Thick Green Breakfast Smoothie with Frozen Banana and Pineapple

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A juice-bar-style green smoothie built to be spoon-thick rather than watery: baby spinach is liquefied first so there are no leafy flecks, then frozen banana, pineapple and a spoonful of avocado go in to make it cold, creamy and thick enough that the straw stands up on its own. Greek yogurt and hemp seeds add enough protein to carry you to lunch, and lime plus fresh ginger keep it tasting bright instead of grassy.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, cold
• 3 cups baby spinach, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, to taste

• 2 medium very ripe bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen solid
• 1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/4 ripe avocado
• 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
• 1 tablespoon almond butter (optional, for richness)
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 4 leaves fresh mint (optional)
• toasted coconut flakes, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. The night before: slice 2 peeled ripe bananas into 1-inch coins, spread them on a parchment-lined plate so they don't touch, and freeze at least 4 hours or overnight. Frozen banana is what makes this smoothie thick without ice, which waters it down.
2. Pour the cold almond milk into the blender first, then add the spinach, Greek yogurt, lime juice, grated ginger, honey and mint if using. Blend on low, then ramp to high for 45 to 60 seconds, until the mixture is a completely smooth, uniform bright green with no visible leaf specks. Scrape down the sides once if leaves cling.
3. Add the frozen banana coins, frozen pineapple, avocado, hemp seeds, almond butter and salt. Do not add more liquid yet.
4. Blend on low for about 15 seconds to break up the frozen fruit, then increase to high and blend 45 to 75 seconds, using the tamper or stopping to scrape down as needed. The smoothie is ready when the vortex closes over on itself and the mixture climbs the sides slowly, like soft-serve.
5. Check the texture: it should mound on a spoon and hold a straw upright for a second or two. If it is too thick for your blender to move, add almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time, blending 5 seconds between additions. If it is thinner than you want, add 3 or 4 more frozen banana coins or a few pineapple chunks and blend again.
6. Taste and adjust: another squeeze of lime if it tastes flat, another teaspoon of honey if the pineapple was tart, a pinch more salt to make the fruit pop.
7. Divide between two tall chilled glasses, top with chia seeds and toasted coconut flakes, and serve immediately with wide straws. The smoothie is at its thickest in the first 5 minutes.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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