Name: Green Pina Colada Smoothie
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 80 g frozen spinach; 120 g frozen pineapple; 60 ml full fat coconut milk; 24 g unflavoured protein powder; 1-2 tbsp fresh mint; 1 tbsp lime juice ((about ½ lime)); 125 ml dairy-free milk; Ice water (to loosen as needed)

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This Green Pina Colada Smoothie is my favourite summer breakfast! Tangy pineapple, heart-healthy spinach, and creamy coconut milk combine to create a healthy, satisfying breakfast disguised as a tropical holiday.

two glasses of green pina colada smoothie on a white marble serving board with a pineapple and grey linen in the background

I’ve been on a real smoothie kick recently.

You all know that my love for the good ol’ oat runs very deep. I usually eat them 4-5 times a week! In winter it’s warming bowls of porridge and in the summer months I swap over to cool and creamy overnight oats.

But lately I’ve been switching out my oats for giant hearty smoothies. The kind that keep you full until well past lunch time when you realise you haven’t actually had any solid food yet that day.

This Green Pina Colada Smoothie is one that I’ve been making on repeat for the past two months. It’s super filling, healthy, and so delicious. Eating this smoothie is like taking an imaginary holiday to a warm, sandy beach with crystal blue waters – probably the only kind of beach holiday we’ll get this year!

pouring out a green pina colada smoothie into two serving glasses from a glass bottle

Why you’ll love this recipe

This Green Pina Colada Smoothie is a great beginner green smoothie recipe. It’s for people new to veggie smoothies, because the taste of the leafy greens is completely hidden!
It tastes freakin’ incredible! Honestly, drinking this smoothie is no different to drinking a pina colada – except you won’t get a hangover.
This green smoothie is hearty and filling. I don’t know about you, but I hate smoothie recipes that leave me hungry half an hour later. I won’t ever do that to you. This smoothie is seriously satisfying!
This recipe is packed with good-for-you ingredients and is gluten-free, vegan, and naturally sweetened with fruit.

Are green smoothies good for you?

In a word, yes, green smoothies are very good for you. By drinking a green smoothie for breakfast, you’re taking advantage of all the nutrients and health benefits that leafy vegetables offer.

However, (there’s always a ‘but’, isn’t there?) the health benefits of a smoothie really depend on the veg to fruit ratio.

To make your green smoothies healthy, you want to make sure you’re using a large volume of green vegetables in the smoothie. Recipes that call for a few leaves of spinach and 2+ cups of fruit aren’t going to be the healthiest because they contain a high amount of sugar – even if it’s natural.

If you’re just starting out with green smoothies, I would begin with ⅓ vegetables to ⅔ fruit. (Example: Use 80 grams of frozen spinach with 120 grams frozen banana.)

From there, you can incrementally increase the vegetables and decrease the amount of fruit as you get used to eating vegetables in your smoothies.

the ingredients for a vegan green pina colada smoothie layed out on a white countertop

Ingredients in this vegan pina colada smoothie

Frozen spinach: A heart-healthy powerhouse! Packed with fibre, vitamins, folic acid, iron, and calcium, this leafy veg also has an easy flavour to overpower, making it perfect for smoothies.
Frozen pineapple: This tangy fruit is both our sweetener and our main flavour profile in this Green Pina Colada Smoothie.
Coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk is best for this recipe. It provides a kick of healthy fats that helps keep you satisfied and full as well as delicious flavour.
Protein powder: Our main protein source for this smoothie. Choose whichever kind works for you. I like an unflavoured variety so that I can play with the other flavours in the recipe.
Fresh mint: I love the combination of mint and pineapple, but if you don’t have any to hand, you can leave it out.
Lime juice: Adds a slight acidity to the recipe and brings all the flavours together.
Dairy-free milk: For extra creaminess and to loosen all of the frozen fruit and help it blend.

two green pina colada smoothies on a white backdrop with gold straws and toppings of flaked coconut

What greens should you put in your smoothie?

I keep a large bag of frozen spinach in my freezer so I always have greens on hand for quick breakfasts like this Green Pina Colada Smoothie. However, there are a host of other green vegetables that are perfect for smoothies:

Kale: Curly or Cavolo Nero kale works wonders and is a great alternative to spinach. However, you do want to make sure you blend the smoothie very well as kale is a bit more fibrous and tough to blend.
Spinach: My preferred leafy veg. The flavour is very subtle and can be covered up by nearly any fruit.
Chard: If you have chard on hand, throw it in! It works similarly to kale, so make sure you blend really good!
Romaine lettuce: I’ve used Romaine lettuce a few times. It has amazing health benefits, but you will want to pair it with a vibrant fruit to cover the slightly stronger bitter taste. Try pineapple, mango, or raspberries.
Broccoli: I recently started using up spare broccoli stems in my smoothies after seeing my friend Jess of Jessica Eats Real Food use it on her IG Stories. Frozen, they make the smoothie extra creamy and there’s zero food waste!
Celery: The classic green smoothie ingredient. Again, you’ll want to use a stronger tasting fruit to pair with celery to completely cover it up and blend really well as it’s very fibrous.
Cucumber: Cucumber is made of 96% water, so it’s fantastic to add to your smoothie if you’re feeling a bit dehydrated. However, I would recommend pairing cucumber with another vegetable because it does tend to make your smoothies quite watery and tasteless.

a man in a grey shirt holding a glass of green pina colada smoothie topped with coconut flakes and a gold straw

How to make this Green Pina Colada Smoothie

Making this Green Pina Colada Smoothie couldn’t be any easier. As long as you have a decent blender and all of the ingredients, you’re away to the races! Here’s how to do it:

Add all of the ingredients to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth. Remember to keep extra ice water on hand to loosen if it gets a bit thick and difficult to blend.
Optional: Add a few toppings to give your green smoothie some texture!

Need a little visual help? Follow along with the video tutorial for this Green Pina Colada Smoothie recipe:

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

Chill your coconut milk to up the creamy factor! You can also use chilled coconut cream.
I recommend using an unflavoured protein powder for this Green Pina Colada Smoothie recipe. This will allow all the other ingredients to shine without being weighed down by other artificial flavours.
Use frozen veggies and fruit for this recipe to make the smoothie really thick and cold. I find using room temperature or slightly chilled fruit and veg yields more of a green juice. You can also add ice to thicken or chill the smoothie even more.
Keep ice water on hand to loosen to the smoothie as it blends. Just add a splash at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Depending on the strength of your blender, you may also have to remove the lid and stir the contents occasionally.
Smoothies are better with a little texture! I like to top this green smoothie with coconut flakes, but you can also use granola or crushed nuts. Go wild!

This vegan green smoothie is packed with the tropical flavours of a pina colada! A filling and hearty smoothie that's perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack pick me up! Grab the full recipe on naturallysweetkitchen.com

Looking for more refined sugar free summer breakfast options?

Chocolate Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
Overnight Strawberry French Toast
RSF Strawberry Chia Jam
Mandarin Orange French Toast Bake
Almond Pancakes with Spiced Peach Syrup

If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this Green Pina Colada Smoothie by leaving a comment and rating below!