Whether you like kale or just need a way to use up the wilting greens in your fridge, this smoothie will turn you into a kale lover. And thanks to frozen fruit (or frozen kale), it’s creamy without any dairy needed. A play on my classic green smoothie, this one adds juicy pineapple and sweet banana to balance the bitter kale. This way, there’s no need for added sweetener, and it’s still as sweet as a tropical island breeze.
Everything You’ll Need
Kale: You can use any variety of kale here, like curly or dinosaur. Fresh and frozen both work! Pineapple and Banana: Use fresh, canned, or frozen pineapple chunks. You can substitute the pineapple for other fruits, like mango, apple, pear, or kiwi. Banana makes this smoothie feel creamy (without the dairy). Orange Juice: Fresh orange juice brightens up this smoothie! You can substitute just about any juice here, like apple, pineapple, or white grape.
Let’s blend
As far as leafy greens go, kale can be much more sturdy than most, which means it may break down differently in your blender! Here’s how to perfectly blend kale, no matter what blender you have:
Have a strong blender? (like Vitamix or Blendtec?) Just throw everything in and blend until smooth. Strong blenders should liquify the kale leaves. Have a weak blender? (that you may have picked up at a yard sale 10 years ago, no judgment 😛?) Blend the kale and orange juice together first, blitzing until the kale is completely broken down. Then add in the banana and pineapple and blend until smooth.
Smoothie Variations
The nice thing about smoothie recipes is how adaptable they are! Switch up virtually any ingredient based on what you have on hand.
Switch up the greens, using spinach or collard greens instead of the kale. Different fruit can be used in place of the pineapple, like apple, pear, kiwi, mango, or berries. No banana, no problem. Swap out the banana for 1/4 cup canned coconut milk and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Swap out the orange juice for another liquid, like apple, pineapple, white grape juice, or homemade POG juice. You can also use any variety of unflavored milk here, like almond milk or oat milk. Add extras to boost the nutrition in this smoothie, like chia seeds, flax seeds, protein powder, Greek yogurt, or a spoonful of nut butter.
