Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my spinach smoothie recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Fresh Spinach – I prefer baby spinach, as it’s less bitter, but any kind works. You can also substitute 2 ounces of frozen spinach.
• Fruit – I used a frozen banana, kiwi, mango, and orange, but you could totally use other fruit. Try pineapple or apples, or strawberries or blueberries if you want less carbs and sugar. You’ll need roughly 3 cups of fruit total.
• Milk – I prefer almond milk. Feel free to use coconut milk (in the carton or can), hemp milk, or regular dairy milk if you like.
• Greek Yogurt – For a little boost of protein. If you need a paleo, vegan, or dairy-free option, try my coconut yogurt in its place, or sometimes I swap in avocado (if you’ve made my low carb smoothie recipe before, you know you won’t taste it!).

See my other variations below!

How To Make A Spinach Smoothie

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

Simply combine the spinach, fruit, milk, and yogurt in a blender, and blitz until smooth. If you want your spinach smoothie thinner, add more milk.

My Recipe Tips

• Use frozen fruit if you can. This makes the texture thicker and helps the smoothie stay chilled for longer. I much prefer this over adding ice cubes like some recipes do, which dilutes the flavor. But if all you have is fresh fruit, it will work just fine!
• The fruit you choose will impact the smoothie color. If the color matters to you, it’s something to consider. I chose mango and bananas because I wanted it bright green! Red fruit might make your smoothie kind of brown.
• You’ll need a high-speed blender. It’s essential to get an actually smooth texture. I have this powerful blender and love it. Weaker blenders won’t be able to crush the frozen fruit. If yours isn’t very powerful, you’ll need to use fresh fruit that isn’t frozen.
• Start with a little less milk. It’s always best to gradually add more liquid until you get the consistency you want. It’s much harder to adjust to thicken if it’s too thin, although you can by adding more fruit.
• That being said, watch the blender motor. Starting with less liquid also means the mixture is very thick, and it’s harder for your blender to crush everything. If it gets stuck and moving the frozen pieces around doesn’t help, it’s definitely time to add more liquid!
• Too sweet for your taste? You can balance it out at the end by adding a splash of lemon juice.
• Have extra spinach? Use it to whip up my spinach soup or sauteed spinach to freeze for later.

Variations

As always, I love giving you options! And honestly, I make this spinach fruit smoothie in so many ways depending on what’s in my fridge. Here are some ways you can customize it:

• Change the greens – Try kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens instead of spinach. Sometimes I add other neutral veggies, like cucumbers.
• Replace the milk – You can easily use orange juice, but I never do because it’s a lot of sugar. Coconut water makes a nice, refreshing swap though!
• Add protein – Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder or nut butter before blending. Or if you want to add more of the Greek yogurt in this spinach smoothie recipe, start with half the milk and adjust from there.
• Spice it up – Turmeric, cinnamon, or cayenne pepper make great additions.
• Make it sweeter – For me the fruit adds enough sweetness, but you could always add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to taste — my sugar-free honey and sugar-free maple syrup work, too!
• Sprinkle with toppings – Try chia seeds, hemp seeds, or even a sprinkle of my homemade granola.