Tropical Smoothie

Imagine yourself in the tropics! This Tropical Smoothie recipe is full of tropical fruit flavors – a great way to start your day.

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Love smoothies? Try this Pineapple Banana Kale Smoothie Recipe, Cherry Coconut Smoothie, or change it up with this Smoothie Bowl with Coconut and Berries.

Are you looking for something fast and delicious that you can make for breakfast? Or how about a healthy after school snack? I feel like I’ve been in a rut lately, so I’m glad I was reminded of this Tropical Smoothie recipe that I originally posted about back in 2008!

I often think that people don’t really need a recipe for a smoothie. But if you are like me, you get in the habit of making the same smoothie over and over again. So I’m here with some inspiration for a tropical treat for breakfast. Of course, you can sub in different fruits, or even different liquids, but I thought this one was pretty perfect as it is!

What do you put in a fruit smoothie?

I have a bit of a love affair with smoothies. And the thing that I love the most is that the sky is the limit when it comes to what ingredients you use.

For a fruit smoothie, I like to use frozen fruit when possible. Frozen fruit is readily available at the grocery store, but it is also super simple to freeze fruit yourself at home, too. To keep things basic, you really only need a liquid – you can use anything from water to milk to coconut milk to fruit juice – and the fruit. If you are using fresh fruit, or if you like a thicker or icier consistency, you’ll want to add a bit of ice, too.

Ingredients

There are only a few ingredients that you need to make this tropical smoothie. These are all ingredients that are easy to keep on hand – either in the refrigerator or the freezer. If you are an avid smoothie fan, you’ll probably already have all of these ingredients on hand! Here is what you need:

• frozen mango chunks
• frozen strawberries
• frozen banana
• milk
• orange juice
• plain Greek yogurt
• honey

How to Make a Tropical Smoothie

It couldn’t be easier – just put everything in your blender, and blend!

Read below for tips and tricks with different kinds of blenders.

Substitutions

This is a great starting point for a smoothie, so the substitutions really are endless!

For the liquid, regular water can be used instead of coconut water. The juice can be subbed out for your favorite juice – pineapple or mango would be delicious! The milk can also be substituted for a dairy free substitution, or more juice or water.

For the fruit, you can choose any fruit that you like. I like to use frozen fruit so that I don’t have to use as much ice. (Sometimes I don’t even use ice at all!) I do always like to include bananas because it makes the smoothie creamy.

I will also sometimes add in coconut extract to bring more of a coconut flavor.

Make it green by adding in a handful or two of spinach or chopped kale.

Tips for Making Smoothies

• Not all blenders are created equal. This doesn’t mean that you have to have the newest, most expensive blender on the market. In fact, I wrote a whole cookbook that I tested using a cheap $15 blender from the local big box store. But the truth of the matter is that most smoothies won’t be as smooth in a cheaper blender as they are in a more powerful blender. Frozen fruit can take awhile to break down into the smoothie if you don’t have a high powered blender, so just be aware that it may take a little longer in a cheaper blender. Just have patience! I have a Blendtec that I love, and many people also love the Vitamix. Or you can get a Ninja blender for under $100.
• If you are using a high powered blender, you can just throw everything in any order. If you have a cheaper blender, put the liquid in first and the frozen fruit last.
• Start your blender on a low speed and work up to a higher speed.

More Smoothie Recipes

Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Tropical Carrot Smoothie
Chocolate Berry Smoothie
Root Beer Float Smoothie
Honeydew Lime Smoothie

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Tropical Smoothie

5 from 3 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 cups

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

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Imagine yourself in the tropics! This Tropical Smoothie recipe is full of tropical fruit flavors – a great way to start your day.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• ▢ 1 cup frozen strawberries
• ▢ 1 cup ice
• ▢ 1 frozen banana sliced
• ▢ 1/2 cup milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup coconut water
• ▢ 1/4 cup orange juice
• ▢ 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
  1 cup frozen mango chunks, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup ice, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup coconut water, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon honey

Recipe Notes:

adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

SUBSTITUTIONS: This recipe is really a great starting point and is easy to adapt to what you like or what you have on hand. Any frozen fruit will work in place of the strawberries and mango. I always do like to use banana because it makes the smoothie creamier.

If you don’t have coconut water, you can use regular water, or more milk or juice.

Sub pineapple juice for the orange juice, or another tropical juice of your choice.

I also sometimes add a bit of coconut extract to bring in more coconut flavor.

Make it green by adding a handful or two of baby spinach or chopped kale.

STORE: This is best right after it is made and will not store well.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2cups, Calories: 186kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 36g (12%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 3g (5%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 6mg (2%), Sodium: 43mg (2%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 27g (30%)

Keywords: tropical smoothie, tropical smoothie recipe