This healthy Tropical Smoothie recipe is easy to make with 6 ingredients in 5 minutes, and it’s like a beach vacation in a glass! One sip will transport you to some beach, somewhere.
When I am craving warm sandy beaches and the sound of the ocean weaves, I head into the kitchen and make this tropical smoothie! It is like a beach vacation in a glass!
This dairy-free recipe is delicious my kids request it often. It's a sunshine-y addition to breakfast or lunch, and even makes a great healthy dessert.
This tropical smoothie is easy to make with only 6 ingredients in 5 minutes! One sip will make you feel like you're on some beach, somewhere.
Tropical Smoothie Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Note - this recipe is the best (thick and creamy) when you use frozen fruit. If using fresh it will be thinner.
- Lite Coconut milk. Something I love about this tropical smoothie recipe is that it's best when made with canned coconut milk. This means I always have some on hand in the pantry to make this smoothie. I use a lite variety, but any canned coconut milk works well. You can also substitute an almond/coconut milk or another dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Frozen Banana. Adding frozen banana to smoothies is my favorite way to sweeten a recipe and impart an irresistibly creamy texture. Using frozen banana means that you don't need to add ice to make it thick and cold.
- Frozen Pineapple and Mango. I always keep frozen pineapple and mango on hand in the freezer (hello pineapple smoothie and mango smoothie). It's convenient and frozen fruit is always picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness, so it's sweet and full of nutrients. You can use fresh pineapple or mango if you have them on hand. Or you can buy fresh pineapple or mango, cut it up, and freeze it.
- Honey. This is optional but recommend for the best flavor. You can also use pure maple syrup to keep this recipe vegan.
- Vanilla extract. The addition of pure vanilla extract takes this tropical smoothie recipe makes it special, I don't suggest omitting it.
How to make a Tropical Smoothie
Let's discuss how to make this recipe, and don't forget to watch the video.
Use a Vitamix Blender
For thick & creamy smoothies I recommend using a Vitamix blender. If you've been around my blog for a while then you know my love for my blender runs deep. Check out this Vitamix Buying Guide to learn why I chose Vitamix 10+ years ago and never looked back!
Add ingredients to blending container
Begin by adding all the ingredients in the order listed in the tropical smoothie recipe to the container of a Vitamix blender (or another high-powered blender).
It's important to add the coconut milk first, then add the frozen fruit, for easy blending. I like to add the honey on top of the frozen fruit to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the blending container.
Tropical Smoothie Recipe: Optional Add-Ins
If you'd like to add some nutrition boosters to this tropical smoothie, here are some suggestions that you can add before you begin blending:
- More fruit. Strawberries, papaya, raspberries, guavas, etc. can be used in place of some of the mango/pineapple.
- Greens. Adding 1-2 cups of spinach or power greens, won't effect the taste or texture of this tropical smoothie at all. It will change the color to green, but it'll taste great and have a bonus serving of veggies!
- Kale. If you'd like to add kale, I recommend adding 1 cup. Kale has a stronger flavor than spinach and could effect the taste.
- Protein powder. Adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder will both enhance the flavor and deliver a healthy dose of protein
- Chia seeds. a nutritional powerhouse that can be added to this tropical smoothie. I recommend adding 1-2 TBS and drinking the smoothie immediately.
Blend
Next, secure the lid and blend the tropical smoothie until it's smooth and uniform throughout. Use the tamper to press the ingredients to the blades (if using a Vitamix).
You may need to pause, scrape down the sides and continue blending to ensure your smoothie is thick and frozen and avoid over-blending. The mixture should be smooth but thick.
Serve
Once blended, pour the tropical smoothie into 2-4 glasses and serve immediately. I suggest adding a cute little tropical umbrella if you're trying to make a fun snack for your kids!
Store/freeze
You can store this tropical smoothie in a glass jar with a lid for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQS
Yes! You can double the ingredients to make more smoothie! Just be sure to use a large blending container.
Yes, add 1-2 cups of fresh or fresh-then-frozen spinach on top of the frozen fruit before blending. Check out my Green Smoothie post for tips about freezing spinach.
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Healthy Tropical Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz lite coconut milk (1 ½ cups)
- 1 whole banana frozen
- 2 cups pineapple frozen (12 oz frozen pineapple)
- 2 cups mango frozen (12 oz frozen mango)
- 2 TBS honey
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place ingredients in order listed into the container of a Vitamix blender (or another high-powered blender).
- Blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high, using the tamper to push the ingredients into the blades.
- Blend on high speed for 30-60 seconds, or until the ingredients are blended and the mixture is smooth but thick.
- Serve immediately!
Video
Notes
- Lite Coconut milk. Any canned coconut milk works well. You can also substitute an almond/coconut milk or another dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Frozen Pineapple and Mango. You can use fresh pineapple or mango if you have them on hand. Or you can buy fresh pineapple or mango, cut it up, and freeze it. You can also substitute some of the fruit with other fruits including frozen strawberries, papaya, etc.
- Honey. This is optional but recommend for the best flavor. You can also use pure maple syrup to keep this recipe vegan.
Optional Add-Ins
If you'd like to add some nutrition boosters to this tropical smoothie, here are some suggestions that you can add before you begin blending:- More fruit. Strawberries, papaya, raspberries, guavas, etc. can be used in place of some of the mango/pineapple.
- Greens. Adding 1-2 cups of spinach or power greens, won't effect the taste or texture of this tropical smoothie at all. It will change the color to green, but it'll taste great and have a bonus serving of veggies!
- Kale. If you'd like to add kale, I recommend adding 1 cup. Kale has a stronger flavor than spinach and could effect the taste.
- Protein powder. Adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder will both enhance the flavor and deliver a healthy dose of protein
- Chia seeds. a nutritional powerhouse that can be added to this tropical smoothie. I recommend adding 1-2 TBS and drinking the smoothie immediately.
Store/freeze
You can store this tropical smoothie in a glass jar with a lid for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.Nutrition
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The photos in this post were taken by Nyssa from Nyssa's Kitchen.
Krista
Made this for the first time tonight! SOOO good. My husband drank his sooo fast and said “I could drink that every day.” 2 thumbs up!
Laura
Woo Hoo! You know it's good when it's hubby approved!
Vanessa
So so good! I added spinach like you said, so refreshing taste like a piña colada, except better!
Laura
Thank you Vanessa! I'm so glad you enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂