3 Ingredient Green Smoothie Recipe that your kids will actually like and it even tastes good next day.
Make it for breakfast, snack or instead of a salad to make healthy dinner a complete meal. We do last thing more often than not on busy weeknights. 🙂
Vegetable Smoothie
Warning: This is a very basic green smoothie recipe for beginners. Are you in? 🙂
Over the years, I tried to make my green smoothie as healthy as possible. Never following a recipe. Often adding trending ingredients like chia seeds and turmeric.
What I ended up with was “a surprise smoothie”. Too bitter, too sour or too sweet. Kids wouldn’t drink it and my husband couldn’t make it because “only I knew the recipe”. Well, even I didn’t know that green smoothie recipe.
Finally, I decided to act like a responsible parent and create yummy green smoothie everyone will drink. The one that tastes good! That IS THE BEST green smoothie recipe, my friends!
Ingredients You Will Need
What to put in a green smoothie? This delicious easy vegetable smoothie contains 6 cups of leafy greens and is made with 4 simple ingredients:
- Water
- Mango
- Spinach
- Kale
Is Green Smoothie Healthy?
Let’s go over the health benefits of green smoothies.
- Weight loss: Green smoothie does help with a weight loss. If you drink it on a regular basis. Fiber from fruits and vegetables keeps your belly full longer. Plus it is low calorie – less than 100 calories.
- Detox: from the mix of chlorophyll contained in the greens. Plus the high level of fiber to keep things moving. In the bathroom I mean.
- Energy: Leafy greens and fruit contain many nutrients, vitamins and naturally occuring sugars that feed your body cells with energy.
- Fruits and Vegetables: Because smoothies are so easy to make, they make you eat more fruits and vegetables you wouldn’t have eaten otherwise.
How to Make a Green Smoothie
- Add ingredients to a powerful blender in exact order (don’t change): water, mango, spinach, kale. Why don’t mess with the order of ingredients? An order of liquid -> frozen fruit -> light greens ensures ingredients will spin inside the blender. Otherwise blender will cavitate. Heavy frozen fruit should get blended with liquids first.
- Blend until smooth. I like to blend more after the “smoothie” cycle for a super smooth smoothie. If your blender isn’t powerful enough, just pause, stir and blend more.
How Long to Store?
What I love about this smoothie is that it doesn’t separate much and tastes delicious even the next day.
If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate in glasses or a blender jug for up to 24 hours. If refrigerated in a jug, I give it another quick blend before serving. Easy-peasy.
Green Smoothie Substitutions and Additions
- Water: Instead of water you can use coconut water, almond milk or other milk.
- Mango: Frozen pineapple makes tasty green smoothie too. Just less sweet. We often use add it if we run out of frozen mango.
- Can I add frozen banana? I find banana bloats me up in a green smoothie particularly. There is already kale that is high in fiber and adds to a puffy belly. Plus taste wise, I prefer mango to banana particularly in a green smoothie. However, I absolutely love bananas on their own.
- Spinach: Spinach is a sweet-er leafy green with mild taste. I would not replace it with anything as it offsets more bitter kale taste. One thing – you can use frozen spinach. Tip: Freeze fresh spinach, especially if you see it on sale.
- Kale: Any type of kale works. Dinosaur a.k.a lacinato, green, purple etc. Just remove the bitter rib cage. And always add more spinach than kale.
- Additions: protein powder (just a small scoop not to make it too thick), ground flax seed, peanut butter, almond butter, turmeric, yogurt, matcha powder, fresh ginger.
What Is the Best Blender?
K. I will be very honest and say that the blender you use to make a green smoothie matters. To the point whether you will drink green smoothie or not. Especially when it comes to kids.
It has to be a high speed blender that makes smoothies smooth.
I use this Blendtec. You can also buy similar one twice cheaper. Also another great one is Vitamix.
Which other brand works for you?
More Healthy Smoothie Recipes to Try
- Healthy strawberry smoothie – 4 ingredient after school snack your kids can make themselves.
- Raspberry smoothie recipe with frozen berries for any time of the year.
- Blueberry breakfast smoothie with a protein boost.
- Anti-inflammatory red smoothie – when was the last time you ate raw beets that tasted good?!
Green Smoothie Recipe
3 Ingredient Green Smoothie Recipe that your kids will actually like and it even tastes good next day.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: North American
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups mango, frozen
- 4 cups spinach
- 2 cups kale, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a powerful blender, add ingredients in the order listed above (don’t change): water, mango, spinach and kale. Press “smoothie” button or blend until smooth. I like to blend more after “smoothie” cycle for a super smooth smoothie. If your blender isn’t powerful enough, just pause, stir and blend more.
- Enjoy! What I love about this smoothie is that it doesn’t separate much and tastes delicious even the next day.
Store: Refrigerate in glasses or blender’s jug for up to 24 hours. If refrigerated in a jug, I give green smoothie another quick blend. Easy-peasy.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
Hi Olena,
Well I’m not a great smoothie fan but after reading your comments about green vegetable intake I realised I ought to try it!
It was wonderful.
I used fresh products because they are easier to find than the frozen versions.
Now I just have to convince my kids to try it.
Regards,
Nick
★★★★★
Nick! I am so glad you took the plunge and tried it! Hopefully your kids will like it too!
Haven’t tried yet (cuz I hate kale), but what is this about freezing your fresh spinach??????!!!!!!!!! U know how much spinach I throw out cuz I can’t get it all used???? Please share!
And thank u for all the wonderful, healthy recipes! Between you and WW I’ve got this!!
Hi Debbie! Freezing spinach is so easy. Check out this site which outlines it step by step.
https://unsophisticook.com/how-to-freeze-spinach/
You’ve got this 🙂
Love this recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Olena!
This is such an easy recipe and does taste good! I’m a first time green smoothie maker and I can see me making this regularly. Is adding a little honey or maple syrup ok? Just to sweeten it up a little?
★★★★★
Sure
I like that this recipe is so simple and mangoes are in season right now. I used crushed ice instead of water. I also made another version of this using papayas instead of mangoes. Just because we had an abundance of of papayas at the time. I am trying to find recipes that uses more tropical fruits as apples and berries are not readily available at the time. I am also trying to loose weight after having my 4th child. I am currently trying these recipes.
I make one like it but with the following adds
Put in blender 1/4 cup rolled oats, 2-3 Tbs hemp seeds and blend add water( or almond milk) spinach, frozen pineapple, mango. Other additions -1/2 frozen or fresh banana, chopped soft dates.
Very easy and very yummy! Great way for my family to eat the greens that we need to! Thank you!
★★★★★
You are very welcome Stacy!
Love this recipe
★★★★★
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Judy!
Love all of your recipes ! Ordered the ingredients for the smoothie today! Please keep them coming!
Many thanks for the positive feedback! Please don’t be shy to leave a review or comment on any recipes that you try!
I like this green smoothie because it hides the spinach because i hate spinach but hopefully it going to get my low iron levels haemoglobin back up,thanks for recipe
★★★★★
You’re welcome Jayne!
love it and its simplicity!
★★★★★
This green smoothie is easy & tastes delicious!
★★★★★
Yay!
Hi,
I’ve made green smoothies but I use coconut water so it doesn’t taste diluted.
Sure, that works. Just FYI, my green smoothie doesn’t taste diluted even with water. 🙂
Thanks for the facts, how to put them in the blender is something I have been trying to figure out for a while and also substituting ingredients. I have to go cheap on my $184 p/mom for 5 people and be healthy. We all have large appetites too, so if you have more recipes like this in the played category I welcome them. ♥️ Thanks again.
★★★★★
I am a new smoothie maker and this was perfect! Maybe partially because I had already tried some others (really yucky). I made this and both my boyfriend and I loved it and we had enough for two days and day 2 was just as good as day one. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
You are welcome Kat! Happy smoothie making!
It is a great recipe; just love it.
I’ve been thinking about this recipe since I saw it in an email! Looks terrific! I’m going to take the plunge today and try making it with froz spinach and mango because I don’t have any kale at the moment. Thanks Olena ?
★★★★★
I have tried a bunch of smoothie recipes in search of one that is not only healthy(!) but also easy and delicious. So many were either so loaded up with three or four fruits (sugar!), or tasted awful…until I found this one! I love this recipe, Olena! Did I mention easy…? And delicious! I’d think this was too good to be true except I now know it’s not, woohoo! This is my go-to now after my workouts!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cheryl! Thank you for the wonderful review! We make it almost daily and kids love it!
Can I use frozen spinach?
Sure!
Very good I should have used the frozen mango but I didn’t I bought a fresh large mango instead. But next time I’m going to follow your recipe to the T*
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Bernice! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Do you think there are other frits we can substitute for mangoes? If yes, can you share with us what else we can use? 🙂
Thank you, in advance, for answering. And for sharing this recipe too!
Mangoes are the sweetest! You could use pineapple but it’s less sweet but tastes delicious in this green smoothie. Maybe 1/2 amount banana and 1/2 amount pineapple.
What is the fiber content of this recipe
Just added that.
Firstly thank you for the lovely recipes
I look forward to all your recipes and I’m loving the food
I have high blood pressure and my cholesterol is way over what it should be with your help and recipes I hope to lower everything so I can enjoy my food and stay healthy thank you again for the lovely food you send xx
★★★★★
You are very welcome. Food very much is the medicine. Enjoy and be healthy, Ilona! Happy Holidays!
Are ratios still the same when using frozen greens?
Yep.
This is a wonderful recipe. My very picky toddler approves.
★★★★★
YESSS! Mango does the trick.
I love your up beat attitude!
Thanks!
Yum yum yum!!!
This green smoothie became a staple in our house. Absolutely everyone loves it!!!
★★★★★
Love this, great way to stay on track during the holidays!
I love green smoothies! I am just today posting my new favorite, a peppermint detox green smoothie — my 2 year old absolutely loves it. Have to try this simple one with mango! I don’t often use mango in smoothies and I have no idea why!