Posted Mar 30, 2022, Updated Feb 18, 2024 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 (also try our mango smoothie and pineapple smoothie recipes). 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. 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. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
