Wellness Origin HubA green smoothie for beginners that tastes of fruit
An easy green smoothie for beginners: baby spinach blended with frozen banana, pineapple and a squeeze of lime, so it tastes of fruit, not grass, and is ready in five minutes.
A good green smoothie for beginners is mostly fruit with a handful of mild leaves: baby spinach blended with frozen banana, pineapple, milk and a squeeze of lime. The banana and pineapple carry the flavour, the spinach gives colour and barely any taste, and the lime keeps it fresh. It takes five minutes and needs only an ordinary blender.
Green smoothies became popular in North America in the 2000s and are now a standard breakfast in many kitchens. The problem for most people new to them is the first glass: too much kale, not enough fruit, and a taste of lawn clippings. This recipe starts from the other end, with a ratio that tastes sweet and tropical, and gives you a way to add more greens once you are used to it.
How to make it
- Pour the milk or coconut water into the blender first, so the blades move freely.
- Add the spinach and blend on high for about 20 seconds, until there are no visible pieces of leaf.
- Add the frozen banana, frozen pineapple, yoghurt, if using, and lime juice.
- Blend for 30 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth. Add a splash more liquid if the blender struggles.
- Taste, then pour into a tall glass and drink straight away.
The beginner's ratio
The key to a green smoothie that tastes good is the ratio of fruit to greens. Start sweet and move along the table over a few weeks as your taste changes.
| Stage | Greens | Fruit | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|---|
| First week | A large handful of baby spinach | 2 portions, including banana | A fruit smoothie with a green colour |
| After a few weeks | Two handfuls of spinach | 2 portions | Fruity, slightly fresh and leafy |
| Confident | Spinach plus a few leaves of kale | 1 to 2 portions | Clearly green, still pleasant |
Tips for the best flavour
- Start with spinach. Baby spinach has the mildest taste of all the leafy greens. Kale, chard and rocket are stronger, so save them for later.
- Blend the greens first. Leaves blended with the liquid break down completely before the fruit goes in, so there are no stringy bits.
- Use frozen fruit. Frozen banana and pineapple make the smoothie cold and thick without ice, which only waters it down.
- Add something sour. A squeeze of lime or lemon lifts the flavour and covers any grassy note from the leaves.
- Ripe bananas only. A banana with brown freckles is much sweeter. Peel, slice and freeze ripe ones so you always have some ready.
Variations
- Mango and ginger: swap the pineapple for frozen mango and add a thin slice of fresh ginger.
- More protein: use Greek yoghurt or a spoon of peanut butter. Our high-protein breakfast ideas has more ways to add protein in the morning.
- More fibre: add a tablespoon of oats or chia seeds before blending.
- Cucumber and apple: swap the banana for half an apple and a piece of cucumber for a lighter, less sweet drink.
- Without banana: use half an avocado for creaminess and a little honey for sweetness.
Do you need a powerful blender?
No. A standard jug blender handles baby spinach and frozen fruit if you add the liquid first and blend the leaves on their own. Very powerful blenders make kale and seeds completely smooth and are worth having if you make smoothies every day. Our guide to the best blenders for smoothies explains what makes the difference.
Make ahead and storage
Use the buttons beside the ingredients to make more than one glass. Green smoothies are best fresh: they separate and turn a duller colour after an hour or two. For quick mornings, pack the spinach, banana and pineapple into freezer bags, one bag per smoothie, and keep them in the freezer for up to three months. Tip a bag into the blender with the milk and lime and blend.
Questions people ask
Can you taste the spinach?
With this ratio, barely. Baby spinach has a mild flavour, and banana, pineapple and lime easily cover it. Most people notice the colour long before the taste.
Does a green smoothie count towards five a day?
In the UK, the NHS counts smoothies as one of your five a day at most, however many fruits and vegetables they contain, and recommends keeping fruit juice and smoothies to a combined 150 ml a day. Blending releases the sugars from the fruit, so a smoothie is better with a meal than as a drink you sip all day. Our guide to sugar in drinks puts this in context.
Is a green smoothie a meal?
On its own it is a light breakfast. With yoghurt, oats or nut butter added it becomes more filling. It does not replace a balanced diet, and it will not "detox" anything, but it is an easy way to eat more fruit and leaves.
Once you are comfortable with this one, try our strawberry banana smoothie for a pink, classic alternative.
Photograph: AI-generated image
