Tropical Kale Smoothie

by Marcie // January 25, 2017 (updated 3/22/22)

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This Tropical Kale Smoothie is a creamy and refreshing with no refined sugar. It’s packed with kale and is bursting with tropical flavors!

Two kale banana smoothies in glasses. Lime halves and fresh kale surround the glasses.

I first published this Kale Smoothie on January 5, 2015, before I’d fully embraced green smoothies. It took me forever to come around, because despite loving greens, I just couldn’t wrap my head around adding them to smoothies.

The original recipe for this smoothie was rather non-committal — my “green” smoothie was more yellow green, and I claimed that I would probably make this kale banana smoothie even greener down the road.

You think?

Now this is a green smoothie, and it completely reflects the way I love my smoothies now. The best part is that my kids love them as much as I do.

I’m a big lover of kale, and have a lot growing in my garden. This kale fruit smoothie is a great place to use it up because it includes a whopping 2 cups of kale.

TWO CUPS!

I can barely contain my excitement when I see my kids guzzling their smoothies down — they’re getting a whole serving of greens!

close up of tropical kale fruit smoothie in jar with lime wedge

Why you’ll love this recipe

Nutritious kale is combined with tropical fruits for a creamy, refreshing smoothie.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, with no added sugar.
You can make this smoothie with all frozen fruit, so you don’t have to worry about using anything up before it goes bad on your counter.

overhead shot of tropical kale banana smoothies on parchment with kale and fruit

Recipe ingredients

No single flavor stands out in this kale banana smoothie. It just tastes like the perfect blend of tropical fruit!

Ingredient notes

Milk. Use unsweetened almond milk or your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk.
Banana. I prefer to slice my banana in advance and freeze it overnight. Frozen banana makes the kale smoothie ultra creamy.
Lime juice. Adds a nice pop of citrus and brightens the flavors right up, and balances everything out perfectly.
Pineapple and mango. Use fresh for maximum flavor, or frozen in a pinch. You can use all pineapple or all mango instead of a combination if you desire.

How to make a kale smoothie

I kept this banana, mango and kale pineapple smoothie as simple as possible. You just add everything to a blender and let it work its magic.

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

front shot of pineapple kale mango smoothie on parchment paper with coconut flakes on top

FAQs

What can be prepared in advance?

If you’re really in a rush most mornings, you can measure out the frozen fruit in advance and seal it in a zip-top freezer bag. Then, all you have to do is add the pre-portioned fruit, almond milk, lime juice and fresh kale to the blender.

Can you freeze kale for smoothies?

Yes! I used fresh kale to make this kale banana smoothie, but frozen may be substituted.

To freeze kale for smoothies, rinse it well and pat dry. Remove the leaves from the woody stems, then lay flat on a baking sheet.

Freeze the leaves on the baking sheet to prevent them from getting squished (if that matters to you). Once frozen, seal inside a freezer bag.

Can another leafy green be substituted?

Personally, I think this is the best kale smoothie as written and highly recommend giving it a try even if you think you don’t like kale.

However, spinach or a similar leafy green made by substituted, if desired.

Recipe notes

Pro tip: Frozen pineapple and mango are great options, just keep in mind that you will need to add up to 1/4-1/2 cup additional liquid to thin out your smoothie and to keep your blender from getting stuck!
Use your favorite combination of tropical fruit in place of the pineapple or mango. Papaya is a great option or a frozen tropical blend works great as well.
Smoothie is best served immediately or freeze them into popsicle molds and enjoy as a frozen treat!

More easy smoothie recipes:

Banana smoothie
Blueberry banana smoothie
Pear smoothie
Power green smoothie
Strawberry banana smoothie by Gimme Some Oven
Tropical smoothie

Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram