Mango Banana Hemp Seed Green Smoothie
Start the morning RIGHT with the super delicious, creamy green smoothie made with frozen banana, baby spinach, fresh mango, hemp seeds and almond milk.
Mango Banana Green Smoothie
I usually start my mornings with a big green smoothie, so I’m loving the new Superfood Smoothies book, by Julie Morris and LOVED this recipe! While thumbing through her book, their were several recipes with ingredients I don’t usually have on hand, and hemp seeds was one of them. But I’ve been curious about them, because I was looking for more ways to add protein to my smoothies without using yogurt, so off to the health food store I went to pick some up.
Guess what, they are really DELICIOUS, similar to the taste of raw sunflower seeds. They are one of the best sources of protein on the planet according to Julie, and include all 8 essential amino acids. The recipe below is for two, but if your making this for yourself, just divide the recipe. Be sure to freeze your bananas so your smoothie is thick, almost like the texture of a milkshake.
If you’re wondering where to find raw shelled hemp seeds, I’ve seen them at Costco, my local Organic Supermarket, the health food aisle of my supermarket, or you can order them on Amazon. Be sure they are shelled and unsalted. Of course if you wish you can sub them out for another seed such as sunflower or flax.
This will be on my regular rotation from now on, and I love that it’s 4 points plus on Weight Watchers for 16 oz, plus it’s perfect for dairy-free, clean, vegetarian, gluten-free, and Paleo-friendly.
Mango Banana Hemp Seed Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 packed cup baby spinach
- 2/3 cup fresh mango, diced
- 2 tbsp <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M1EQ60/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001M1EQ60&linkCode=as2&tag=ginsweiwatrec-20%22%3EManitoba%20Harvest%20Shelled%20Hemp%20Hearts, %208-Ounce%20Bags%20(Pack%20of%202)%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ginsweiwatrec-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001M1EQ60%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raw hemp seeds, shelled
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup ice
- sweetener, to taste (I used a few drops of Nu-Naturals liquid stevia)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, adjust sweetener to your taste.
Nutrition
Source: Superfood Smoothies: 100 Delicious, Energizing and Nutrient Dense Recipes
You may also like:
Skinny Green Monster
Blueberry Banana PB Smoothie
Tropical Green Smoothie
I used peach instead of mango because I had it on hand. Amazingly delicious recipe!
Would frozen mango work?
Yes that would work.
Would hearts of romaine be okay to add to this if you don't have spinach? What about greek yogurt instead of almond milk?
Assuming Kale could be substituted for the spinach and frozen mangoes
Do you prefer the Vitamix or Blendtec? I saw a recent post about a new Vitamix, and see the Blendtec here. Thanks.
I made this for breakfast but with chia seeds (what I had on hand) and only a little spinach, as I was running low. It was so delicious! Even better than I thought it would be. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Loving your blog for the information I need. My son has MS so I am trying to get the best and affordable nutrition in him as best as I can.
thank you for all of your hard work. I am promoting your blog on skinny Scoop. Hope you don't mind.
Wow! I just tried this, and it's the first green smoothie I've ever tried. I've always been extremely sceptic to green smoothies… I mean… Spinach? In a smoothie? But this was SO good, you really can't taste the spinach! Thanks!
This is an awesome smoothie! I made it with chia instead of hemp (although I also love hemp!). I omitted the sweetener. Yum! Thanks!
I tried this smoothie after my morning run today and it was instant LOVE. This is one hell of a delicious smoothie 🙂 Thank you for posting it!! xox
I love mangos. The ones with the yellow skin are even better than the ones with the green/red skin. Sweeter. I didn't have any banana left in the house, so I made my smoothie this morning with the mango and a little of the frozen mixed fruit I have in my freezer (strawberry, mango, pineapple). I don't have hemp seeds so I ground a tablespoon of flax seed & added it in. It's really good! Thanks for the idea, Gina!
How do you prepare your bananas when you freeze them?
I peel the banana and slice it. Then put the slices in a baggie and freeze. If I don't get to them (within a month) then they turn brown. Probably still good, but I find it unappetizing and toss.
Monica
http://www.pear-shaped-gal.com
I love the range of recipes you have and so far the mango banana green smoothie has been my favourite. I would never have thought to use hemp seeds but not only were they tasty but they’re a great way to add protein and fibre. Usually I would use Chai seeds but I find them to be quite hard and sharp in texture so this is a great alternative.
I also love that you have categorised each recipe based on Weight Watchers Points Plus. As a user of Weight Watchers, this allows me to ensure I do not go over the number of points I should be consuming per day.
Anyone ever done this in a magic bullet? Does it work ok?
I'm a big fan of hemp protein powder for smoothies. I buy a kind called Hemp Pro 70 made by a company called Manitoba Farms. My go-to breakfast smoothie lately has been a banana, some frozen fruit (usually strawberries and peaches), skim milk, a few tablespoons of protein powder, and two teaspoons of ground flax seeds.
Gina, how do you feel about using coconut milk in place of the almond milk? I found out in October 2012 (at 34 years old!!!) that I am allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and (severely) chocolate. I have coconut milk in the fridge though. That is what I use to make my daily smoothies.
Drinking this as I type. So creamy and yummy and pretty and… CRAP IT'S ALL GONE! Oh nooooooooooooooo!
I went ahead and bought the Superfood Smoothies book. It is so beautiful and the recipes all sound amazing. Great purchase, thanks for posting about it Gina!
Love this recipe! I'm a green smoothies advocate, I make them for my husband and I every morning! i'll have to check out this book too.
I think i'm addidicted to these. It was so good. I've had one the last two mornings. One thing that I wish I would have known, peel the bananas before you freeze them. LOL
I have a smoothie daily and love changing it up. Hemp seeds have also been an ingredient I have been curious about, so I think I will hunt some down and try this smoothie!
I'd love to start my days with smoothies too, but I don't have a blender! And since my tiny kitchen can't hold all of my current appliances (most of them are living in the closet in the spare bedroom), I don't think buying one is a feasible option right now. I do have an immersion blender, so is there a way to make smoothies with that instead?
I don't know about an immersion blender, but my favorite appliance for making smoothies is my Magic Bullet, which is very powerful and takes up very little counter space. It's not expensive and it's very useful for other things, too.
I've been using PB2 for protein in my smoothies. The chocolate and regular are both delicious. Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 frozen banana, 2 handfuls of spinach and 1/4 C PB2. YUM!
That sounds just like my skinny green monster recipe.
What brand of blender do you use for your wonderful smoothies?
I have a Blendtec, love it!
Breakfast, here I come! I've been adding chia seeds to my smoothie. I put a tablespoon in a little dish and cover it with whatever liquid I'm using (water, almond milk, etc) while I make the smoothie. They plump up and then I add them to the blender for one quick pulse to mix them in. I love the texture! A bit like tapioca "pellets" if you let them sit in liquid.
I love chia!
This looks amazing! I've yet to buy hemp hearts but want to try them. I love to add raw pumpkin seeds in my smoothies.
I get really confused about the pp values…I make a version of this smoothie every day, only with more spinach, pineapple and 3/4 cup almond milk. When I enter into my calculator it says 7pp…which makes 0 sense. Am I figuring it out wrong?
Are you counting the nutritional value of the fruit and veggies? With weight watchers those items are zero points so you should only be counting the almond milk for your smoothie.
Yes Missy, if you enter it into a recipe, it will add in the calories for the fruits and spinach so the number ends up higher. I think it is fine to just count the milk points, and whatever else has points. I wouldn't call that cheating ;).
Are you using fresh or canned pineapple? Canned pineapple (crushed, chunks, etc) in juice is -0-, BUT if its in light syrup a cup is 4 Pts+, in heavy syrup 6 Pts+ for a cup. Fresh pineapply is -0-
I've run into the same issue, and I've always wondered if people just leave out the veg that they add to their recipes. It can cause some pretty big differences in points values, so I can see the concern.
I can't live without my green smoothies as a morning snack! We just had a pineapple mango w kale and chard this morning. Love hemp seeds!
I think im going to switch and use Frozen mango with a fresh banana – will that work?
Sure!
I cannot find frozen bananas anywhere 🙁
Freeze your own!
I advise peeling your banana before freezing it >_> I just stuck a banana in the freezer and then ended up having to use a knife to peel the skin off, lol.
As per Amazon publication date for the book will be May 2013.
Good to know, I was sent a copy!
Not a banana lover but most smoothie recipes call for them. Can you taste the banana? Is there anything that can be used instead?
I would use more mango so you still have the creaminess.
Mango is my favorite fruit other than banana to add to spinach smoothies!
Also, can I use sweetened almond milk?
Sure, although it may increase the points.
Can Chia seeds replace the hemp seeds?
I recently tried adding Chia seeds to a similar drink I make and I hated it, the stupid seeds stick in your teeth and take awhile to get out. I guess if you weren't a freak about texture like me then you probably wont mind it.
If you put 2 tbs spoons of chia seeds in a jar with 500 ml (16oz) of water and shake, let sit so they can asorb the water. You wont even know their in you smoothie. My blender blends them right up! I had the same problem with them getting stuck in our teeth and we hated it!
I make this smoothie every morning sometimes adding strawberries as well. I add chia seeds, maca powder, flax seed oil, and bee pollen as well.
Do you think chia seed would work as well? Also, is it sweet enough without the sweetener? I usually don't add any extra when I make your skinny green monster smoothie.
I added a few drops of the stevia and thought it was perfect, but if your bananas are ripe and the mango is sweet, it shouldn't need it.
Love smoothies but still haven't tried spinach in one. Can you taste the spinach?
No, not at all.
I put close to a full cup of raw spinach in my daughter's blueberry/strawberry smoothies. Have since she was a small toddler, and she's never been the wiser. Now she knows and still doesn't mind a bit (I think she's actually a bit tickled that she can't taste it!)
This looks delicious! All over the web I have been seeing bloggers add nuts/seeds into their smoothies. I may have to give it a try. I cannot stand the taste of flax, so hopefully hemp will work for me.
If you like sunflower seeds, then you will like it.
Flax turned me off green smoothies altogether (first and only one I tried had flax seed in it), but the description of hemp seeds as being similar to sunflower seeds made me give this a go. It's fantastic! Also, yes, if you try a little handful of hemp seeds it tastes just like you've diced some sunflower seeds up. Mmm.
I had never thought of adding hemp seeds. I make this type of smoothie frequently, except for the seeds, so I will have to add them in. I'd been searching for a good way to add protein to it too!
A side question: You said you make green smoothies every morning? I do frequently also, and my blendtec has developed this whitish film stuck to the inside of the canister. Do you have any idea how to get it off, or have you even had this problem? It does scrape off, but would be very time consuming. Did some internet searching to figure it out…haven't found anything.
Strange, I don't have that problem, you should contact them.
Do you have hard water where you live? It could be mineral deposit build up from hard water.
if that's the case, try pouring white vinegar in the blender & letting it sit for a while. I'm usually skeptical about "natural" cleaning approaches, but this took THICK hard water scale off of my faucets, so if the water is your issue, it'll definitely help!
I don't have a Blendtec, but have a similar problem with my Vitamix jug(I make green smoothies every morning). I follow these cleaning instructions from the Vitamix website and don't have the white residue in my jug anymore. If the vinegar doesn't work, you can also try using a bit of bleach – just make sure you rince the jug thoroughly.
Jug Cleaning:
For a deep clean, perform the following steps monthly or as needed:
Place 4 cups of cool water and 4 cups of white vinegar into the container and let it soak for about four hours. Pour contents out and rinse thoroughly.
Why is my container cloudy or stained. How can I clean it?
The minerals from fruits, produce, and leafy greens can cause a film on your container. We recommend pouring one cup of white vinegar into the container and filling it half-full with warm water. Let the container soak in an upright, standing position for several hours, then pour the contents out and use a soft pot scrubber to clean the inside of the container. Be careful while cleaning around the blade assembly as the blades are sharp.
thank y'all for all the great suggestions! i'm going to try some vinegar and see what happens!
My fiance had some problems with this at his old apartment. It was hard water causing it. White vinegar combined with warm water helped, but he swears by Bar Keeper's Friend cleaning products. I've never actually tried the products myself, though.
I've never had hemp seeds… I had no idea they were so nutritious!! That mango looks so ripe and juicy too! Looks so good 🙂
That mango was delicious!
Hi Gina,
Would Chia work?
Miriam
Mimi, sure!