I love a cold fruit based treat on a hot day, I always whip up an acai bowl, peach smoothie, strawberry banana smoothie, or this tropical smoothie that’s full of fruit flavor. My kids absolutely love smoothies, especially as an after school snack. We’ve been experimenting with different flavor combinations, and I have to say, this tropical smoothie recipe is our new favorite! It’s full of tropical fruit with some coconut milk for a creamy texture and richer flavor. You can get all fancy with the garnishes like I did here, or simply serve it as is; either way it’s sure to be a hit!
Tropical Smoothie Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need pineapple juice, coconut milk, banana, frozen mango and frozen pineapple.
How Do You Make A Tropical Smoothie?
Place the pineapple juice, coconut milk, banana, frozen mango chunks and frozen pineapple chunks in a blender. Blend until a smooth and creamy drink forms. Divide into glasses, then serve as-is or with garnishes such as pineapple, mint, lime wedges and maraschino cherries.
Tips For Tropical Smoothies
You can use refrigerated or canned pineapple juice for this recipe – either will work just fine. I typically use canned coconut milk, which is located in the ethnic foods aisle of most grocery stores. You can also use refrigerated coconut milk, but it may not have the same thick and rich texture as the canned variety. This smoothie is best when served immediately, as it may separate if stored for a long period of time. Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you’re serving a crowd.
Flavor Variations
There are so many different ways you can change up this recipe to customize it to your tastes.
Liquids: Instead of pineapple juice, try coconut water, orange juice, mango nectar or pineapple-orange-banana juice. You can also use vanilla almond milk instead of coconut milk. Fruit: You can add other fruits to the mix; try frozen fruit such as papaya, passionfruit puree, acai puree or coconut puree. Some ideas for fresh fruit include kiwi, guava and strawberries. Add Ins: Give your smoothie a boost of nutrition by adding spinach, kale, protein powder, flax seeds or chia seeds. You can also add some Greek yogurt for protein and a creamier texture.
This tropical tastes like a Hawaiian vacation. Unfortunately I’m not going to Hawaii any time soon, but at least I can pretend that I’m there with this drink!
