This thick and creamy tropical green smoothie is filled with healthy produce and will leave you feeling energized.
Tell Me About this Tropical Green Smoothie
Tropikale… tropical + kale. See what we did there? There’s nothing fancy about this homemade green smoothie. No strange ingredients or chalky protein powders, no added sweeteners, dairy, or nut butters either. You just need some familiar produce and a blender, plus a little almond milk to smooth it out. Here are some details:
- Texture: Thanks to the frozen bananas, this smoothie is wonderfully creamy and thick.
- Flavor: The green drink tastes mostly like sweet pineapple. We also add a lot of kale, but this addition does not overpower the tropical flavors of banana and pineapple. (Honestly, you can’t really taste it.)
- Time: Smoothies are pretty quick. Set aside about 5-10 to gather your ingredients and make the smoothie in your blender.
Best Blender to Use
To process frozen bananas into a smooth consistency, you need something high-powered. This blender is a favorite option for smoothies. And if you have a Ninja Chopper, which also works as a blender, that works too.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
You need just 4 ingredients for this green smoothie: almond milk, frozen bananas, pineapple, and kale. We call this group our “magic formula” because it acts as a wonderful starting point for other flavors and additions.
- Frozen bananas are a must. A lot of smoothie recipes include frozen banana because it thickens the drink without the need for ice. We do this with my orange creamsicle smoothie and chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie, too. With frozen banana, you have a creamy texture but with ice, you have a sometimes off-putting icy texture. Peel the bananas, break or slice into pieces, then freeze. If you’re looking for a smoothie made without bananas, we love this berry smoothie.
- Pineapple is a must, too. The pineapple is where all the flavor lies, so we don’t recommend using a different fruit.
- Liquid. We usually use unsweetened almond milk. Coconut milk or coconut water, soy milk, or cow’s milk are fine replacements.
- Greens. Feel free to replace the kale with spinach. You can use either green in my glowing skin smoothie, too. And if you have any leftovers, you can add kale to my creamy butternut squash mac and cheese for dinner!
- Other flavors and add-ins. Feel free to add some fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. You can even replace some of the frozen bananas with chunks of frozen mango. And/or instead of almond milk, use orange juice.
Tropikale Energy Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: American
Description
This simple and satisfying green smoothie is made with just 4 ingredients and comes together quickly. Feel free to halve the recipe to make 1 smoothie.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 medium bananas, previously peeled, sliced, and frozen
- 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 2 heaping cups kale
Instructions
- Make sure you have a strong, powerful blender that will blend up the kale and frozen bananas.
- Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order listed. Blend on high for at least 3 minutes or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Add more milk if it’s too thick. Serve and enjoy.
- Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 8-10 hours.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender or Blender/Chopper Combo
- Almond Milk: We usually use unsweetened almond milk. Coconut milk or coconut water, soy milk, or cow’s milk are fine replacements. You could also use orange juice, which would add a lovely citrus flavor. Smoothie tastes creamiest with milk, though.
I love kale but buy I it in frozen bags so it’s always readily available for my quiches and pizzas. Just wondering if I could use frozen kale in this smoothie too or is fresh better?
Hi Christine, frozen should work just fine!
I have kale growing in my garden and wanted to find a delicious recipe to use it in! This was fantastic! My skeptical Dad and sister even liked it. I have a Ninja mixer, and did have to add probably half a cup to a cup more liquid (water/almond milk) to keep it moving in the blender. Super thick but super amazing! Will definitely make again! Thank you 🙂
Loved this smoothie!!! So good you wouldn’t expect this
Just made this smoothie, and it is soooo delicious! I added a bit of mango, and the flavor is perfect. No hint of bitter greens!
I’m hoping my kids will also enjoy it. I’ve saved the rest for their after school snack. A great way to add in some extra veges!
Thanks!
I am drinking one now and it is delicious. It is the first green smoothie I have ever had!
LOVE this, made it twice already, one for at home after a workout and once this morning. I never have time to make a smoothie, much less eat a quick breakfast, but I threw this in the ninja in a single portion cup and took it with me to work. I eyeballed the measurements but it came out exactly like you described. Thanks for another winner Sally!
This is just delicious. What a refreshing, inspiring start to this new year! I hadn’t gotten on the green smoothie boat yet, but I’m there now. Wally didn’t have unsweetened AND vanilla flavored almond milk in the same carton, so next time I make it I’ll remember to add a bit of vanilla to the mix, and it will be even better! Like someone else said, I’m kind of done with cookies for awhile. I see needing to go back and read that in a few hours, ’cause I know me… 🙂
I love frozen banana in my smoothies. Also, frozen pears have the same effect, creates equally creamy smoothies. Love this smoothie. You made me crave kale, Sally! SALTS 😉
Made this this morning..thanks so much for the recipe Sally! It was time to say bye to the last of holiday cookies and baked goods. I really didn’t miss them with this! Perfect Monday post workout smoothie.
Hi Sally. We drink smoothies regularly so this one will most certainly be tried soon. My husband and I drink ours at totally different times so the ability to save 8-10 hours is great. Do you think this smoothie would be able to be made in larger batches, frozen in individual servings and then thawed overnight or in a lunch bag during the day? Thanks for any advice.
Hi Bryn, I’m unsure about freezing the smoothie. I assume it would be fine and taste fine, but I’ve never done it myself. Give it a try. What you can do is freeze the kale, banana, and pineapple together to save time and then place in the blender with the milk and blend up fresh each morning to bring to work or wherever.
You talk about using frozen bananas in your smoothies often. Do you chop the banana and then freeze, or freeze it whole and chop it or just throw it in the blender whole? How long do your frozen bananas last also?
Yep, let the banana ripen. Then slice and freeze in a baggie. Use the frozen slices in the smoothie.