Island Green Smoothie

This island green smoothie uses refreshing coconut water and fresh lime juice for a little tang.  Then for sweetness add pineapple, mango, and banana.  Next, toss in your favorite greens to complete your island-inspired green smoothie.

The smoothie is adaptable, use just pineapple or just mango.  Use spinach instead of kale, or skip the lime if you don’t like it or don’t have it on hand.  Use the island green smoothie to get more greens into your diet by adding it to your breakfast or for an afternoon snack/pick-me-up.

For more refreshing smoothies try my pineapple cucumber smoothie or if you’re interested in adding different vegetables try my pineapple beet smoothie or orange carrot ginger smoothie.

Jump to:

• Ingredient notes
• Frozen vs fresh fruit in smoothies
• New to adding greens to your smoothies?
• Tips
• Can I make green smoothies in advance?
• Storage
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredient notes

Coconut water - Instead you can use water, dairy-free milk, or half water and half coconut water.

Kale - Use fresh kale that has been pulled from the stem and torn into pieces.  It shouldn’t be wilted and discard any slimy bits.  The kale can be substituted with spinach, Swiss chard, or even romaine. Want to add new greens to your smoothie? Try an arugula smoothie that pairs the peppery greens with pineapple and oranges.

Frozen pineapple - This can be replaced with more mango.  If you use fresh pineapple I would suggest using another frozen component to make the smoothie cold and thick.

Frozen mango - Can be replaced with more pineapple and the same goes here if you use fresh mango make sure to use another frozen component in the smoothie to make it cold.

Banana - This helps with binding the island green smoothie to make it creamy.  Instead of a banana try ½ of an avocado, substituting with the avocado will make the smoothie less sweet.

Lime - Fresh lime juice adds a wonderful tangy flavor. It can be left out or try adding fresh kiwi (peel before adding to the smoothie).

Frozen vs fresh fruit in smoothies

I use a combination of frozen and fresh fruit in my smoothies.  Using frozen pineapple drastically cuts down on the amount of prep work.  While using a fresh banana and kale (or spinach) gives the smoothie some fresh components so it doesn’t have the texture of a slushy.  Frozen fruit (while in its frozen status) can be blander than its fresh counterparts.  So I prefer a combination of the two!

New to adding greens to your smoothies?

If you’re new to adding greens to your smoothie and not sure if you’d like it, start with spinach.  It has a milder taste than kale and it’s easier to cover up with fruit.  You can also try adding half the amount of greens, then slowly increase the amount over time as you get used to them.

Using pineapple (like in this island green smoothie) is also a great way to cover up the taste of greens in smoothies. The sweet tropical fruit can be found in a lot of recipes, adding a bright slightly tart flavor.

Tips

• If using fresh pineapple or fresh mango, use frozen bananas to have a chilled smoothie.
• If you are using all fresh fruit, try adding ice cubes to make it a chilled smoothie (this may dilute the smoothie).
• If your blender doesn’t puree kale leaves very well, try adding them and the liquid first and puree, then add the fruit.

Can I make green smoothies in advance?

You can make the tropical island-inspired green smoothie a day in advance, but there may be some liquid separation so give it a good stir before consuming it. 

Another option is to portion off the greens, mango, and pineapple in a freezer-safe bag.  Then when you're ready to make it add them along with the banana, coconut milk, and lime juice to the blender and blend until smooth.  You can add the banana to the freezer bag, but skip adding the liquid to the freezer bag.  I prefer to leave the banana out to have more fresh components to the smoothie.

If you are using all fresh fruit, to prevent the fruit from freezing in one clump flash freeze it on a lined baking sheet. Once frozen add it to the freezer-safe bag and write on the bag the amount of liquid and any other ingredients needed to finish the smoothie. When prepping this way and everything is frozen for the smoothie I like to let partially thaw before I blend it with the liquid.

Storage

The smoothie is best if served immediately, but it can be stored in an airtight jar with a lid in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  Give it a stir before serving.

Related recipes

• Beet pineapple smoothie
• Pineapple cucumber smoothie
• Carrot orange ginger smoothie
• Spinach pineapple banana smoothie
• Mango smoothie without yogurt
• Vegan chocolate banana smoothie
• Arugula smoothie

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for a delicious green smoothie! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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