The Best-Ever Green Smoothie is made from just 4 ingredients, and is gluten, dairy, and banana free. Healthy, easy, and kid-approved!
You’ve probably seen 1,001 green smoothie recipes on the internet, including a couple here on IGE, but I’ve officially found the most delicious one yet.
The BEST EVER Green Smoothie, if I do say so myself!
The combination of 4 ingredients that blends into said best green smoothie, comes from a new-to-us smoothie shop we visited last weekend. It was all I could do to prevent a husband-shaped hole from appearing in the doorway when we realized the smoothies were EIGHT DOLLARS a piece.
Y’all, it’s SO much cheaper to make them at home!
Watch How to Make It
Kid-Approved Green Smoothie
Needless to say we got one smoothie to split, but it ended up being so unbelievably delicious that I accidentally drank more than my fair share which made my toddler cry because he didn’t get as much as he wanted.
#MotherOfTheYear
I got back in my baby’s good graces the following day when we recreated the smoothie at home for a fraction of the cost, and it ended up being a dead ringer for the $8 one. I mean, we nailed it!
4 Ingredient Green Smoothie
Just four ingredients are blended until brilliantly green, silky smooth, and tropical tasting:
- Chopped kale
- Baby spinach
- Frozen mango
- No-sugar added apple juice
If you’re a green smoothie skeptic, promise me you’ll try this combo. Even my kiddos slurp it down. It’s is a fantastic, healthy post-nap/school snack.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItNormally I wouldn’t put juice in a smoothie, but for me the pros outweigh the cons in this case. It’s basically a salad in smoothie form that tastes like anything but.
That said, if you want to cut down on sugar you could try using coconut water in place of some of the juice. I’ve tried using water and it tastes a little bland.
Pump Up the Protein
As I mentioned, we like drinking Best-Ever Green Smoothies as an after school or post-nap pick me up. It’s also great as a pre-workout drink because it’s light and energizing. That said, if you’re looking to serve this smoothie for breakfast and want to pump up the protein, try:
- Pairing with scrambled or hard boiled eggs, or piece of peanut butter toast.
- Adding 1/2 cup high-protein Greek yogurt before blending.
- Adding a Tablespoon of chia seeds before blending.
- Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder.
Frozen Green Smoothie Blender Packs
This green smoothie makes great smoothie blender packs too. Add the kale, baby spinach, and mango into ziplock baggies then freeze. When you’re ready to drink, pour the contents into a blender, add the liquid, then blend!
How to Make Best Green Smoothies
Start with curly kale that’s been stripped off the woody stems then roughly torn or chopped.
Recipe Tip
Do not use store-bought, bagged chopped kale, which often comes with big pieces of stems that do not blend fully.
You can either hold the bottom of the stem then use your other hand to strip off the leaves as you pull the stem out, or simply pluck the kale off the stem.
Add the kale plus baby spinach into a high-powered blender with frozen mango hunks.
I have a Blendtec and absolutely love it. Kale can be a bit tough, but it’s blended to smithereens in this high-powered blender.
Finally add no sugar added 100% apple juice.
Pop the lid on top then blend until silky smooth. NO color editing here – the smoothie really is this bright green, but doesn’t taste like it!
Pour the smoothie into glasses then add a straw. The recipe makes 16oz so you could split with a partner, or keep the whole thing for yourself.
Bright, fresh, healthy, and 100% delicious. I hope you love this healthy green smoothie recipe as much as we do – enjoy!
More Healthy Breakfast and Snack Recipes
- Green Smoothie Muffins
- High Protein Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Muffin Smoothie
- Mini Egg Bites
- Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Make-Ahead Breakfast Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup lightly packed chopped curly kale
- 1 cup lightly packed baby spinach
- 1 cup frozen chopped mango
- 1 – 2 cups no sugar added 100% apple juice
Directions
- Add the ingredients to a high-powered blender in the order listed above.
- Blend until very smooth — you may need to run the smoothie cycle 2 times — then serve. The Green Smoothie will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days if store in an airtight container or jar.
Notes
- This smoothie makes great smoothie packs! Combine the kale, spinach, and mango into baggies then freeze. When you’re ready to drink, pour the contents of one baggie into a blender then add juice and blend until smooth.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This is so good! I even got my teenage daughters to drink it. I do need to get a kick a$$ blender though, but still good!
Made this for breakfast today and it was amazing! I tend to find my ‘green’ smoothies are usually brown — this was not the case. Your pictures did it justice! And the mango added just the right amount of sweetness! Thank you for sharing :)
You can see the pure enjoyment on Lincoln’s little face. Looks delicious.
I also like to add a tablespoon of organic almond butter.
Hi, I just wanted to start off by saying you are FREAKING AWESOME. I’ve always wished you were my best friend :D
I wanted to know if you could make this with like half an apple and coconut water and if it would still taste similar?
Wohoo, thanks! ;) I tried this and it tasted good though you could taste the coconut water, which is definitely not a bad thing if you like the taste. Go for it!
I’m pregnant so what I can eat in the morning is kind of hit-or-miss, but this smoothie is amazing! Easy, tasty, doesn’t smell like bananas (turns me off lately), and by 8am I’ve already given my little baby bump a good dose of fruits and veggies. Thank you for this!
That adorable little face sucking down his smoothie is INTENSE! I love it, lol!
This recipe is perfect, I love the simplicity of it! I find these days people are trying to pack too many thing into smoothies and the flavour becomes a mish mash! I love mango and can’t wait to make this for breakfast!
Thank you so much for making a smoothie with no bananas!! I’m allergic to them so I’m always looking for good smoothie recipes and I am definately picking up mangos for this one next time I’m at the store!! I’ve been putting beets in my smoothies for extra veggie power and they are a neon pink – its beautiful! I love pretty food.
From Iowa girl to another – Thank you!
Emily B.
Love the beet idea – I usually juice them, but should try adding them into my smoothies!
I’ve been having something close to this most mornings for the past month. I use water instead of apple juice and fresh ginger root. The ginger gives it a bit of snappy bite, which I love!
Ohhh I love the idea of adding ginger! I’m going to experiment with adding fresh lemon juice, too!
Oh my gracious! Thank you for linking to that Etsy print. I had her calendar a couple of years ago and have been wishing for prints of some of the designs ever since. And the smoothie looks amazing!
Yum! We’ve been on a big green smoothie kick here thanks to a book my husband got me for Christmas. Most days it’s the only way I can guarantee my little nugget gets any vegetables (#toddlerproblems). We’ll have to try this one!
Totally feel you. I wasn’t kidding when I said this is so good Lincoln cried when he didn’t get as much as he wanted the first time we had it!
This looks fantastic! Putting the ingredients on the grocery list. I’m so not a morning person and am really envious of those who are.