothie (or a slight variation) more than 200 times over the last 5 years! This smoothie is my go-to core recipe because the ratio creates an awesome texture and taste. I outline below how to choose ingredients to support your nutritional needs. After this, try my green pineapple celery smoothie!
Jump to:
Reasons to love this spinach fruit smoothie recipe
- It's perfect to make with any kind of frozen fruit!
- This recipe works well for any lifestyle eating habits and is: gluten-free, dairy-free (no yogurt in this smoothie), vegan.
- The smoothie is flexible, and easy to swap ingredients. I like to use it as a base and switch it up for variety!
Ingredients needed
- Fresh spinach is the star of this smoothie, don't worry about tasting it - we use raw baby spinach in our house all the time because of its mild flavor. If you only have frozen cooked spinach, use 1 cup instead of 3 cups, as cooked spinach has a stronger taste. Alternatively, use raw kale instead.
- Fresh banana makes this smoothie creamy and sweet. If you only have frozen bananas, either increase the milk by ¼ cup or make this smoothie in a high-power blender with a tamper and it will be a nice thick banana spinach smoothie.
- Milk. Choose your favorite milk to use to make this smoothie - cow, almond, oat, soy, cashew, and coconut will all work great. Alternatively, use orange juice, or coconut water instead.
- Seeds. Pick hemp seeds, chia seeds, or flax seeds to add to this smoothie for an extra burst of nutrition, specifically omega-3 fatty acids. If you want more protein add hemp seeds or secondly, chia seeds. If you want more fiber choose flax seeds or chia seeds.
- Frozen fruit. Read on to learn the nutrition benefits I've outlined to pick which flavor you would like to make!
Nutrition insight for fruit to add to your spinach smoothie
This smoothie is very versatile and adaptable to your flavor preference and whatever is in your freezer! Pick one of the frozen fruit options below to add to this smoothie. Outlined is the basic nutritional information of each fruit.
- Frozen Strawberries. High in vitamins C, and A, some B-complex vitamins, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. Buy organic strawberries if possible (due to pesticide residue). (Note: from my experience using strawberries will make a pale pink - almost brown smoothie unless it's mixed with other berries)
- Frozen Mango. Key nutrients in mangos are vitamins C, E, B6, potassium, iron, fiber, and calcium.
- Frozen Pineapple. Contains manganese, iron, magnesium, fiber, and calcium. Pineapple is a cleansing fruit that aids digestion and purifies the blood. It also contains bromelain, which is super helpful for good digestion.
- Frozen Blueberries. Key nutrients include vitamin C, fiber, folate, iron, manganese, potassium, and calcium. Blueberries are very high in antioxidants that can slow and stop cell deterioration. Using blueberries will make your smoothie purple rather than green - you can hide the spinach altogether: no taste or green look!
- Frozen Mixed Berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries), Raspberries are high in vitamin C, calcium, folate, iron, manganese, selenium, and zinc. This will also make your smoothie purple.
- Frozen Tropical Fruit. Commonly sold frozen tropical fruit mix includes pineapple, mango, and strawberries, see nutritional insight above.
I write this information to inspire you to eat many fruits so there are no nutritional gaps in your diet. However, if you are trying to gain more of a specific vitamin or mineral in your diet you can use the fruit that is high in those nutrients. Remember: Eating lots of whole food plant variety (aka lots of fruit) = a path to good health.
Danika's spinach nutrition insight
Key nutrients of spinach include high amounts of iron and calcium. Spinach contains vitamin K, vitamin C, and folic acid. Because of the high amounts of B2, spinach can help cope with stress. It is rich in lutein, which supports vision. Spinach contains antioxidants.
Note: As spinach contains oxalic acid, not all nutrients are available to us. This oxalic acid also means if you have or are prone to kidney or gallstones, it is recommended to only eat small amounts of spinach.
The vitamin C in the fruit of this smoothie helps increase mineral absorption from spinach. So anytime you are having spinach squeeze some fresh lemon or enjoy with vitamin C rich foods.
This information (and the fruit nutrition details above) comes from Prescription for Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A. Balch and The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood.
How to make a spinach smoothie
First place the banana, milk, spinach, and seeds into the blender container.
Next, place whatever frozen fruit on top. In this example, I am using frozen pineapple.
Blend everything together until there are no chunks of spinach or frozen fruit.
Pour the spinach smoothie into glasses. This makes one large smoothie or two medium smoothies.
Tips for the best spinach fruit smoothie
- A high-power blender will create the best texture. If you don't have a high-power blender, chop the spinach into chunks first to help the blender create the best texture.
- Use fresh spinach instead of cooked spinach for a better taste. Cooked spinach has a stronger taste (usually frozen spinach is sold cooked).
- If you want a bright green smoothie, use light colored fruit like frozen pineapple or frozen mango. If you want to hide the green color use blueberries or blackberries.
A note on blenders
You will need a blender to make this smoothie! The more powerful and sharper the blade, the better the spinach will blend and create a great texture overall. If you are looking to make smoothies often I would recommend investing in a good blender. I have a vitamix that I use on average twice a day: I love and recommend it!
My family loves to drink our daily breakfast smoothie out of straws! We enjoy the silicone-bending straws the most! They are easy to wash with a straw brush.
FAQ
Yes, you can replace fresh spinach with frozen spinach in this smoothie.
Raw frozen spinach: If I know I have more spinach than I can eat before it goes bad I often throw it right into the freezer (without blanching or cooking it), if this is the case for you too, use 2 cups of raw frozen spinach in place of raw spinach.
Cooked frozen spinach: If the spinach is cooked use 1 cup of frozen spinach instead of the 3 cups like this recipe asks for, due to the stronger taste.
If you have never made a smoothie with spinach in it before I would recommend using fresh spinach as it has a very mild taste.
Raw spinach is quite mild tasting, especially when mixed with fruit for a smoothie. Some fruit will cover the taste more than others however, overall spinach has a subtle taste. If you are worried about the taste, I recommend trying this smoothie with frozen mango as this is some of the sweetest fruit. If you don't think you can drink a green color smoothie make it with frozen blueberries or frozen blackberries to make this smoothie purple.
Yes, a spinach fruit smoothie is healthy. As a spinach fruit smoothie is using whole versatile ingredients many vitamins and minerals are present and easily absorbable for your body. Smoothies are full of fiber which is very beneficial for a healthy gut microbiome.
Spinach is known to commonly contain toxins from pesticides when tested. This is one of those vegetables that is worth buying organic or growing your own!
To wash, place spinach in a bowl of cold water, stir with your hand, and let the dirt and sand sink to the bottom, then drain and dry. You can also use a veggie wash; however, this will only remove surface pesticides.
This is a toddler-friendly smoothie! I gave the bright green smoothie to my three year old and he said 'YUM!' If you are worried your child won't like this green smoothie, I recommend making it with frozen blueberries to make it purple!
Other healthy smoothies to try!
For spinach lovers, try these egg bites with spinach which are a great source of protein, and pairs well with a smoothie for an on-the-go breakfast!
🥤Did you make this spinach fruit smoothie? Please let me know below the recipe and give this recipe a star rating. I love hearing from you, and your input helps the growth of this small blog.
Spinach and Fruit Smoothie
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 3 cups spinach (2 large handfuls)
- 1 banana
- 2 ½ cups frozen fruit (use your favorite frozen fruit ideas below)
- 1 ½ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 tablepsoon hemp hearts or flax seeds, or chia seeds
Instructions
- Place the spinach, banana, and milk in the bottom of the blender. Add the seeds and frozen fruit on top.
- Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Pour into cups and enjoy! This spinach fruit smoothie is best enjoyed within the next hour or so.
Leave a Reply