4-Ingredient Tropical Smoothie

This easy, healthy 4 Ingredient Tropical Smoothie recipe tastes like you’re sitting on the beach in the Caribbean. (Yes, that’s a flavor.) Try this dairy-free, gluten-free, low-calorie way to pack in some extra Vitamin C, fiber, and protein into your diet. We’ll teach you how to make it into a freezer smoothie pack for later, too.

It’s the dead of winter here. So much so that school was canceled today because of the wind chill outside! All I can think about is sitting on the beach sipping a tropical drink.

Good thing I have the four simple ingredients needed for today’s Caribbean-inspired tropical green smoothie–the second of 7 smoothie recipes we are sharing on the blog right now.

About our Tropical Smoothie Recipe

With only four ingredients required, this may be our easiest smoothie of all! Like our other smoothies, you’ll start with the liquid–coconut water this time–and then add the solids–frozen fruit, spinach, and cashews. The cashews add protein and healthy fat to balance out the sugars in the smoothie and keep you full.

• 100% pure coconut water – read the label to avoid any added sugars
• Frozen tropical fruit blend – i.e. pineapple, mango, papaya
• Baby spinach – I prefer organic, which is easy to find
• Raw cashews – sub: raw almond or macadamia nuts

Once you have everything in the blender, blend until smooth (about 1 minute or less). Sometimes this requires stopping and shaking or stirring the contents. You may even need to add a splash more liquid. Hop to our Shop our Favorites page to see which blender we recommend.

You may not be familiar with coconut water yet, but you should get to know this sweet, nutty-flavored water found in the center of a young, green coconut. Don’t confuse it with coconut milk, though, which is made by adding water to grated coconut meat.

Coconut water is a fantastic ingredient for smoothies because it contains less sugar and calories than fruit juice and no fat. It also adds a few key nutrients including potassium (1 serving is more than four bananas!), magnesium, and manganese. Be sure to only buy 100% pure (unsweetened) coconut water to avoid added sugars.

Now, let’s talk blenders for a minute. Not all of them are created equal.

I’ve owned a lot of brands over the years–Frigidaire, Cuisinart, Ninja, Vitamix, and Oster. To really pulverize the freezer smoothie packs, you’ll need a high-powered blender.

Two Blenders We Recommend:

1. The Vitamix because it is very high-powered, super simple, and will last for an eon. We both have this blender and it’s the BEST.
2. A more affordable option is the Nutri Ninja Personal and Countertop Blender. This makes smooth smoothies and allows me to make single-serving smoothies. The big blender doesn’t pulverize as well as the smaller containers do or the Vitamix, just so you know. We use the single-serving blender daily!

Alright, friend! It’s time to blend, kick back with your tropical drink, and dream of the beach while you sip on your greens. Or, spend a few minutes dividing up ingredients and make some freezer smoothie packs for later. Cheers!