This refreshing green smoothie recipe is the perfect spring or summertime pick-me-up. Packed with vegetables, fruit and fresh mint, it’s naturally energizing and a great go-to snack!
At 30 weeks pregnant, I feel like I’m finally back in a place where I can stomach vegetables waaay better than I could even a month or so ago and it is SO nice. I still tend to prefer raw veggies and salads over cooked vegetables right now (unless they’re in something, like a casserole or crockpot recipe) but on days when my vegetable consumption is low or basically non-existent, I find myself calling upon the trusty ol’ standby: A green smoothie.
When savory vegetables don’t sound appealing, sweetening them up a bit in a smoothie makes them 10 times more palatable. A green smoothie still leaves me with that energetic “veggie high” I swear I feel after I consume a decent amount of leafy greens or cruciferous vegetables. Natural energy at its best!
The recipe I’m sharing with you guys today is for a refreshing green smoothie I’ve made on repeat over the course of the past month. At first I didn’t think it was one worth sharing on the blog because there are approximately one million green smoothie recipes on the internet but when I found myself repeating the same combination of flavors over and over again, I changed my tune. Like my triple chocolate protein oats, this is a recipe I make ALL the time that I figured should be documented on PBF since it’s a staple in my diet at the moment.
My latest green smoothie obsession includes the following: Kale or spinach (I constantly switch this up), frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen cauliflower, fresh mint leaves and almond or coconut milk. This is more of a snack-type smoothie or something I’ll whip up to enjoy with lunch or breakfast on the weekends but if I want it to have a little more staying power, I’ll also often throw in a spoonful or two of collagen for a (tasteless!) boost of protein and MCT oil or coconut butter for fat to help make it a little more satisfying. But if I’m just looking to get some greens into my belly and want a boost of energy from fruits and veggies, I leave all that out and go for the original refreshing combination detailed below.
Refreshing Green Smoothie
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 4 mins
- Yield: 1 large smoothie 1x
- Category: smoothie
Description
The perfect spring or summertime pick-me-up. Packed with vegetables, fruit and fresh mint, this green smoothie is naturally energizing and a great go-to snack!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk or light coconut milk (coconut milk will yield a creamier smoothie)
- 1 handful fresh spinach or fresh kale (trim away the stems if using kale)
- 1/3 cup frozen cauliflower
- 3/4 cup frozen mango
- 1/3 cup frozen pineapple
- 5 fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Place everything into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Recipe Notes
This smoothie is pretty adaptable, so I’ll occasionally throw in some frozen banana or frozen berries as well. I’ve also swapped the almond or coconut milk for maple water or coconut water to change up the base and give myself a little boost of electrolytes and loved the result. Adding fresh ginger or ginger paste is something I’ll also do on occasion and I love the extra zip of spice.
By now people seem quite used to the idea of adding spinach or kale to smoothies but I still inevitably receive questions about cauliflower whenever I mention adding it to my smoothies. I prefer FROZEN cauliflower purely from a texture standpoint (so much creamier) and promise you cannot taste it one bit in this smoothie. It simply increases the creaminess of the smoothie while providing a boost of vitamin C, potassium and fiber!
Additional Smoothie Recipes
- Strawberry Banana Hidden Cauliflower Smoothie
- Cold Brew Protein Smoothie (A must-try for mocha lovers!)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Smoothie
- Keylime Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
- Watermelon Smoothie with Pineapple and Mint (Ridiculously refreshing in the summertime!)
Question of the Day
What are some of your go-to smoothie combinations?
I LOVE chocolate-based smoothies and add cocoa powder to smoothies all the time! You cannot beat the frozen banana/nut butter/cocoa powder combination!
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Gosh 30 weeks already?! Feels like you just announced it! Looking great mama! Keep feeling well!
it is flying by! and thank you!! <3
I LOVE smoothies for getting in veggies and protein as a snack or post workout. My favorite combo lately has been strawberries and a frozen banana. Frozen fruit makes such a huge difference!
strawberry banana is a tough combo to beat! a classic for a reason!
I have been all about smoothies recently and this sounds like a tasty one. I started adding cauliflower to them a bit ago as well and it really does just blend right in.
What kind of blender do you use?! We’ve had a kitchen aid for years and loved it but it just died. Trying to decide what to invest in next!
Vitamix! We absolutely love it!
Love this recipe and green smoothies! Thank you for the ideas for changing it up!
I love cauliflower in smoothies too! My go-to smoothie these days is two big handfuls of mixed salad greens, a tablespoon of hemp seeds, half cup of frozen wild blueberries or TJ’s mixed berries, a banana, and four or five cauliflower florets. I just use water for the liquid. So yummy! I know what you mean about the “veggie high” — it could be all in my head, but I swear I get that too after a smoothie! 🙂
that sounds like a great one! i LOVE hemp seeds and don’t know why i don’t think to add them to my smoothies more often.
I used to be a huge smoothie person post workout, but with the winter and cold weather I haven’t been drinking them. This recipe might be the first one I make in awhile. Thanks for the inspiration.
i definitely go on a smoothie hiatus during the colder months, too. glad they’re back in my life now!!
Yum!! I’ve been getting the new vegan pineapple spinach smoothie at Smoothie King so I know I would love this combo! Thanks for sharing!
Yum! Sounds so good!! I bet my husband would love this too; he loves green smoothies!!
Green smoothies always look gross but are super delicious! I’m still skeptical about putting vegetables in a smoothie :/
i’m always curious to see how others hide greens in their smoothies because i generally do it the same way everyday and it’s a bit redundant!! looooove that you add fresh mint leaves – that sounds DELISH. i think i need to start switching things up to this mango/coconut combo as opposed to my usual banana/strawberry! thanks for sharing 🙂
adding fresh mint and ginger is such a great way to change up the flavor! a little bit goes a long way and it makes them so refreshing — plus, they feel good on my stomach when i’m a little queasy these days. 🙂
This looks SO good for during pregnancy! I’ve been terrible at making smoothies, but we are obsessed with Jamba Juice and frequently pick up smoothies there! I love anything that’s strawberry-mango-orange-pineapple-esque!
This recipe sounds so good. I love fresh mint in a smoothie.
Sounds delicious! I think light coconut milk is just watered down full fat coconut milk (I could be wrong – I read the labels a while back at my grocer and they were the same). If you use it a lot, you could just add your own water to thin out regular coconut milk!
Oh my goodness, this looks heavenly! As an avid smoothie-drinker, I definitely need to add this one to the rotation. My go-to breakfast smoothie has been frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries with cinnamon, Garden of Life protein and almond butter. Lately, I’ve been using homemade. Absolutely BOMB.COM. – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com
spinach, celery, cucumber, pineapple, parsley, ginger and a splash of orange juice. my favoriteeeeeeeee!
AS a pre-diabetic I’m trying to control my sugar and carb intake. Do you think the fiber from the cauliflower and green veggies balances out the sugar content of the mango and pineapple? I read that pre-diabetics and diabetics need to be careful about not consuming too much pineapple because of the high sugar content.
go green, love green, looks very refreshing smoothie, thanks.
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the receipe sounds good but cauliflower in a smoothie tat sounds great…thankyou for the receipe.