Reasons to love this Kale Smoothie
Super easy to make! 3 minutes are all you need No cooking required A delicious way to incorporate kale into your child’s diet, which can be quite tricky and challenging Allergy-friendly Customizable to suit your tastebuds
How to make ANY green smoothies
Ingredients
Kale – This leafy green packs a powerful, nutritional punch. It’s a great source of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. In fact, one cup of kale contains more vitamin C than an orange. This is wonderful as vitamin C helps enhance the absorption of iron, a super essential nutrient for babies and toddlers, in particular. Mangoes and banana – be sure to use frozen! Here’s how to freeze bananas. Milk – can use both dairy and non-dairy. Here are my top milk recommendations! Hemp seeds – for a boost of protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Tips for Success
If it’s your first time trying a kale smoothie or you (or your child) haven’t opened up to kale (yet!), start with baby kale. It is sweeter and milder in flavor. Don’t add the kale stems (located in the middle of kale leaf) as they are too tough to break down completely. Use frozen mangoes for the thick texture. Add the banana and/or more mango if you desire a sweeter smoothie..or honey (not for babies under 1). Don’t like mangoes or want to switch things up? Pineapple or peaches are the best alternatives. If you do not have a high-powered blender, I suggest blending the kale with milk first. Otherwise you will end up with kale chunks which aren’t very appetizing. If you like a thinner smoothie, add more milk. For a thicker smoothie, you can add some ice cubes or more frozen mango. For extra creaminess, add yogurt (like this mango yogurt), peanut/nut/seed butter, or avocado like in this mango avocado smoothie.
Related – 12 best vegetables for smoothies
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
For Babies
You can make this with breastmilk or formula if you wish. For added texture and nutrition, try mixing the smoothie into cooked grains like oatmeal or quinoa or lentils even!
For toddlers
You can serve the smoothie by itself in their favorite straw cup or as a part of a meal! May be interested in: Easy breakfast ideas and Lunch ideas (to enjoy at home or school)
Equipment
Most blenders are powerful enough that you should be able to make smoothies using frozen fruits and vegetables. However, I have found that high-powered blenders make smoother smoothies in a flash. I absolutely LOVE my blender and use it for everything as I don’t own a food processor. It is well worth the investment. I’ve had mine for 7+ years and it’s still going strong. I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, pancakes…it’s hands down my number one workhorse.
Storage
This mango kale smoothie tastes best right after it’s blended, but you can refrigerate for up to 4 hours. If you need to store for longer, then I recommend freezing into ice cube trays or popsicle molds. When you are ready to enjoy, add however many smoothie cubes you wish and milk to a blender.
Have leftover kale? Try these recipes
Vegetarian Pumpkin and Kale Pasta Bake African Peanut Stew Vegetable Baby French Toast
More Smoothies to Try
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