This energizing kale smoothie recipe is a great morning pick-me-up! Banana, peaches, and fresh ginger make it creamy, sweet, and refreshing.
This kale smoothie recipe is such an energizing way to start the day! Now that the weather’s warming up in Chicago, it’s made its way into my breakfast rotation of freezer burritos, muffins, and avocado toast. Refreshing and nutritious, it’s what I crave on mornings when the sun is shining, the air smells sweet, and it really feels like spring is on its way.
The magic of this kale smoothie recipe is that it doesn’t actually taste like kale. Don’t get me wrong, kale’s flavor has its time and place. It’s irresistible in a kale salad or pasta, but in a smoothie, it can easily become overwhelming. Here, I balance it with sweet peaches, creamy banana, and a touch of fresh ginger. The resulting smoothie is sweet, creamy, and absolutely delicious. Even Jack, a devout berry smoothie lover, happily polishes off a glass. Make it for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or anytime you’re craving a tasty, nourishing treat.
Kale Smoothie Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy kale smoothie recipe:
- Kale, of course! I often make this recipe with green curly kale, but any variety will work here.
- Almond milk – Use your favorite brand of unsweetened almond milk, or make your own.
- Frozen banana – It makes the smoothie sweet and creamy.
- Peaches – For extra sweetness and peachy flavor.
- Ginger – It gives the smoothie a delicious kick! I love how its warm flavor plays off the sweet peaches.
- Matcha powder – I blend it into my smoothie for an energizing, antioxidant-packed boost. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to skip it! This recipe is still delicious without it.
- And ice cubes – To make the smoothie thick and frosty.
Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender, and blend until smooth!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Kale Smoothie Recipe Tips
- Freeze the kale. I like my smoothies to be really thick and frosty, almost like soft (and healthy) ice cream instead of a drink. If you do too, I recommend freezing the kale to get an extra-thick texture. And if you’re starting with fresh peaches instead of frozen fruit, make sure to freeze them too!
- Add the almond milk to the blender first. When you’re blending frozen ingredients, it’s important that you add the liquid to the blender first. If the blades can’t reach the liquid, they’ll stall. Frozen fruits and veggies are too icy to blend up on their own.
- Taste and adjust. The secret to making a perfect smoothie is adjusting it to suit your tastes. After you blend it together, try a spoonful. Then, add more greens if you like it earthier, more ice if you like it frostier, more milk if you like it thinner, or a drop of honey or maple syrup for extra sweetness. Rinse and repeat until you find a balance of flavors you love!
Kale Smoothie Variations
Like all smoothies, this kale smoothie recipe is super flexible! Adjust it to suit your tastes or to use the ingredients you have on hand. Here are a few ways I like to change it up:
- Replace the peaches. For a wintry variation on this kale smoothie recipe, replace the peaches with pears. Frozen mango would work nicely here too.
- No banana? No problem. Instead, use a quarter of an avocado to make this smoothie thick and creamy.
- Try different leafy greens. Fresh or frozen spinach would be a great substitute for the kale.
- Or another milk. If you don’t have almond milk on hand, use any type of milk you do have. Homemade oat milk would be great here!
- Give it a superfood boost. Pack extra nutrients into your kale smoothie by adding a scoop of chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, or even protein powder.
Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Smoothie Recipes
If you love this kale smoothie recipe, try one of these smoothies next:
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Creamy Avocado Smoothie
- Best Green Smoothie
- Cinnamon Coffee Smoothie
- Mango Smoothie
- Berry Superfood Smoothie Bowl
- Or any of these Healthy Breakfast Smoothies!
Kale Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 medium frozen banana
- 2 kale leaves, stems removed
- 2 to 3 small ripe peaches, frozen, or 1/2 to 1 cup diced mango, frozen
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon matcha powder, optional
- Ice
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the almond milk, banana, kale, peaches, ginger, and matcha, if using.
- Blend until creamy. Add a handful of ice and blend again.
Notes
Thank you for sharing! I tried a variation of a kale/ginger/peach smoothie at a local shop a while back, and I was so impressed that I really wanted to learn how to make it at home. So I hopped online to search for a recipe with those precise ingredients—and this one was perfect!! So tasty! The banana added the perfect amount of sweetness. I used a few scoops of protein powder and it turned out extra filling!