Jump straight to the Mango Kale Smoothie recipe
This would have to be my favourite green smoothie of all time.
Which is weird, because kale can taste pretty horrible in smoothies, especially if you have my knack for odd flavour combinations.
I once made a kale smoothie with the wrong mix of fruit (I think I used pineapple and kiwifruit) that tasted like burnt rubber. Seriously.
Oh yeah, that one was nice. And I drank it anyway, because I just couldn’t bring myself to throw away all that fruit and greens.
What amazes me is that not only does the kale taste good in this smoothie, but it tastes so awesome that it’s my favourite green smoothie ever.
And I’ve made a lot of green smoothies.
I’ll let you in on a little secret – mango makes any green smoothie taste good. At least, it does if you like mango as much as I do.
And yet I’ve put mango in other green smoothies, and somehow they just don’t taste quite as nice. There’s something special about the way mango clicks with kale that just really works.
So it’s pretty cool that my favourite green smoothie uses kale, because kale would have to be one of the best greens on the face of this planet.
To quote Dr Michael Greger from one of my favourite videos about the benefits of eating plants, “Is there nothing kale can’t do”?
It’s not so cool that organic mangoes are only available from late November to February around here, because it means I have to hang out for nine months of the year just so I can taste this divine concoction again.
But it’s worth the wait.
Just don’t add pineapple.
Mango Kale Smoothie recipe
Make sure to read the tips below the recipe to get the most out of this more-ish Kale Mango Smoothie recipe.
Creamy Kale Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 leaves black kale / cavolo nero / dinosaur kale / tuscan kale (1/2 cup or 30g)
- 1/4 med avocado (optional)
- 1/2 med mango
- 3 med bananas , ripe
- 2 cups water (500ml)
- 1 cup ice (200g)
Method
- Remove the stems from the kale and discard.
- Add everything to the blender in the order listed.
- Blend until smooth.
Preparation
- Before: -
- During: 15 mins
- After: -
- Need: Blender
Nutrition Information
Tips
- To make a truly smooth and creamy green smoothie, you need to use a high-speed blender (e.g. Vitamix, Thermomix, Blend-Tec etc), otherwise you may end up with little green bits in your smoothie, which is not so nice.
- If you find this smoothie too “green” (in other words, the kale flavour is too strong), just add less. Any amount of greens is good!
- You don’t have to chop the stalks out of your kale, but they can make your smoothie bitter, so start without them, and play with adding them back in once your tastebuds have adjusted to the flavour of green smoothies.
- If you don’t like avocado, you can just leave it out, but it does help to make this green smoothie even creamier, and it also adds calories, so it can be more of a meal on its own.
- Make sure your bananas are very ripe when making smoothies, as it makes a big difference to the flavour.
- Adjust the water if you like your smoothies thicker or thinner than this. I tend to make my smoothies super thick because I keep on adding more and more fruit until my blender is jam-packed.
- The ice helps to keep the smoothie cool as you blend, which preserves the nutrients and makes them taste heaps better as well.
Have an awesome day!
7 comments
Lynne
Can I make the smoothie in the morning and then take it to work for lunch, or does it have to be eaten immediately?
Andrea
I made mine at 8am today, it’s 4pm and it still tastes great!
Nikki
Hi Lynne,
I store my smoothies in airtight bottles in the fridge for up to three days and they’re fine. Just leave as little air in the top of the bottle as possible.
Some people say there’s a slight loss in nutritional value, but it’s just like any food you prepare – it’s better fresh, but having it a day or two later is still better than not at all.
Sofie
This smoothie was unbelievable! It tasted so light and nice with no bitterness at all.
Nikki
Hi Sofie,
It is pretty special, isn’t it? I’m glad you loved it.
Kristin
It might be a good idea to majorly stock up on mangos during mango season, cut them up and freeze them, and that way, you could enjoy these smoothies all year round.
Nikki
Hi Kristin,
That’s an awesome idea. And I’ve even had the best of intentions to do exactly that, but somehow it just doesn’t eventuate. Maybe if I was more organised… ;)