Kale Smoothie
This healthy kale smoothie is full of protein and fiber, and perfect for breakfast, lunch or a snack. It’s quick and easy to make and easily customizable to the ingredients you have in your kitchen.
This easy kale smoothie recipe is one that both my kids and I love. Green smoothies are a great way to add more nutrition to your diet. If you haven’t yet tried a kale smoothie, I promise you can’t taste the greens once you blend them into your smoothie.
I also highly recommend these other easy kale smoothie recipes: our favorite Green Smoothie and this Tropical Green Smoothie. Or try one of my many other smoothie recipes.
I like to sweeten smoothies naturally with fruit, and then add a little honey if more sweetness is desired. Mixing in some plain Greek yogurt adds protein, but you can leave out the yogurt for a dairy-free smoothie. Nut butters, such as almond butter or peanut butter, are another easy way to add protein to smoothies.
When I make my smoothies, I don’t measure out the ingredients, unless I’m writing down the recipe to share. Usually I just add everything straight into the blender and make any needed adjustments as I go. Smoothie recipes are very forgiving, and easy to customize to your tastes.
I’ve been making this kale smoothie a lot lately, and I’ve tried a few different recipe variations. The one listed below is my favorite, but I’ve also used frozen pineapple in place of the mango, added an orange or apple instead of the pear, and subbed spinach for the kale. If you try the smoothie with an apple (unpeeled and chopped) or an orange (peeled and segmented), you may notice that the texture won’t be quite as smooth, but it will still be delicious.
Benefits of kale
Kale is a good source of many vitamins, including Vitamins A and C. This leafy vegetable is also a source of calcium and other minerals. Kale is low in calories and can be prepared in many different ways. In addition to blending kale into smoothies, try sautéing it, adding it to soups or even baking it into kale chips.
How to make a kale smoothie
You’ll blend up this kale smoothie in two steps. This will give you a smoothie with the best smooth texture.
First, add your kale to your blender. The kale should be washed and be sure to remove the leaves from the tough stems (discard the stems). If you’re using prewashed kale from a bag, just add it to the blender straight from the bag.
Next, add the banana, pear and water (or coconut water) to your blender. Blend these ingredients together until smooth.
Now you’re ready to add the rest of the smoothie ingredients: frozen peaches, frozen mango and plain Greek yogurt. Blend until smooth, adding more liquid as needed to reach your desired consistency. Taste the smoothie to see if it is sweet enough. If you want it sweeter, you can blend in a little honey.
Tips for the best kale smoothie
- A high powered blender is the best for making a green smoothie with a smooth texture. My Vitamix blender does an amazing job of blending kale or spinach fully, so you don’t notice the taste or texture.
- I always prep my kale ahead of time so it’s ready to use in smoothies and salads. Here is how to store kale for maximum freshness.
- If you want to substitute the mango, peaches or pear in this smoothie, try adding pineapple or an orange.
- You can omit the banana for a smoothie without banana.
- To make a dairy-free smoothie, you can use a dairy-free yogurt or omit the yogurt.
- You can prep this kale smoothie ahead of time by freezing the ingredients in individual smoothie packs. I recommend adding the yogurt to your smoothie right before blending.
Kale Smoothie
Ingredients
- 3 cups kale leaves, removed from tough stalks, loosely packed
- ½ banana
- 1 pear, cored and sliced
- ¾ cup water, or coconut water
- 1 ½ cups frozen peaches
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Place kale, banana, pear and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the frozen peaches, frozen mango, Greek yogurt. Blend until smooth. If smoothie is too thick, blend in a little more water. Taste the smoothie and add a little honey if you want it sweeter. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can omit the Greek yogurt for a dairy free smoothie.
- If you prefer a smoothie without banana, you can leave out the banana.
- Other fruits that would work well in this smoothie are pineapple and orange.
I might try making this with milk or OJ instead of the yogurt — yum!
If you don’t want to use yogurt, I would use a whole banana and either orange juice or milk in place of the water. Have fun experimenting!
We make a lot of smoothies… always adding either kale or spinach…but we also add a tablespoon or so of flaxseed meal…gives it a little bit of a nutty flavor. I keep frozen several different kinds of frozen fruits on hand so the kids can just make whatever concoction they can come up with 🙂
Yes, that’s one of the best things about smoothies- you can throw in whatever you have on hand. I love adding flaxseed to my smoothies, too. Whenever I do, Julia always tells me how you can’t taste the flax because it’s blended in. 🙂
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Looks delicious!!
Thanks, Cathy!
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This is my kind of smoothie…fruits and kale! This looks delicious…thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Jodee! It’s amazing how you can’t even taste the kale in this smoothie!