Grab some fresh organic baby kale leaves and lets make this protein-packed easy and creamy kale banana smoothie! It's packed with vital nutrients, plus you can customize your smoothie with different supplements!
Kale has grown tons of popularity due to it being one of the worlds most powerful "super foods." It is rich in antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins, folate and magnesium. A great way to enjoy kale is in a recipe for kale smoothie, pesto, and a kale detox salad. You can even add kale to eggs!
This kale banana smoothie is inspired by my simple green smoothie, on my site. Both smoothies have pineapple, banana, and leafy greens in them, and pairs well with this mouthwatering gluten-free scones recipe.
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Why this kale and banana smoothie is great
We take tropical flavors and blend them with leafy greens and protein powder! You can use plant-based protein powder for a vegan shake or whey isolate protein powder. The protein powder makes this kale banana smoothie recipe so creamy like a milkshake!
Guess what else? Just one cup of kale contains 206 percent of your daily Vitamin A needs, 134 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs, and a whopping 684 percent of your daily Vitamin K needs.
Without further ado, let's get ready to make this amazing kale banana smoothie!
Here's what ingredients you need
- baby kale leaves - use baby kale leaves (young kale leaves) rather than the curly kind or dark green color lacinato. That way you don't have to remove the stems and it is also slightly less bitter to taste. Baby kale has a light peppery taste that is covered up by the banana and pineapple fruit.
- frozen pineapple - chunks
- frozen banana - slices, which you can freeze your own bananas for smoothies here.
- vanilla protein powder - use pea protein, vegan protein, or whey protein. I use Naked Nutrition whey protein for this recipe.
- orange juice
- supplements are optional and not shown in the image - see below for our variations using supplements you can add for more nutrition.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let's get started making this delicious kale and banana tropical protein smoothie!
Add the ingredients to a high powered blender, adding the liquid first.
Start the blender on low and then transition to high until well mixed and everything is combined - but see the next tip if it is hard to blend.
Add a splash (1 tablespoon at a time) more liquid if needed, which depends on the blender. Blend until smooth and serve the kale smoothie into 1-2 glasses.
Enjoy right away!
Hint: Start the blender on low to slowly mix everything together. Then increase the speed to high. This should get things moving without having to water it down with more liquid.
Substitutions
This kale banana smoothie recipe is vegan and delicious! Here are a few substitutions you can swap out for the basic recipe.
- Lettuce - instead of baby kale leaves you can use spinach
- Juice - use tangerine juice or this fresh pineapple orange juice recipe
- Protein powder - just use your favorite kind of vanilla flavored protein powder such as pea protein or whey protein.
Smoothie supplement to add
A great way to get more nutrients into your diet is adding supplements to this recipe for kale smoothie. Here are a few of our suggestions to add before blending.
- Chia Seeds - add 1 tablespoon chia seeds (affiliate link).
- Collagen - collagen is my favorite way to help my nails and hair grow, plus it helps achieve beautiful glowing skin! Add 2 tablespoons of collagen. Not sure what to buy? I recommend this collagen peptides powder (affiliate link).
- Oats - for a heartier kale smoothie, try adding ¼ cup of quick cooked oats or old fashioned rolled oats.
- Cashew butter - cashew butter is naturally sweet and is a great source of protein and healthy fat. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of cashew butter or cashew powder (affiliate links).
See this tropical smoothie on my website!
Types of Kale
There are many variations of kale leaves. Use organic baby kale for making smoothies. It is lighter and thinner in texture, easier to digest and use since you don't have to discard the stem, and tastes less bitter or peppery than other varieties. Here are more common kale leaves you'll often find at the store:
- Dinosaur kale
- Redbor kale
- Russian kale
- Curly kale
- Lacinato kale
Equipment
Equipment plays a bit part in the consistency of smoothies. A dull blade on the blender will need more liquid to the recipe. Using a high powered blender with a sharp blade provides a nice thick "milkshake" consistency that tastes so good going down!
Use a good blender. I highly suggest the Vitamix blender which blends every the kale banana smoothie perfectly while leaving a nice thick consistency. Others that are less costly that work are the Ninja and Magic Bullet which is smaller and more for single servings. But the Vitamix lasts up to 10 years!
Storage
Banana in smoothies do not store well. They do start to brown and smoothies in general should be consumed right away. As they start to melt, the liquid separates from the pulp of the fruit and vegetables and becomes less favorable. Drink this kale banana smoothie right away.
Top tip
The key to a good smoothie is keeping the fruit frozen until you are ready to mix it. It is also important to mix the right types of fruit together and with the right liquid. This recipe for kale smoothie combines tropical pineapple with banana and orange flavors and they provide lovely sweetness.
Another tip I've learned over the years is to start the blender slow then increase the speed so that more liquid is not needed and the smoothie consistency is thicker and stays frozen.
FAQ
Yes! You can use raw kale for a smoothie. Make sure to wash the kale thoroughly first to remove dirt and insects. Raw kale has a strong flavor so you do not want more than 1 cup in a smoothie. Tropical fruit and juice combined with kale in a smoothie help to mask the bitter flavor.
Yes, kale is wonderful and healthy in a smoothie. Kale is one of the most nutritious leafy greens to enjoy and are great to add to smoothies! We should be consuming a diet rich in plants, which contains phytonutrients and phytochemicals to keep us healthy and prevents disease. Green smoothies and a detox green drink is a great way to get greens into your daily diet.
Drinking too much kale can have side effects. Too much can be that you are doing a weight loss juice cleanse and only having large amounts of kale daily. Side effects of too much kale can be diarrhea, constipation, upset stomach, which are also symptoms of too much of anything. Consuming one smoothie a day made with kale should not promote side effects.
More healthy smoothie recipes
Looking for other smoothies like this? Try these amazing other smoothie recipes:
If you make this easy kale banana smoothie recipe from Delightful Mom Food I would love to see your creations and share it! Follow along with me on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and TWITTER to be featured and for more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to rate the recipe in the recipe area and leave a comment below!
Kale Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 cup fresh baby kale
- 1 cup frozen banana slices
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- ½ cup vanilla protein powder
- supplements optional to add any supplements in the notes below
Instructions
- In a blender, add the orange juice and remaining ingredients. If you want to add supplements, choose some from the notes below before blending.
- Turn the blender on low to mix gently then high and and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the kale banana smoothie into 1-2 glasses right away and enjoy!
Notes
- Chia Seeds - add 1 tablespoon chia seeds (affiliate link).
- Collagen - collagen is my favorite way to help my nails and hair grow, plus it helps achieve beautiful glowing skin! Add 2 tablespoons of collagen. Not sure what to buy? I recommend this collagen peptides powder (affiliate link).
- Oats - for a heartier kale smoothie, try adding ¼ cup of quick cooked oats or old fashioned rolled oats.
- Cashew butter - cashew butter is naturally sweet and is a great source of protein and healthy fat. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of cashew butter or cashew powder (affiliate links).
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