Today's mango spinach smoothie recipe is a must-try if you're a fan of nutritious and healthy drinks.
This smoothie is a combination of a sweet and slightly tangy tropical fruit and mild, vibrant greens. With a touch of yogurt, milk, and honey, you'll have a delightfully sweet drink that can be served as a quick, low-calorie breakfast or dessert.
Before we start preparing the ingredients, let's take a look at the nutritional values and what makes this drink healthy.
Is Mango Spinach Smoothie Healthy?
Yes, our mango spinach smoothie recipe is healthy. Here's why:
Mangoes can vary considerably in color, shape, flavor, and seed size. Although the skin of the mango can be green, red, yellow, or orange, the inner flesh is predominantly golden yellow.
Consuming mangoes can benefit the body in a variety of ways. They are high in zeaxanthin, an antioxidant which helps to neutralize free radicals preventing oxidative damage. The fiber, potassium, and vitamin content of mangoes all contribute to maintaining healthy blood vessels and lowering the risk of heart disease.
Mangoes also benefit hair and skin health due to their high vitamin A content. This nutrient aids the skin in producing an oily substance called sebum, which helps keep the hair and skin stay moisturized. Vitamin A is also required for the proper development of all bodily tissues, including eyes, cellular growth, and immunity.
Additionally, we used the natural sweetness of ripe mangoes to sweeten the smoothie without using an excessive amount of added sugar.
Finally, we used only ½ tablespoon of honey for the entire recipe, which yielded four smoothie servings. This equals 9 grams of sugar, meaning that each serving of smoothie has only 2.25 grams of added sugar.
Ingredients You'll Need
Today's mango spinach smoothie recipe requires the following ingredients:
- Mangoes: This recipe works with all mango varieties that you can find in the supermarket. Be sure to use ripe mangoes for the best flavor profile.
- Spinach: A handful of spinach leaves gives the smoothie a beautifully vibrant green color without revealing the earthy veggie flavor.
- Sweetener: As mentioned, we added a touch of honey to our smoothie.
- Dairy: Milk and Greek yogurt add richness to the smoothie, giving it a milkshake-like flavor.
- Mint: You only need a few sprigs of mints to garnish the drink, so any type of mint is fine.
- Ice
Can You Use Green Mangoes for This Smoothie?
Green mangoes are edible and can be delicious when incorporated into many other recipes (for example, our Thai mango salad recipe). That being said, they are not the ones you should use to make smoothies.
Green mangoes have a crunchy texture and can sometimes taste a bit sour. On the other hand, ripe mangoes are soft and delightfully sweet, making them perfect for blending and adding flavor to smoothies.
In addition, ripe mangoes give out a lovely, tropically fruity scent that will elevate your drink. Check out our Mango Papaya Smoothie Recipe, Mango Dragon Fruit Smoothie Recipe, and Mango Banana Smoothie Recipe for more amazing ways to use ripe mangoes in smoothies.
How to Tell if a Mango Is Ripe
Take note of any speckles. While this is not always the case, it is probably ripe if a mango's peel has developed a few brown spots or specks.
However, a mango without speckles may still be ripe, depending on the variety. Spots should not be used exclusively as an indicator.
Specific mango cultivars, such as the Kent mangoes, may develop yellow rather than brown ones.
Sniff the mango near the end of the stem. The aroma will be strongest there, and you'll get a more accurate sense of how the fruit smells in its natural state.
The aroma should evoke the flavor of mango. Taste and smell are inextricably linked, and how something smells has a significant impact on how it tastes.
Avoid mangoes that have a sour or alcoholic aroma. If you sniff the mango near its stem and detect a strong, bitter scent, it has over-ripened and is beginning to rot.
When compared to other fruits, mangoes have a very high sugar content. As they begin to rot, these fruits will naturally ferment.
This accounts for the sour, alcohol-tinged aroma and indicates that the mango has become far too ripe. It will almost certainly taste as acidic as it smells.
Squeeze the mango gently. When applying light pressure to the mango's sides, you should feel the flesh slightly indent. A ripe mango is a soft mango.
How Long Does It Last?
We recommend drinking this mango spinach smoothie within two hours of preparation for optimal quality.
If you are not going to consume it immediately, seal it in a bottle or other airtight container. If refrigerated, it will keep for a day or two.
You can even freeze the smoothie to make a delicious, low-calorie mango ice cream to munch on whenever you have a sweet tooth.
Mango Spinach Smoothie Recipe
With our mango spinach smoothie recipe, you can make a simple, delicious, and nutritious drink in minutes, using minimal ingredients.
- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2023-03-20
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 10 mins
- COURSE Beverage
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 139 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 18 oz mangoes (peeled, pit removed, cut into chunks)
- 2 oz spinach (leaves only)
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 2 cups ice
- 8 mint leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
In a blender, combine 2 cups ice, 18 oz mangoes, 2 oz spinach leaves, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup whole milk and 1/2 tbsp honey.
Blend at high power mode in 20 - 30 seconds until smooth.
Divide the drink into four serving glasses.
Garnish with the mint leaves. Enjoy your fresh smoothie.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
- Agustous TDelicious and nutritious way to start your day.